De Toren: South Africa's First Five-Grape Blend | Stellenbosch Wine

Before every blend, De Toren's cellar master writes three or four words on a sticky note. The final wine has to taste like them.

Live from the vineyards of De Toren in the Polkadraai Hills of Stellenbosch, managing director Albie Koch and cellar master Charles Williams tell the story of South Africa's first five-grape Bordeaux blend. Albie made his first vintage in 1999, at 22. He explains how they tracked down a Petit Verdot mother block at a nursery, and why the first vintages had to use grapes from outside Stellenbosch. Charles explains why he puts the vineyard before the cellar, what Napa taught him about elegance over power, and why South African wine is no longer afraid to be South African.

They also take on what Americans get wrong about South African wine, why Polkadraai belongs on the label, and where they want De Toren to be in 2046.

De Toren means "the tower," named for its gravity-flow cellar. Its flagship, Fusion V, blends all five Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

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KEYWORDS:
De Toren, De Toren Private Cellar, Fusion V, De Toren Fusion V, Albie Koch, Charles Williams, South African wine, Stellenbosch, Polkadraai Hills, Bordeaux blend, five grape blend, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, gravity flow winery, Cape Winelands, South Africa wine tour, wine podcast, Wine Centric Show, Matt Weiss, South Africa Series