But Org de Rac is much more than organic – more than vineyards, wine, lavender, rosemary, olives and no words for the fantastic view and beautiful surroundings.
Up close and personal you'll discover a true green heartbeat at the foot of the Piketberg, embracing the Swartland with a free spirit, living an organic dream and a biodiverse philosophy and constantly striving for balance between nature, people and business.
Org de Rac symbolises creation, conservation and respect for the virgin soil which belongs to tomorrow.
The approach at Org de Rac stems from a deep respect and commitment to the natural environment, the people involved in making our wine and the people who will finally enjoy our wine.
The result of our organic farming methods is a harvest of grapes that is raised in healthy soil, fertilized by living, organic compost and that was never sprayed or exposed to any form of chemical pesticide, herbicide or fungicide. (Read more about our Sustainable Farming Methods here).
These organically produced grapes are then taken to our cellar and made into wine according to strict principles and controlled practices, before being bottled, labelled and matured right here on the estate.
Org de Rac absolutely adheres to organic winemaking techniques with low sulphur additions - resulting in a more natural, healthier wine on your table.
The delicious range of healthier wines of superior quality and taste that ends up in your glass was therefore grown and made to the highest modern standards and with the utmost respect for the earth, its people and above all, for you - the discerning wine lover who cares.
Sustianable Farming
Because we believe that healthy, well-balanced plants have the ability to protect themselves against most predators and diseases, our grapes are grown in previously untouched, healthy soil, carefully nurtured with only natural compost and organic nutrients. In order to control mildew disease, we have planted the vineyards to take best advantage of the prevailing wind direction to allow natural drying of the leaves.
Cover crops planted between rows provide additional organic nutrition. Our environmentally friendly pest-control methods include a small army of ducks that patrols the vineyards, ridding the vines of snails and insects.
Drip irrigation, focusing the water where it is needed, conserves this valuable resource.
All picking is done by hand. This secures jobs for our community, and we also offer development and training to our staff to empower them in organic farming practices. In the cellar grapes are also sorted by hand to remove all unwanted materials.
Org de Rac’s Vineyards
Org de Rac’s vineyards are grown on some of the oldest viticulture soils in the world the results of tremendous tectonic shifts some 800m years ago. They comprise granite and slate, rich in iron and ideal for the growing of wine grapes. The Mediterranean climate ensures cold winters with an annual average rainfall of 300mm, while summers are warm and sunny. Grape varieties are planted in pockets of terroir proven to be suited in allowing each specific cultivar to express its unique and individual flavour profiles. Vineyards are south-facing in east-west rows.
Grape varieites (red): Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Grenache Noir and Tempranillo. White: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Roussanne and Verdelho.
About 96% of our vineyards are trellised on wires using the split cordon method meaning the vine is split into two arms horizontally of the length of 500 millimetres each. These are wrapped on a wire giving about 6 shoots per arm and with 2 bunches per shoot producing about 5 to 8kg of grapes per vine. Our planting density various to about 2 700 vines as per hectare and with a row width of about of 2,5 meters between the rows which does sounds quite wide. But in the bigger picture the space creates good aeration, the wind circulating through the vineyard and all that moving air preventing various potential diseases
Winemaking
Using organically farmed grapes means that in the winery Org de Rac is committed to minimum-intervention winemaking. Sorting tables select only the best ripe berries for crushing and fermentation. The use of sulphur, an agent found naturally in the vineyards and the wine-making process, is kept to the minimum. Org de Rac is also in the process of eliminating sulphur additions, instead using a revolutionary honey-bush plant product that acts as a natural preservative. This allow purity and variety expression in our wines.
Pump-overs are done as little as possible to keep the wine calm, intact and balanced. Wines that undergo wood-maturation are allowed to rest in specially selected barrels of American or French oak, each vessel chosen by the cellarmaster to bring the best features of each variety or blend to the fore.
Buy Org de Rac Wines
Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Fresh and crisp with zesty lemon, strong varietal mouthfeel with lingering tropical fruit flavours.
Chenin Blanc 2022
Abundantly aromatic with an array of bright stone fruit and an exciting tinge of lime zest.
Chardonnay 2022
Irresistible aromas of tropical fruit are beautifully balanced by subtle oak and follow through on the palate.
Rosè 2022
This Provence style Blanc de Noir was made from Shiraz grapes.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Distinctive aromas of tomato leaf, pencil shavings and mulberry beckon on the nose.
Merlot 2019
An elegant yet vibrant wine with well-integrated oak and soft tannins supporting the delicate fruit flavours.
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