Schalk-Willem Joubert has resigned as CEO of Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons after a career of 20 years during which he played a major role in building the winery into a premier South African brand with a portfolio of quality wines recognised throughout the world. He will leave the service of Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons at the end of May to pursue new opportunities in the South African wine industry.
Anyone who has ever been to a wine tasting, knows that there is a lot of ‘nose’ action. Swirling the wine in the glass to open the ‘nose’ and smelling the wine to identify the ‘nose’. This can be quite intimidating for wine novices and those who drink wine purely for the enjoyment it brings.
Enjoying internationally acclaim for the quality of its wine tourism offering, Franschhoek-based La Motte Wine Estate has again been acknowledged as Best Food and Wine Matching Experience in the 2018 edition of the Drinks International Wine Tourism Awards.
We’ve compiled a selection of some of the most beautiful tasting rooms in the Western Cape to while away the hours during the summer. Offering more than just tastings, our top picks provide lean-back luxury.
Pierre Jourdan was the first grantee of the land on which the Haute Cabrière Estate is now situated. It is traditional in France that the still wines of the vineyard are named for the Estate and that the sparkling wines are named for the original owner. The Pierre Jourdan range of Cap Classiques are amongst the earliest produced in the Cape under what is now called Cap Classique, which involves a second fermentation in the bottle, Champagne style. An early addition to the range was the Pierre Jourdan Belle Rose – pronounced rose, not ‘rosay’. The name was given to the wine by The Baroness Theodora von Arnim, grandmother to Takuan, the current Cellarmaster.
Cheap wine isn't necessarily bad wine, says South Africa's Best Young Sommelier.
"Many young guns and boutique producers are releasing affordable wines into the market, because they are not as well established in the wine market," says the 26-year-old Wikus Human, who was named SA's top young sommelier by the South African Sommeliers Association in 2017. Wikus is head sommelier and beverage manager of Marble restaurant in Rosebank, Gauteng.
"From my perspective, there are some real 'value for money' wines out there."
With water on everyone’s lips (excuse the pun!) this harvest will be very challenging and require lots of hard work and skill to make it successful. A very small vintage has been predicted for South Africa in a year when more wine will be consumed than produced worldwide. It will be interesting to see if there will be a shortage of wine in the year ahead.
On the 19th of February, Paul Cluver launched their Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2017 vintage at a media lunch at Auslese in Cape Town. Cellarmaster, Andries Burger only releases this Noble Late Harvest (NLH) when he is satisfied that it is of the highest standard and quality. This vintage is the first to be released in three years.
The team also introduced their new Riesling 2017, an exciting new style for the estate. Currently their portfolio includes three styles of Riesling wines: dry, off dry and dessert wine. As of the 2017 vintage, they will offer two styles, the Riesling and Noble Late Harvest. The change gives Andries the platform and focus to create an elegant style of Riesling with the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity.
Meridian Field Sales Manager Tyron van Wyk congratulates Jennifer Pienaar, winner of R10000 in our portfolio bubbly competition that rann over the festive season. Jennifer bought a bottle of participating Cap Classique, scanned the code and entered the competition by loading her till slip. Cheers Jennifer!