Harvest time is here! After a dramatic weekend in the Franschhoek Valley, fighting veld fires, an earlier than usual start to the annual wine grape harvest brings a positive energy. The excitement is tangible at La Motte Wine Estate yesterday morning with the first 2026 Sauvignon Blanc being harvested.
“We’ve known since October that the harvest was going to be early”, says Cellarmaster Edmund Terblanche. “We are about two weeks earlier than usual, but the initial analyses are positive and I’m excited about the quality.”
The grapes reaching optimum ripeness earlier can also be attributed to the dry summer and high temperatures. According to Farm Manager, Jaco Visser, some of the Merlot in Paarl are already at 22.7 Degrees Balling and he expects the harvest to be quite a cascade into the cellar!
The La Motte Winemaking team is grateful for the blessing of another harvest and wishes their South African winemaking colleagues a successful 2026 season.
Get new press articles by email
Public relations, social media management, communication: food, wine, agriculture, awards functions & events.
Latest from
- Love and legacy, poured - Nuy releases Toekie ‘My Hartedief’ Red Muscadel 2025
- AmberMacs Expo shows the way forward
- Peeling back the Petals, a Focus on Flowers in Art
- Harvest time tastes and traditions celebrated at La Motte
- 2026 Dates La Motte Milling & Bread Baking Experience
- La Motte Classical Music Concert 17 January
- Always Breaking Bread at La Motte on 29 December 2025
- The flair and joy of festive gift giving at La Motte
- Introducing La Motte Inheems
- Switch on the Sparkle with Leopard's Leap
- La Motte brings you - The Festive Four
- Leopard's Leap The Sunset Smooth Event - 20 December 2025
- Another reason to celebrate with La Motte
- Sauvignon Blanc SA Seminar - unpacking the cultivar with styles
- La Motte Classical Music Concert 15 November 2025 - Guitarist, James Grace
The Pulse Latest Articles
- Opinion Piece: Activating Leadership To Engage The Passive Workforce (February 11, 2026)
- Tchagra Trail Wilderness Consulting Launches A New Safari Experience In Photography And Tracking (February 9, 2026)
- Magic: The Gathering Releases Lorwyn Eclipsed (February 6, 2026)
- Back To Work, Back To Balance: Rethinking The 3pm Slump (February 5, 2026)
- Back-to-school Lunchboxes That Just Make Sense (February 5, 2026)