It’s that time of year again. The Boland roads are taken over by tractors filled with whole bunches of grapes, specially selected as the next generation of award winning wines. The air is filled with anticipation and added pressure this year as load shedding has affected the wine industry very negatively and has added to the already unpredictable nature of the business.

Temperatures have been slightly cooler and the subsequent wet weather has delayed ripening; rain also increased disease pressures from powdery mildew and botrytis, but with the well managed vineyards and open canapies, Leopard’s Leap wines are very positive about the 2008 harvest.

Eugene van Zyl, winemaker and technical adviser of Leopard’s Leap wines, predicts of the 2008 vintage, “If this cool weather persists we are in for some stunning surprises with our reds”. He explains that the reds are ripening later, which produces a robust wine that is exceptionally fruity and lower in alcohol.

Consumers can expect to reap the benefits from the 2008 harvest in late April when the 2008 Lookout Sauvignon Blanc & 2008 Lookout Pinotage Rosé will be released.