So it was with great excitement that we had come to the day where we finally got the label the new 2007 Kleinhoekkloof Handcrafted Wines Shiraz.

It’s quite a set up and the process to get everything aligned and perfect (its an automated system) takes almost as long as it takes to label the small batch of Shiraz we have for this vintage.

We arrived at 8:30 to see the guys setting up, and by around 9:30 the actual process began. There was a break from 11:00 till 11:30 as tea time is deemed necessary in all parts of South Africa, even wine cellars in Robertson. But we were done and dusted by 12:00 on the nose, packed, palleted, etc. 3500 bottles in roughly 120 minutes.

I then had a peek around the warehouse to find the Merlot 2007 resting nicely where it will be left for at least another year, and we did a barrel tasting on the new blend, which I can’t tell you much more about other than its a Shiraz/Viognier/Petit Verdot. There is no release date set just yet, as it’s still in barrels, but wow, we are excited about this one.

The most I can tell you about it is to have a look at our head decision maker blending it himself, here.

All in all, an amazing day with family and great wine. More to come…