Eikendal releases Cleopatra's Wedding Present

“Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, was a great African queen who served Julius Caesar sparkling wine 17 centuries before the French thought of making Champagne. The Eikendal 2007 Semillon is our present to her from the southern tip of a continent continuing her proud tradition of African wine,” explains wine writer Neil Pendock, who gave the wine its name as the Godfather at Eikendal's “Weintaufe” in 2007, the annual celebration to christen the first wine of the harvest.

Optimum balance showing immense fruit character was achieved through careful fermentation in small oak barrels. The wine spent six months on the lees, displaying perfect synergy between freshness and maturation.

“This classic dry white combines maturity with tropical freshness with luscious peach, apricot and grapefruit aromas dominating the softer tones of caramel and honeyed toast,” describes Eikendal winemaker, Henry Kotzé.

Cleopatra's Wedding Present flaunts a powerful yet lively structure and should be drunk young to best enjoy its fresh, fruity flavours although this Semillon has the potential to upstage some heavyweight whites when it comes to longevity.

Eikendal Semillon 2007 retails from R60 per bottle and is available at leading wine outlets countrywide or directly from the Eikendal Cellar, situated on the R44 between Somerset West and Stellenbosch.