Sequillo comes from the Latin and means an arid, dry place of great purity: a very good description of the Swartland in South Africa. It is the Swartland that we strive to capture in our Sequillo wines, vintage after vintage. Our wines must reflect their soils and have a strong sense of place; and this expression of place must be unrefined and unfiltered.

We strive to produce wines which are unique and honest and that rather display minerality and origin as opposed to more opulent flavours; therefore we take utmost care in the vineyards, as this is the DNA integrity which should make it through to the bottle. Our winemaking is time-honoured and traditional and we avoid the intervention of technology and mechanisation.

THE CELLAR

The project started in 2003 as a venture that focuses on the limited production of one white and one red blend, vinified from Southern Rhone and Mediterranean grape varieties which are particularly suited to our climate and soils. In warmer Mediterranean climates people have for centuries blended different grape varieties to gain the complexity, the all-round structure and balance; and the huge expression of terroir that can be obtained in mono-varietal wines in the milder continental climates. Everything we do in the winery departs from one main and multi-faceted concept: place (as our wine labels also want to communicate in a light-hearted way this year).

THE VINEYARDS

All of the grapes are picked from un-irrigated vineyards which are spread out over most of the Swartland grape growing region. The main soil types we work with, are granite (Paardeberg), gravel (between Malmesbury and Darling), clay (the Glenrosa soil formations north of Malmesbury) and slate (the Porcelain Mountains towards Riebeek Kasteel). Our red grape varieties are Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache Noir; and this year we have added Cinsault and Carignan to the Sequillo Red 2009. The white grape varieties are Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Rousanne; and for more freshness, Clairette & Palomino were added to the 2010 blend as well.