2024 Creation Estate Viognier

Creation was the first to plant viognier in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. The terroir there appears to be ideal. The Atlantic Ocean provides cooling, which gives the grapes a little more time to ripen. Slow ripening ensures that the grapes gain aromas without sacrificing the fresh acids. The latter also has to do with the moment of harvest. The grapes are picked early, then pressed and the juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation, the wine is left to ripen on the yeast cells ('sur lie') for another three to four months. This makes the wine rounder in taste. There is no malolactic conversion or wood maturation in order to preserve the fruitiness and fresh acids.

The Creation Estate is a viognier in the South African style. A creamy wine with intense aromas of white peach, apricot and flowers, which in the mouth go together with a crisp minerality. In the glass the Viognier is straw yellow with in the nose the typical viognier tones of white peach, apricot and a pinch of nutmeg.

In the mouth the wine is full bodied, rich, fruity with a creamy mouthfeel, aromas of white fruit and flowers, complemented by a crisp minerality. Do not serve too cold because then the typical Viognier tones disappear. Delicious with creamy pasta dishes. Also delicious with a salad of chicken, mango and coriander. Coriander provides a taste explosion!

About Creation Estate

When Jean-Claude (JC) and Carolyn Martin took on the challenge of starting a winery in a remote corner of the Walker Bay Wine Region in 2002, it was quite exciting. Vines had never been planted here before, but JC and Carolyn - both scions of well-known wine families - were determined and convinced of the potential of the area. Together they founded Creation Estate in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Five years later, in 2007, the first harvest took place and they equipped the cellar with the best equipment from Germany, France and Switzerland. Since then, they have been working hard. Not only with their quality wines, but also the tasting room has made a name for itself.

Today, Creation Estate has 50 hectares of vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. JC and Carolyn’s philosophy for making wine is based on “enhancing the beauty of nature”. It is all about the quality of the grapes, not the tricks that can be performed in the cellar. “Winemaking is a delicate art that must be reserved in order to capture the nuances of the origin”, says JC Martin. Terroir is important at Creation Estate. Not surprisingly, because the combination of higher vineyards and the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean creates a unique microclimate in Walker Bay. In addition, JC Martin works with wild yeast cells instead of commercially developed ones, read more about this on our news page.

In 2019, the township of Overstrand Hermanus in South Africa was awarded the UNESCO ‘Creative City status for Gastronomy’! This is one of only 10 cities worldwide and the first on the African continent to receive this distinction. For the winery Creation, and many other individuals and boutique producers in the region, this is a tribute to their contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

About Heaven and Earth Valley

Creation Estate is located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, a sub-area within the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. It is located approximately twenty kilometres from Hermanus, the coastal town on Walker Bay that is also known as the 'whale capital' of South Africa. The Atlantic Ocean not only ensures that the whales happily bob around here, it also provides an ideal climate for wine growing. It is warm, but it rarely gets warmer than thirty degrees during the growing season. This is due to the fresh sea breeze and the fact that the vineyards of Creation Estate are slightly higher than most vineyards in the area. The grapes are given the opportunity to ripen optimally, but retain their fresh acidity thanks to the cool nights. The soil also plays an important role in this. The vineyards have a clay-derived slate soil, called Bokkeveld. It prevents water stress and makes the vines less vigorous, which in turn contributes to the slow ripening of the grapes (due to the slow release of groundwater).

In short, Creation Estate has a unique terroir in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. They know how to translate this into full, but at the same time elegant wines with ripe fruit aromas, fresh acids and a beautiful minerality.

FACT: In the tab 'Attachments' you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will automatically send you this when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount. You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.

WINE-FOOD SUGGESTIONS:

• Grilled chicken with apricots and thyme
  The ripe, floral notes of Viognier complement the soft flesh and the sweet, fresh accent of apricot.

• Salad with mango, avocado and goat cheese
  The creaminess of avocado and the freshness of mango match perfectly with the round structure and exotic fruit of the wine.

• Pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce and sage
  The soft spiciness of sage and the sweet pumpkin form a harmonious whole with the full, aromatic style of Viognier.

• Baked cod with fennel and orange
  The freshness and florality of the wine enhance the aniseed fennel and citrus accent of orange.

• Roasted quail with peach and honey glaze
  The combination of delicate game bird and the sweet fruity glaze complements the ripe stone fruit and refined spiciness of the wine beautifully.

• Monkfish with saffron sauce and roasted fennel puree
  The firm structure of the fish and the rich sauce are perfectly balanced by the aromatic power and elegant freshness of the Viognier.