The philosophy of unification is the core of Paserene, bringing together unique terroirs and quality hands-on winemaking, resulting in wines with a sense of people and place. Martin Smith, Paserene’s winemaker is the driving force of this philosophy of unification.
Martin is a third-generation winemaker, growing up immersed in an environment passionate about winemaking. Later in life, Martin spread his wings and spent time in Europe and California exploring the vast world of winemaking. It was during these travels that Martin developed his craft in being a precision winemaker bringing together a balance of technical skill and intuition through his hands-on approach.
It was Martin’s time travelling the globe that inspired the name Paserene taken from the Latin Passeriformes meaning the order of “travelling and free” birds, which includes swallows, the image that is so central to Paserene. This inspiration is woven through the label artwork and extends to the tasting lounge, the Nest, inspired by the mud and clay nests of these migratory birds.
Martin’s hands-on approach is woven through selecting, planting and nurturing vineyards, curating a collection of distinct terroirs from cool Elgin to hot Tulbagh and moderate Franschhoek. Each vineyard is painstakingly studied to ensure the best cultivar and rootstock are selected to capture the terroir’s potential.
This hands-on approach is also seen in the attention to detail in hand-harvesting, sorting and processing the quality fruit in preparation for vinification. Each wine receives bespoke attention from methods of fermentation, careful extraction, lees contact, wooding and maturing. Martin prides himself on spending the time and effort on exactly what goes into each bottle, choosing not to filter the wines, ensuring that what comes out is as authentic as possible.
The result is a collection of handcrafted luxury wines of the Elements and Paserene ranges. The Elements range captures the fun side of the estate, each wine is uniquely made from elements of the vineyards with a luxurious touch. The Paserene range is carefully crafted for those who enjoy the finer things in life. Every bottle captures the story of the terroir through the purity of the fruit. These wines are made for ageing and will gain depth for upwards of 20 years.
Every bottle of Paserene wine is a unification of the journey from terroir to bottle, hand-crafted by Martin through technique and intuition. When you sip on a glass of Paserene’s boutique wine, you are creating an unforgettable moment in time, one to be remembered with each mouthful.