Mashonaland East

Overview

Mashonaland East sits on the highveld plateau east of Harare and is the heart of Zimbabwe's small commercial wine industry. The Oxford Companion to Wine notes that production is concentrated in East Mashonaland and Manicaland, and the region is home to Bushman Rock Estate in the Nyamasanga River valley. Planted at more than 1,400 meters above sea level, those vineyards are among the highest in Africa and were first established in the late 1930s.

The estate's sandy, well-drained soils and high altitude give warm days, cool nights, and crisp winters that help preserve acidity. Over the years, growers have imported 'noble cultivars' from the Cape, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc. Today Bushman Rock remains Zimbabwe's premier boutique winery, bottling estate wines within a wildlife and polo estate.

Key Varietals

• Chenin BlancA versatile white that keeps lively acidity at altitude and is used for fresh, fruity still wines.
• ChardonnayA flagship white for the estate, giving citrus and stone-fruit wines with a clean, high-altitude finish.
• PinotageSouth Africa's own red crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, yielding smoky, bramble-fruit wines in warm continental summers.
• Cabernet SauvignonA structured red that develops cassis and dark-berry notes on the estate's free-draining granitic soils.