Lesotho is known as the kingdom in the sky, but it’s less well known that wine is grown at its high altitudes – at 1790 meters to be exact. We want to know how and why quality wine grows here.
00:00This is not Burgundy or Tuscany. This is in Southern Africa.
00:05If you guess somewhere in the Western Cape, like Stellenbosch, guess again.
00:09These vineyards are higher, much higher, at an altitude of 1,790 meters.
00:17But the altitude is not the only problem the wine growers are facing here.
00:21Perhaps even more serious is the fact that the rainy season in Lesotho begins in February,
00:27exactly when the grapes are ripening.
00:29Let's find out why Ganonello Tamai and the Sunny Vineyard team
00:33dared to wrest Pinotage and Chenon Blanc of any appreciable quality from the soil here.
00:39I think central to winemaking is the fact that you are able to grow grapes and take those grapes,
00:45bring them into the cellar, process them into a finished product,
00:50which you can actually enjoy thereafter.
00:53It's a reward itself.
00:54So our winemaking process is constantly being modified because of the resources that we have,
01:02because of the location where we are.
01:05We are very far from the areas where winemaking itself is an industry.
01:10The world-famous wine-growing regions are already suffering from global warming.
01:16Wine-growing is moving further north, even as far as Scandinavia.
01:20What makes high altitudes and steep slopes in particular interesting again?
01:25Because of that altitude, we have a relatively cool climate which enables us to have grapes that have a good natural acidity and that is good for the longevity of the wine.
01:37In the past, seedlings were grown here at Sunny Mountain Vineyards for government-supported tree planting initiative.
01:44A chance visit from a South African vineyard owner on vacation led to the first experiments with around 400 Chenon Blanc vines.
01:52Upon noticing that it is possible for a vine to survive, they made the suggestion that perhaps the following year they might ship in a consignment of wine vines to try and experiment and see if it's possible to get grapes that could be processed into wine.
02:10And then the following year, which was in 2008, they shipped in a consignment of 400 vines of Chenon Blanc.
02:19And then it is those Chenon Blancs that they guided us how to plant them, how to nature them, how to release.
02:26And then in 2012, we got our first from those vines that they brought.
02:32We got our first 200 cages of Chenon Blanc, which were then taken to the Western Cape where they were vinified.
02:40Into our first 50 bottles.
02:42And then it is those 50 bottles that were used for analyzing on the labs, for tasting with people knowledgeable about tasting wine.
02:51And then the outcome that we got was very much positive.
02:54Despite being neighbors, wine production in Lesotho seems to not be as easy as it is in the South African winelands.
03:02What has made this so rewarding for the Tamay family that they've been doing this now for two generations?
03:10Our wines was tasted and it got very positive remarks from a renowned wine writer, Miss Jancis Robinson.
03:19She's a British wine writer.
03:22Apart from that, on an annual basis, we are given a chance to showcase our wines along other wineries at the annual Lesotho Wine Festival.
03:33And the kind of reception that we get from the guests who will be attending the festival.
03:40I think those are some of the biggest achievements we can talk about.
03:44Given that the production is very limited on only 3,000 bottles and the extreme conditions that these wines are growing in, we also need to be very happy that we get it certain seasons, I guess.
03:59You know, basically 2023, got hit with a bit of frost and hail and that limited the production.
04:07Very limited that I guess that is mostly sold in my high-end wine store at station off sales and then obviously at the Lesotho Wine Festival.
04:15But, you know, we're partnering with many different groups locally and internationally to try to get these wines to as many wine drinkers as possible.
04:26We need to address the challenge of a little production.
04:30At least above 25,000 litres, we can be on a stable production where we can supply a little bit more stores and even be able to export.
04:42The grapes at Sunny Mountain Vineyards are weathering heavy snowdrops, extended droughts and heatwaves and showing the world that nurture and age is enough to make fine wine.
