“There are a lot of dassies (rock hyraxes) in the mountains surrounding our farm, and they are the main food source for the Verreaux’s eagles around here. When you’re up in the mountains, sometimes there’s suddenly a massive shadow, and as you look up, there’s this enormous bird soaring overhead. It’s really quite incredible. We thought it would be appropriate to name our ‘highest flying’ wine after this magnificent, high-soaring bird.”  – Alvi van der Merwe

A Pinotage of Exceptional Quality

This dark, ruby-coloured Pinotage boasts enticing aromas of vanilla, liquorice root, spice, brambleberry, black cherry, and plum. Offering an uncompromising flavour experience, this multi-award-winning wine represents the pinnacle of Alvi’s Drift’s winemaking.

“I made my first red wine (then called Cape Fusion) in 2005 and was fortunate enough to win a Double Gold Veritas Wine Award for it,” notes Alvi. “Today, this Cape blend (Pinotage, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon) goes by the name of Drift Fusion and is part of our Reserve range. When we first created this blend, some of the Pinotage barrels turned out to be so outstanding that I thought, ‘Wow, I’m doing this wine a disservice by not bottling it.’ And that is how our Verreaux Pinotage came to be.”

Crafted with Precision & Tradition

The crafting of this remarkable wine begins in our vineyards. “First, we identify the very best Pinotage blocks, and then the very best grape bunches are hand-selected and picked in the cool, early morning hours,” says Alvi. “Then we inspect the crates of grapes yet again. It all comes down to perfect fruit, picked at optimal ripeness, and the colour of the grapes is usually a good indicator of both."

“We ferment these grapes in the kuipe, the open-top fermentation tanks constructed by my grandfather, Oupa Alvi, almost a century ago. But before that,” Alvi adds, “we cold-soak these Pinotage grapes for 48 hours. The reason we choose open-top fermentation is that we like to apply the punch-down (pigeage) method to these grapes, as it gives us greater control over the fermentation process.”

Verreaux Pinotage Food Pairing Suggestion

Our flagship Verreaux Pinotage will continue to mature beautifully over the years and pairs exquisitely with roast venison, grilled steak, or duck dishes.