28th January, 4am marks the beginning of the 2021 vintage at Kies Family Wines.

The first parcel of fruit to be processed was the Frontignac which is used to create our very popular Heysen Gold label.

Watch the video where our winemaker, Bronson Kies, takes you through the process of turning this beautiful parcel of fruit from our estate into one of your favourite wines.

Vintage 2021 Expectations

Vintage 2021 is expected to bring a below average yielding crop, keeping the intensity of fruit flavour high.

Good rains in winter, followed by a dry ripening season have created the perfect scenario for wine grape growing.

A much needed 9mm of rain just last week, served to freshen up the canopy nicely and has kept the fruit from any effects of the heat.

Overall, the expectation is for a lower yielding vintage of exceptional quality fruit here at Kies Family Wines.

Some lower yields expected for vintage 2021

Unfortunately we experienced some high winds and extreme heat during flowering for one of our Merlot and our Bastardo blocks.

This has resulted in a halving of the expected yield for these two blocks.

Unfortunately these are two of our most vital grape varieties, with our Bastardo Fortified and Deer Stalker Merlot being some of our most in demand wines.

During 2020 we invested in these two varieties; planting 1 extra hectare of Merlot as well as 0.8 of a hectare of Bastardo.

Unfortunately it won’t be until 2022, that this will pay off, and we apologise in advance for any supply shortages.

The standouts –  blocks to watch for vintage 2021

• The Klauber Block Shiraz: Bronson spent winter rod and spur pruning this block. The vines are looking a little stressed but this means the intensity of the fruit flavours will be there.
• The Dedication Shiraz: The varying soil on this block coupled with the age of the vines and the dry ripening season have created an intensity of fruit flavour that we are looking forward to sharing with you. Watch this one!
• The Deer Stalker Merlot (original block): This Merlot block had an application of “sunscreen” in early January. This sunscreen is a fine white clay mixed with water that is applied to the vines; both leaves and berries to stop the delicate grapes from being burned by the sun. If burned the grapes will develop sunburn on the skin which will cause a harsh phenolic in the finished wine. Sunburn will also reduce the overall quality of the crop. As the clay is very fine in nature, any residual clay left on the berries will settle out during the fermentation process, this will not negatively effect the quality. This application of sunscreen protected our precious Deer Stalker Merlot crop during the heat wave leaving it nice and fresh; the canopy flourishing as we enter the crucial ripening phase.

Throughout vintage 2021, we intend to shoot a series of video blogs, keeping you updated with what’s happening as your favourite wines are picked and processed.

To stay up to date make sure you follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

A note from Bronson:

I want to sincerely thank you, our customers, many of whom have become close friends over the years, my family, mates and my mentor, for all the support.

As some of my 2020 vintage wines are now in your fridges and wine racks, I just want to say a huge thanks again for your support of our family business.

Thanks again!