Category Archives: Durbanville
Cool Climate Excellence In Durbanville Hills Pinotage
The winemaking team at Durbanville Hills Wines took great care when they crafted the 2011 Pinotage, gently handling the grapes with the utmost tenderness. The end product, a full-bodied wine, is a fine example of how the cool-climate conditions of the Durbanville area, the unique set of rolling hills, maritime breezes and soil composition promote quality and elegance.
Sweet, ripe red berry fruit and red cherry flavours combine with a hint of vanilla on the nose that leads to a rich, fruity character in this mouth-filling wine. It goes exceptionally well with Parma ham, venison or pork fillets wrapped in bacon, moussaka and mild Gouda.
The wine was matured for 12 months in predominantly French oak. A small percentage new oak was combined with older wood and wood alternatives to prevent over-wooding and to preserve the elegance of the cool-climate fruit.
The 2011 Durbanville Hills Pinotage retails for about R75 and is available from most supermarkets and liquor outlets as well as at the cellar.
Knysna Wine Festival 1 – 2 July 2013
A uniquely South African wine festival and the Garden Routes Premiere Wine Event will once again be taking place during the Knysna Oyster Festival on the 1st and 2th of July 2013.
The event will showcase up to 50 of South Africa’s best wine producers and promises to be bigger and better than any of our previous events to date. These wines will all be available for tasting and purchasing at special event prices. You can also interact with these acclaimed wine producers and learn about current trends in the industry.
The Knysna Wine Festival, now in its 8th year will be hosted in the official Pavilion, at the Pick n Pay Festival Grounds, Waterfront Drive – right in the heart of the festival attractions!
Our guests will be welcomed this year with the finest delectable Belgian chocolate, Côte d’Or. What better way to enjoy an evening than with fine wine and delicious chocolate!
Patrons will also receive their tasting glasses, a wine guide and get to mingle with South Africa’s wine makers in a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere.
Confirmed 2013 Estates:
Raats Family Wines
Graham Beck
Ataraxia
Sumaridge
Bramon Estate/ local to our area
Holden Manz
Creation
Bon Courage
Bonnievale Cellars
Beau Belle
Jordan
Solms-Delta
Rhebokskloof
Neil Ellis
Waterford Estate
Akkerdal
Boekenhoutskloof
Cronier Wines
De Grendel
Ernie Els
Fairview Cheese and Wine
Hill and Dale
Hill Crest
Jakkalsvlei(local/ Mosselbay)
Malanot
Newstead
Painted Wolf
Beau Joubert
Peter Falke
Steenberg
Stellenrust
Zorgvleit
Van Loveren
Hillock
De Krans
Calitzdorp Cellar
Fernskloof
Ticket Sales:
Tickets are on sale already @ R100 at Sublime Clothing Thesen island Knysna or online at www.pnptickets.co.za for more information visit www.knysnawinefestival.co.za email info@knysnawinefestival.co.za. Tickets are Limited. Tickets Include a free tasting glass for unlimited tasting, a Cote D or, Belgium, Chocolate and a tasting booklet.
No Need to Drink and Drive: Shuttle service at very reasonable rates available:
Contact Orbit Tours to pre book @ 0723773563 or info@orbitdaytrips.co.za
And then all the information is constantly being updated on the web page www.knysnawinefestival.co.za
A New take On Wine And Food Pairing At Durbanville Hills
Peanut butter sandwiches paired with wine? No, this is not a flippant question for when your budget is too bit tight to allow you to pair your favourite Durbanville Hills wine with an elegant meal, there’s nothing wrong with trying something more ordinary. Join Durbanville Hills’ white-wine maker, Gunther Kellerman, on 27 June for a fun evening as you experience some unconventional food and wine pairings.
Gunther will show just how well convenience foods such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, good old pepper steak pie, salted chips and popcorn pair with award-winning wines. Durbanville Hills’ wines will comparatively be paired with these everyday staples and gourmet dishes such as sushi, prawn risotto and fillet steak.
A choice of two soups and fresh bread will be served after the tasting followed by coffee or tea and biscotti before you leave with your goody bag in hand.
Durbanville Hills’ wines will be on sale during the evening.
Date: Thursday, 27 June 2013
Time: 18:30 for 19:00
Venue: Durbanville Hills Wines
Cost: R200 per person
As space is at a premium, booking is essential. Please contact Simone Brown on (021) 558 1300 or e-mail sibrown@durbanvillehills.co.za.
Father’s day Lunch At Durbanville Hills Wines
Head to Durbanville Hills Wines, a mere 20 minutes from Cape Town’s city centre, and treat your dad to hearty lunch at The Eatery Restaurant on 16 June.
The newly-renovated restaurant and tasting room offers a contemporary space with panoramic views of Table Mountain, Table Bay, the rolling hills and adjoining vineyards – the perfect setting to spoil your dad.
The special father’s day lunch includes a glass of Durbanville Hills Bastion and a grilled 200g sirloin steak served with a rich red wine lamb-shank sauce and sweet-potato crisps.
Date: Sunday, 16 June
Time: 12.00 – 15.00
Venue: The Eatery Restaurant, Durbanville Hills Wines
Cost: R135 per person
Bookings essential and can be made by contacting The Eatery on 021 558 1337 or by sending an email to info@dheatery.co.za
Silky Red From Durbanville Hills For Father’s Day
If dad enjoys a fine bottle of wine, treat him this Father’s Day to the 2011 Durbanville Hills Bastion, an elegant 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The grapes for this wine were sourced from a number of vineyards, some higher up on the hills and others lower down on the valley floor. According to red winemaker Wilhelm Coetzee, this velvety, fruity blend is sure to impress any dad’s discerning palate.
The vineyards of the Durbanville hills all benefit from the area’s cool climate which is particularly suited to the making of elegant, smooth Cabernet Sauvignon while spice and pepper is the trademark of the Shiraz. Blending these two cultivars combines the smoothness of the Cabernet Sauvignon and tones down the spiciness of the Shiraz to create the perfect balance of fruit and pepper aromas. The wine was matured for 12 months, using predominately French oak of which a small percentage was new wood to prevent wood domination and ensure that the elegance of the fruit is preserved.
This full-bodied wine with its hints of red plums and cherries, pepper and spice is perfect to enjoy with a braai. Available from leading liquor stores and supermarkets, the 2011 Durbanville Hills Bastion retails for around R67 per bottle.
Red Wine Blending At Durbanville Hills
Learn the essence of creating a masterpiece along with Durbanville Hills’ red winemaker Wilhelm Coetzee as he shares the technique of blending red wines at the cellar on Thursday, 30 May. This hugely popular evening allows you to create your very own Bordeaux and Cape-style blends and discover what it takes to create these extraordinary wines.
Wilhelm will assist teams of four in creating their own unique wine which will then be bottled, sealed under cork and labelled.
After the blending experience smoked paprika chilli con carne, rice and salsa is served followed by coffee or tea and biscotti before claiming your goodie bag and a signature red wine.
Durbanville Hills’ wines will be on sale throughout the evening.
Date: Thursday, 30 May, 2013
Time: 18:30 for 19:00
Venue: Durbanville Hills Wines tasting room
Cost: R230 per person (includes welcome drink, wine blending, dinner, coffee or tea, goodie bag and your own labelled bottle of wine)
Space is very limited and booking is essential. Please contact Simone Brown on (021) 558 1300 or e-mail sibrown@durbanvillehills.co.za
De Grendel Puts Pinot Gris And Pinot Noir On The Winning Map
To achieve success with Pinot Gris just doesn’t come easy. This makes the award-winning performance of De Grendel at the 2013 Pinot Gris Du Monde, an international competition held in Strasbourg, that much sweeter.
De Grendel’s win at Pinot Gris De Monde 2013 makes it the only wine producer from the Southern Hemisphere to win this coveted award, which forms part of Les Grands Concours du monde.
The cellar also tasted success with Pinot Noir, another medal-shy varietal in South African wine awards, with the inclusion of De Grendel Pinot Noir 2010 in the Top 100 SA Wines 2013, a prestigious local competition.
Pinot Gris Du Monde – De Grendel Pinot Gris 2012:
“Winning this highly prestigious international award holds special significance for us,” says De Villiers Graaff, director: De Grendel. “The status of this wine competition is soaring due to the credibility of its tasters from all over the world, including oenologists, wine growers, sommeliers, cellar directors and specialised journalists.”
Knowing that these international judges rated De Grendel Pinot Gris 2012 as world class means we can compete internationally on quality with great confidence,” says Graaff.
“This prestigious win comes at the right time for us,” he adds. “Pinot Gris is the big talking point in international wine circles, especially Europe, the USA and New Zealand, drawing consumer interest away from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Our own cellar door experience confirms this international trend. The 94 cases from our first vintage were upped to 1 000 cases in 2012 to meet demand.”
“Adding to the status of our win is that Pinot Gris is such a popular wine in France, while locally De Grendel is one of only a handful producers,” says Charles Hopkins, cellar master. “Our decision to go for the Alsace style paid off, resulting in a riper, more full-bodied wine rather than the lighter, more acidic Italian Pinot Grigio style.”
While the tightly packed bunches of blue gray Pinot Gris grapes may look unremarkable at first glance, the De Grendel cellar transforms it into gentle lime green tinged wine with a bright fruit palate, aromas of fresh apple, ripe pear, poached quince and a beguiling buttery richness: the makings of an international winner.
The Pinot Gris vineyards grow on slopes 200 meters above sea level in Deep Hutton soil. “We field-grafted a portion of our Cabernet Sauvignon plantings to Pinot Gris, which we believe performs very well under our cool conditions. We also pluck the leaves at strategic times for higher sugar levels – another factor contributing to the bigger structure of our Pinot Gris. Blending in 20% barrel-fermented Pinot Gris further add complexity to the wine.”
Named for its ‘pinecone grey’ colour, Pinot Gris is quite the food lover. Known to work well with robustly flavoured pork and chicken dishes, it has lead to inventive food and wine partnerships. Says Jonathan Davies of De Grendel Restaurant: “It works particularly well with a dish of pork, scallop and black pudding, with Pernod, sweet potato, orange and cabbage adding further layers of interest. The wine also goes splendidly with prawn and ricotta ravioli, which we finish with Pinot Gris butter to echo the buttery richness of the recent vintage. The fresh apple and pear flavours also inspired an apple crème brûlée, proving the wine can hold its own through all courses of a wintery meal.”
Top 100 SA Wines: De Grendel Pinot Noir 2010
“The Top 100 performance is also significant as awards for local Pinot Noirs are few and far between. It takes a long time to establish an award-winning pedigree for Pinot Noir under any brand, making the Top 100 award a big step towards our goal to be a reckoned producer of this varietal,” says Graaff.
Quite a feat, taking into account that in 2011, the launch year of the awards system, not a single Pinot Noir was included in the Top 100. Only one made it in 2012, while this year six Pinot Noirs are included against stiff competition from other top South African reds.
Hopkins explains that De Grendel’s Pinot Noir vineyards, reaching up to 350 m above sea level, benefit from the cooling Atlantic Ocean a mere 7 kilometers away. “The deep, well drained shale and slow ripening of the fruit all work together to produce Pinot Noir with distinct character: the international judges picked up on the red cherries, blackberries and roasted nuts; and velvet finish on the palate.”
The winter fare ahead is sure to deliver on the food-pairing promises of this remarkable wine. Says Chef Ian Bergh: “This winter we will be toasting the Top 100 success of De Grendel Pinot Noir with wild mushroom, venison dishes, slow-cooked lamb and braised beef.”
For more information visit www.degrendel.co.za
Durbanville Hills Celebrates 15th Harvest
From its first vintage 15 years ago, Durbanville Hills Wines, which is located on the Tygerberg Hills and overlooks Table Mountain and Table Bay, has produced some of the best received super premium wines in the country.
Cellar master Martin Moore, who was appointed in 1998 when the cellar was still in the early stages of construction, reminisces fondly of the first vintage and the memorable wines produced in 1999.
“When the first grapes were delivered to the presses, work had not even started on that part of the building which today houses the maturation cellar, restaurant and wine-tasting area.
“But regardless of the challenges both the Luipaardsberg Merlot and the Biesjes Craal Sauvignon blanc from our first vintage received double gold at Veritas while the Durbanville Hills Chardonnay was awarded gold. During that first vintage just over 3 000 tons of grapes were pressed. Within a few short years production moved up to reach the cellar’s full capacity of 8 000 tons,” says Moore.
“Over the years we have extended our product range to showcase the diverse terroir of the area. During the 15 years we have created a number of what I believe are quite remarkable wines; wines which in my view truly capture the unique flavour spectrum found on our valley slopes.”
Durbanville Hills has over the years become particularly known for its top-quality Sauvignon blanc, due also to the cool-climate location of its production units which all enjoy ideal conditions for growing this cultivar.
“During the summer months and then mostly in the late afternoon, the southeaster , blows off False Bay over the Cape Flats, bringing with it cool, moist air. The wind is surprisingly cold as it comes sweeping over the contours of the hills, cooling down the vineyards even on the hottest day. And when the southeaster is not blowing, a westerly wind coming off the cold Atlantic produces the same results,” says Moore.
Sauvignon blanc is represented across the cellar’s three wine ranges. All of them regularly receive awards at national and international competitions. Although the wines can be enjoyed immediately, the winery’s Sauvignon blancs are known for their longevity, with the Biesjes Craal in particular lasting for up to ten years.
The wines are available from the cellar and leading liquor outlets and retail for about R52 in the case of the 2012 Durbanville Hills Sauvignon Blanc and R85 for the 2012 Rhinofields Sauvignon Blanc while you should expect to pay about R115 for the 2012 Biesjes Craal Sauvignon Blanc.
New Tasting And Dining Experience At Durbanville Hills Wines
Durbanville Hills Wines, situated a mere 20 minutes from Cape Town’s city centre, has transformed its tasting room and dining areas to offer contemporary spaces where one can escape the hustle and bustle of city-life and added a new conference facility for meetings with a difference.
The relaxed indoor and outdoor areas of the cellar offer panoramic views of Table Mountain, Table Bay, the rolling hills and adjoining vineyards. The area under the olive trees is perfect for a stylish picnic, offered with custom-made throws, pillows, and wicker baskets for a lazy afternoon sharing a delicious selection of locally inspired foods. The comfortable lounge furniture is the perfect setting for sipping on a glass of crisp Sauvignon blanc and sharing a selection of artisan cheeses, breads and meats from the Tasting Room Menu whilst the kids are entertained in the new play-area.
The tasting room’s décor is chic, inviting wine lovers to linger in the new lounge area with its comfy, contemporary seating and taste the range of wines on their own or paired with either chocolate or biltong. The tasting room opens on to a new outdoor seating area where nature lovers can savour their glass of Sauvignon Blanc overlooking the new renosterveld garden, the threatened indigenous fynbos which the cellar and its member farms protect.
The Eatery restaurant on the first floor is a light and contemporary space with a double volume ceiling, wood finishes, earthy tones and South African art. The menu is unpretentious and creative, offering both breakfast and lunch and for that special occasion the restaurant could be hired for private functions and weddings. A new conference centre with seating for 50 guests is ideal for corporate meetings and team building. Wine tastings can be included and organisers can tailor-make their refreshment and lunch requirements.
For more information about visiting hours, tastings and the restaurant, visit www.durbanvillehills.co.za or send an email to info@durbanvillehills.co.za
