Swartland swing at Org de Rac Wines

An hour's drive from Cape Town and about 50km from the sea "as the crow flies" lies Org de Rac, organic Swartland wine estate. If you venture off the N7 and turn into this estate you will be greeted with a promise of bubbly and oysters which might seem unusual when looking at your surroundings. But damn, they're good and well worth a stop.

Our question of "why organic?" was met by no-nonsense cellarmaster, Frank Meaker, with a grunt. I think he would like to answer with a plain why not? He pointed out how much more expressive the fruit is with organic farming. The grapes he works with at Org de Rac is the healthiest grapes he has seen in his life. He is driven by quality and believes that being organic shouldn't just be an add-on. The Org de Rac wines can definitely compete on any level. Their 2017 Roussanne, which received 92 points in winemag's Alternative Varieties Report was a lovely surprise. It's a great food wine and thirst-quencher.