Home of the first Vermentino in South Africa
Italian passion for fine wine and conservation are inseparable elements of Slent, historic mountainside farm and home of Ayama wines, where visitors will be welcomed by Michela and Attilio Dalpiaz.
More than 17 years ago, we left our northern Italian home to have a holiday in South Africa with friends, and immediately fell in love with South Africa, the people, the weather and the wine.
Taking our friends on as financial partners we became the owners of Slent, a beautiful Voor Paardeberg farm boasting vines, orchards of plums and pears, to which we have added olive groves, where we now live side by side with passing leopards, caracal, civet cats, small antelopes as well as the local baboon troop.
Ayama is an isiXhosa word which can be translated as “Someone to lean on” which is the soul of this now big family.
With a vision to marry Proudly South African and Truly Italian and an eye on conservancy, we learnt to respectfully produce Chenin Blanc and Pinotage with character, and became parents of the first Vermentino planted and produced in South Africa, an Italian white variety finding growth and huge potential in Sardinian alike soils and climates.
AYAMA EVENTS
In 2018 we opened our doors to “Ayamafanatics” who come from all over the world to taste our wines, attend themed events and visit the farm. Guest accommodation is available to make the most of this magic place.
Our signature event is the glamorous “Ayama Artichoke Festival” showcasing the many ways to serve up delectable artichoke dishes and offering different dishes each year.
A trip to Ayama will take you to many different countries, tasting unusual wines and discovering new ways of cooking.
We are looking forward to telling you personally our story and our dreams!
Ayama events can be booked on www.ayamateca.com.
AYAMA VERMENTINO 2019
- Vermentino taste is a quite difficult to define in few words. This is because Vermentino has higher levels of phenols which contribute to its subtle bitterness on the finish–a taste often described as green almond. A glass of classic Sardinia Vermentino will offer up lively aromas of pear, white peach, lime and pink grapefruit with subtle notes of crushed rocks and citrus zest. On the palate, Vermentino is almost always dry and somewhat oily with flavours of grapefruit and citrus, with a crushed rocky minerality and saltiness. On the finish, it can be a bit snappy with bitterness similar to the taste of grapefruit pith or, if it’s on the riper side, fresh almond.
AYAMA CARIGNAN 2019
- Carignan is an expression of dark cherry fruit, blueberries, violet and other floral aromas along with notes of orange peel, black liquorice and cocoa. Well bodied with tannins that have a fine, dusty aspect and fresh and lively acidity with excellent potential for ageing. It’s delicious paired with roast meats, duck and earthy root vegetables.
AYAMA SAILOR MALAN N.19
- Slent is a farm home to rich history and a broad spectrum of cultures, with so many stories still to be discovered and told. Today we celebrate the memory of Sailor Adolph Malan, a little boy who lived on Slent in the early 1910’s , who later grew up to transform history by becoming a World War 2 War Hero, and one of the very first anti-apartheid fighters of South Africa. In remembrance of such a great man, Ayama is honouring the legacy of Sailor Malan by dedicating a wine range to him, and to tell his story of greatness and vision of this beautiful country of South Africa.
AYAMA LEOPARD SPOT RED
- This is a supple, elegant and very appealing wine with the tannins well integrated, but prominent enough to need 6 months longer to show off the ripe, fleshy black-cherry, plums, chocolate shadings to their best advantage and to be combined to the tone of spicyness and peppery flavours which are insured by the shiraz in main percentage.
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