| Natural Wines in the Swartland |
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Testalonga winery is located in the Swartland region of South Africa, right on the southwest tip and just north of Cape Town in a province called the Western Cape. It's a dry, arid, Mediterranean climate not too dissimilar to places like parts of Sicily, the Languedoc region and the Roussillon.
Currently Craig and Carla Hawkins farm six hectares of their own vineyards here and rent 15ha. They farm the majority of vineyards themselves or work with growers who farm organically.
They've always been adamant about farming organically. For Craig, it's not a fundamentalist reaction to anything, but a way to get the best quality. "From the moment that I started out making wines, I wanted to make the best wines we could," says Craig. |
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| Pioneer of South African Skin Contact Wine |
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"I always struggled with South African wines because I thought that from vintage to vintage they all tasted the same. There were very particular orange wines that made me kind of wake up. It was my epiphany moment in wine. Skin contact, skin macerated, white wines, orange wines - whatever you want to call them - that was actually the reason I make wine." - Craig Hawkins
When Craig started making wine in 2008, no one was making orange wines in South Africa. So, he started with a block of old vine Chenin Blanc and macerated it on skins for four weeks. It is still one of his favourite wines to date. Shortly after, he gained International attention and the rest is history. |
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2022 Vintage Pre-Order Offer 750ml | 1.5L (priced per bottle, available in 6pks)
El Bandito I Wish I Was A Ninja - $43.95 El Bandito I Am the Ninja - $43.95 El Bandito Sweet Cheeks - $59.95 | $120.56/1.5L El Bandito Lords of Dogtown - $59.95 | $133.95/1.5L El Bandito Cortez - $59.95 | $133.95/1.5L El Bandito Mangaliza - $59.95 | $133.95/1.5L El Bandito Skin - $59.95 | $133.95/1.5L El Bandito The Dark Side - $59.95 | $133.95/1.5L El Bandito Queen of Spades - $59.95 | $133.95/1.5L
Baby Bandito
Baby Bandito Keep on Punching - $35.95 | $74.95/1.5L Baby Bandito Stay Brave - $35.95 | $74.95/1.5L Baby Bandito Follow Your Dreams - $35.95 | $74.95/1.5L Baby Bandito Chin Up - $35.95/btl | $74.95/1.5L |
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| | Slightly off-dry South African Colombard Pet-Nat "like lemonade for grown-ups"... far too smashable. A slightly funky nose and bright acidity to balance the hint of sweetness. The label says it all: this is for having fun, ideally in the sunshine, and even better when shared. | |
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| | 9.5% abv old vine Chenin Methode Ancestral sparkling. Bright green apples and sourdough notes with zippy minerality and a blast of citrus and pear to finish. Serious but playful. | |
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| | Skin-contact Muscat. Aged in old barrels & concrete. Rich, savoury aromas of orange, russet apple, husk & spice. | | $59.95/btl | $133.95/1.5L |
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| | 100% Chenin Blanc. Lords of Dogtown features a label photo that Carla snapped. Whole bunch pressed and native fermented in an old 500L oak cask with full MLF. Beautifully saline, framed by notes of green and yellow apples, wildflowers and grasses. | | $59.95/btl | $133.95/1.5L |
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| | 42-year-old single vineyard Chenin Blanc. Whole-bunch pressed into old oak and left alone. Subtle, fresh and pure. Unadulterated. | | $59.95/btl | $133.95/1.5L |
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| | 100% Harslevelu (traditionally found in Hungary) that Craig discovered in his vineyard. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed into neutral barrels for 10 months before bottling. | | $59.95/btl | $133.95/1.5L |
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| | Phenomenal Chenin Blanc, sourced from a 50 year-old organic vineyard, and macerated on skins for 12 days (actually a little less than previous releases). Heady aromatic mix of spice, citrus fruits, some minerality even, then the palate displays power and weight rather than just the backdoor bitterness of some skin contact white wines. | | $59.95/btl | $133.95/1.5L |
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| | 12.5% abv - 100% Syrah. Violets, olive tapenade and black cherry. The freshness and elegance of Burgundy, with the sturdy structure of Syrah. | | $59.95/btl | $133.95/1.5L |
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| | 100% Tina Amarela planted on decomposed granite. This tiny production saw just 6 days of maceration before being pressed off into a neutral vessel. Notes of blackberries, black tea and earth. | | $59.95/btl | $133.95/1.5L |
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| | Baby Bandito Keep on Punching |
| Made from Chenin Blanc planted in 1961 on a 4ha block of sandstone-rich soils. Fermented and matured in a combination of foudre and stainless steel tanks. Fresh and layered with bright, sunshine laden fruit with a savoury undertone. | |
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| | Stay Brave comes from old Chenin Blanc vines and was hand-harvested and destemmed into open fermenters. Fermented on the skins for 6 days before ageing in large, neutral oak. | |
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| | 100% Carignan from bush vines planted in 2001; white pepper joins a medley of red fruit: pomegranate, cranberry, cherry. Silky smooth. | |
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| | Baby Bandito Follow Your Dreams |
| 100% Cinsault - fermented for 10 days on the skins. Red apple, red cherry and a little earth. Juicy and fresh with soft tannins. Jura style - very low in alcohol, very smashable. | |
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| Arriving Late Winter 2022/2023 |
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Pre-order by Tuesday, Sept 27th (prices do not include HST or bottle deposit) |
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