Durbanville Hills Merlot

Product Description

Wine has been made in the Durbanville area from the end of the 17th century but it wasn’t until the late 1990s when Durbanville Hills Wines was established. Seven grape farmers and DISTELL agreed to build a cellar as part of a joint venture to make their own wine and today there are nine member producers. Durbanville began as an “outspan” (resting place) area named Pampoenkraal that became a meeting place for early travellers, transport riders and local farmers. In 1685, one of the farms in the area, Roosboom, so impressed Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel that he noted it for posterity. As early as 1702 the first surplus of wine was recorded among the producers and could very well have resulted in the first sales of wine from the region. This small village developed over time and was named Durbanville in 1886. The actual hills themselves are not referred to as Durbanville Hills but rather as the Tygerberg or “Leopard Mountain”. This name came about when the early Cape Settlers in the mid-1600s called the hills Gevlekte Luipaartsberg (Spotted Leopard Mountain) because they were reminded of leopard skin by the striped effect of the patchwork of the indigenous shrub covering the hills. This name later changed to Tygerberg, but since our range of entry level wines are shaped by this unique landscape, we chose to stick to the name, Durbanville Hills as it best reflects the magnificent diversity.

Dark ruby in colour. The bouquet shows a combination of ripened and dark fruit, rich dark chocolate, sweet wood spice with hints of plum and cassis. The palate is accentuated by flavours of soft sweet red and dark fruit, rounded off with silky tannins and a full finish.