Darling Cellars - Weingut in Darling, Südafrika

The "Darling Wine of Origin" region, has only existed in South Africa as a demarcated and independent wine-growing region since 2003, before which Darling was part of the Swartland designation of origin. The producers of the Darling Region saw an independent identity in their region, which is clearly separated from the Swartland Wine Region, which is 6 km further inland. The year 1996 heralded a new era for the Darling Region with the founding of the Darling Cellars. With its unique terroir, the main focus here is on producing wines that authentically express their origin and the character of their grape variety.

With approximately 20 owners and partners, Darling Cellars produces 6-8 tons of grapes per hectare on 1300 hectares. The extensive and award-winning wine portfolio of the winemakers Carel Hugo and Anthony Meduna is offered in five different wine series and includes, among others, the Darling Cellars Chocoholic Pinotoge and the Darling Cellars Chardonnay Reserve.

The cool and moderate climate of the West Coast covers a variety of different micro and mesoclimates, which in combination with the different soil types produces unique grapes. South Africa is a country of contrasts, be it demographically or in its landscape and nature. Each wine region is absolutely unique, whereby decisive factors are the proximity to the ocean as well as the different altitudes, different soil types and soil characteristics and the annual rainfall. Decomposed granite is the predominant soil type, with the relatively low percentage of clay providing well-drained soils. Inclusions of sandy soil in the lowlands of the eastern part of the vineyard site are ideal for the production of white wines. The numerous vineyards from which Darling Cellars obtains the grapes for its wines are located between 6 and 30 km from the ocean. The Darling region thus offers an interesting composition of low hills, facing both northeast and southwest, with both sandy and clay soils and close proximity to the ocean. When these two areas are combined, the result is wines that have a great balance both on the nose and on the palate, with wonderful reverberation.