Rook en Spieëls Bosbrand Carignan from old vines is a complex yet easy drinking red wine. Partial whole-bunch fermentation brings a leafy freshness, while layers of red fruit and spice from the gentle oaking offer a balanced and textured finish. Enjoy this unique skillfully crafted Carignan with aromatically spiced chicken, grilled red meat dishes and tomato based pasta or pizza. 

Vineyard and Winery

Our supplier, Moreno Wines, had been on the lookout for some Carignan vines for a while…as with all things, it’s the people you know…a chance conversation with a local farmer happened to reveal exactly what they were looking for, and a little bit more besides. As it turned out, the Carignan vineyard the farmer was talking about happened to be two vineyards. The first is the oldest Carignan vineyard in South Africa (planted in 1979), the second is a smaller vineyard planted in 2003.  The site itself is rugged and the ground full of quartz – when the sun shines down (which is a lot of the time) it looks spectacular. The wine itself is made in two parts that are blended together - the older vineyard adds intense complexity and spends 9 months in 600L used French oak barrels before being blended with the juice from the smaller vineyard, of which 30% is whole cluster fermented, to add freshness and lightness.