Arboretum is our flagship wine crafted from the fruit of the organically farmed estate vineyards in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch. It is a Bordeaux-style blend comprised of the best barrels the vintage gives the winemaker. The name celebrates the botanical collection of trees that graces Botanica’s home, Protea Heights Farm.
Full of blackberry intensity with ripe fruit tannins in support, this is a smart wine that offers both power and finesse. Grippy, serious and dense, with firm, layered tannins and youthful plum and damson fruit.
Full of blackberry intensity with ripe fruit tannins in support, this is a smart wine that offers both power and finesse. Grippy, serious and dense, with firm, layered tannins and youthful plum and damson fruit.
The hand-harvested grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and fermented in open-top fermentation tanks, with punch downs performed twice daily. The wine was gently pressed and racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation. It was aged for 11 months in 300L French oak barrels (10% new, the balance 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill).
Winemaker: Ginny Povall
Winemaker: Ginny Povall
Botanica Wines was founded in 2009 by owner and self-taught winemaker Ginny Povall, an intrepid American who fell in love with the beautiful Cape winelands, purchased Protea Heights farm in Stellenbosch’s Devon Valley and relocated to the southern tip of Africa in 2008. Established in the late 1940s, Protea Heights was the first farm in South Africa to cultivate indigenous protea flowers commercially. Inspired by this horticultural history, it was only natural that Ginny would choose to develop her wine brands and labels with a botanical flair.
Today the estate boasts eight varieties of proteas (four of which are hybridized species unique to the property), largely destined for export to Europe. The 21.6 hectare farm is planted with 10 hectares of indigenous flowers, which bloom throughout the year, and 5 hectares of organically farmed, high density vineyards. Planted between 2009 and 2010, the estate vines provide the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Albariño used to craft Botanica’s Arboretum, Big Flower and Flowergirl ranges.
Today the estate boasts eight varieties of proteas (four of which are hybridized species unique to the property), largely destined for export to Europe. The 21.6 hectare farm is planted with 10 hectares of indigenous flowers, which bloom throughout the year, and 5 hectares of organically farmed, high density vineyards. Planted between 2009 and 2010, the estate vines provide the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Albariño used to craft Botanica’s Arboretum, Big Flower and Flowergirl ranges.
