Alvi’s Drift Reserve Drift Fusion 2020

Description

Alvi’s Drift is found on the banks of the Breede River in Worcester Western Cape. Here is some background on this exquisite wine.

The Wine

The reserve tier showcases the best of the harvest from selected vineyards destined for these wines. The grapes are handpicked, crushed and fermented on their skins until Alvi’s Drift are satisfied with the colour and intensity. After maturation in oak barrels, wines from individual barrels are carefully selected to make up the final blend. The labels of the Reserve tier feature an illustration of Alvi’s Drift, the low water bridge which Albertus Viljoen van der Merwe was instrumental in building back in 1928 to facilitate easier and safer crossing of the Breede river which cuts through the property. Alvi’s Drift cellar has grown from humble beginnings with “oupa” Albertus Viljoen passing the banner to his son, Bertie, and in turn to his son, Alvi. Under Alvi’s direction, Alvi’s Drift has gone on to produce a string of award-winning wines which are now enjoyed around the world.

In The Cellar

Alvi’s Drift explain that The Fusion, as the name implies, is a fusion of “old” and “new”. Not only grapes and styles of wine, but also of winemaking techniques. Each variety is vinified separately with a specific intent to showcase specific characters using methods and stylistic choices suited to each grape. In general, juice is macerated on skin to improve the colour. Each variety then follows its own path through the cellar, enjoying open fermentation, pumping-over and french oak barrel maturation in some cases while other varieties enjoy partial tank fermentation, completing fermentation in barrel. After fermentation, the wine was matured for 18 months in a combination of French and American Oak barrels of which approximately a third were new.