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BUSINESS trips away from home
are not all they are cracked up to be. Especially if home is
Stellenbosch.
The month of May saw us
attending INDABA in Durban, the Joburg Wine Show, as well as the London
International Wine Trade Fair.
While all of these shows are
excellent opportunities to promote our members, I sure did miss home!
More about the shows later in this newsletter... |
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Winter has arrived in its full
glory, and this means long afternoons in cosy
tasting rooms, with Stellenbosch’s best red wines.
We have a wide array of winter promotions, events,
dinners, tastings and many more. A few highlights
include cozy Sunday lunches at Hartenberg, lunch
with the British Lions at Beyerskloof, a spice
inspired menu at Blaauwklippen, and a winter ball at
Skilpadvlei. For detailed information, click
HERE. |
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A new Passport that takes you to
14 of the finest cellar doors in
the Cape Winelands with major
savings of up to 60% on tastings
and tours, has been launched to
offer visitors a variety of
experiences at a packaged price.
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The Cellar Door Collection Passport offers some of the most
memorable winelands experiences from Stellenbosch and Durbanville to
Paarl, Robertson, Tulbagh and even as far north as Phalaborwa! Visit
your choice of leading cellars and distilleries at your leisure over
a period of 6- months or 1-year depending on your Passport card
preference. The R50 option entitles you to visit four different
experiences, whilst the R100 card allows you to visit all 14
destinations. With this new Winelands innovation, you can plan where
and when you want to visit, ensuring a day out that suits your own
individual needs. The Passport card also makes a great gift of
weekends of fun in the winelands – ideal for sharing with family and
friends.
The renowned Stellenbosch area alone offers eight incredible
opportunities for eager Passport holders. Alto, famous for their
hand crafted red wines, Uitkyk with its magnificent setting,
Neethlingshof with its unique kilometre long avenue of pines,
Stellenzicht known for their award winning wines and Le Bonheur,
still hand-picking their grapes, all offer outstanding wine tasting
experiences that will stay with you long after you leave.
Also situated in the Stellenbosch area is The Bergkelder, home of
Fleur du Cap; South Africa’s first dedicated sparkling wine cellar,
The House of J.C. Le Roux; and Van Ryn’s Distillery, delighting
passport holders with great tastings along with interesting and
educational tours to expand your wine knowledge and keep you
enthralled. |
In addition
to great value, the Passport
also entitles holders to special
privileges from time to time, so
be sure to enquire about this
during your visit. Tickets can
be purchased at any of the
participating cellars. Tours
groups, hotels and guest houses
are welcome to purchase them in
bulk for their guests. For more
information or terms and
conditions, visit
www.cellardoorcollection.co.za. |
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Avontuur Estate
recently announced their
sponsorship of Champion
Jockey Greg Cheyne from
May 2009. When
announcing the
sponsorship, Avontuur
General Manager, Pippa
Mickleburgh said that
the decision was made to
further enhance Avontuur
Estate’s standing in the
racing fraternity
locally and
internationally. “Greg
was selected for the
sponsorship due to his
incredible track record
in SA racing where he is
currently third on the
SA National Jockey log.
He is the Champion
Jockey in the Eastern
Cape for the 07/08
racing season after also
winning the award in
05/06. He is one of the
hardest-working jockeys
in the country and he is
the first jockey in
history to own and ride
a Group 1 winner,
“Emblem of Liberty” in
the GR1 Paddock Stakes
in January 2009, which
proves his commitment to
the business of racing!”
she says.
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“However, Greg wasn’t
only chosen for his
prowess on the track! He
is also a serious wine
lover with a
higher-than-average
knowledge of the fruits
of the vine and will be
an ambassador for that
side of the business as
well. When visiting the
winery last week for a
formal tasting of our
wines, he demonstrated a
passion for the product
which really impressed
our wine marketing
consultant Cobie van
Oort. Greg will be
representing Avontuur at
many of the winery
events as he loves to
talk about, taste and
enjoy wine,” Pippa says. |
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Greg Cheyne sported the
Avontuur branding for
the first time on
Saturday, 30 May at the
Golden Horse Sprint day
at Scottsville in
Pietermaritzburg.
Greg is enthusiastic
about his involvement
with the Estate and said
that this would give him
the opportunity to
increase his profile and
enable him to do even
more of what he loves.
“I got into racing
because I love sport in
general and wanted to
make my living in it as
a professional. Racing
has given me all of that
and with this
sponsorship I hope to
continue doing what I
love and give Avontuur
Estate the exposure and
support the company
deserves at the same
time. I look forward to
a successful partnership
and will do everything
in my power to promote
the brand, both on the
stud and wine side,” he
said.
For more information,
contact Cobie van Oort
at 083-556-3740 or
cobie@cvomarketing.co.za
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This month I would
like to welcome a new member to the Stellenbosch Wine Routes –
M’Hudi Wines.
The name M’hudi is
derived from the Setswana word, “Mohudi”, meaning “harvester”.
It is also the name given to a heroine of a great African story.
M’hudi fled her war-ravaged village in search of a new
beginning. The story is one of courage, determination against
seemingly impossible odds and the relentless pursuit of one’s
dreams and aspirations.
The Rangaka Family
are the founders of the M’hudi brand and the main characters in
their wine adventure. The farm is located next to Villiera, just
off the R304. The tasting room is open on Mondays to Fridays
from 09:00-17:00, and Saturdays until 16:00. Contact Malmsey on
tel : 021 988 6960, or
malmsey@mhudi.com. For more information, visit
www.mhudi.com. |
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INDABA is South
African Tourism’s
principle marketing
platform. It is the one
place and time in the
year that the entire
South African tourism
industry is united in
the pursuit of a common
objective – to sell
South Africa effectively
in order to grow the
industry and the
economy. Christa
attended this year’s
INDABA as part of the
Cape Winelands District
Municipality’s stand. It
is a great show to meet
up with old
acquaintances, make new
contacts and find new
inspiration! |
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This weekend I attended the
Joburg Wine Show at Gallagher Estate. It was a wonderfully sunny and
warm weekend, with thousands of visitors arriving to taste and buy wine.
55 Stellenbosch wine farms attended the show, while I promoted the
upcoming Stellenbosch Wine Festival. Highlights included meeting rugby
legends Hempies du Toit (Annandale) and Jan Boland Coetzee (Vriesenhof)
in person, cook-offs with Uva Mira, Kleine Zalze and Bilton, having your
picture taken with Vernon Koekemoer at the Versus stand, and many more.
A wonderful way to showcase the Cape lifestyle, and to sell a lot of
wine! |
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THIS year was my
second visit to the
London
International Wine
Trade Fair. It
entailed three days
of tasting and
business, with 1200
exhibitors from
across the globe,
from boutique to
biodynamic.
Stellenbosch
American Express®
Wine Routes once
again had a stand on
the WOSA regional
stand, where we
promoted the wine
regions of
South-Africa.
Despite the current
economic
environment, our
stand drew a lot of
attention, from both
trade and media. I
returned with a lot
of possible business
for Stellenbosch
producers, and
numerous new
valuable contacts.
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FINALLY, the programme for
the Stellenbosch Wine Festival 2009 is
ready for your perusal. Click
HERE to download the full festival
programme.
As if showcasing more than
500 wines under one roof is not enough, this
year the Stellenbosch Wine Festival literally
goes the extra mile to extend its wwinelands
hospitality even further with its ‘Wine Week’,
attracting fun-loving visitors to South Africa’s
oldest and foremost wine route between 24 and 31
July.
Participating wine farms will open their cellar
doors for a week long feast of unique
attractions. Thrill-seeking travellers can sign
up for a full-day tour of the winelands on a
bicycle or set off on a scenic donkey hike and
wine picnic on the Polkadraai Hills, whilst
special area visits to selected farms on the
five different sub-routes - Greater Simonsberg,
Stellenbosch Berg, Helderberg, Stellenbosch
Hills and Bottelary Hills, will give you insight
into the diversity and delights of the
Stellenbosch Winelands.
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Marrying all passions of the
Boland, the Wine Week programme also celebrates
the complementary effect wine and food have on
each other with special dinners hosted at
signature winelands restaurants ranging from
five-star crème de la crème and hot new dining
spots to the more rustic, all time favourites
and winter-inspired cellar meals . Tantalising
newcomers on the Stellenbosch Wine Routes
include Simonsig’s eclectic Cuvée restaurant and
the magnificently appointed restaurant at
Delaire Graff Estate who will both cook up a
special food and wine menu during the Wine Week.
Other rare dining experiences include a sublime
twelve-course food and wine evening hosted at the renowned 96 Winery
Road restaurant and a special organic food and wine pairing at the
newly transformed Waterkloof cellar and chic new tasting centre
overlooking False Bay. |
Separating the boys
from the men, Alto
Wine Estate will
host a ‘Gentleman’s
Club’ evening
complete with steak,
port and cigars.
Volkskombuis
restaurant in
conjunction with
Neethlingshof Estate
will add melodic
charm to a three
course feast of
tripe and bredies
when the legendary
Ollie Viljoen and
singer Niël Rademan
bring out their
instruments.
Those wine enthusiasts
looking for a more hands-on encounter can sign
up for wine blending sessions at Lovane Boutique
Wine Estate and Apprentice restaurant. Various
art exhibitions will also be showcased during
the Stellenbosch Wine Week, including a
spectacular art installation commemorating 350
years of winemaking in South Africa by
world-renowned landscape artist, Strijdom van
der Merwe, which will take centre stage at
Simonsig Estate.
Various special accommodation
packages in and around Stellenbosch, ranging
from budget winelands sleepovers to luxury rest
and relaxation amidst the tranquillity of
aristocratic vines, are available to make the
Stellenbosch Wine Week and Wine Festival more
accessible to upcountry visitors this year.
Tickets for the Wine Festival
are now available on-line, click
HERE to purchase your ticket. |
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Win Win Win: SMS WINE to 34010 to win
tickets to the Stellenbosch Wine Festival and top prizes. Cost
per sms : R2, terms and conditions apply. |
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We look forward to welcoming you
to the heart of the South
African wine industry –
Stellenbosch.
Festival greetings!
Annareth Bolton
CEO Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes |
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