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It’s harvest time in
Stellenbosch – what a magical
time! I spoke to a couple of our
local winemakers about the
anticipated 2010 harvest, and
this is what they had to say:
Says Bruwer Raats of Bruwer
Raats Family wines : “I
think this will definitely be a
very challenging harvest seeing
that we received about a third
of our annual expected rainfall
during the first week of
November. Vineyards sustained
severe wind damage in October
and November and then we
experienced those early January
heat waves. “This will be a
vintage that will expose people
who use average or standardised
vineyard practises. On the other
hand, those who are capable of
adjusting to this season’s
difficult challenges, will still
have the ability to make very
good wines. Obviously all of
this will result in a lower
yield when compared to last
year. I’m expecting to start
harvesting my Chenin middle next
week, which is about a week
earlier than normal due to the
lower crop, which results in the
fruit ripening earlier.”
Villiera started their
2010 harvest on Wednesday, 13
January, by taking in pinotage
for their sparkling wines. With
the harvest traditionally
starting earlier than grapes for
white/red wines, Villiera’s
sparkling harvest is almost
coming to an end. “We are
approximately five days earlier
than last year, but just because
the earlier varieties were
earlier, does not mean that the
same will apply to the rest of
the harvest,” says Simon Grier,
viticulturist at Villiera. Grier
and his team are expecting to
start harvesting grapes for
their still wines by the end of
next week depending on the
ripeness and varietals.
“At the moment the quality of
the grapes are really great and
the grapes have been very
healthy. We’ve had no rain since
November and therefore very
little rot. We’re now keeping an
eye out on the customary
February heat waves. If the
current cooler conditions
continue, I think we’re looking
at a very exciting vintage.”
According to Grier, their yield
has been very similar to last
year, but not all local
producers will be as fortunate.
Grier expects that the yields
will vary quite a lot depending
on where the farms are located.
“The heavy winds we experienced
in the Stellenbosch area during
November caused significant
damage for some producers and
were followed by an outbreak of
mildew. This can potentially
have a huge effect on yield
volumes. Specifically vineyards
located in valleys where the
wind funnelled have been
reporting significant losses of
up to 60% on last year’s
volumes.”
To all of our members and
readers I haven’t yet seen or
spoken to – may this be a year
to remember, filled with
friendship, humour, love and
prosperity! |
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If you want this year’s
Valentine’s Day
to be an unforgettable
experience, venture out
to the heart of the Cape
Winelands. With close on
60 wineries on the
Stellenbosch American
Express® Wine Routes
open on Sundays, lovers
will be spoilt for
choice between fine
dining establishments,
deli-style eateries,
bistros, braai
restaurants and picnic
destinations. A few who
come to mind are lunch
at Simonsig, Waterkloof,
Bodega at Dornier,
Jordan, Spier Hotel
Restaurant and Avontuur
Estate. Or try a picnic
at Warwick, or even a
midnight moonlight
picnic and movie at
Overgaauw.
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Whether you choose to
explore the beautiful
architecture of this
historic Town of Oaks on
foot, browse through the
myriad of art galleries
and craft shops or
simply share an intimate
lunch and glass of wine
at one of the
characterful street
café’s, Stellenbosch is
the perfect backdrop for
an unforgettable
experience.
Nature lovers can make
the most of a sultry
summer Valentine’s Day
and enjoy the bounty of
Mother Nature with a
kaleidoscope of outdoor
adventures such as bird
watching, horse riding,
game drives, cycling,
and hiking trails to
choose from. I suggest
the Dirtopia sunset
hike, or how about live
music at Delaire Graff
Estate! Asara, Zorgvliet
and Zevenwacht also
offer accommodation
specials – for a
complete list of events
and specials, click
HERE. |
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Guided walks are now offered on
the Schapenberg hills
near Sir Lowry’s Pass on the
second Saturday of every month. Walks can be
planned at other times for groups of 6 or more.
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Walks will meander between
fynbos and vineyard and vary
from half day to full day and
wine tasting will be offered at
up to 6 of the top wine estates
on the Helderberg sub-route,
including Waterkloof,
Onderkloof, Mount Rozier,
Journey’s End, Wedderwill and
Idiom. All monies from the walks
go towards the preservation of
the highly endangered fynbos of
the region. The next scheduled
walk is on Saturday 13 February
2010.
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The February walk will start at
Mount Rozier parking area at
07h00 (to beat the heat) and
climb to the Schapenberg ridge
and west to the historic
Schapenberg beacon where there
is a 3600 view over False Bay,
the Peninsular, Helderberg and
Kogelberg. Wine tasting offered
will be at Waterkloof,
Onderkloof and Journey’s End.
Waterkloof has a restaurant for
lunch! Cost depends on number of
participants (maximum 20)
including wine tasting and
snacks, but not lunch. Contact
Di at 021 8581532 or
info@walksforwine.co.za, or
visit
www.walksforwine.co.za. |
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On Saturday, 27 February
2010, Spier will host the annual Spier Wine
Harvest Festival – a celebration to bless
the grape harvest. The lawns in front of Eight –
Spier’s new ‘farm to table’ restaurant – will be
transformed into a wine wonderland. Adults can
lounge under the trees and enjoy great food and
wine, while children join in a host of
interactive games.
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There will be wine
tastings and scrumptious specialty food stalls
to create the ultimate wine picnic. This can be
enjoyed either on the lawn, or around the
harvest table alongside the Eerste River. Games
for all include grape stomping, croquet and
boulle. For kids there will be t-shirt and face
painting, and loads of entertainment, including
tractor rides to the vineyards, storytelling,
magicians, an obstacle course and more.
At 12:00, Spier’s cellar
master Frans Smit will bless the harvest in the
traditional way. Gerald Clarke and his band will
entertain with guitars, cellos, accordions and
singers. Tickets are R50 and can be purchased at
Spier on arrival. The festival runs from
10:00-16:00. For more info, visit
www.spier.co.za,
or phone 021 809 1100. |
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Rianie Strydom,
celebrated winemaker for
two of South Africa’s
top brands, Haskell and
Dombeya in Stellenbosch,
has been invited to
attend the Wine Entre
Femme gathering, taking
place in Napa Valley
California, from January
the 29th, until February
the 2nd. Wine Entre
Femme is an informal and
non-competitive
gathering of women in
wine who have a strong
desire to make
connections, share
ideas, information and
support other women in
wine.
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Rianie is the first
South African woman in
wine to enjoy this
honour, after being
nominated by United
Kingdom wine guru,
Jancis Robinson MW.
Women winemakers and
vintners from around the
world will gather with
leading winemakers and
vintners from the Napa
Valley for three days of
workshops, tastings,
seminars and networking,
culminating in a trade
and press tasting
representative of more
than 50 labels, on
February 2nd, at the
Metropolitan Club in San
Francisco.
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StreetSmart SA, a
non-profit organisation
dedicated to the social
integration and upliftment of
street children, has expanded
its horizons to include leading
restaurants in the Stellenbosch
winelands, giving them the
opportunity to plough back into
the community.
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StreetSmart is well established in
Cape Town and has since December 2009
started in Stellenbosch with six
restaurants on board.
The new StreetSmart restaurants
include Rust en Vrede, Wedgeview Country
House & Spa, Overture, The Big Easy,
Bodega and Jordan Restaurant. Johan
Swanepoel and Nic Dupper of River Manor
Boutique Hotel and Spa, are the driving
force behind the Stellenbosch committee.
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"One of the great aspects of this program is
that the money raised in Stellenbosch will be
allocated to local street children charities. It
is an easy, no-effort process for restaurants to
run and diners feel good about helping out,"
said Nic.
Participating StreetSmart restaurants raise
funds by adding a R5 donation to each table’s
bill. This donation is voluntary and diners have
the option to donate more, or not at all. All
funds raised through restaurants go to the
StreetSmart beneficiaries, who spend the funds
on education, skills training and family
reunification programs, helping street children
to live a viable life in society. While
StreetSmart is still in the process of
evaluating potential beneficiary organisations
in the winelands, all the funds raised in the
area will go towards uplifting the lives of
local street children thereby ensuring that
every cent raised by winelands restaurants gets
ploughed back into their community.
For more information or to make a donation
contact, StreetSmart at Tel: 021 418 0621, email
streetsmart@eqweb.co.za or visit
www.streetsmartsa.org.za. | |
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Waterford Estate is now
offering a Wine Drive - a safari
type Game Viewing Landrover has
been fitted out with bucket
seats (maximum of 10 pax per
trip) to take guests around the
120ha property that is situated
on the slopes of the beautiful
Helderberg Mountain. The
standard of comfort can be
compared to the vehicles used by
Singita and Londolozi Game
Reserves on their Game Drives.
Waterford Estate has chosen to
use only half of the total land
for the planting of vines, in
order to preserve and maintain
the natural flora and fauna of
the beautiful Blaauwklippen
(blue stone) valley. As part of
their biodiversity program, they
wish to show visitors their
intensions in terms of
sustainable agriculture, since
they are aiming to achieve an
organic approach to wine
farming. The Cape is home to the
largest and most spectacular
concentration of flowers and
plants found anywhere on earth.
It is Waterford’s intention to
play a small role in preserving
the Cape Floral Kingdom by
leaving sections of the property
untouched, while showing guests
some of the Cape’s natural
beauty.
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Guests will also be able to
taste the wines made from the
respective vineyards while
amongst the vines. While out in
the vineyards, they are able to
explain “terroir” to guests, and
get them to smell the soil and
rocks in which the vines grow,
while enjoying the beautiful
vistas, geography and topography
of the Cape Winelands. At
certain vantage points, the team
stop to explain the 350 year
history of South African
winemaking, while looking at
Table Mountain and Constantia,
where it all started in 1652.
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The Wine Drive commenced early
January 2010, and reservations
can be made by e-mailing
cellardoor@waterfordestate.co.za,
or phoning 021 880 5316. Costs
are ZAR500 per person, duration
1½ to 2 hours. Guests will taste
the Waterford Estate Sauvignon
Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Kevin Arnold Shiraz,
and top of the range wine, The
Jem. |
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On
Thursday 10 December 2009, the
Mangwanani Spa at Zevenwacht
was tragically engulfed by
uncontrollable flames. Staff and
clients were immediately
evacuated. Sprinklers were
activated and gas bottles
removed from the Spa. Every
effort was made to extinguish
the fire, but powerful winds
fanned the flames. The Spa burnt
down within 20 minutes.
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All the
staff received immediate trauma
counselling and are dealing with
the situation well. Some staff
members have been transferred on
a temporary basis to assist at
other branches around the
country and those remaining is
assisting with outside events.
Mangwanani Zevenwacht will be
re-established at the Zevenwacht
Wine Farm as soon as possible.
For more information, visit
www.mangwanani.co.za.
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The winners of our
Sundays in Stellenbosch
competition are Emil and Heidi
Meyer from Brackenfell.
Congratulations!
You have won lunch for four
people at the Simonsberg Cafe,
and one night’s accommodation
for 2 couples at the Oakleaf
Lodge, breakfast included, to
the value of R2100!
To enter our competition, e-mail
your contact details to
info@wineroute.co.za.
Good luck! |
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To all our members – we wish you
well for the 2010 harvest. To
our readers – you are invited to
come join us during this busy
time, to see your favourite
Stellenbosch star in the making.
I look forward to seeing you!
Annareth Bolton
CEO Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes |
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Proudly sponsored by:
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