Boland Kelder, Company

Situated in the picturesque Paarl Valley, Boland Cellar has much to boast about, garnering numerous accolades including being nominated as one of South Africa’s top 20 export companies in the relevant category, being named by the World Association of Wine & Spirits Writers as one of the top 100 wine producers in the world, as well as being widely regarded as the most consistent wine producer based in the much acclaimed Paarl region. This region is just to the north of Stellenbosch, bordered by the town of Wellington to the north east, and the mountains of the Drakenstein & Franschhoek ranges to the south east. The many different mesoclimates, soils and aspects generally allows for a wide range of styles and varieties. There are three main types of soil in the Paarl wine region: • Along the banks of the Berg River vines are grown in the sandy soils of Table Mountain sandstone. • On the mountain slopes around the town and in the south east the soil consists of decomposed granite. • To the north east, mostly Malmesbury shale is found. The pH content of the soils is low, therefore deep ploughing with liberal application of lime is necessary during soil preparation. Most areas require some measure of supplementary irrigation in the growing season before harvest, but vineyards on the eastern slopes, having better water retention, seldom needs irrigation. Bush vines also seem to cope better with drier conditions.