Ex Animo presents the new releases from Niels, Penny and Alice Verburg of Luddite Wines in Bot River.

Winemaker and second-generation Verburg, Alice has been making wine alongside her father at Luddite since 2017. 

Working shoulder to shoulder in the vineyards and the winery, the pair have a quiet determination about them, just eager to get down to the business of making good wine.

Farming is left in the very capable hands of Penny Verburg, Niels’s wife and partner at Luddite. 

Niels says that working with a younger generation has challenged his well-settled approach to winemaking. “Alice asks me a lot of questions – and sometimes I don’t have good answers. Working together makes me look at things differently.”

Luddite Wine | 6 – pack

Includes:
2 bt Luddite Saboteur White 2023
2 bt Luddite Saboteur Red 2021
1 bt Luddite Chenin Blanc 2023
1 bt Luddite Shiraz 2021

** Save R140 + free shipping for a limited time**

The colossal personality of Niels is embodied in the equally dominating Luddite Shiraz, a superhero of a wine. Luddite Shiraz has a cult following – not just for its bold and impressive weight, but also for its elusive rarity.  

Order yours before they are sold out: this wine is very limited.

Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
“Production back up to 9,600 bottles as vines slowly recover from the drought. Includes small portions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre. 10% of stalks added back before maturation lasting 24 months in barrel, 15% new. This vintage has an alcohol of 13.62% – low for this wine. It’s hardly underdone but it doesn’t have quite the same fruit power that previous vintages have offered. A touch of smoky reduction before red and black berries, rose, fynbos, fennel and pepper on the nose while the palate is well structured with pure fruit, quite tart acidity and crunchy tannins. A gateway for Luddite newbies?  94/100.”

This is not your mother’s Chenin Blanc. Niels had many long chats with Craig Hawkins of TESTALONGA and was inspired to try his hand at a skin contact Chenin Blanc. With texture and intrigue, this wine is thought provoking and cerebral.

Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
“24 days on the skins before maturation lasting 12 months in older oak. Pear, peach, cut apple, potpourri and lots of spice on the nose. The palate is rather lean with punchy acidity and a saline finish. “For wine geeks and trainspotters,” says Verburg and this vintage particularly so. 93/100″

One of our bestselling wines. Fresh and fruit-forward with texture and depth. It looks cool, it tastes incredible and it comes at a very appealing price: what’s not to love?

Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
“Consisting of 77% Chenin Blanc, 13% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Viognier sourced variously from Bot River, Stanford and Elgin, the first two varieties spent 12 days on the skins while maturation lasted seven months in older barrels (small portion of tank fermented Chenin added for extra fruit and freshness). The nose is complex with lots of yeasty complexity initially but later opening to reveal honeysuckle, naartjie, peach, apricot, nectarine and melon. The palate is rich and dense but equally doesn’t lack freshness thanks to punchy acidity, the finish deeply savoury. As ever, plenty of interest from a wine that sells for the very reasonable price of R200 a bottle. 92/100.”

Companion wine to the ever-popular ‘Saboteur’ White, the Red is a blended wine – mostly Shiraz with a generous measure of juicy, concentrated Grenache. Don’t be deterred by the crown cap: Niels is adamant that the imported Champagne-grade closure keeps this wine as fresh as the day it was bottled. A fantastic food wine from the Luddite team.

Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za
“55% Shiraz plus approximately equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Matured for 12 months in old oak. Enticing aromatics of cranberry, raspberry, plums and cassis plus herbs, spice, cured meat as well as a touch of earth. Dense fruit, fresh acidity and “chewy” tannins. A generous wine with plenty of character. 93/100.”

Please contact david@exanimo.co.za if you have any queries.