Winemaking is often referred to as a ‘labour of love.’ But, like anything in life, the more you put in, the more you will get out. Respect is a huge factor, as well as kindness, gentleness, and most importantly – patience! At De Zeven, one of our many love languages is welcoming you with a glass from the Limoenkloof range, available for sale exclusively to De Zeven guests.
An Interview with Miles Mossop
Posted on Tue March 5, 2019.
If you paid a visit to the City of Oaks in the first week of February this year, you would have found yourself slap bang in the middle of the Harvest Parade. This colourful parade, filled with tractors, trucks, trailers and a whole lot of singing invites the people of the town to celebrate the beginning of the Harvest Season.
Now it is common to see tractors chugging through the streets of Stellenbosch, heavily laden with thousands of grape bunches to start their journey into becoming some of Stellenbosch’s most adored and world-renowned wines.
Many of these renowned wines are created from the vines in the Banhoek Valley where De Zeven Guest Lodge is located. We’ve asked one of the esteemed winemakers associated with the valley, Miles Mossop, to share with us his views about his selection process and this year’s harvest season.
After working at Tokara for 19 years, Miles Mossop decided to concentrate on his own brand and created Miles Mossop Wines in the Banhoek Valley. He continues to make his wine at Tokara, but likes to purchase his grapes from all over the Cape region. “I buy my grapes from all over. Most of my whites are brought in from the Swartland area close to Malmesbury and Riebeek Kasteel, it’s a lot drier out there,” he explains. “My whites are mainly Chenic Blanc dominated, and my reds are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot-dominated which I buy from all around Stellenbosch, including Limoenkloof.”
“The weather has been fairly stable since August last year, with hot days and rainfall in between. The overall impression for this year’s harvest is good!” he says enthusiastically. “We had a cool, relatively wet spring and summer, with warm days and rainfall in between so you get a lot of humidity, causing a lot of wet around the plants and increasing the chance of disease. However, farmers who farmed properly, and really paid attention to their vines are going to get really good quality!”
mM wines are named after his three children, Max, Saskia and Kika, each of which is an award-winning wine, completely unique with its own story to tell. These wines are created as naturally as possible, and the grapes are handled with the utmost care from vine to bottle.
All of us here at De Zeven Guest Lodge are looking forward to the fruit of Miles and his team’s labour. Especially knowing that our very own Limoenkloof vineyards had a part to play.
Feel like experiencing the exceptional Banhoek Valley together with its exceptional wines?
Further Reading
Limoenkloof - Our Labour of Love at De Zeven
Thu February 11, 2021
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A De Zeven Advent Calendar Just For You
Tue December 1, 2020
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The advent calendars, Michael Bublé, and festive fanfare have all reminded us that Christmas was coming for the last three months, but in the Banhoek Valley we're releasing our advent calendar today. Instead of opening thin chocolates leading up to Christmas Day, we're offering far more tempting and indulgent treats in and around De Zeven. So even if you aren't currently with us, these are the things you can look forward to...
The Protea: The Flower of the Season and the People
Fri September 18, 2020
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"Proteas are to fynbos what salt and pepper are to the spice rack: the golden children" – Kate Black
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