Opstal Wine Estate

Christian Eedes rating – 95/100

Over the last 10 years we have made Chenin blanc our main focus at Opstal with our Carl Everson wine being the flag bearer. Our beloved Carl Everson has done most of the heavy lifting, but now we have 2 new Chenin crackers to compliment and show off our estate’s identity and further drive home the message that Chenin feels at home in our soils. We have Chenin planted on different soil types, sites and slopes with further differences in clones and rootstock combinations. In the cellar we have different vessels which we feel goes best with these different types of Chenin juices to best depict the differences mentioned earlier. That brought about the Single Site Series where we celebrate the excellence of Chenin blanc. These are small batch wines, available in limited quantities as we want most of our sales partners and markets to also have some to share in telling the Opstal story.

Carl Everson was the visionary 4th generation farmer at Opstal Estate. This wine is a tribute to his perseverance and hard work, earthed in our family’s land, during tough times in the industry post-war. Made from the best and carefully selected grapes on the farm this is our flagship red wine. In keeping with the philosophy of this range, we stepped back and let the grapes do the talking rather than fiddling to much in the cellar.

Carl Everson was the visionary 4th generation farmer at Opstal Estate. This wine is a tribute to his perseverance and hard work, earthed in our family’s land, during tough times in the industry post-war.

We use old vines from a single vineyard planted in 1982, old French barrels, natural fermentation and minimalistic cellar intervention to proclaim our Slanghoek terroir through this wine. Chenin blanc & Family – the cornerstone of farming at Opstal.

Christian Eedes rating: 93/100

Over the last 10 years we have made Chenin blanc our main focus at Opstal with our Carl Everson wine being the flag bearer. Our beloved Carl Everson has done most of the heavy lifting, but now we have 2 new Chenin crackers to compliment and show off our estate’s identity and further drive home the message that Chenin feels at home in our soils. We have Chenin planted on different soil types, sites and slopes with further differences in clones and rootstock combinations. In the cellar we have different vessels which we feel goes best with these different types of Chenin juices to best depict the differences mentioned earlier. That brought about the Single Site Series where we celebrate the excellence of Chenin blanc. These are small batch wines, available in limited quantities as we want most of our sales partners and markets to also have some to share in telling the Opstal story.

Stanley, our father, is a huge fan of Cabernet Sauvignon. He has created some stunning red varieties, which are the most traditional in the world. We still like Cinsault now, and our 1997-planted Cinsault vineyards are maturing nicely and yielding excellent grapes. The majority of South African wineries added a tiny amount of Cinsault to Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1970s and 1980s to give it more freshness. Just as we combine the old and the new, tradition and new ideas in our family business, we think these two types go hand in hand rather nicely. Attie and seventh-generation Zak Louw

Our family has farmed with Chenin Blanc for generations and it forms the cornerstone of our estate, comprising a third of our vineyards. This wine shows the classic Chenin combination of freshness and concentration, which makes it such an attractive and versatile player both on the farm and in the winery. We have the variety planted on various sites on our farm and this is a mash-up of these sites.

Cinsault is all about drinkability. The color will lure you in and then the elegance on the palate will knock you over. Along with the raspberry and strawberry prettiness on the nose, this wine also shows fynbos spice and a zippy fresh taste on the palate. Perfect for any occasion.

Alcohol % (V/V) 10.41
Residual Sugar (g/l) 2.0
Total Acidity (g/l) 4.7
pH 3.47

A Tribute To Legendary Farm Workers… During the 1950’s and 1960’s Daniel Smiles, fondly known as Sixpence, was Opstal’s Shepherd. Slowly, but surely, the sheep were replaced with vines planted on Sixpence’s pastures, which were then referred to as Sixpence’s vineyards. The Sixpence wines are made mostly from grapes from Sixpence’s vines, and Opstal is proud to be able to honour the legendary Sixpence with our easy-drinking, everyday range of wines

A Tribute To Legendary Farm Workers… During the 1950’s and 1960’s Daniel Smiles, fondly known as Sixpence, was Opstal’s Shepherd. Slowly, but surely, the sheep were replaced with vines planted on Sixpence’s pastures, which were then referred to as Sixpence’s vineyards. The Sixpence wines are made mostly from grapes from Sixpence’s vines, and Opstal is proud to be able to honour the legendary Sixpence with our easy-drinking, everyday range of wines.

This pretty Rosé is made from a vineyard planted on the western side of the Slanghoek Valley in a sandy soil with huge amounts of river pebbles in the profile. The soil has a low water holding capacity, so we work hard at mulching and composting on the farm to put organic matter back in the vineyard and generate a healthier micro climate for the plant. In the cellar there was only a couple of hours of skin contact during pressing, with a small amount of Colombard grapes added for that lively acidity. The juice underwent extended cold settling before cold fermentation. Aromas of bright red fruit is in abundance with cherry and strawberry most notable.

The grapes used to make Sixpence wines were formerly grazed by sheep on our fields, and the renowned Daniel Smiles, also known as Sixpence, was the shepherd there. Opstal is pleased to offer our easy-drinking, lifestyle wine line as a tribute to Sixpence and all of the farmworkers on our estate.

The 5th generation vitner at Opstal Estate was Attie Louw, a veteran who started cutting the soldiers’ hair in Italy during WorldWar II. Afterwards he settled in Worcester and became a Berber. After marrying Ansie Everson, who inherited Opstal, he joined her and the team on the farm. The Barber becoming a winemaker… Almost as strange as a single varietal, barrel aged Sémillon from the Slanghoek Valley. 

The 5th generation vitner at Opstal Estate was Attie Louw, a veteran who started cutting the soldiers’ hair in Italy during WorldWar II. Afterwards he settled in Worcester and became a Berber. After marrying Ansie Everson, who inherited Opstal, he joined her and the team on the farm. The Barber becoming a winemaker… Almost as strange as a single varietal, barrel aged Sémillon from the Slanghoek Valley.