Nico van der Merwe’s excellent wines new in the range

Nicolas van der Merwe is a winemaking legend in the Cape of South Africa. He has been producing his own wines for around 25 years. In 1999, he realized this dream with the first vintage of Mas Nicolas. Savinis now has three of his quality wines in its range: the Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Mas Nicolas 2015, the Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc 2018 and the Shiraz 2017.

Nico van der Merwe comes from a family of wheat farmers and turned to viticulture during his time at the agricultural college in Elsenburg. After graduating, he went to Germany, where he attended the country’s oldest viticulture school, the LVWO Weinsberg. During this time, van der Merwe also met his future wife Petra, who was practising as a doctor in a neighboring town.

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Great red wines with a wow effect

Savinis now offers three new red wines from the legendary winemaker: The Nico van der Merwe Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz Mas Nicolas 2015 impresses with very ripe berry notes and nuances of tobacco, cinnamon and cedar wood. The wine tastes toasty with notes of mocha and dark chocolate, is wonderfully round in body and powerful yet soft at the same time. A truly great wine! The Nico van der Merwe Red Blend Merlot/Cab. Sauv./Cab. Franc 2018 has fine barrique nuances and tastes fresh on the palate with a pleasant berry note. Good, ripe tannins and a suitable acidity round off the enjoyment of this balanced wine. The third wine, Nico van der Merwe Shiraz 2017, has a very intense, ripe berry bouquet, fine wooden barrel aromas with a hint of vanilla and impresses with matching acidity and perfect tannins right through to the very long finish. All three red wines are excellent accompaniments for a hearty main course with meat and poultry. But they also go wonderfully with a cheese platter served as an aperitif or dessert. The wines will make an impression!

The first “flying winemaker”

After graduating in Germany, Nico van der Merwe returned to South Africa and became South Africa’s first “flying winemaker”, running a winery in Stellenbosch (Saxenburg) for half the year and a winery in the Languedoc region of France (Château Capion) for the other half. During their stay in France, the family not only discovered a new culture and way of life, it was also the birthplace of their dream to create their own wines. This dream became reality with the first vintage of Mas Nicolas in 1999. With Mas Nicolas, the winemaker created his regularly highly rated flagship.

Even though a lot has changed since then: Nico van der Merwes continues to produce quality wines that reflect the character and terroir of the Cape. The winemaker relies on a combination of traditional and modern methods in the production process. Since 2005, the van der Merwe family has owned their small estate “Mooi Uitsig” and their wine cellar with a breathtaking view from Cape Hangklip to the Tygerberg Hills. Visitors are welcome to taste the wines.