DU TOITSKLOOF BRUT SPARKLING WINE,South Africa price supplier

Background
Du Toitskloof Wine Cellar (DTK) was established by six wine farmers as a co-operative winery in 1962. Today it has 22 members whose vineyards all lie within a 10 km radius of the cellar. It is located near the town of Rawsonville in the Breede River Valley, at the entrance to the Du Toitskloof Mountain Pass. The stony soils of the area are ideally suited to grape growing. DTKs award-winning wines are known for their excellent quality at affordable prices, and during the last five years it has been rated the South African cellar offering the best value by WINE magazine, three times. The cellar produces some 10 million litres of wine a year from 13 500 tons of grapes, of which 60% is white and 40%, red. Its major white cultivar is Sauvignon blanc, followed by Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Semillon. The main red cultivars are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Pinotage.

In the vineyards
The grapes were all harvested from selected farms within a 5km radius from the cellar and from vines between 5 and 10 years old, growing in deep alluvial soils with moderate water retention. The vines were mostly grafted on Richter 99 rootstock and received supplementary irrigation based on hydrometer readings. Canopies were actively managed to ensure bunches were kept in the shade and away from direct sunlight. To ensure they reached the cellar in the coolest possible state, the grapes were mechanically harvested at night at 19º to 21º Balling and transported enveloped in layers of dry ice to reduce contact with oxygen. The first grapes have a high acidity with Flavours of grass and greenpepper followed by the ensuing harvests aromas of gooseberry and tropical fruit blending to form the perfect balance.

In the cellar
This Brut is made by the injection of carbon dioxide bubbles and consists of 50% Sauvignon blanc, 20% Chardonnay, 20% Colombar and 10% Muscat de Frontignan. The different varietals were pressed and fermented separately before blending. The Sauvignon blanc and chardonnay were kept for two weeks in cold tanks at -1° C during which time the lees were stirred up daily to achieve maximum flavour extraction. The two batches were then fermented separately at 12° 14° C over a two-week period. After fermentation all four wines were analysed and blended in the laboratory, stabilised and filtered before bottling.