


A wine that draws you out of your comfort zone and becomes your new happy place.
Iconic moments happen around tables, and over the past few decades, Du Toitskloof has earned itself a special place at South African lunch and dinner feasts. Albeit previously known as a bulk-wine producer, the winery began concentrating on the bottled wine market in the early 1990s and has since cultivated a reputation as one of the country’s progressive brands. They have remained current, relevant and innovative with a fierce commitment to social development as a Fairtrade producer.
A single varietal bottling of Nebbiolo bears testimony to their ingenuity of never becoming complacent in seeking out unique selling points that sets them apart.
One of only about 6 Nebbiolos bottled as a single variety in South Africa.
Du Toitskloof Nebbiolo is under NWC’s Top 100 Wines for the second year in a row, last year with the 2016 vintage and this year with the 2020 vintage.
Their ethos is to deliver consistent quality with a commitment to honouring the environment and their surrounding communities.
“Wine allows you to reach outside your comfort zone to try new things. It takes you to new places, new dishes and new cultivars from across the globe. It’s like time travel; only the porthole is a single glass of wine.”
– Samarie Smith – DipWSET
MATCHMAKING DU TOITSKLOOF NEBBIOLO 2020 WITH CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP WITH BLACK RICE
- Du Toitskloof wants you to enjoy Nebbiolo in its youth, so the tannins are supple and well-integrated to accompany delicately flavoured dishes. But be sure to add enough textures to dishes so they can match the tannin and the acidity of the wine.
- Black wild rice has a chewy and creamy texture that juxtaposes the wine’s vibrancy and wakes your palate to notice all the nuances in the wine.
- Cook the rice al dente so that it still has a chalky tannin texture that marries with the tannin in the wine, and you will enjoy how the wine and the food dance together.
- If you find the tannin too overpowering for the dish, add a pinch of salt that will lighten the puckering feeling in your mouth.
- The more pungent the mushrooms (porcini as opposed to button mushrooms), the more vibrant the fruit in the wine will appear, adding an overall brightness to the dining experience.
- If you grow fresh herbs, pop into the garden for a few thyme sprigs to etch the exotic spice character in the wine.
- Roasted garlic takes no prisoners, so be judicious in adding this for flavour as it can strip the wine’s floral qualities.
- A good truffle oil in the kitchen goes a long way, and adding a few drops to the dished-up plates will enhance the flavour of the pairing.
- If you are light on salt, serve the dish with olive bread that will add a savoury dimension.
- South African and Italians share an innate love for entertaining, and this wine fulfils the role of red and white wine served slightly cooler, and there aren’t many people who will turn up their noses at the delicious factor of a wine like this.
Our Experience
Before diving into the delicious facts about the Du Toitskloof Nebbiolo, it is important to add context. It was no small feat for six wine farmers to establish a cooperative in 1962, not having the technologies or infrastructure we have today. But more than ten decades later, they understand their terroir. Although everyone admits to weaknesses, they are an example of a winery that hones into their strengths, and this is how a single varietal Nebbiolo was born.
Nebbiolo is an Italian grape varietal better known in Italy’s northern Piedmont region. And albeit lighter in colour, it is known to produce robust reds with huge tannins and bright acidities to complement tomato-rich dishes.
If you have heard about Barolos and Barbarescos, Nebbiolo forms the backbones of these iconic wines. Nebbiolo is derived from the word nebbio, which translates as fog. Apart from environmental derivations, Nebbiolo bunches on the vine have a misty bloom on their berries, giving it a velvety look. Du Toitskloof grapes are also sourced from along the river, synonymous with thick morning fog in the winter months, grown in sandy loam and weathered scale type soil.
But why the light colour? Although the bunches appear dark on the vine, the cultivar’s water-soluble pigments are less stable than other black varietals. As a result, it is easily oxidized over a shorter period, resulting in its youth’s bricky rather than purple hue. On aroma alone, it is a wine you can spend all evening with as there is no shortage of vibrant red fruit and a delicate floral perfume.
Like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo also has an earthy note inviting ingredients like mushroom, venison, fresh herbs and tomato to the table, pairing the wine with a risotto soup that offers earthy textures, umami notes and a creamy edge to lift the aromatics of the wine.
Judiciously matured in French and Hungarian oak, you will love how the wine’s bright fruit and floral perfume take the lead. The Du Toitskloof Nebbiolo 2020 delivers on this promise with potpourri and violets and an umami undertone of dried porcini, primordial earth and warm spice like mace and star anise. Bright fruit continues from nose to palate and delivers copious expressions of red fruit like raspberry, strawberry and dried pomegranate. A tangy flavour of sumac weaves through the wine that echoes the fresh acidity this varietal is known for. Yet, instead of the big tannin one expects from Nebbiolo, the Du Toitskloof Nebbiolo 2020 is more subtle, with ripe and powdery tannin that elegantly sculpts the wine. However, if you cook mushroom risotto soup, you will see how those tannins creep from their hiding place and prop up the aromatics.
The Du Toitskloof is not a staunch example of an Italian Nebbiolo, nor does it pretend to be. Instead, it is a wine that revels under the African sun and quickly gained a cult following locally and abroad.

See it for yourself
To have your wine featured and reviewed, please contact us.
info@marriedtwowine.com
MOBILE
Samarie +27 82 072 5451
Georgio +27 83 326 3016
@marriedtwowine
@marriedtwowine