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The SoetKaroo Wine Estate consists of just one hectare of land, a 'village farm' in the heart of Prince Albert. And this is where husband and wife team, Herman and Susan Perold, live and make their dessert wine from their own grapes. It is in fact the only SAWIS registered wine estate in the Great Karoo, and no, it is not the smallest in South Africa! (The definition of a wine estate is simply a place where the wine is grown, made and bottled).
Visitors are welcome to visit the vineyard and cellar and to taste the wine. The SoetKaroo wines are sold from the tasting room in the Perolds' dining room.
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Soil analyses confirmed that the soil was suitable for vine production and required no supplements. The Karoo summers are extremely hot and dry, not an ideal climate for diseases and pests - no snails, minimal fungal diseases and weeds are removed by hand.
Four cultivars suited to the terroir were selected and in the year 2000, Herman planted Red Muscat d'Alexandrie (Red Hanepoot), Red Muscat de Frontignan (Red Muscadel), Petit Verdot, and Touriga Nacional.
Herman is a perfectionist and an exceptionally hands-on vigneron. His efforts are rewarded by the quality of the grapes.
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Susan converted their garage into a cellar and here she redefines the concept 'hand crafted'. Each cultivar is first made as a completed wine, allowed time to develop its varietal character before she decides whether to bottle as is or to combine it with some of the other wines. Two thirds of the production is Red Muscat d'Alexandrie, an unusual cultivar. The SoetKaroo blend of Touriga Nacional and Petit Verdot first made in 2007 is also unusual, possibly unique. The demand for this wine quickly depleted stocks. The SoetKaroo Red Muscat d'Alexandrie Reserve is an exclusive gift pack, only 512 items produced in 2007.
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The 2008 season was characterized by a long cool spring and early summer, followed by very hot weather in January and February. Unusually, it rained during the picking period. In spite of lower sugar levels than other years and some uneven ripening of the grapes, the harvest went well. We picked small quantities on seven occasions between 13 February and 19 March. With all the juice fermented, fortified and in their tanks, it is time for the flavours to develop and intensify until the wine is ready for bottling towards the end of the year.
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Tel : +27 23 541 1768
