Wines of Africa Archives

Andre Morgenthal, Old Vine Project – South Africa

Andre Morgenthal, Project Manager of the Old Vine Project (South Africa) give a brief overview of the Old Vine Project, and we taste six wines from The Certified Heritage Vineyards. What a great experience!

This unique initiative aims to preserve old vines in South Africa and was launched by consultant vineyard manager, Rosa Kruger in 2016.

South Africa has 92 067 hectares under vineyard, of which 3303 hectares are vineyards of 35 years and older, according to SA Wine Industry and Systems (SAWIS) 2019 statistics.

In the past few years, these wines have received many accolades and awards both nationally and internationally. For instance, 22 OVP wines achieved a 5-star rating in the 2021 Platter’s South African Wine Guide.

The OVP currently has over 80 members. The old vine blocks vary from 0,01 to 24 hectares each with Chenin being the biggest component. The oldest vineyards in South Africa are also OVP members: Eben Sadie’s ‘T Voetpad; two Cinsaut blocks which the Mullineuxs farm; Semillon in Franschhoek (Boekenhoutskloof, Thorne and Daughters, Alheit, Naude) and Muscat on Welgevonden (Daschbosch). Stellenbosch has the biggest hectares of old vines.

Inaugural “Old Vine Day” August 1 2022

The Old Vine Project (OVP) team announced today that they, their members, and wine lovers all over the South Africa and the world, will be celebrating the inaugural Old Vine Day this year on August 1, 2022 (and every year thereafter), this being the founding date of the OVP in 2016.

Join in and celebrate Inaugural Old Vine Day August 1, 2022! #OldVineDay #OldVine #CertifiedHeritageVineyards 🍷

#oldvineproject #certifiedheritagevineyards #oldvinesyoungvibes #oldvines #viticulture #vineyards #wine #winetime #winelover #winestagram #vino #wijn #vin #corkdork #drinksouthafrican #southafrica #spectacularsouthafrica #oldvines #oldvineday #oldvineday2022 #winesofsouthafrica #WOSAoldvineday #WOSAoldvineday2022
#winelandmedia @oldvineproject

For further information: https://oldvineproject.co.za/

The Oude Werf Hotel, Stellenbosch, South Africa

This week I’m staying at The Oude Werf Hotel, which is in the heart of the Winelands, in Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch is surrounded by the picturesque vineyards of the Cape Winelands and the mountains of Jonkershoek and Simonsberg. Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in South Africa, dating back to 1679. The town has oak-lined streets and Cape Dutch architecture, giving me a true sense of South Africa’s Dutch colonial history.

I learned that the Oude Werf Hotel is also steeped in history. It’s the oldest hotel in South Africa and stands on the landmark site of the country’s first church. The original hotel was built in 1687 and was later destroyed by fire in 1710. The “churchyard” then gave rise to the Cape Dutch-style Wium’s Inn, which was rebuilt and renamed the Oude Werf Hotel.

It’s a beautiful boutique hotel, right in the heart of Stellenbosch and I found it to be a wonderfully eclectic mix of contemporary boutique and old-world charm with friendly and helpful staff.

Perfect Location

This boutique hotel is located downtown Stellenbosch, in the center of the Cape Winelands – the premier wine region of South Africa. There are so many beautiful wine farms to visit and it’s only 45 km from Cape Town, and 20 km from the Atlantic Ocean. I found it perfect for wine tourism and cultural exploration.

Website: https://www.oudewerf.co.za

#southafrica #southafricantravel #winelover #travelling #winetravel #winetourism #womeninwine #wineexperience #winelovers #winetravels #winetasting #Stellenbosch #wineinfluencer #wineadventures #traveldiary #traveling #WOSA #oudewerfhotel #oudewerf #oudewerfhotel #wine @oudewerfhotel #michelangeloawards

Holden Manz Wine Estate, Franschhoek [South Africa]

I’m so happy to be back in South Africa and to re-visit Holden Manz Wine Estate. My last visit was four years ago, and I was very impressed back then.……..and now more impressed!

Holden Manz Wine Estate is located in Franschhoek Valley, surrounded by majestic mountains and two rivers. Here I found a bit of “Heaven on South African Soils” by tasting the wines and viewing the stunning sunset.

About Holden Manz Wine Estate

Holden Manz is a 22-hectare wine farm located in the southern corner of Franschhoek Valley, surrounded by spectacular mountains, between the Franschhoek and Stony Brook Rivers. Holden Manz grows exclusively red grape varieties, notably: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot and make notable ultra-premium wines.

One of the co-owners Gerard Holden purchased the estate back in 2010. Gerard tells me that he currently runs the vineyard with a hands-on approach and works closely with head winemaker Thierry Haberer and winemaker Annamarie Fourie. [Watch this space as I will be interviewing Annamarie for Women in Wine Talks in the next few weeks!].

The Wines

Holden Manz red wines have won many international wine competitions and are big and bold! Without any doubt, they are some of the best South African Cabernet Franc I have ever tasted.

Favorites

2015 Holden Manz Cabernet Franc Reserve
Big and bold, a bit more elegant than the 2014, lovely deep dark red in colour, concentrated red ripe fruit, with black and green pepper, medium tannins, and long finish – stunning!

2016 Holden Manz Cabernet Franc Reserve
Fragrant wine with aromas of red raspberries, tobacco, lavender with hints of spice, a rich and elegant wine with predominant cassis and dark berries, well-balanced, pleasant subtle tannins, long finish of spice and mocha

2017 Holden Manz Cabernet Franc Reserve
A bright ruby red hue, aromatic notes of tobacco, spice, pepper, and black fruit, well-balance and rich with cassis and dark berries, subtle tannins, long finish ending with spice and mocha

2018 Holden Manz Cabernet Franc Reserve [served with med-rare Springbok fillet]
Deep garnet colour, aromatic notes of mulberry, blackberry, and tobacco, with hints of lavender and spice, well-balanced, rich with cassis and dark berries, silky tannins, long finish ending with spice and mocha.

The dinner was outstanding – Textures of carrots, Springbok Loin and for dessert, Malva Pudding.

#holdenmanzwineestate #franschhoek #holdenmanz
@holden.gerard #WineTourismSouthAfrica #SupportSouthAfrica #DrinkSouthAfrican #SouthAfricanWine #franschhoek #valleyofdreams
#winelover #travelling #winetravel #winetourism #womeninwine #wineexperience #winetravels #winetasting #vineyards #wineinfluencer #wineadventures #traveldiary #traveling #WOSA @Holdenmanzwineestate

Welcome Event: Michelangelo International Wine + Spirits Competition, South Africa

On Sunday evening, invited international judges attended a “Welcome Party” to kick off the 26th Michelangelo International Wine + Spirits Competition at the beautiful Lourensford Wine Estate, South Africa.

This year’s Michelangelo judges line-up include: Otto Batzer, Austria; Georgi Mihov, Bulgaria; Liz Palmer, Dame Chevalier de Coteaux de Champagne from Canada; Karel Novotný, Czech Republic; Thomas Rydberg, Denmark; Charlie Arturaola, France; Moshe Cohen, Israel; Michele Shah, Italy; Chris Alblas, importer of organic and biodynamic wines in Europe, from Netherlands; Wojciech Gogolinski, Poland; Achim Dörr, Germany, Nuno Jorge, Portugal; Heidi Duminy, Wilhelm Pienaar, Greg Mutambe and Cape Wine Master Elsie Pells from South Africa; Andrej Ondrejmiska, Slovakia; Dr Marin Berovic (OIV Commissioner and Chairman of European Wine Competitions from Slovenia); Jesús Bernad Dueñas, Spain; Per Karlsson, Sweden; Richard Phister, Switzerland; Serhat Narsap, Laura Clay (IWC Senior judge) and Geoffrey Dean from the UK.

The 2022 Distilled Spirits panel include:

Bernard Schaefer, professional spirits taster and Master of the Quaich from Germany;
René van Hoven, spirits and Rum specialist from the Netherlands;
Johan Venter, former Master distiller and blender, South Africa;
Ivan Dixon, drinks consultant and spirits buyer, United Kingdom
Arthur Nägele, international spirits judge and trainer, Switzerland

“It is such a thrill to have a full team of international drinks experts serving on the judging panels again this year,” says founder and organizer of the competition, Lorraine Immelman. “25 of our judges have been sourced from other international competitions in Europe and the USA, based on their experience and standing in the industry.

#Lourensford #LoveLourensford #wine #winelovers #winetasting #winejudge #winecompetition #winejudging #internationalwinejudges #winelover #travelling #winetravel #womeninwine #wineexperience #winetravels #vineyards #wineinfluencer #wineadventures #traveldiary #traveling #winesofSouthafrica #southafricawines #WOSA

South Africa’s Wine Exports Bounce Back After Two Years

The South African wine industry is making a comeback after facing serious challenges the past two years.

There was a distinct silver lining when wine exports recovered to a healthy“volume of 388 million litres, which amounted to R10.2-billion” according to a statement by Wines of South Africa.

There was a strong demand from UK, US and China, these three countries helped South African wine exports increase by 12.1% in value to R10.2bn in 2021.

Top Export Markets

The UK remains South Africa’s largest export market. Volume sales to UK increased 12% to 92.5 million litres; value sales up 20% to R2.5bn.

Germany was the second largest export market, with volumes at compared to the previous year.

Shipments to the US increased 134% by volume and 39% by value to reach R887m.

The Netherlands was the fourth largest export market (by value), followed by other African countries, with exports increasing 50%. Canada and France were also very strong.

The fastest growth came from China, with exports increasing 189% by volume and 59% by value to R458 million. China is now South Africa’s eighth largest export market.

The South African alcoholic drinks industry suffered a very challenging few years as the government imposed a series of domestic sales bans and export bans during the pandemic.

“It is good for our recovery efforts, as the alcohol industry has suffered almost five alcohol bans which amount to about 26 weeks of non-trading,” said National Liquor Traders Council spokesperson Lucky Ntimane. “So the announcement is a welcome relief, but people need to understand that this is also not a licence for non-compliance. It does not mean that Covid-19 is gone or disappeared.”

The popular trade show Cape Wine is set to take place in October, which could give the industry an added boost. It was initially scheduled for September 2021, but it had to be postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak.

#southafricawine #wosa #southafrica #winewinewine #winelover #winelovers #instawine #instagramwine #winetime #wineculture #cheers #wineinsta #wineinstagram #winenews #wineeconomics #winetravel #wine #redwine #whitewine #rosewine