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WORDS: RICHARD HOLMES IMAGE: SUPPLIED

Alongside its ever-reliable range of great-value wines, Fairview winery on the southern slopes of Paarl Mountain is expanding its Bloemcool portfolio of wines. Intended as an outlet for the winemaking team to flex their creative muscle, Bloemcool is all about small-batch handcrafted releases, and they’re turning both heads and palates among local wine-drinkers.

Launched in 2015, Bloemcool is a tip of the hat to the 1693 origins of the Fairview property. Back then the farm was known as Bloemkoolfontein, and owned by one Francois Hugo who was (in)famous for washing and reusing his neighbours empty wine bottles. That eco-minded approach continues today, with all of the Bloemcool wines bottled in recycled glass, and back-to-basic labels of unbleached paper implanted with real cauliflower (“blomkool”) seeds. Once you’ve enjoyed the wine, scrape off the label and plant your own veggies!

And you’ll certainly enjoy the wines, not least the latest addition to the range, the “Ploegperd” white blend of palomino, chenin blanc and grenache blanc.

The grapes are all picked from old vineyards in the high-lying Piekenierskloof, including the oldest block of grenache blanc in the country. Fermented in both older barrels and steel tanks, there’s a delicate balance of citrus character and minerality on the textured palate.

Bloemcool’s no one-trick pony though, and the range offers a half-dozen wines that are all worth discovering.

There’s a heady blend of chenin blanc and muscat de frontignan named for the 17th-century “Dr. de Jager”, as well as the 100% semillon bearing the name most local farmers knew it by – “Groendruif”.

And though the focus is on white wines, with chenin blanc playing a starring role, the pair of reds will also do you well this winter. The Bloemcool Tinto Fino from Tempranillo is a perfect winter warmer, while the limited production “Liefling Merlot” is classic in style and worth seeking out. But with only 199 bottles made, you’ll be lucky to get your hands on any.

Fairview | 021 863 2450 | fairview.co.za

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