Swartberg Wingerde Holism Palomino 2021

Description

Holism Palomino 2021 is a beautiful South African white wine produced by Swartberg Wingerde, a wine project founded by renowned winemaker Rudiger Gretschel. Rudiger has worked with some of South Africa’s top wineries like Krone, Boekenhoutskloof and Reyneke Wines but having searched the remote region of Piekenierskloof for several years, he found the perfect location at the foot of the Swartberg Mountain for his own project with long-forgotten old vine Palomino vineyards.

I was blown away when I tasted Holism Palomino 2021 in 2024. Someone tasting it at the same time described it as “one for the geeks”; I prefer to think of it as one for the discerning wine drinker! The Palomino grape variety is most frequently seen in the Jerez region of Spain and most usually in the fortified wine, sherry. Increasingly still wines are being produced from the Palomino grape, though mainly in Spain. You might think that this wine would contain the nutty, dried fruit flavours of sherry but, in fact, this dry white wine, is fruit-forward and tastes of apples, pears and light peach. Whilst it has a whiff of refreshing salinity which is characteristic of Palomino still wines, it doesn’t have a hint of the nutty, sherry flavours. It is medium to full-bodied yet light and refreshing. It reminds me a little of chenin blanc but is crisper. As well as the apples, conference pears and hint of white peach on the nose and palate there is a hint of almonds, spices and citrus mixed in with that salinity. It is an amazing wine. Plus it’s produced organically without irrigation or added yeasts and with minimal SO2 added before bottling to keep the wine fresh.

The Palomino grape can make fairly neutral wines and so it needs to reflect its terroir to give the wine some character – Swartberg Wingerde’s vineyards were planted in 1964 in Piekenierskloof’s rugged landscape; officially they are old vines as described in my old vine wine blog and this, together with the harsh environment, contributes to the wine’s complexity. The vines grow on their own roots; they have not been grafted onto rootstock which is rare post-phylloxera.