Owner / Editor of The Quill Newspaper Gaynor Lawson Tel: 033.267.7920 and 082.558.8928 Email: glawson@global.co.za * FREE Newspaper with broad spread of Midlands news. * Widely regarded as the most professional Midlands newspaper. * Well researched and well written. * Care is always taken to report fairly. * Available throughout the Midlands AND * Selected outlets in Durban &  Johannesburg. Owners of The Wine Cellar Margie and family Tel: 033.267.7044 Email: info@thewinecellar.co.za Web: www.thewinecellar.co.za Address: Old Main Road, Rosetta Margie and her team personally make frequent buying/exploratory trips to the wine-growing regions to keep abreast of new developments/wines and to ensure that they get wines that are often not seen on the shelves elsewhere, at extremely good prices. * The top specialist Wine Cellar in KZN. * Excellent selection. * Helpful advice and recommendations.

Wine of the Month: Neethlingshof September 2008 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. It’s time for the annual Cape Legends Roadshow, to be held at the Wine Cellar on Monday 13 October at 5pm. One of the many estates to be showcased is Neethlingshof, situated in the Stellenboschkloof outside Stellenbosch. Here gentle slopes offer a choice of aspects, 13 soil types and varying terrain, and enable the cooling Atlantic breezes to freshen the vineyards during the ripening season. The variety of cultivars (55% red and 45% white) gives the estate’s winemaker De Wet Viljoen plenty of opportunity to create fine, award-winning wines. Ultra Premium wines: These include the Cabernet Sauvignon (medium-bodied with a peppery character); Cabernet Franc (also appealing to those who prefer white wine); Laurentins (smooth and silky, to be enjoyed now or matured for another ten years); Pinotage (elegant with prominent fruit flavours); Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest (refreshing and vibrant with citrus and honey flavours). Red Premium wines: These include the Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage; Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot (smooth and velvety, with red berry and meaty flavours); Merlot (tannins ripe and soft, smooth coffee and cream richness); Shiraz (firm, dry taste and complex nose, earthy and vegetal). White Premium wines: These include the Chardonnay (medium-bodied, with crisp citrus, fresh apple and pear bouquet and slight nutty aftertaste); Chardonnay – no wood (received no wood contact but left on the lees to gain richness and complexity); Sauvignon Blanc (tropical bouquet with gooseberry and grapefruit undertones; exuberant mouth feel); Gewurztraminer (award-winning, zesty off-dry). Wine of the Month: Rooiberg Red Muscadel 2006 July 2008 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. Rooiberg Winery is situated in the beautiful Breede River Valley, nestled below the Langeberg Mountains, about 140km from Cape Town between Worcester and Robertson. Established in 1964, Rooiberg is a co-operative which now has 34 members contributing from individually owned farms located around the cellar. These vineyards are planted in four different regions, rich in lime and with a distinct microclimate. The grapes are processed in a state-of-the-art wine cellar with an emphasis on the creation of fine wines. Rooiberg was nominated as South African Champion Co-Operative Wine Cellar in 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986. It is also the top achiever of all the Robertson wine producers, with several double gold and silver awards. Its wines are exported across the globe, to the USA, UK, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands, Germany and into the rest of Africa. The Rooiberg Red Muscadel 2006 is a sumptuous sweet fortified wine with a luscious, silky texture and the glowing colour of garnets. It has characteristic muscat flavours that mingle with the taste of sun-dried raisins. Wine of the Month: Landskroon June 2008 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. Landskroon estate was established in 1692 when the French Huguenot settlers arrived in the Cape, and is today owned by the families of brothers Paul and Hugo de Villiers, direct descendants of the original Huguenot settlers. The farm is situated on the south-western slopes of the Paarl Mountain, and benefits from the cooling sea breezes coming from the Atlantic. The vineyard comprises about 275ha of the estate’s total 300ha. The cellarmaster (since 1980) is Paul de Villiers Junior, who was nominated by Diners Club South Africa as Winemaker of the Year in 2000, and who is the fifth generation to carry on the proud Landskroon tradition. Landskroon Port 2003 is a dark-coloured fortified wine with beautiful aromas of spicy black prunes and tobacco. Rich and smooth, with flavours of concentrated berry, this port is ready to enjoy now, or over the next five years. It was awarded Gold at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2007, and secured four stars from John Platter in 2008. Serve on its own or with mature cheeses and fresh nuts as an after dinner treat. The perfect gift for Father’s Day! Wine of the Month: South Hill Wines April 2008 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. South Hill Wines is situated on the cool mountain plateau of Elgin, where the abundance of water in the valley and a high annual rainfall make the area the envy of many farmers. Cold winters, cool summers and deep fertile soils also mean that winemaking is becoming increasingly popular in the region, in addition to the traditional apple crop. The South Hill vineyards have aspects ranging from gentle north-facing slopes which, being warmer, are ideally suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, to steep south-facing slopes perfect for varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, which require a cool ripening season.  Dynamic young winemaker Sean Skibbe practices minimalist winemaking, and has produced, amongst others, a 4½ star Cabernet Sauvignon, described by John Platter as having a “thrilling balance between ripeness, richness and elegance”. His 4-star Sauvignon Blanc received a Michelangelo Silver Award as well as a Veritas Silver. Wine of the Month: Beaumont Wines March 2008 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. Beaumont Farm is situated in the little town of Bot River. The farm dates back to the 1700s when it was an outpost for the Dutch East India Company. It boasts the oldest cellar in the Overberg, with the original fermenters and old equipment. The estate is 30km from Hermanus, so the vineyards enjoy the cooling maritime microclimate. It is a family business: Raoul & Jayne Beaumont are the proprietors (Raoul is retired, but “keeps an eyes on things”), Jayne is ‘the boss’, son Sebastian is winemaker and oversees the farm, daughter Ariane runs admin and marketing, and Neil de Beer is viticulturist.  Beaumont’s first wines were Chenin Blanc and Pinotage, and they were one of the first wineries to produce a wooded Chenin (Hope Marguerite - named after their grandmother). They were the first local winery to bottle a 100% Mourvedre. They produce a lovely unwooded chardonnay (Jackals River Chardonnay), an outstanding Shiraz and a Bordeaux-style blend (Ariane), plus a great value-for-money (Raoul's Old Basket Press Red) and a dessert wine (Goutte d'Or, or “drop of gold”). They also make Port (Cape Vintage) in the traditional way, and invite friends and customers to the annual “Port Stomp”, foot-crushing grapes in an old open fermenter. Wine of the Month: Stellenrust Cabernet Franc Rosé 2007 February 2008 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. The Cabernet Franc Rosé from Stellenrust is the only one of its kind made in South Africa, and 2007 is the maiden vintage of this special wine. The winemaking process is unique, with techniques derived from vineyards in southern France. The grapes are picked fairly green, and naturally fermented for about three weeks, a long and tedious wait. The secret of picking the grapes while still green is that the resulting wine is a low alcohol rosé, with the fermentation process giving it a structure not usually found in rosé wines. It also releases ‘cigar box’ flavours, as well as green flavours that indicate the grapes’ relationship to both Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. There is also a lot of strawberry and blackcurrant on the nose, a deep pink colour, and a greener palate with strong floral flavours. Not a rosé for the faint-hearted, but the perfect wine for a Valentine’s dinner! Wine of the Month: Tukulu January 2008 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. Tukulu, a member of the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, has launched its first organic wines, a 2007 Chardonnay and a 2006 Sangiovese, both made from organically certified dryland vines on Papkuilsfontein in Darling and vinified under organic conditions. To be accredited by the Swiss-based Société Générale de Surveillance, the vines had to be farmed organically for at least three years. The Chardonnay was planted in 1998 and the Sangiovese, a year later. Both have been farmed organically since 2001 and deliver low yields.   Says Tukulu viticulturist Adrian Fry, ‘The vines have reached sufficient maturity to deliver fruit of rich concentration that shows very clearly in both wines. We are very fortunate in having ideal climatic conditions on the farm so that very little intervention is required to maintain the optimal health of the vines.’   Although organic wines are still in their infancy in South Africa, they are expected to grow, says Deidre Samson, marketing manager  of the Cape Legends portfolio, which markets Tukulu.  ‘Currently there are 66 wines certified as organic featured in the 2008 John Platter wine guide from a total of 6 064 wines listed. The growth in demand for organic merchandise locally is a clear indication that South Africans want to participate in this global trend.’ Wine of the Month: Juno Cape Maidens November 2007 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. According to Roman mythology, Juno was the female inner life force. The award-winning Juno wines originate from the tiny dorp of Bonnievale, which nestles between the Breede River and the Langeberg Mountains in the Western Cape. The region offers something special to each Juno varietal: mineral-rich shale soils for the Chardonnay; sunlight on southern slopes for perfect ripening of the reds (Shiraz and Cabernet); and afternoon sea breezes to cool the vineyards so the Sauvignon Blanc grapes can mature into delicately complex wines under master winemaker Néwald Marais. The Juno Cape Maidens wines are so named because of the stunning labels, painted by artist Tertia du Toit, depicting the earthy, sensual, vibrant women that are epitomised by the description, “Junoesque” - having the stately bearing and imposing beauty of the goddess Juno. Enjoy a Shiraz; Cabernet blend; Sauvignon Blanc; Chardonnay and the newly launched Rosé. According to the winemakers, ‘Promising liberation, beauty and joy, Juno Cape Maidens offer more romance than any other range of wines on the market. The result has been a very positive reaction by female consumers in particular, the brand showing signs of developing into a people’s favourite.’ Wine of the Month: Slowine September 2007 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. Slowine is a joint project between wine-producers near the Groenland Mountain, which has just been proclaimed the first Wine and Biodiversity Route in the world, called the Green Mountain Eco-Route. The partners are Paul Cluver, well-known for the elegant, cool-climate Elgin wines; Beaumont in Bot River, with its charismatic cellar and proud tradition of making site-expressive wines; Luddite, the boutique Shiraz-specialist on the scenic Van der Stel Pass road; and Villiersdorp Cellars, a truly traditional co-operative. Slowine is a new range of happily affordable wines that invite you to enjoy some quality time with friends and family. As their slogan says, "time becomes precious when life rushes by". The logo of the new Slowines is the tortoise, symbolising that fast is not always better, as in the tale of the hare and the tortoise. So pour a glass of one of the Slowine range, and relax. Choose from their Chenin Blanc Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Pinot Noir Rosé. Wine of the Month: Raka August 2007 - The Quill. Information supplied by The Wine Cellar. Raka wines are produced by the Dreyer family on their farm, Remhoogte, south east of Hermanus in the newly demarcated Klein River wine of origin ward adjacent to the Walker Bay district. The farm is set in the Kleinrivier Mountains, the southernmost mountain range in Africa, with slopes that provide a range of soils and aspects. Proximity to the sea ensures cooling breezes. The family bought the farm in 1982, and in 1999 they planted 10ha of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. Since then they have panted additional hectares every year, including plantings of Pinotage, Sangiovese, Viognier, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, and larger plantings of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc, making the farm self-sufficient in terms of varieties needed for the various blends. Grapes are handpicked, allowing for pre-sorting. All Raka red wines are matured in small French or American oak barrels. The Raka name originates from wine-maker Piet Dreyer’s black freezer vessel, (Piet has been a fisherman all his life), which was named after the poem by NP van Wyk Louw, and images of the sea feature strongly in Raka’s marketing. One of their top four wines is the Figurehead, a Cape blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet France, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Pinotage, while the Raka Spliced is an affordable blended red (“spliced” refers to a technique used by fishermen and sailors to repair ropes, by undoing rope strands and intertwining them).