Viticulture

Varietals

The main focus in Darling is Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz. The cool influence from the Atlantic Ocean makes Darling ideal area for growing premium quality Sauvignon blanc. Excellent performing cultivars include Pinotage, Chenin blanc, Grenache, Mourvedre, Merlot, Viognier and Nouvelle. read more »

Terroir

South Africa is a land of contrasts, be it demographically, or nature. Every winemaking area is quite unique, with the predominant factors being proximity to the ocean, the prevalence of mountains or low lying hills, soil types and composition, and rain fall. read more »

The Vineyards

About 95% of the total 900ha vineyards from which Darling Cellars sources its fruit are in “bush vine” format. About the same amount of the vineyards are un-irrigated as well. The advantages of bush vine are plentiful, but the most important attribute for Darling Cellars is that a bush vine is quite hardened against drought. As the water resources in the area are very limited, the only choice is to plant bush vines. read more »