Damascene

Damascene is a wine producer founded by wine entrepreneur David Curl and winemaker Jean Smit. The founders shared a desire to preserve nature through sustainable agriculture.

Sémillon bush vines planted as early as 1942 grow at La Chataigne Vineyard beside the Franschhoek river, while the Ceres Plateau vineyard sits above 1,000 metres in the Witzenberg mountain range on Bokkeveld shale soils. In the cellar, red wines undergo whole-berry fermentation without crushing, while white wines are whole-bunch pressed in a pneumatic press before fermentation and maturation in 1,000-litre oval Austrian oak foudres. Its wines include Syrah matured for ten months in 2,000-litre Austrian oak vats and bottled without fining.