- White Wine
- Clairette
- Natural, Sustainable
- Dry
- Light Bodied
- 750ml
- 12% alc./vol
About the Winery
Radford Dale
Radford Dale and The Winery of Good Hope are two brands made by the same people, in the same winery. The team behind these wineries has been an industry leader since the 1990s in chemical free farming, and more recently in low and no sulfur winemaking. They are a founding member of PIWOSA (Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa) which sets ethical, environmental and social uplift standards. Recognizing the social inequality present in South Africa Radford Dale has also set up a trust called Land of Hope to help facilitate bright futures for children, focusing heavily on education.
Alex Dale who owns and manages both projects is an Englishman who grew up spending summers in Burgundy, France. He moved there in his late teens to follow a passion for winemaking and also opened a wine bar in Beaune. He lived in Burgundy for many years before moving to South Africa in 1998, starting Radford Dale with Ben Radford, an Australian. The idea was to produce wines using modern techniques and technology with a healthy respect for tradition, something Alex came to understand well while living in Burgundy.
Wines are made with minimal intervention in order to best express each vineyard’s individuality.Press Reviews
Wine Align - David Lawrason
92 points
Clairette Blanche originates in the southern Rhone Valley of friends but like many others from that neighbourhood it has found a second home in South Africa as well. This is quite tropical yet very fresh at the same time. Expect tropical pineapple/papaya, lemon, saffron and vague peppery spice. It is medium bodied, fleshy smooth and focused. The length is very good to excellent. Tasted Feb 2022
Wine Align - Michael Godel
91 points
Radford Dale’s “Thirst” line falls under the category of what would be considered natural and sustainable wines in the freshest and wildest expressions that include gamay, cinsault and this clairette. The extreme flint strike off the nose is one of mineral clarity and clear as day matchstick behaviour. Reduction and captured sulphites have not yet dissipated so crank up the agitation and get your swirl on. The clairette revealed is naked as the day it was pressed, lemon zesty and like a mouthful of marigold and wasabi. There may be some hate thrown Thirst’s way but the love you may feel for this wine is warranted, quite OK and accepted. Be yourself and embrace the feeling. Drink 2021-2023. Tasted January 2021.