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Newsflash : Spier Wines
reigned supreme at the
2009 Veritas Awards
on Saturday night 10
October. The well-known
Stellenbosch winery
clinched five double
gold and half a dozen
gold medals at the
annual gala-awards
dinner at the Cape Town
International Convention
Centre. Well done to
Frans Smit and his team!
For full results, visit
www.veritas.co.za. | |
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It is an absolute pleasure for me to distribute all
the good news from Stellenbosch on a monthly basis – and this month is
no different!
Stellenbosch Wine Routes has been the pioneer of the
South African wine industry for many years, and our status as top wine
destination has just been confirmed AGAIN! We have been nominated as the
Top Wine Region in the World by the leading international
magazine, Wine Enthusiast. Our competitors in the category are
Champagne (France), the Rhône Valley (France), the Russian River Valley
(California) and Valpolicella (Italy). |
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Wine
Enthusiast is currently
celebrating its tenth year with
the Wine Star Awards. The award
ceremony will take place at the
New York Public Library on
Monday 25 January 2010. We are
extremely proud of this
nomination. Marketing
Stellenbosch Wine Routes to the
international market has just
received a helping hand, which
we are very grateful for. Well
done to each and every member of
our wine family who made this
possible! Click
HERE to read more
about the nomination. |
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Have you visited the
Stellenbosch Fresh Goods
Market yet? This
popular market has moved
to the Oude Libertas,
where it takes place
every Saturday from
09:00 – 14:00.
The Oude Libertas is
currently being
reinvented to showcase
the very best of the
region's food, wine,
culture, theatre and
creative arts. The
Distell Arts & Culture
department is relocating
to the Oude Libertas
estate from where it
will continue and expand
its vital work to
develop the creative and
performing arts in South
Africa.
Be sure to visit the
market, and why not
combine it with a few
wine tastings at the
many surrounding wine
farms. For more
information, visit
www.slowmarket.co.za,
or phone 072 922 9311. |
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Enjoy the incredible gift of
giving at the fourth formal gala
dinner hosted by Alluvia
Specialist Winery and Zorgvliet
Lodge & Spa on 30 October 2009.
The ever-popular Zinkplaat band
will ensure lively entertainment
for the evening while guests
will enjoy a plated three-course
dinner and a selection of wine
from the most prestigious
wineries in and around
Stellenbosch.
This glamorous
event is hosted in aid of the
Give Me a Chance Children’s
Foundation, which was
established by Alluvia
Specialist Winery owners in
2005. The foundation supports
young learners in local farming
communities by providing funding
for tuition fees, uniforms,
sports gear, equipment and
books. The program also provides
students with additional support
through mentorship programs for
career guidance and personal
development.
Seats will be limited to 140.
Tables of 10 or coupled seats
are available at R500 per
person. For bookings, contact
Katherine Berchulski at 021 885
8104 or
hope@givemeachance.co.za. |
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The Rola Motor Group
Helderberg Wine Festival
which takes place on 28
wineries in the
Helderberg area around
Stellenbosch and
Somerset West during the
weekend of 22-25
October, offers visitors
an innovative new
concept to make planning
their trip easier.
According to organiser
Cobie van Oort, the idea
for the route planner
came from visitors to
last year’s festival who
had a ball discovering
wineries they never knew
existed, as well as from
wineries themselves who
felt interpreting the
wealth of information
available to visitors
into smaller, usable
bits, would be
beneficial when planning
to visit the area for
the festival.
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“We have therefore come
up with eight themed
“Trip Planners” which
are available on the
website as well as on
the festival pack and
map”, says Cobie. “Each
route is put together
according to hobbies or
interests, which gives
visitors an
easy-to-understand route
to follow to ensure that
their experiences match
their expectations.”
One example is the route
planned around the
historical and
ultra-modern
architecture on offer
with staff at each
winery briefed to handle
visitor’s queries in
this regard. Other trips
include child-friendly
wineries, a route for
culture vultures which
includes art, music and
bubblies, the Food
Lovers Lane which
features restaurants,
deli’s, olives, olive
oils, strawberries; and
more strenuous
activities for the
adrenaline-fuelled! |
“In this way, we hope to
entice visitors to pop
into wineries they might
not have known about and
guarantee that they will
have a stunning time!
The festival programme
also features a
competition where
visitors collect stamps
for each winery they’ve
visited and stand in
line to win wine gift
packs after they’ve
handed in their form,”
she concluded.
Festival packs and
glasses are available
from all participating
wineries at R75 pp from
Thursday, valid for the
whole weekend. All
proceeds to be donated
to Round Table Somerset
West. To find out more
and to book, visit
www.helderbergwinefestival.co.za.
Participating wineries
are: Annandale Wines,
Avontuur Estate, Bilton,
Blaauwklippen, Croydon
Winery, Dornier,
Eikendal, Grangehurst,
Jacana Guest Farm, Ken
Forrester, Kleine Zalze,
Kleinood Wines,
Longridge, Lourensford,
Peter Falke Wines, Post
House, Romond (With
Miravel & Heron Ridge),
Somerbosch, Stonewall,
Uva Mira, Vergenoegd,
Waterkloof Wines,
Webersburg, Yonder Hill.
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While we are
in the Helderberg area, I would
like to welcome Margi Hoffe as
the new chairperson of the
Helderberg Wine Route. Margi
is the sales & marketing manager
of Bilton wines, and said that
she was happy and proud to be
chosen and would build on the
strategy implemented under
previous chair, Nicole Arnold.
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“Obviously we need to build on
the relationships built and the
basis laid over the last year,”
Ms Hoffe said. “Successful
projects like the Indulgence
Festival, The Helderberg Amazing
Race and the growing annual
Helderberg Wine Festival must
continue to grow. I believe
communication is key and we
should work together even more
to ensure greater spin-off
amongst each other from all
activities on the route.
We are
the biggest sub- route under the
umbrella of Stellenbosch Wine
Routes and with nearly 50
wineries making up the
Helderberg Wine Route, we will
be even more of a force to be
reckoned with!” she said. |
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Good luck Margi, and may we see
many more initiatives from this
wonderful sub-route. |
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If you share my love for
Chardonnay, you will be
very excited to hear
about the first
Celebrating Chardonnay
event, taking place in
Johannesburg later this
month.
Six top chefs
from Cape Town and
Johannesburg will create
innovative tasting
dishes specially matched
to a selection of local
and international
Chardonnays. Guests will
be able to taste the
selected Chardonnays and
sampler dishes while
interacting with the
chefs and winemakers
during this premium
event at the
Johannesburg Country
Club in Woodmead on
Sunday 25 October, from
16:00 to 20:00.
For ticket purchases or
more information please
contact Juanita/Robyn -
021 881 3441 /
juanita@jordanwines.com.
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Participating Chefs
include - Bertus Basson
(Overture, Cape Town)
-Doekle Vlietman (Den
Anker, Cape Town) - PJ
Vadas (Roundhouse, Cape
Town) - Paul Gindra
(Radisson Hotel,
Sandton) - Philippe
Wagenfuhrer (Forum
Homini, Johannesburg) -
Arnold Tanzer (Food on
The Move, Johannesburg). |
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Visit our website
for a complete list of spring events and
special offers, like the Bottelary Hills
Centre Wine Tasting event on 30 October, the new
Le Bonheur Friday night Foreign Films, the
Schapenberg Wine Walk, and many more. Do not
miss out! Click
HERE. |
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History
was rewritten at the 2009
Tri-Nations Wine Challenge,
when Stellenbosch winery Haskell
Vineyards won the medal for the
top scoring Shiraz, the trophy
for Best Red Wine of Show, and
the Four Seasons Hotel Trophy
for the Best Wine of Show.
In
doing so, the Haskell Pillars Syrah 2007 became
the first South African wine to win the Best Red
Wine category at the Tri Nations Challenge and
also the first to be crowned the Champion wine
since the inception of this prestigious
competition, thirteen years ago. Rianie Strydom,
Haskell Vineyards winemaker, received her
trophies at a ceremony in Sydney on 11 September
2009.
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“Any
award is reason to be thankful,” said Rianie.
“In truth just being selected to partake in the
Tri Nations Wine Challenge is a huge honour. I
am proud that our wine performed so well
internationally. I am also excited, especially
because the Haskell range of wines will only be
released in November. We could not have wished
for a better kick start. This is not only an
award for Haskell Vineyards, but for South
Africa. It shows that our wines have come of
age. I must admit, it was a great feeling to
trump the Aussies on their territory!”
Congratulations to Rianie and her team – go
Bokke!
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Another
historical moment for the South
African wine industry was the
selection of the Kaapzicht
Steytler Pinotage 2006 as
the winner of the International
Trophy for Red Single Varietal
at the 2009 Decanter World Wine
Awards. It happened at a very
appropriate time, as the very
first award ever received by a
Pinotage wine was exactly 50
years ago, when the Pinotage
from Bellevue Estate received
the Genl. Smuts trophy as the
best young wine in South Africa. “Bottelary Hills is a prime
winegrowing terroir for red
wine. The northwestern slopes
have the perfect combination of
direct sunlight and cool
prevailing sea breezes from
False Bay and Atlantic Ocean.
The hills on our estate are
situated only 20 km from the
coast of False Bay,” says Danie
Steytler, cellarmaster and
co-owner of Kaapzicht Estate.
“Pinotage is a very versatile
red wine variety and the
Kaapzicht Steytler Pinotage from
those vineyards is a shining
example of the serious, well-oaked,
full-bodied style to be enjoyed
with food, especially venison,
red meat, traditional South
African dishes and cheeses.” Well done, Danie, you and your
team make us very proud!
Celebrating their international
success with the Kaapzicht
Steytler Pinotage 2006, are from
left Danie jr Steytler
(winemaker), George Steytler
(owner and viticulturist) and
Danie Steytler (owner and
cellarmaster) |
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The awards do
not stop here! To add to the
fantastic achievements (Trophy
for Best Cabernet Sauvignon at
the International Wine Challenge
and Concours Mondial Gold Medal)
the Guardian Peak Lapa
Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 was
awarded the Best International
Red wine of 2009 at the
International Wine Challenge
Awards in London last month.
Cheers to winemaker Louis
Strydom and his team! Why not
pop into the restaurant for a
food and wine pairing, with the
majestic Helderberg Mountains in
the background. Enjoy the
experience! | |
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I attended the
International Wine
Travel Market in
Paris, France, from
22-25 September.
Stellenbosch formed part
of the Great Wine
Capitals stand, rubbing
shoulders with Germany,
Spain, Portugal and
Bordeaux.
Apart from not
being able to speak
French, it was a
successful show, with
Chenin Blanc and
Pinotage drawing a lot
of attention. It was fun
to see how many people
know the word “lekker”,
even the ones who have
not yet been to South
Africa. Wine Tourism has
exploded, and
Stellenbosch is at the
forefront with taking
our wines to the world!
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While on holiday in
Italy (yes, I know,
it was wonderful!),
I popped in at the
annual Chianti
Wine Festival in
Greve. The show
was much less
low-key than I
imagined it would
be. I can guarantee
you that South
African wine
festivals are on a
much higher level,
with ample parking,
good signage,
amenities and
sufficient staff
being a priority.
To
give you an idea,
the local tourism
office was closed
during the festival,
and the nearest
public toilet was a
good ten minutes
walk, in the car
park.
Nevertheless,
it was great to be
able to taste all
the Chianti’s from
the region, all in
the town-square. The
weather was
fantastic, and the
pizza after all the
wine even better! Cin cin! |
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I would like to
use this opportunity to invite
all Stellenbosch Wine Routes
members to our Annual General
Meeting, taking place at
L’Avenir on Wednesday 11
November 2009, at 17:30 for
18:00. Following a short meeting
and 2010 Wine Festival
discussion, we will be tasting
the top Stellenbosch wines of
2009. Please confirm your
attendance : phone 021 886 8275,
or e-mail
marketing@wineroute.co.za.
See you there! |
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That’s it for this month. Feel
free to contact us if you need
assistance with planning your
winelands trips – we are here to
help!
Annareth Bolton
CEO Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes |
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Proudly sponsored by:
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