Harvest is always a magical time for us. It is the culmination of a years worth of work all coming down to this one moment and a passionate harvest team all working together to achieve the same goal.
We have just started our harvest and it is still early days but our winemaker, Adriaan Jacobs is very optimistic about this years crop.
“The 2023 harvest is going to be a great one! After sufficient rains in winter and an exceptional growing season, the vines are healthy and strong to ripen the 2023 crop. Our sustainable and organic approach in the vineyards, with utmost detail by our farm manager Daniel, meant that the vines have had a strong start to produce the quality grapes that Rijk’s is known for.
We kick started harvest on the 23rd of January and we are bringing in some of our younger blocks this year. I’m looking forward to seeing what the first harvest from these vines will produce.
My aim this year is to create wines that will showcase the beautiful fruit we receive and reflect the stunning growing season.
Our cellar team is ready and excited for the grapes to be received. What I expect from the 2023 vintage is the promise of elegant, well rounded wines with the depth and structure that Rijk’s unique shale soils produce. With the additional help of our two interns, Rafael from Mexico and Marie from Spain, this is sure to be one for the books!” – Adriaan Jacobs.
Better for the grapes and better for the people. Tulbagh can reach temperatures of up to 35 degrees in the summertime. This is why we harvest in the evening.
Being surrounded by mountains means that we experience much cooler evenings. The mountains act like a basin and the cooler temperatures hold where we are.
Starting at around 22:00 and finishing the following morning at 05:30, the cool evenings help our dedicated harvest team to do the best picking possible as well as for the grapes to retain freshness & flavours as they reach the cellar. We have been operating this way since day one and it proves year after year to be very beneficial.
Every single last bunch is hand picked and every single last bin is hand sorted to take out any unwanted sticks, leaves or ‘bad bunches’ ensuring only the top quality that Rijks is known for.
When received at the cellar it goes through another sorting process to make extra sure that the grapes are all 100% what we are looking for before the bunches go into the press.
Being surrounded by the vineyards, you will most definitely spot our team hard at work while enjoying a dinner on our terrace. With their spotlights shining bright, it is hard to miss them.
During harvest, the hotel guests get to enjoy a special taste of what was picked the previous evening and an exclusive first taste of the 2023 vintage.
Book your stay at our hotel to experience it yourself.
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