The Season of Sauvignon 2016 is upon us! Think warmer sunny days, fun with friends and naturally, glasses of cool crisp Sauvignon Blanc. The Durbanville Wine Valley, is celebrating the season in style, and invites Sauvignon Blanc lovers to join them. [Read more…]
Beau Joubert Wine Estate
I was recently invited to spend a Stomp and Sip Day at Beau Joubert Wine Estate, in Stellenbosch, Cape Town. We were advised to bring our swimming gear along – as we would be “swimming” in grapes! I must admit I was a tad nervous of what we actually be doing but we were promised a fun day in the vineyards!
First a bit of history:
Beau Joubert wine farm, in the renowned Stellenbosch Wine Region, dates back to 1695. Governor Simon van der Stel originally granted the land then known as Veelverjaagt, to Coenraed Visser. A century later, in 1795, the farm was bought by a French Huguenot descendant, Dirk Daniel Joubert, who divided it between his two sons. One of them retained the Veelverjaagt name while the other named his portion La Provence, to honour the birthplace of his forefathers. Five Joubert generations have since placed their unique stamp on this mountainous 80-hectare estate.
An exciting new era dawned at the turn of the millennium when a group of families from Wisconsin, USA fell in love with the grandeur of the Cape.This led to a vibrant American-South African joint venture and a change of name for the farm. The name BEAU JOUBERT combines the French for ‘beautiful’ with the name of the family who originally put the farm on the wine map. Adding to the sense of history is the fact that the dwellings built in the 1700s as well the splendid historic manor house built in the late 18th century still grace the estate.
Stomp and Sip Day:
The day began with grape picking, which we actually missed as we arrived a bit late but we did get to see the grapes being loaded up and transported back to the cellar for sorting.
After grape picking we wandered back down to the cellar to get ready and change into our swimwear, for some grape stomping! As we were advised not to take any cameras or cell phones near the grape tanks, will have to take my word on this one! You could choose from three levels of submergence – being a complete scaredy cat, I opted for the 1st tank, which on reached waist height! There was quite a bit of hysteria and grape throwing which ensued, it was as promised lots of fun and definitely a memorable experience!
Once we had rinsed off and removed grapes from places they should not be, we were treated to a tasting of the first ever bubbly produced by Beau Joubert. The bubbly is still in its infancy stage and is yet to be named. I was rather impressed with the flavour of the bubbly, even in its young state and cannot wait to taste it, once it has been released to the public.
After tasting a few more young wines we were treated to a lovely alfresco lunch.
During lunch we had the opportunity to taste a few of the estates red wines – the highlight for me was definitely the Beau Joubert Shiraz. I liked it so much, I bought a few bottles to take home 🙂
A wonderful day was rounded off with a delicious apple desert and cream, paired with the Beau Joubert Fat Pig Port.
Thank you to Beau Joubert for an awesome experience! What a lovely day, spent with great people, in an stunning setting, eating and drinking delicious wine!
For more information on the farm and their wines please visit the Beau Joubert Website.
The Klink Awards
Calling all foodies, wine lovers, outdoor adventurers and wine farm fans! Show your love for South Africa’s winelands by voting for your favourite nominee in the country’s first ever, consumer-driven, interactive wine tourism award – the KLINK Awards.
Klink Awards
The KLINK Awards have been launched by Wine Tourism South Africa, publishers of the Wine Tourism Handbook, with the objective of inspiring South Africans to explore and enjoy the experiences offered by the country’s winelands.
Hailed as the ‘Idols’ competition of wine tourism, a panel of industry-related professionals have nominated the top five finalists in each of the KLINK Awards’ fourteen categories. Now it’s up to you to go to the Wine Tourism South Africa website , Facebook or Twitter pages, see which top wineland spots are amongst the nominees and vote. What’s more, those who vote will stand the chance of winning special prizes such as wines, weekends away and restaurant vouchers.
From the 27th of August to the 24th of October you will get the chance to choose who will be crowned champion in not-so-typical categories such as:
- The ‘Wild Card’ Award for Most Unusual Attraction on a Wine Route;
- The ‘Family Day Out’ Award for Best Child-Friendly Venue on a Wine Farm;
- The ‘Tread Gently’ Award for Most Green Wine Farm;
- The ‘Delicious Deli’ Award for Best Deli on a Wine Farm;
- The ‘Beyond Expectations’ Award for Great Food and Excellent Value;
- And the ‘Country Comfort’ Award for Boutique Accommodation on a Wine Estate
The full list of categories is available on the website and the winners in each will be announced on the 25th of October.
Please leave a comment below this post with your details and who you are voting for and you could stand a chance of winning 1 of 5 copies of the Wine Tourism Handbook!
To help you vote here are a few of my favourites{Click on the link or button to vote}:
- Vote for Gorgeous Bubbly and Canapes
- Vote for Spier
- Vote for Haute Cabrière
- Vote for Fairview
The awards are about celebrating not just the wine made in these regions but also the way in which it is made, the people who make it, the restaurants that pair it and the landscape that gives it birth – all based on the experiences of the consumers themselves. This is a unique concept in that it is a competition for the people by the people,” concludes KLINK Awards and Wine Tourism South Africa Founder, Monika Elias.