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Delicious home-made snacks complement the wine tasting.
WHAT IS TERROIR?
THONNINGII WINE CELLAR Nestled in the heart of the gorgeous Otavi Mountain Valley, Thonningii Wine Cellar with its rustic stone cellar imparts the feeling of visiting old family friends on their farm. The founder of Thonningii, Dr Bertus Boshoff, a medical doctor by profession, planted the first vines on his plot in 1991. Although the first vintage was only produced in 2005, there had been a lot of experimentation to find out which cultivars were best adapted to the terroir of the valley. Luckily for Dr Boshoff, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree as his son Gilmar studied viticulture and oenology, and after a few years of gaining experience in the industry in South Africa returned to become winemaker at Thonningii. Today the farm consists of 5.5 hectares of Shiraz, Tinta Barocca, Barbera, Viognier, Colombard and Verdelho vines, from which some delightfully elegant wines are produced. As with the other wineries, production is on a small scale, at around 7000 bottles per year, which comprise a white and a red blend, a Shiraz rosé, Shiraz, Tinta Barocca, Barbera and even a Grappa. Have a snack platter with your wine tasting. They are heaven for any foodie, stacked with farm-produced treats prepared by Gilmar’s mother Ebbie. For those who wish to stay for the night, Otavi Vineyards Self-Catering and Camping run by Gilmar and his wife Tamara offers rustic cottages and campsites overlooking the picturesque vineyard. TNN
ATTRACTIONS IN THE AREA: • •
A short drive north will take you to world-famous Etosha National Park. Head northeast to discover the wild beauty of the Kavango and Zambezi regions.
One of those words that put blank expressions on people’s faces when used in wine-talk, but seldom anyone asks what it means. Terroir is the French word to describe all of the environmental factors that can influence the distinctive character of wine grapes and therefore the wine made from them. The factors include soil type, climate, geomorphology and even organisms growing in, on, and around the vine blocks.
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Otavi Vineyards SelfCatering and Camping is a great overnight option at Thonningii.