THE VINEYARD
As smallest wine estate in the Cape, our vineyard comprises only two hectares, exclusively planted to Merlot vines.
This small size allows for a caring and environmentally responsible viticulture, based on the latest knowledge and technology, including Remote Sensing by means of multispectral imagery from drones and satellites. Interested? Read more about it further down on this page.
We are certified by IPW SA (Integrated Production of Wine SA) for environmentally friendly and sustainable viti-viniculture from planting to bottling.
Bein Wine's vineyard is ideally suited for growing Merlot. It is situated on the cooler southern slopes of Stellenbosch's Polkadraai Hills, and is blessed with deep and highly weathered granite soils.
The climate is Mediterranean with dry, sunny summers and sufficient rainfall in winter. And the proximity to the coast, with its beautiful panoramic view over False Bay, ensures an always refreshing breeze and sufficient air humidity
- Planted in 1996 based on scientific evaluation of soil and micro-climate.
- The soil is deep, loamy sand (Clovelly soil type), lavishly prepared before planting with deep ploughing and lime, to promote deep and strong root development.
- Various clones of Merlot vines (MO192, MO12, MO36) were used to enhance complexity
- Vines are trained to split cordon in a high 7-wire hedge trellis, with a spacing of 1 x 2.75 m, pruned to 6 bearers per running meter.
- Computer-controlled drip irrigation for supplementary irrigation during stress periods, based on satellite based remote sensing, continuous soil-moisture measurements and actual climate data.
Satellite
Technology to remotely monitor a vineyard is part of our
daily life since 2013. It is particularly useful to assess the water
needs of our vineyard, but also gives additional information such as growth and nitrogen status. This service is
available in South Africa thanks to an initiative of the Western Cape
Department of Agricultural, which aims at promoting water saving in
agriculture. For more information, have a look at
www.fruitlook.co.za
Precision Viticulture by
means of multispectral aerial imagery allows us targeted management decisions
according to zonal requirements, such as fertilizing, water
allocation, harvest timing and winemaking strategy.
Each micro site within our
vineyard can such be identified and developed to its individual potential, yielding several wines of distinctly different character from one single
vineyard! For more info, download here our Info poster about
Precision Viticulture in
Bein's Vineyard (PDF).
