CLIMATE
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Nature is everything, and part of the allure and the challenge when working with it, as in wine, is that it is unpredictable and inconsistent.
Kanonkop winters:
The northwest wind brings rains from the Atlantic Ocean, which is icily cold due to the Benguela current running along the Cape West Coast.
The annual rainfall at Kanonkop can average from 600 millimetres in dry years to 800 millimetres in wetter years.
With 40 percent of the vines being unirrigated bush vines that depend solely on precipitation, wet winters are always eagerly awaited.
Kanonkop summers:
Cool south-western breezes from False Bay, especially in the afternoons during the ripening period, result in slower and even ripening of berries, maximising quality.
The prevailing summer winds are south-easterlies. Although not as cool as the southwestern breezes, they still have a positive effect.
The average maximum day-time temperature is about 28 °C, cooling to 16 to 18 °C overnight.
While the lower vineyards could be basking in 27 °C, the conditions on the elevated red clay slopes might be 22 °C.
In a cold year the Simonsberg gets a dusting of snow
A typical winters day on Kanonkop
Kanonkop vines at dusk as the cool air from the Atlantic Ocean flows in, with Table Mountain in the distance