News from Ataraxia - Wine Stories and Offers

Though it may not feel like a dramatic shift, the transition from winter to spring is indeed underway. Similarly, the wine pendulum is slowly swinging from reds to whites. To capture this wave, Kevin Grant shares his insights. Kevin is the winemaker and owner of Ataraxia in the upper Hemel en Aarde Valley and has established himself among the top winemakers at the Cape over time. Recently, he received attention for transitioning his Chardonnay production entirely to the Black Method, which we've discussed before.

With a nod to our current Ataraxia offers, we will step back for today and hope you enjoy Kevin's insights.

Dear friends at South Africa Wine Shipping,

This year, 2023, unfolds as the tale of two harvests. The first part has been calm, as Mother Nature treated us winemakers with gentle yet consistent hand. During this time, we had the pleasure of harvesting all our Chardonnay vineyards precisely at the desired sugar ripeness. While some batches continue to ferment blissfully, those that have completed their journey to dryness are already beginning to express their character beautifully.

Then, just as if to show her feistier side and remind us not to take nature for granted, she dealt us a dramatic climatic hand unlike anything I have seen in my thirty-three years of winemaking! The second part of the harvest was interrupted by unusual heavy rainfalls – 82 mm in the last two weeks of February, and a staggering 84 mm in the first week of March – paired with cold snaps that vividly reminded me of our winters at the Cape! The chilly weather transported me back to the icy days that my wife, Hanli, and I experienced during our epic trek in the Himalayas last November. There, we discovered the values of patience and determination—qualities that became absolutely essential in managing this harvest.

I have great respect for young winemakers with only a few years of experience. How do you assess these weather conditions, and more importantly, how do you make the right harvesting decisions? Faced with the looming threat of rot, we felt relieved to harvest all our Pinot Noir grapes during a hectic week. The virtues of patience and determination that I relearned in the Himalayas turned out to be particularly useful in the latter half of this harvest. Now, the Pinot Noirs are safely fermenting in the cellar, and we look forward to them being a splendid expression of both the soils and Ataraxia terroir.

Yet, the 2023 harvest is not quite over. Our nerves continue to be tested as we await the harvest of our 60% Sauvignon Blanc and all our Cinsault grapes (to craft the whispering Serenity blend). This week (March 13-19) is critical for us. Hanli and I know that as friends of Ataraxia, you’ll keep the entire Ataraxia team in your thoughts and well wishes. We draw great strength from that and are looking forward to welcoming you all for tastings of these wines in our picturesque chapel-like tasting room on the farm soon.

Ataraxia Offers (valid from March 15 - 22, 2023)