Clone SB 11 rooted in dry riverbed

"Making good Sauvignon Blanc is a challenge” Fanus Bruwer explains, ‘and producing quality Sauvignon blanc with cooler climate flavours in the dry and temperate Robertson (as we do), is downright difficult!”

Fanus and Martin are very selective when harvesting for their Quando wine. “We use grapes from two adjacent vineyards for the Quando blend. The soil, rootstock and trellis system are exactly the same, it’s just the clones that differ.” Fanus explain “ One, SB 11 lends itself towards New World style flavours, while the other, SB 316 more classically French. The blend is rather unique and definitely more Cape in style’.

The fertile soils give excellent leaf growth and up to fifty leaves per shoot are grown to ripen one bunch! The dense canopy also protects the grapes from the sun and midday heat – which is detrimental to the delicate flavours of Sauvignon blanc – and means that the vines never go into stress or lose their flavours. The vines are irrigated during the growing season as needed.

The inherent characteristics of the wine are the result of the deep, rich alluvial soil of an old river meander and cooling breezes from the Indian Ocean in the afternoon. The exposed alluvial soils, with their good water retention capabilities, are perfect for growing Sauvignon blanc vines, while a strata of loose riverbed gravel, three meters below assures good drainage

Clone SB 316 rooted in dry riverbed

Fanus with his frost alarm
The vineyards are situated at the lowest part of the farm and frost is a severe problem in early spring. “The week after the new moon, in early October, is always a very stressful week. That’s the time when frost is most likely to occur”, explains Fanus. “These days I do not need a frost alarm anymore. When my cat tries to sleep on me, instead of on her chair in the early morning, I know it’s below zero and time to get up and chase the frost!” And how exactly is this done? “We put on the micro jet irrigation system,” smiles Fanus. “This increases the temperature and produces fog in the vineyards so frost cannot settle."
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