Visiting Alvi's Drift

God's own country South Africa has been called, a country to fall in love with. Diversity in nature with desert, savannahs, steppes and leafy countryside with lots of flowers and nice people - you name it, it's there. Also lots of wildlife, a beautiful climate and wonderful wines. And that's what this story is about. Beautiful wines, not from famous Stellenbosch, but from Worcester.

Worcester is not a very well-known wine region in South Africa. Thoughts usually go straight to Stellenbosch, Swartland, Franschhoek and Heaven-and-Earth Valley. Nevertheless, this more unfamiliar Worcester has some 20,000 hectares of vineyard planted - a fifth of South Africa's total plantings. In fact, because a lot of spirits are also made from grapes, Worcester is South Africa's largest grape producer. In terms of spirits, Worcester breaks another record: it is home to the largest distillery in the world: the KWV Brandy Cellar. If you like a sip, you are not wrong in this area whose name, but not the taste of its wines, is identical to English spicy sauce.

Head in the sun

This area is certainly reminiscent of parts of England with its verdant valleys and hills, and mountains on either side of the valley. Flowers, forests and vines and one winery after another appear once you arrive in Worcester. Located roughly along the Breeder River, the wine-growing region is surrounded by rolling hills. Flowers are not the only thing the Worcester soil provides. Chenin blanc, chardonnay, sauvignon, cabernet sauvignon, pinotage and so on feel completely happy in Worcester. The soil, the terroir, offers great variety: schist, granite, clay and sand. Excellent for grapes of various kinds. And Worcester has another advantage. Temperatures are high and rainfall is low. So the grapes are comfortable with their heads in the sun and their feet in the groundwater.

Alvi's Drift

Driving through Worcester's leafy countryside, countless vineyards pass by and the vines sway back and forth in the wind. Wineries loom left and right, and in the distance Alvi's Drift beckons. The driveway goes on and on, but then the moment arrives. Here is the winery, set behind a huge garden and a row of old houses. The first thing you notice is the Shell pump. It looks so retro that it resembles a non-working museum piece. 'It does work,' says owner Alvi van der Merwe, who has come walking out 'There is a tank underneath with 5,000 litres.' And they need that tank, too. Alvi's Drift is not just any business, it is a giga company with a matrix of products. Winemaking is just one of the many things the company does. They have 4,000 cows including Jerseys and Friesian pedigree cattle, 200,000 chickens, their own cheese dairy, their own butchery and 20 hectares of lemons, peaches and apricots. Plenty to do, but winemaking is the passion of the current owner and third generation Alvi van der Merwe.

Read the full story now in WINELIFE #54. Buy it in shop or order it here.

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