Today was one of those days that I got to tick off a box from my bucket list. I got to meet Chris Alheit at his winery and taste his wines. What a treat, what an experience and what an honour.
I was lucky to get this opportunity as I had offered to drive a guest from Japan to visit some wineries in the Hemel-en-Arde wine route while she was here in SA.Through her involvement in the wine industry in Japan, she was invited to see a few of the top winemakers in SA, one of which was Chris Alheit.
We started off with a cellar tour, he showed us the different vessels he uses and explained the way he makes his wines.
Chris uses a minimal interference wine making style where he leaves the grapes to do the talking. He simply guides the grapes in to the bottle.
We then went through to the office to taste his wines. We started with the two Flotsam and Jetsam wines. The Cinsault is one of my favourite red wines here in SA. It is super easy to drink, juicy, vibrant and fantastic with or without food.
The other favourites of mine were the..... Cartology, Magnetic North, La Colline Vineyard and the Hemelrand Vine Garden. All of these wines are made in very small quantities. They are hard to come by so if you find a bottle in the store, buy it, immediately! His wines sell out FAST!
If you ever get the chance to meet and/or taste Chris Alheit's wine, you must take the opportunity with open arms. If you don't get the opportunity to taste with him, then be sure to either buy yourself a bottle of his wine to enjoy at home or next time you see it at a restaurant, order it, you won't be disappointed. His wines are breathtaking.
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