“STOK BY PAALTJIE”
Farmers that form part of the Ebenhaeser project use the “stok by paaltjie”, also known as vine by post, trellising method due to the small parcels of land they farm on.
METHOD REASONS
Production levels on small parcels of land need to be optimized. The vine by post method increases the number of vines/ha. The air flow needs to be considered with the sea breeze affecting quality. Normal trellising systems can restrict airflow and requires specialized skills that are not needed with the Vine by post method. The wine is marketed on the grounds that smallholder farmers use the Vine by post method along with traditional draft horse skills. Wine label and recent media articles attest. These vine by pole practices are not widely used in SA due to the labor intensive nature of it. The farmers that do put in the extra effort that this method requires, does so with great success.
Saltus™️ poles are flexible in strong winds. The life span of the vines is expected to be longer than commercial counterparts (due to smaller yield per plant). With a longer life span, steel and wood poles would be outlasted by the vines which creates practical problems as early as 4 years into the life of the vineyard. The Saltus™️ poles are guaranteed for 20 years, but can last much longer. Theft of poles also needs to be prevented and therefore steel is a risk. Saltus™️ poles aren’t known to be stolen for re-sale. Lastly, wine made from these vineyards falls in a more scrutinized upmarket category where chemicals, that wooden poles are treated with, are more likely to be picked up.
THANKS TO OUR
Sponsors
2017 Chenin Blanc Bottling & Labeling: Cult Premium
2017 Chenin Blanc Corks: RX South Africa & Junenal CorkStihle
Mistblowers: Namaqua Wines
Harnesses for horses: Namaqua Wines