SHELTER CHARDONNAY

Thai green curry, Manchego, good company

Chilled but no need to be icy cold

Just unpacking the name of the brand gives you a sense of how proprietors Martin & Welma Smith view the world. Atlas, the titan of perseverance, tasked with holding up the sky represents how very seriously they take their commitment to protecting the lands on which they grow their grapes. It also speaks to the maps on which the terroirs they work with are laid out. Swifts, one of the fastest and most aerial of the bird species, represents their nimble exploration to find said terroirs. The project, which on the surface, focuses on site-specific Chardonnays from distinctive places scattered across the Western Cape of South Africa, carries with it so much more than just beautiful wines of exceptional texture (Martin is the KING of texture! – Cami). It carries with it the dreams of some of the most authentic souls we have the pleasure to know.

Martin & Welma see Atlas Swift as an opportunity to raise their young children in an environment where work can be fuelled by passion, where the land and the importance of protecting it, is paramount. They are shaping the next generation to be conscious and responsible for the unique place they hold in the world.

We love how each of the four very different places that Martin & Welma source their Chardonnays show up in this wine – there’s sea salt from the Cape South Coast, ripeness from warm Wellington, elegance from Robertson and bracing acidity from the high-altitude Cedarberg.

Place: Western Cape, South Africa
Grape: Chardonnay
Style: Best of four worlds
Ingredients: Grapes + limited sulphur