Bunches Broken Shiraz

Daredevils’ Drums Bunches Broken is Shiraz outside convention. Its name also describes the unusual winemaking: selected bunches are cut off from further supply on the vine by breaking the stem, and then remain on the vine for around two weeks.

This unusual method naturally concentrates aromas, colour, sugar, organic acids and tannins. At the same time, the grapes are carefully monitored during this period so that they retain their freshness and do not become overripe.

The grapes come from Shiraz vines planted in 1999 on the Springfontein Rim, just 5 km from the Atlantic. The cool coastal climate, the native fynbos vegetation and the highly alkaline maritime limestone soils provide the framework for a wine that, despite its concentration, retains remarkable freshness and tension.

Daredevils’ Drums is our playground for wild ideas and unconventional methods. Bunches Broken embodies this approach particularly clearly: a deliberate intervention in the vineyard alters the grapes’ natural ripening process and creates a completely individual interpretation of Shiraz.

After manual harvesting and careful selection, whole bunches and lightly crushed berries are spontaneously fermented with natural yeasts in open fermentation vessels. The wine then matures for 20 months in French oak barrels before being bottled unfiltered.

The result is a dense, powerful Shiraz with concentrated dark fruit, spice and supple tannin. Despite its fullness, it remains precise and lively thanks to its cool origin – a wine of depth, character and great ageing potential.