OUR PEOPLE
The village of Citrusdal is the center of what the Dutch named "Goue Vallei", or Golden Valley, and is home to the 78-member co-op, Citrusdal Cellars. Almagated in 1957 under the name of Cirtrusdal Co-operative, the numerous cellars now have a history dating nearly 300 years. A brave, and necessary, strategic move was made in 2002 to focus all energies on high-quality, organic and sustainable wine-growing and making, and directly driving social development.

THEIR HISTORY
This region stretches in a belt from north to south along the broad valley of the Olifants River. The summers in this valley range from relatively warm to cool compared with some of South Africa's other wine areas and rainfall is low. Soils vary from sandy to red clay loams. With careful canopy management, which ensures grapes are shaded by the vines' leaves, combined with modern winemaking techniques, the Olifants River is proving to be a source of quality, value-for-money wines. The region incorporates several wards including cooler, higher-altitude Cederberg and Piekenierskloof, which bound the southern village of Citrusdal.

Citrusdal, the heart of both Citrusdal Valley and Mountain districts, is less than a two hour drive from Cape Town. First "discovered" in 1660 by Jan Danckaert on his quest to find Monomotapa, or "Land of Gold", it was not until the early 1700's that the vine was first cultivated (the first Cape wine was produced in 1599, making SA one of the oldest wine-producing regions outside of Europe). Like most of the top quality wine-producing areas in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, it is situated between the 32nd and 35th parallels. This zone is internationally recognized as being ideal for the production of wine because of its temperature, rainfall and sunshine.

Exceptional wines are made from grapes cultivated not only in the valley, but from a vast climatically variable area, stretching from Moutonshoek near Piketberg in the south to the mountain vineyards of Piekenierskloof and the Cederberg. Today 3000 acres of mainly dry land bush vines, situated high above sea-level in the mountains surrounding the valley are cultivated.

The sheltered valley floor is ideal for the production of sweeter white varieties and fortified wines, for which the area has become recognized for. Higher-lying vineyards in the mountains surrounding the valley contribute grapes rich with extracts. These grapes are hand-picked from mostly bush vines growing in sandy soil in vineyards 600 meters above sea-level, sustained only by natural rainfall and cool, moist breezes from the Atlantic Ocean. The terrain rivals the very best in South Africa.

Extraordinarily fruity Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay grapes are grown above the snow-line in the Cederberg Mountains. The result is an unrivaled combination of climatic conditions, soil and elevation. These vineyards are amongst the highest in elevation anywhere in South Africa and are subjected to temperatures well below freezing on winter nights.

Citrusdal Cellars maintains exceptional standards from the selection process to the harvest, from pressing to fermenting, from blending to filtering and bottling. These standards guarantee the excellence of their wines. To this the master winemaker adds the magic of his craft to produce a range of reds and whites Etica is proud to share with the United States.

The unique terrain, high altitude and dry land production and harvesting methods have maximized quality. In addition, grapes are hand-picked in small crates and in many cases kept in cold storage before pressing, to capture maximum flavor. The cellar was redesigned to separate produce received from different regions, enabling winemakers to create very unique blends.

Grenache 2003
Cabernet Sauvignon ~ Merlot 2005
Pinotage 2005
Chenin Blanc 2006
Classique Blanc 2006