Breedekloof Wine and Tourism
In this newsletter:
Not just 5-star Platter rating, but also White Wine of the Year 2012
Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc
Flying high
2011 Brides Choice Awards
Veritas
Best Value
International wine awards
Fairtrade
Badsberg promotion
UPCOMING BREEDEKLOOF EVENTS
• Blend & Bottle at Slanghoek Cellar: Sat 12 Nov
• Dana Snyman and Klopjag at Opstal Live: Wed 23 Nov
It is the time of year when the country’s most prestigious wine awards provide winemakers with early Christmas presents in the shape of gold medals and 5 Star ratings. Our extremely talented bunch of winemakers are going to have pretty full Christmas stockings after excelling at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, the Veritas awards and in the rankings of the influential John Platter South African Wine Guide 2012.
Thousands of visitors got to experience these extraordinary wines when we hosted our Breedekloof Outdoor & Wine festival on the weekend of Friday 7 to Sunday 9 October. This annual celebration of wine, food, adventure and music is always an unforgettable weekend and we have had great feedback from visitors and media who attended the festival.
Not just 5-star Platter rating, but also White Wine of the Year 2012
Badsberg wins more awards… Congratulations to Willie Burger and his team for another stellar performance – their Badsberg Badslese 2009 has been given a 5 Star rating by the John Platter South African Wine Guide 2012 and has just been awarded overall Best White Wine at the Platter Awards 2012.
The Badslese 2009 was awarded the General Smuts Trophy for the South African Champion Wine at the SA Young Wine Show in 2009. It then won a Grand D’Or (double gold) medal at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards in 2010 and garnered a further double gold at the prestigious Veritas Awards in 2010.
So what makes the Badslese so iconic? Cellar master, Willie Burger, believes that the magic lies with the near perfect climatic influences, careful vineyard management and calculated winemaking practices as well as a spirited cellar team.The talented Henri Swiegers, who heads up the winemaking team, has a definite influence on the way in which sweet wines are made at Badsberg. Swiegers gained his experience with noble style wines during a harvest in Hungary, home of the legendary Tokay. The 5 Star rating from Platter, together with the Best White Wine Award just confirms that this is among the best wines in South Africa.
Veritas
Corks are popping in the Breedekloof to celebrate our haul of 66 medals at Veritas 2011 including a gold medal for Du Preez Estate’s Hendrik Lodewyk IV Cap Classique.
We maintained our traditional strength in dessert wine categories, but also won gold in the Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Méthode Cape Classique categories.
Breedekloof gold medal winners:• Du Preez Hendrik Lodewyk N/V
• Mountain Ridge Shiraz Reserve 2009
• Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2011
• Slanghoek Wine Cellar Red Jerepigo 2011
• Slanghoek Wine Cellar Red Muscadel 2011
• Badsberg Special Late Harvest 2010
• Bergsig Cape LBV 2001
Other Breedekloof producers to bring home silver and bronze medals were Du Toitskloof Wine Cellar, Botha Cellar, Uniwines Marketing, Deetlefs Wines, Jason’s Hill Private Cellar, Waboomsrivier Wine Cellar, Seven Oaks and Goudini Wines.
Michelangelo Awards 2011
We are also celebrating Merwida Winery’s outstanding achievement of being awarded a Grand D’Or (double gold medal) for its White Muscadel 2011 at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2011.
Gold medal wines from the Breedekloof were:
• Badsberg Vintage Port 2005
• Deetlefs Sweet Hanepoot 2009
• Du Toitskloof Beaukett 2011
• Du Toitskloof Hanepoot Jerepigo 2010
• Du Toitskloof Chardonnay Viognier 2008
• Jason’s Hill Jason’s Creek Classic Red 2009
• Merwida Barbera 2009
• Merwida Merlot Rose 2011
• Slanghoek Private Selection Pinotage 2008
• Slanghoek Red Muscadel 2010
• uniWines Palesa Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Breedekloof producers who brought home silver and bronze medals were Bergsig Estate, Du Preez Estate and Mountain Ridge.
Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc
The Bergsig [WHAT]? Woolworths Sauvignon Blanc 2011 was in esteemed company when it was announced as a finalist in the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition. Well done on being named one of the country’s Top 10 in this competition run by the South African Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group.
Best Value
Du Toitskloof has done it again! The winery has been named SA’s Best Value Winery of the Year 2012 by the Best Value Wine Guide for a record 5th time – no other cellar has won more than once in the 12-year history of the competition.
The guide rates wines priced at a threshold of R60 and Du Toitskloof got 10 wines into the guide, including white and rosé sparkling wines (both Best Value Awards), Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc (Best Value Award), a white blend, Merlot, Pinotage, a red blend (Best Value Award), Cape Ruby and Hanepoot Jerepigo (Best Value Award).
Other Breedekloof wines to get Best Value status: Badsberg Merlot 2009, Badsberg Cellar Vintage Port 2005, Badsberg Hanepoot Jerepigo 2010, Slanghoek Vinay Crispy White NV, Slanghoek Cape Ruby 2010, Bergsig Shiraz Rosé 2011, Bergsig Cape LBV 2001, Merwida Merlot Rosé 2011, Merwida Cuvée Brut Sauvignon Blanc 2011 and the Jason’s Hill Brut Rosé 2010.
International wine awards
Bergsig Estate not only received 15 medals at Veritas 2012 but also brought home three medals from the International Wine & Spirits Competition in the United Kingdom.
The Bergsig Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 was presented with silver and rated Best in Class, with the Bergsig Sauvignon Blanc 2011 and Bergsig Chardonnay 2010 also getting silver.
Du Toitskloof also flew the flag high on foreign shores when its Dimension Nebbiolo 2009 was awarded gold at MUNDUSvini in Germany, which according to the official website is “the largest, officially recognised wine competition in the world”.
Flying high
Deetlefs Estate has reason to celebrate after being selected to be the exclusive wine supplier on board the Scenic Flight South Africa LH342 on the occasion of the Naming Ceremony of Lufthansa’s A380 “Johannesburg”.
The wines served were the Deetlefs Familie Methodé Cap Classique 2006, Deetlefs Estate Merlot 2008 and Deetlefs Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010. The Deetlefs Estate Merlot 2008 is indeed a high flyer as it is also served in business class on board South African Airways during 2011.
Fairtrade
More news from Deetlefs is that they have been certified as a Fairtrade licensee for two of their wine ranges namely Deetlefs Winery and the Rhythms of Nature – and both of these Fairtrade products have been exported to Holland.
To get Fairtrade certification producers must meet the following criteria:
• Sustainable production – a long-term approach to the protection of the environment
• Comply with the highest labour and legislative standards in the world
• Farm workers must receive a Fairtrade premium for every Fairtrade sale, which they can invest in projects of their choice
Deetlefs has set up a joint venture with their farm workers, resulting in an independent company in which a Workers Trust has 50% shareholding in the Rhythms of Nature label. The trustees, consisting of management and workers, are responsible for controlling and managing funds, which will mainly be invested in education for children and skills development for adults.
“The project not only creates opportunities for our workers but also contributes to the future of our country,” said Kobus Deetlefs.
2011 Brides Choice Awards
Congratulations also to Slanghoek Mountain Resort for being awarded gold in the SABIA 2011 Brides Choice Awards in the category for Hotel Reception: Country. Breedekloof is definitely more than a wine route and the demand for wedding venues keeps increasing as the brides have discovered there is no better wedding venue than the Breedekloof!
Badsberg promotion
You stand a chance to wine great prizes and up to 10% discounts with the Badsberg Summer Promotion, which runs from 1 December 2011 to end January 2012 at Cape Agri in Worcester and at Once a Grape at the Cape Garden Centre.
You are always welcome to stop in at the Breedekloof Wine & Tourism information office in Rawsonville for brochures and maps – we are open 7 days a week and also offer a selection of our wineries’ wines for tasting and sales. For more information please visit www.breedekloof.com, contact us on info@breedekloof.com or phone (023) 349 1791.
Melody Botha
Breedekloof Wine and Tourism
