in the vineyard : Climate: Summer afternoons are fanned by a cool breeze from the Agulhas Coast. Nights are chilly and mist often shrouds the vineyards until late morning during high summer
Irrigation: The vineyards are scientifically irrigated with the aid of a fully computerised irrigation system. Thanks to the most modern technology, irrigation on De Wetshof has been turned into an asset promoting the quality of the grapes.
Soils: The gravely soils are extremely rich in lime with a 7.8 - 8 pH
Rainfall: Robertson is a winter rainfall area with approximately 300mm per annum.
Pest Control: Due to a very dry climate, spraying is minimal compared to other wine growing regions.
Winemaking Methods: Danie de Wet adjusts his methods of winemaking from year to year, according to weather conditions and grape quality, in the belief that wine is made in the vineyard and not in the cellar.
Cooper: French oak barrels for De Wetshof are specially selected from specific coopers to enhance the quality of the fruit.
Soil Type: Gravel lime
Rootstock: Richter 99, 110 and 101-14
Age of the vines: 13 years
Vines per hectare: 4000
Trellising style: 6 Wire fence system cordon with spur pruning.
Tons per hectare yield: 12 Tons
in the cellar : The grapes are picked early in the morning, destalked and given no skin contact. The juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks at a low 16 -18°C until dry. After fermentation the young wine is cleaned and allowed a period of rest before bottling.
Barrel maturation: None