The Sadie Family ‘Skerpioen’ is a mixture of the Chenin Blanc and Palomino varieties from old vines aged over 65 years old and planted in clay and calcareous soils. These grapes grow 2 km from the Atlantic Ocean and enjoy a sea breeze that contrasts the dry climate. The work in the vineyard is organic and carried out without using chemical additives that can impair the natural balance of the terroir. The harvest is manual at the optimum point of ripeness. When the Chenin and Palomino reach the winery, the two varieties are pressed together, and the resulting must ferments spontaneously with native yeasts and without additives in old wooden barrels. Finally, the wine ages in concrete eggs and is bottled without refining or filtering. The Sadie Family Skerpioen, whose name means scorpion, is a saline and mineral wine created from an unusual mixture of the versatile Chenin Blanc and Spanish Palomino variety. Remarkable freshness and depth-- a very limited production little gem. 

The Sadie Family makes its home in the Swartland, an hour North of Cape Town and edging right up to the coast. This is a remarkable area to which a visit is on the bucket list of every wine professional I know. The soils have been theorized by some geologists to be the most ancient viticultural soils on Earth, rich with granite, iron, and schist. There is a wildness to the place with its bush vines and rugged terrain that is captured in the bottles. Yet, the precision with which this is executed is nothing short of incredible. Old vines, ancient soils and extreme climate conditions provide a balance of texture and freshness.