Rainbow’s End

The wine of the rainbow colours

The new Rainbow’s End wines have arrived! Discover the new vintages and learn more about the winery in Banghoek.

Rainbow’s End wines do not fit into a conventional wine category, as they are a blend of Old World and New World styles.

The Rainbow’s End vineyards harvest each year separately and produce what the season and the specific terroir of a particular vineyard block have to offer. In addition, winemaking techniques are used to ensure the best results regardless of the style. Regardless of the style. By adapting to the climate and soil conditions, they achieve a unique product and type every year.

The story of this producer began in 2000/2001 when the first vineyards were planted. A year later, Anton and Jacques made the first Shiraz wine. Three years later, Jacques Malan registered Banghoek as an official wine growing area, as it is an area with a unique climate and altitude, aspects and terroir. Francois joined the company that year as a winemaker, farm manager and assistant winemaker.

The first production was of Cabernet Franc. In 2005, additional vineyards were planted so that the winery now has 18 hectares of vineyards, and in 2007 Maiden Vintage Limited Release produced Cabernet Franc. Maiden Vintage Family Reserve was produced four years later.

Tradition and family

Jacques Malan and his sons Anton and Francois make up the family team dedicated to harnessing the potential of nature with traditional winemaking techniques and the latest advances in viticulture. All grapes are harvested by hand at dawn, and the bunches are individually sorted. The grapes are gently destemmed to retain a relatively high percentage of whole berries.

The Rainbow’s End wines are mainly made from single clones. Cooling during fermentation is provided by a natural mountain spring next to the barrel cellar. The must is cold macerated for three days before fermentation to extract the colour optimally. The open fermentation takes place between 24 and 28 °C. The cork is pressed in by hand 6 to 8 times a day during fermentation to extract maximum aroma.

Wine label

Artist Marieke Kruger (daughter of Jacques and Ingrid Malan) is responsible for the illustrations on the label, which show the Bullerskop in the majestic Groot Drakenstein mountain range, one of the characteristic mountains of Rainbow’s End estate. The mountain features a rainbow, another regular, iconic identifying feature.

Viticulture

One of the characteristics of these growers’ wines is the balance they seek between topsoil and subsoil.

«In doing so, we aim for an optimal ratio of 1:1 between root volume and crown volume. There must be enough roots to support vegetative and reproductive growth above the surface.»

The number of leaves on each shoot is balanced with the number of clusters on each shoot. According to Rainbow’s End on its website, «This is necessary for the vine to optimally ripen each cluster and berry. In this case, we aim for 8 to 10 leaves per cluster». 

For viticulture enthusiasts, the team clarifies that they try to find a balance between thick and thin roots. «Thick roots give structural stability to the vine.» Fine roots play an important role in absorbing water and minerals while also striking a balance between the left and proper cordon: «The cordon is the vine’s main permanent woody arm, which forms on the first wire of the trellis. The left and right cordons must have the same length, thickness and strength so that the grapes (berries) are of uniform quality,» the team explains.

Terroirs and their excellent productivity

The terroir of Anton Malan is unique and favours the production of high-quality red wines. Rainbow’s End has deep red soils with different rock fractions and lies between 350 and 540 metres above sea level. The differences in topography contribute to the distinctiveness of the product.

«Twenty-three hectares of vineyards are cultivated on the mountain slopes. In some places, there is a high stone content, which moderates the soil temperature, limits vigour and causes the vines to produce smaller berries with higher fruit concentration naturally,» says Rainbow’s End.

But what kind of wine can you produce under such conditions and with such working methods in the vineyard? The producer explains, «planting density varies according to soil potential and the combination of rootstock and vine that provides sufficient space for optimal vine development».

• The Cabernet Sauvignon is grown on the warmer north-western slopes (370 metres above sea level), where more significant exposure to sunlight ensures adequate ripening of this late-ripening variety.
• Cabernet Franc, which requires a little less warmth, is planted slightly higher (between 420 and 450 metres above sea level).
• Merlot is grown on the highest, north-facing slopes (540 metres above sea level). These more elevated and more excellent slopes slow ripening and preserve the fruity flavours of the Merlot.
• The Shiraz is planted on the cooler, east and south-facing slopes to protect the vines from the hot afternoon sun.
• Petit Verdot and Malbec are grown in the lower eastern part of the estate on the soils with the highest stone content (350 m above sea level).

All prices in CHF incl. VAT. Daily price as of 15.09.2022.
Offers are valid while stocks last. Errors and price changes are subject to change.