Avondale
Avondale is today a picturesque South African estate that has its roots in a centuries-old story of land cultivation: “Terra est Vita” is indeed the motto that stands under the company sign, symbolizing the philosophy pursued in relation to the surrounding environment. Remote official documents attest that this part of the Paarl Valley was among the first to be specifically allocated to viticulture, a tradition that has been passed down for over 300 years. Contemporary history tells that the couple John and Ginny Grieve purchased the estate in 1997, while their youngest son Johnathan took on the task of transforming it into a solid and balanced ecosystem of vineyards. The first harvest bearing the Avondale label dates back to 1999. But already the following year it was necessary to restart with new ideas, due to a devastating fire: Johnathan Grieve developed a unique approach to viticulture, which he recorded under the name BioLOGIC, implementing all the technologies that modern science is able to offer in the field of environmental sustainability. 2003 marks the beginning of a new era, with the construction of a new winery for vinifications based on a holistic approach and as close to nature as possible.
The Avondale estate extends over an area of 160 hectares, of which 70 are planted with vines and all certified organic, with the use of biodynamic principles and preparations and a particular focus on the defense of biodiversity. The vineyards are located in the Berg River Valley, in the Paarl region, on the first slopes east of the town of the same name: a small area within the territory of the Cape, the southwestern tip of South Africa. The average altitude is around 140 meters above sea level and the soils are diversified into 13 different types, from dark and deep loam to granite to sand: the vines are grouped into small parcels of about 1 hectare, in order to have a geological continuity of background. The particularly warm climate is hardly affected by oceanic influences and necessitates irrigation during the summer.
The varieties that are cultivated at Avondale are numerous: the white berries Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Semillon, Chardonnay, Muscat de Frontignan and the black Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec. The vinifications are conducted for each parcel and the wines are moved only by gravity, thanks to the vertical structure of the winery, developed for two underground levels: no additives or enological aids are used, while sulfites are kept to a minimum. In 2008 Avondale became the first South African company to use qvevri, the terracotta amphorae specially brought from Georgia.
Avondale is today a picturesque South African estate that has its roots in a centuries-old story of land cultivation: “Terra est Vita” is indeed the motto that stands under the company sign, symbolizing the philosophy pursued in relation to the surrounding environment. Remote official documents attest that this part of the Paarl Valley was among the first to be specifically allocated to viticulture, a tradition that has been passed down for over 300 years. Contemporary history tells that the couple John and Ginny Grieve purchased the estate in 1997, while their youngest son Johnathan took on the task of transforming it into a solid and balanced ecosystem of vineyards. The first harvest bearing the Avondale label dates back to 1999. But already the following year it was necessary to restart with new ideas, due to a devastating fire: Johnathan Grieve developed a unique approach to viticulture, which he recorded under the name BioLOGIC, implementing all the technologies that modern science is able to offer in the field of environmental sustainability. 2003 marks the beginning of a new era, with the construction of a new winery for vinifications based on a holistic approach and as close to nature as possible.
The Avondale estate extends over an area of 160 hectares, of which 70 are planted with vines and all certified organic, with the use of biodynamic principles and preparations and a particular focus on the defense of biodiversity. The vineyards are located in the Berg River Valley, in the Paarl region, on the first slopes east of the town of the same name: a small area within the territory of the Cape, the southwestern tip of South Africa. The average altitude is around 140 meters above sea level and the soils are diversified into 13 different types, from dark and deep loam to granite to sand: the vines are grouped into small parcels of about 1 hectare, in order to have a geological continuity of background. The particularly warm climate is hardly affected by oceanic influences and necessitates irrigation during the summer.
The varieties that are cultivated at Avondale are numerous: the white berries Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Semillon, Chardonnay, Muscat de Frontignan and the black Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec. The vinifications are conducted for each parcel and the wines are moved only by gravity, thanks to the vertical structure of the winery, developed for two underground levels: no additives or enological aids are used, while sulfites are kept to a minimum. In 2008 Avondale became the first South African company to use qvevri, the terracotta amphorae specially brought from Georgia.
