‘Paying the School Fees’ is the very first white wine produced from the incredible Platteklip Vineyard at the top of the Piketberg Mountain in northern Swartland. The grapes are planted in Table Mountain Sandstone soils at the top of the wind-swept mountain overlooking the Atlantic ocean, Table Mountain, and the Paardeberg from 2,000 feet above sea level. It is here where Stompie & Anri have built their home estate over the last 5+ years, and we are finally seeing the first wine made with Platteklip fruit here. The 2023 vintage had good winter rains, bringing a late bud burst and flowering, cool spring, and mild summer. This gave an even, slow ripening that contributed to lower pH and higher acid. Stompie doesn’t mince words with the name of this wine, and it’s ultimately a reminder that this is a family wine and a family business. Someone’s gotta pay the school fees for the girls! But the most remarkable part about this wine is the fact that the fruit comes from just 6-year-old vines. There is magic in old vines, but there is an energy and depth to this wine that proves there’s also magic in youth.

The grapes were hand-harvested at different sugar levels to insure good pH and acid from the early picking with powerful structure and aromas from riper batches. After two days of cold soaking, the fruit was pressed and sent to old oak barrels for spontaneous fermentation. The wine remained there for 23 months on the lees, and was bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with just a dash of sulfur.