“For me, the most exciting thing is walking into a restaurant, and there are four people huddled around one of your bottles. That is…I mean, it’s priceless!”
Ever since he made his first bottle of Shiraz at Elsenburg, Niels dreamt of having his own wine farm and label. In 1999, 16 years later, he established Luddite Wines, a small family-run wine farm situated on the slopes of the Houw Hoek mountains, just outside Bot River.
Assisted by his wife, Penny, who takes care of the vineyards, Niels focuses on his favourite variety, Shiraz. The Shiraz is joined by a Luddite Chenin Blanc and a red and a white blend under the new label, Saboteur – the red being Shiraz driven and the white being Chenin Blanc driven. Niels’ personal top achievement thus far has been “selling Shiraz to the Australians”!.
67% Shiraz, 19% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache
Wine of Origin Walker Bay
Crafted in very small volumes, this wine showcases the exceptional performance of Rhône blends in the region. With its beautifully elegant and poised character, it stands as a testament to the terroir’s potential. Renowned as a great food wine, it effortlessly complements a wide range of dishes. Notably, this wine marks the third instalment in a series, continuing Niels’s tradition of excellence, innovation and balance.
Tasting Notes: Spice, dark cherries and plums on the nose. Juicy bold fruit on entry, a long balanced mid-palate, with a dry, refreshing finish.
Ready for drinking now and up to 10 years.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
100% Mourvèdre
Wine of Origin Bot River
Niels has a rich history of working with Mourvèdre in South Africa. Coming from dry land vineyards, this is the second edition of this wine. Produced in small volumes, it stands as a testament to meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail. Notably, this wine is renowned for its age-worthiness, promising to evolve gracefully over time, making it a prized addition to any cellar.
Tasting Notes: Flavours jump out of the glass – red fruit, wild flowers and fynbos. Medium-bodied style, bright red fruit, soft, beautifully balanced palate, finishing with freshness and just enough tannin to make it serious.
Ready for drinking now up to 10 years.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
100% Mourvèdre
Hand-picked into open bins for fermentation. Punched down twice a day, with one week extended skin contact after fermentation, pressed directly into barrel and aged for one year in old wood.
Tasting Notes: Nose – Juicy, fresh, wild dark berries, with a hint of Mourvèdre wildness. Palate – fresh entry with dark fruit, fresh mid-palate with a long, earthy finish.
Ready for drinking now and for the next 10 years.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
50% Mataro, 40% Shiraz, 10% Grenache Noir
All the components were fermented in small open bins. The Mourvèdre (Mataro) was destalked and fermented with two punch-downs per day. The Shiraz was destalked and 40% of the stalks were added back into the bin to add extra freshness. The Grenache portion was whole-bunch carbonic macerated for the first two thirds of fermentation after which we jumped in and foot crushed the remaining whole berries. All the components were matured in barrel for two years before being blended together and bottled.
Appearance: Bright red/purple.
Nose: Bright red fruit upfront, spicy,
peppery with lingering dark fruit.
Palate: Spicy, dark fruit on entry,
fresh mid-palate with vibrant tannins balancing the fruit.
21 cases of this wine were previously sold on the 2020 Auction.
Drink now and for up to 15 years.
This wine is packed in a wooden box.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
50% Mourvèdre, 40% Shiraz, 10% Grenache Noir
Wine of Origin Bot River
All portions of the blend were fermented in small, open fermenters with regular hand punch-downs. After fermentation, the wines were pressed directly into barrel and were allowed to mature for two years before the blend was made up. Being a Rhône fan, this is my interpretation of the Bot River version.
Tasting Notes: Plummy, juicy, spicy.
Drink now and for the next 15 years.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Small bin fermentation with regular hand punch-downs. All components fermented separately and pressed into barrel where the wine spent 24 months before being blended and bottled.
Tasting Notes : Colour: Dark purple/garnet
Nose:
Dark fruit, allspice, hint of liquorice and cloves
Palate: Rich dark
entry, beautifully balanced mid-palate with red fruit and spice, with a long
refreshing finish
Dark, juicy and refreshing
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Small batch fermentation in open bins. Half of the ferment was crushed and destalked with hand punch-downs; the other half underwent whole bunch carbonic maceration in a sealed bin. After a short time in barrel, the two fermentation components were blended together and bottled.
Tasting Notes : Fresh, vibrant red tones
Nose:
Freshly crushed strawberries, spice, cinnamon and red fruit
Palate:
Zippy, fresh entry, dominated by red fruit and spice with a long refreshing
finish
Juicy, fresh and delicious.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
The various portions of this wine come from our own vineyards and were fermented in small open fermenters. Grapes were left on skins until spontaneous fermentation started and then given 3 hand punch-downs a day. Pressed and put to barrel straight after fermentation. The wine spent two years in barrel on fi ne lees and then the final blend was made up and bottled. Wine was aged in second fill French barrels.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
The Shiraz portion is from our oldest vineyard, fermented in open bins with hand punchdowns. Totally natural ferment. Pressed and allowed to finish malolactic fermentation in barrel. The Cabernet portion is from our own vineyards; very small berry so gentle punch-downs not to extract too much tannin. Pressed and sent to barrel. After malolactic fermentation, both wines were racked and the blend made up and returned to barrel for a further year’s maturation. Only second filled French oak barrels were used to allow the fruit to come to the fore.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Crushed, destalked and fermented in small open fermenters. Punched down twice daily during fermentation. Pressed and racked directly into barrel. Malolactic fermentation in barrel and 2 years in 50% new French oak, with the balance in second and 3rd fill French wood. We blended in 14% Cabernet Sauvignon to add structure, backbone and balance to the juicy Shiraz fruit.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Selected from the best Shiraz barrels of the 2011 vintage. The Mourvedre was fermented in small batches and aged in new oak for a year. The 8% Mourvedre was then blended with the Shiraz and returned to second fill barrels for a further year to allow the blend to marry. Tasting Notes: Great fruit concentration dominated by dark plum and spice with the Mourvedre sending a perfumed violet undertone. Balanced wood and fruit tannins provide a silky finish.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
The grapes were fermented in small batches with regular punch-downs by hand. Pressed and matured in new French oak. The blend was then made up and returned to barrel for a further year to allow both components to marry. Tasting Notes: Dark red fruit and spice with violets on the nose. The entry is juicy and decadent, balanced by good tannin, finishing dry and classical.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Standard winemaking practices. 100% French oak, in barrel for 2 years. 9% Mourvedre blended for extra complexity and structure. Tasting Notes: Decadent, rich fruit core, long spicy finish.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Standard winemaking practices – blend of 50% French and 50% Hungarian oak. In barrel for 2 years. Tasting Notes: Vibrant fruit, classic Shiraz spice with a balanced finish.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
100% Shiraz Standard winemaking practices – blend of 50% French and 50% Hungarian oak. In barrel for 2 years. Tasting note: Exciting, sexy nose offering plummy fruit and spice. Vibrant dark berries backed by all spice and liquorice. Fine tannins balance the wine all the way to the finish. Drink now and for the next 15 years.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
92% Shiraz, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon Standard winemaking practices were used and the wine was aged for 2 years in 100% French oak. Tasting note: Rich plummy fruit and spice aromatics. Sweet fruit on entry which leads to a warm, balanced mouth-feel and fine tannin finish. Drink now and for the next 20 years
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Winemaking Notes: A barrel selection of Shiraz which was matured for 2 years in 100% French oak. 14% Cabernet Sauvignon was blended in to add structure and backbone. Tasting Notes: Dark fruit and spice dominate the nose. A rich entry of plums, dark cherries and cloves gives the palate good weight. The wine opens up to offer dark chocolate and liquorice, counterbalanced by good wooding and fine tannins.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
90% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon A barrel selection Shiraz which spent 18 months in 100% French oak, of which 50% was new. This barrel selection was blended with 10% cabernet Sauvignon to give the wine more structure, backbone and age-ability. The name comes from my son misunderstanding the name WILD BOAR and for some reason calling them WILD HOARS. Tasting note: Rich vibrant colour, dark fruit and chocolate with typical Shiraz spiciness balancing the palate. Firm ripe tannins which form a backbone on which this wine is built.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Made using normal winemaking practises but with cooler fermentation temperatures to retain as much fruit as possible. Extra post fermentation time on skins allowed for maximum fine tannin uptake. Malolactic fermentation in tank followed by new French oak maturation for the first year. Blended and returned to third-fill French oak barrels for a further year. Unfiltered, unfined and unfiddled into bottle. 100 cases sold at the 2006 Auction. Tasting Notes Very decadent nose of toasty spice, chocolate and fruit. Entry to palate rich, dark berry, cloves, liquorice and chocolate. All these flavours are backed by fine grape tannins.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Barrel selection of our own vineyards matured for 24 months in 100% French oak of which 50% was new. 20% Cabernet Sauvignon was added to improve the overall tannin structure of the wine. Tasting Notes Vibrant spices and dark plum on the nose, this leads through to the palate. These dark fruits and cinnamon and clove spices are backed by fine tannins certainly has structure to age gracefully. The name of the wine alludes to my son?s incapacity to listen in class; as a result he got ?Two for listening? out of five in his report card.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
Made using normal winemaking practises but with cooler fermentation temperatures to retain as much fruit as possible. Extra post fermentation time on skins allowed for maximum fine tannin uptake. Malolactic fermentation in tank followed by new French oak maturation for the first year. Blended and returned to third-fill French oak barrels for a further year. Unfiltered, unfined and unfiddled into bottle. Tasting Note: Very decadent nose of toasty spice, chocolate and fruit. Entry to palate rich, dark berry, cloves, liquorice and chocolate. All these flavours are backed by fine grape tannins.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
The grapes were selected from two vineyard sites – Bottelary and Helderberg – in Stellenbosch. Cooler fermentation than normal in order to preserve fruit, with four weeks on skins after fermentation. 100% New French oak for 12 months, no fining or filtration. Tasting Note: Expressive nose of plum pudding, chocolate, dark toffee and savoury undertones. Cherry compote, chocolate sauce and cinnamon flavours – the mix of these backed with toasty wood tannins. Lingering toffee-like sweetness on the finish. A thread of Dutch ‘Zoute Drop’ Liquorice runs through this wine.
Winemaker: Niels Verburg
In order to take part in these Auctions, you will need to follow three simple steps before bidding.
