Iona Wines

Elgin Andrew Gunn and his wife, first generation South Africans with Scottish and Viking heritage, own the Iona estate, which is situated in the apple-growing region of Elgin, east of Cape Town. The estate occupies a unique position in a valley between two hills on top of the eastern slope of the Elgin Valley (the handful of other producers in Elgin are more towards the valley floor) and is heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean 3km away. The soils in this area are unique in South Africa with an unusual abundance of post glacial alluvial types. This coupled with the cool and lengthy ripening period make it an ideal region for the production of aromatic white wine and medium bodied, European style reds. As a qualitative comparison, Iona receives 50% less rain in the harvesting months than Bordeaux and is also slightly warmer with an average growing season temperature of 17.5 degrees C. Neils Verburg is the winemaker and works closely with Andrew to obtain the ripest, most aromatic grapes possible and maintain this freshness and sense of place throughout the winemaking process which is conducted almost exclusively by hand in small parcels. The first vineyards were planted in 1998 and the second vintage, Sauvignon Blanc 2002 was awarded a Veritas Double Gold Medal.

	Iona Merlot / Cabernet 2004 Bin No. IONARED04 Price: £9.95 The vineyards are situated exclusively within the Estate, 425m above sea level on the Eastern hills of the Elgin valley. There is a significant influence from the ocean which is 3km away, cooling the vines with a maritime breeze, increasing the hang time of the berries. This fluctuation between warm daytime and cool night-time temperatures promotes the development of highly aromatic compounds. Harvesting is by hand in small parcels, only when the ..
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	Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - Elgin, South Africa Bin No. IONASB2007 Price: £10.50 The 2007 vintage for Iona wines was an excellent vintage with a long cool, dry ripening period, unaffected by the January / February heat wave in the Cape; the grapes were harvested over 10 days in mid March in perfect condition. The white wine, Iona 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, was made at Iona’s own cellar by winemaker Niels Verburg; a larger than life character who at 6 ft 5 inches and 17 stone is a good match for Andrew Gunn who grows the grapes. ..
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