Sons of Sugarland is a partnership project between Fritz Schooon, Henk Kotze and acclaimed winemaker Reenen Borman. Reenen is known for his exceptional Syrahs under the Sons of Sugarland label and family farm Boschkloof. This Barbera is a new addition to the range and has already created quite the following, “because, every wine Reenen makes must be good”, says Corlien. That’s the epitome of a great winemaker, when people trust that every wine you put in a bottle can be bought blindly and will reward generously.

Barbera is rarely found in South Africa, with just 50ha in total so to see a winemaker like Reenen working with this variety now is truly exciting. The variety typically produces wines with good colour and depth, but low tannins and high acidity. That sounds just about perfect for a South African summer red. The trick is in harvesting early enough to not have jammy fruit, but also not too early with too much acidity.

Reenen uses grapes from Breedekloof with the intention to show the true characteristics of the variety and not altering it through winemaking processes. Grapes were fermented as whole bunches in open top fermenters and thereafter aged in 400lt old barrels for about 11 months. It resulted in a really soft tannin structure and also allowed the fresh fruit flavours to stay intact. Serve it slightly chilled to really enjoy all the crisp and juicy berry flavours.