Domain Highmyr
Highmyr is a meeting place of tide and craft, where water and ingenuity shape one another in quiet rhythm.
It is a domain of movement and making, where natural flow is guided, not forced, and balance is found between what is built and what endures.
The quartered shield reflects this harmony. The crown signifies stewardship and measured authority, while the repeating wave motifs speak to constant motion and shifting influence.
At its heart, the whale’s tail represents depth, memory, and the unseen forces that move beneath the surface.
Altitude:
Higher altitude vineyard sites exhibit lower average temperatures, greater temperature variation, and increased radiation. These conditions lead to a delayed growth cycle, reduced vegetative growth and berry size, heightened acidity, and enhanced concentration of anthocyanins, colour, and aromas in resulting wines.
Elevation:
Elevation plays a crucial role in determining a region's suitability for viticulture, influencing minimum and maximum temperatures in vineyards. Lower elevations are preferable in high latitudes, while higher elevations are more desirable in lower latitudes. On average, temperature decreases by 0.61°C per 100 meters of elevation, resulting in shorter growing seasons and increased risk of frost at higher elevations.
Relative Elevation:
In addition to absolute elevation, the relative elevation of a vineyard site is vital. Poor relative elevation, such as valleys, can significantly impact the quality of an otherwise good site, making it prone to spring and fall frosts. Ideally, vineyards should be located in a "thermal belt" within mountain/valley complexes, where the likelihood of frost or freezing temperatures is reduced compared to higher or lower elevations.
Latitude:
Grapevines thrive in temperate climates, and major viticultural regions are concentrated between 30 and 50 degrees latitude. This latitude range provides an optimal diurnal temperature variation, promoting the ideal balance of sugar and acid levels necessary for high-quality wine production.
Slope:
The slope of a vineyard site refers to the land's inclination, expressed as a percentage. Gentle slopes are preferable for grapevines as they facilitate the drainage of cold air into lower areas, reducing the risk of frost damage and extreme winter temperatures. Good air drainage also promotes faster foliage drying, reducing the duration and frequency of disease infection periods.
The aspect of a vineyard refers to the direction the slope faces, impacting sunlight exposure and heat balance. It is particularly important in higher latitudes, affecting growth due to weaker radiation and light interception.
Stellenbosch's vineyards have diverse slope aspects due to rapid elevation changes. These aspects influence wind exposure, ocean breezes, drainage patterns, ventilation, and sunlight penetration. Southerly aspects are cooler, while northerly aspects receive more "cool sunshine," guiding site selection for Cabernet production.
Grapes need adequate amount of warmth to grow properly and to ripen the crop. Grape varieties vary in the amount of warmth needed to ripen adequately. Winkler and Amerine, working at UC Davis, California, developed a simplified index to measure "heat summation" in an attempt to assess grape growing sites for their quality.
Growing Degree Days (GDD):
The heat summation index, known as Growing Degree Days (GDD), is defined as the daily average temperature (the sum of daily maximum and minimum temperatures divided by two) of a site on a daily basis during the seven month growing season (April to October in the Northern Hemisphere, October to April in the Southern Hemisphere) minus a threshold of 10°C needed for vine growth and time.
The Western Cape's viticultural soils are ancient, shaped by millions of years of geological processes. The landscape displays late Precambrian Malmesbury Group shale and schists deposited in a marine basin over 1,000-550 million years ago. Folding, upliftment, and erosion resulted in sandstone mountains, granite plutons, and diverse mesoclimates and soil types.
Soil:
The Cape wine regions boast highly diverse soils due to topography and geology, impacting mesoclimate and vine performance. The coastal zone features sandstone mountains on granite intrusions, surrounded by shale at lower altitudes. Reddish and yellowish brown soils associated with granitic hills and sandstone mountains are weathered, acidic, well-drained, and water-retentive. Granite-derived soils on undulating hills exhibit coarse sand, gravel, and wet clay. Malmesbury shale landscapes with varying soil types surround granite plutons, with stony residual soils on hill crests and structured soils on slopes.
Three Important Soil Types:
1. Derived from Table Mountain Sandstone: Sandy with low nutrient and water-retention properties (Fernwood, Longlands, Westleigh, Dundee).
2. Derived from Granite: Usually red to yellow-colored, acidic, found on mountain foothill slopes and ranges of hills, with good physical and water retention properties (Oakleaf, Tukulu, Hutton, Clovelly).
3. Derived from Shale: Usually brownish, strongly structured, on partly decomposed parent rock, with good nutrient reserves and water-retention properties (Glenrosa, Swartland, Klapmuts, Estcourt).
The South African vineyard and wine landscapes feature distinctive and diverse topography, characterized by magnificent sandstone mountains, granitic foothills, and undulating shale hills. Topography, closely linked to geology, is an essential component of the terroir concept and interacts with climate and soil. Altitude, aspect, and slope inclination are key attributes that impact viticulture and grape quality. Topography influences vineyards both below and above the ground, affecting factors such as soil types, wind exposure, ventilation, and the incidence of sunlight on the earth's surface.
The Cape's vineyards are situated in a wide range of locations, including valley floors, hills, steep mountain slopes, and beneath high peaks. This varied terrain offers diverse mesoclimates and soils, allowing for the cultivation of various grape varieties. Many farmers have expanded their vineyards to higher altitudes to benefit from better drainage and cooler temperatures. Vineyards can be found at elevations ranging from 50 meters above sea level to over 600 meters in the mountains, even within the same farm. Different aspects of slopes, influenced by changes in altitude, result in variations in solar radiation interception, temperature, and wind exposure. When it comes to aspect, in the southern hemisphere preference is given to the cooler southern and eastern slopes, especially for the more delicate varieties. Changes in altitude result in different slopes and aspects with resulting changes in solar radiation interception, temperature and wind exposure. Northern and western slopes are warmer than southern and eastern due to heir higher inception of sunlight. Eastern slopes will, however, warm up faster than western slopes and cool earlier.
In the Cape's mountainous terrain, the sun rises late and sets early behind the peaks during the summer months, casting deep shadows over the vineyards in the morning and late afternoon. This limits the hours of sunlight received by the vineyards, with some areas only seeing the sun rise as late as 10:00 in the morning. Even on the longest day of the year, the prime Cape vineyards seldom receive more than 10 hours of sunlight.
Every war begins as a whisper. Every dynasty as a single name spoken in the dark.
— The Annals of Aurenloch, Vol. I
Dispatches from the Dominion. Lore, histories, and the quiet things that shape the world.
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