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As that famous American baseball coach
Yogi Berra said, “it’s déjà vu all over
again”. I’m talking about the harvest,
which has slowly begun in the
Stellenbosch winelands. And although my
observations are not based on scientific
fact, things look very similar to last
year. After a moderate, cool ripening
season and early summer, the heat really
hit the winelands during the last week
of January. Preceded by a gale-force
South Easter, Stellenbosch sported
40˚C-plus temperatures towards the end
of January, causing the ripening process
to go into overdrive.
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“Everything pointed to a two
week delay in harvest,” says PG
Slabbert, cellar master at
Stellenbosch Hills. “But then
the heat came, and suddenly we
were back to usual, the first
grapes coming in on 30 January.
So much for the fishing trip I
had planned!”
So by the time this newsletter
hits the cyber-waves, the hills
will be alive with the sound of
snipping secateurs, groaning
tractors and tired voices. The
pungent scent of fermenting
grapes will hang in the air, and
for three months everything will
revolve around the harvest.
Unfortunately
the long hours and hard work
will not be made easier by the
rolling power-cuts that are
almost inevitably set to dampen
spirits. Many cellars have
invested in generators, but this
does not remove the problem.
Generators require copious
amounts of diesel, adding to the
input costs the wineries have to
endure and deepening your carbon
footprint. |
So
on
behalf
of
the
Stellenbosch
Wine
Routes,
I
would
like
to
implore
the
relevant
authorities
to
tackle
the
power
crisis
we
are
enduring.
Okay,
so I
know
the
queue
of
powerless
protestors
is
longer
than
the
R44,
but
let’s
hope
that
the
full
impact
of
this
debilitating
situation
lands
on
the
right
ears.
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IN
the lead-up to the harvest, the Stellenbosch
Wine Routes enjoyed a bumper tourist season.
According to Cape Town Tourism, some 3
million tourists visited the Cape over the
December-January season. And with the Wine
Routes being one of the major attractions
and only 50km from Cape Town, a busy time
was had by all.
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But
it is not only about how busy you are, but
about the quality of the service you offer.
It has therefore been pleasing to receive
correspondence from frequent Wine Routes
visitors who have noticed a definite
increase in the quality of the service in
our area. This service has been complemented
by the dramatic increase in tourism
offerings, from family-friendly wineries
with play parks, to fine dining restaurants
catering to the top-end niche market.
The
latter is an especially welcoming feature,
as many commentators have mentioned
Stellenbosch’s lack of exclusive restaurants
of international standard. Well, this has
changed. And our neighbours across the
French mountains better know it. Call us
selfish, but we do not only want to be the
wine capital, but the fine dining capital
too! |
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WE are also already busy with our first
festival of the year, believe it or not. The
Stellenbosch Woordfees (Word Festival) is an
annual event held in Stellenbosch to pay
homage to any art form involving the written
word. This festival has grown in leaps and
bounds and attracts thousands of visitors to
our town for poetry readings, literary
discussions and book sales.
This year’s Woordfees takes place from 3 to
9 March in and around Stellenbosch. The full
programme can be found on
www.woordfees.co.za. The programme
includes the Wegbreek Wine Route in the
centre of town for 7 and 8 March. Here
visitors are invited to stroll along Van
Ryneveld, Andringa, Kerk and Victoria
streets where various restaurants will be
offering tastings of the region’s wines.
This central and miniature Wine Route, only
offering Stellenbosch wines, promises to
impart a special flavour to the Woordfees,
no doubt helping the words to flow in the
process. Participating restaurants include
Cape Town Fishmarket, Greengate, Beads,
D’Ouwe Werf, Brazenhead, Binnehof, Wijnhuis
and L’Olive. The Wine Route will be clearly
signposted, with special offers and menus. |
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ONE of the coolest areas of Stellenbosch
has to be Bosman’s Crossing. Four
wineries. Great Italian coffee shop.
Flats. Offices. And off the beaten
track. And now Bosman’s Crossing will be
hosting a real farm market on a weekly
basis.
The Stellenbosch
Fresh Goods Market
is an authentic slow
food market, with
producers selling
home grown and
hand-made goodies.
The market will also
provide
entertainment for
children, live
music, wine,
wellness activities
and art exhibitions.
Local farmers and
producers who
disclose the origin,
production methods,
shelf life, and food
miles of their
products will be
supported. The
market is supported
by the Stellenbosch
Wine Routes, with
members exhibiting
their wines in the
Slow Wine Route. |
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The open air market
launches on Friday
the 29th of February
and Saturday the 1st
of March 2008, and
is located on the
Dorpstreet square,
Distillery Road,
Bosman's Crossing in
Stellenbosch.
Trading hours are
Saturdays from 09h00
- 16h00. Proceeds
will go toward
sponsoring a
transport initiative
for school children
in the Stellenbosch
area.
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WHAT, no
Valentine’s Day news? Well, if we
had to include all the Valentine’s
Day activities there would be no
space for any other news this month!
Take a look at
www.wineroute.co.za/valentine.asp
and see all the choices at your
disposal.
With so many
choices, there is just no excuse for
not treating the special person in
your life!
Or as Nike
says: Just do it. |
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Until next time!
Annareth Jacobs
CEO Stellenbosch American Express®
Wine Routes
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