Babylon's Peak, Swartland, Paardeberg, South Africa

BABYLON'S PEAK: A BEAUTIFUL WINE ESTATE AT THE 'TOP' OF PAARDEBERG

Babylon's Peak's private cellar is located on the slopes of Paardeberg , between Malmesbury and Paarl. The cellar was built on the Nooitgedacht farm, which belonged to the Basson family for 4 generations. Son Stephan Basson, is today not only the owner of the wine estate, but also a very talented winemaker. In the Swartland region he has become notorious for his beautiful wines. He makes his wines from the best ripe fruit, harvested by hand, which makes his wines unique and of high quality every year.
The winery ' Babylon's Peak' is named after the granite 'peak' (mountain) that rises above the vineyards. This 'peak' is popularly known as ' the Babylonstoren '. The history of the wine estate goes back to 1948; the old cellars under the estate were jointly used for wine production. Later this grew into a collaboration, a cooperative of local winegrowers . In the early years of 2001, winemaker Stephan Basson decided to renovate the cellar and realize his dream. The estate became his property. He decided to use local grapes as the basis for his wine production. "I am convinced that Chenin Blanc and Shiraz are the gems of the Paardeberg", says Stephan. His wine production and annual quality became great, and not surprisingly he won a Veritas Gold Award for three consecutive vintages - 2007, 2008 and 2009. In recent years the wine estate has grown in size and prominence. Today Babylon's Peak also focuses on typical Rhône-style wines, made from Mourvédre, Grenache and Viognier.

THE 'BLACK' LAND

The Swartland region begins approximately 50 kilometres north of Cape Town and is located on the west coast of South Africa. The area is approximately 13,000 hectares. The name ' Swartland ' refers to the dark, fertile soil of this region . Swartland was discovered from the Cape during an initial exploration by Dutch colonists in 1660. The area was given the name Swartland because the ' Rhino Bush ' (the forests surrounding the area) turned black for a certain period of time. The flat areas in Swartland consist mainly of sandy soils . The hills contain more granite and pebbly sandstone. In general, the soil is very fertile. The climate in Swartland is very dry and very warm, which makes irrigation necessary in most places. The temperature can rise to 44°C . Fortunately, mist and sea breezes do provide cooling for the vineyards. In a controlled form, this keeps the yield low and allows for the harvest of qualitatively healthy grapes . Due to the heat, it is not uncommon to harvest the grapes at night , also to prevent premature oxidation.

BUSH VINES

Due to the high temperatures and the Bush Vines , (These are low bushes on which the grapes hang), the grapes become smaller, but more concentrated. This produces beautiful wines with concentrated aromas. The Bush Vine bush shape is not pruned this way by chance: so low to the ground the vine is protected from strong winds , and the grapes also enjoy the warmth that the earth gives off for as long as possible at night. Bush vines are often in very dry areas such as Paardeberg: there is little water available to transport nutrients to the long, thin shoots. That is why the plant keeps its leaves green and as close as possible to the wood of the trunk .