Friday, May 27, 2022

TWO NEW CAPE WINE MASTERS GRADUATE

Two new Cape Wine Masters (CWM) have graduated from the Cape Wine Academy (CWA), bringing the total number to attain this elite self-study qualification in its 42-year history to 111.

They are Helena Melis, marketing manager, Spirits, Wine and Confectionery Buyer
at Big Five Duty Free, Johannesburg

and Mark Philp, a director of the Selfords and Donford Motor Group of companies in the Cape

Adding to the body of wine knowledge are their two highly topical dissertations

Helena Melis’s dissertation is on the unique marketing platform that Big Five Duty Free (BFDF) offers to local wine brands in terms of showcasing their products to foreign markets, the merchandising options to promote consumer purchasing in a diverse international marketplace and the promotional value of wine brand ambassadors in selling wines.

Mark Philp’s dissertation aims to create greater awareness of the main factors contributing to the carbon dioxide generated by the wine industry in the processes of wine-making, packaging, distribution and in wine consumption and offers useful measures for neutralising, sequestering or eliminating such emissions to achieve that desirable net zero carbon footprint.

These dissertations are available in full on the Institute of Cape Wine Masters website www.icwm.co.za

According to ICWM chairperson Jacques Steyn, general manager at Jordan Wine Estate, the diplomas will be handed to the new CWMs at a formal awards luncheon to be held in August this year at Van Loveren Family Vineyards.

In 2003, the Cape Wine and Spirit Education Trust granted the Cape Wine Academy the right to award the Cape Wine Master (CWM) qualification and confer the Cape Wine Master’s title, in collaboration with the Institute of Cape Wine Masters.

More than 220 000 wine enthusiasts have attended the lectures and training programmes of this wine education and industry service (CWA) which was instituted as part of the Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery (SFW) Wine plan in 1979.

Dissertation details and short profiles of Helena Melis and Mark Philp. FOLLOW BELOW.

PROFILES AND DISSERTATIONS:

PROFILE: Helena Melis
As Marketing Manager, Spirits, Wine and Confectionery Buyer at Big Five Duty Free, Johannesburg, Helena Melis helps to market and promote South African wine and spirits brands to international clientele.

Armed with a master’s degree in Economics and after years of marketing and brand building in association with leading international liquor brands, Helena has pursued her twin goals of education and consultancy since she started working in the wine and spirits sector in 2007. She furthered her studies at the Cape Wine Academy in 2014, completed the diploma course in 2016, enrolled in the CWM programme in 2017, and attained the coveted Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits too.

HELENA MELIS’S DISSERTATION IS TITLED: A CASE STUDY OF BIG FIVE DUTY FREE OUTLETS AS AN IMPORTANT MARKETING CHANNEL FOR SOUTH AFRICAN WINE BRANDS TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS

This dissertation provides a better understanding of the unique marketing platform that Big Five Duty Free (BFDF) offers to local wine brands. BFDF brings new insights to help local wine producers direct their attention to the best foreign markets for their products and has become a window for the world to experience and purchase South Africa’s excellent standard of wines.

This research outlines the defining criteria considered by BFDF for including a wine in the company wine portfolio and discusses the requisites for a business partnership between BFDF and wine producers to keep an attractive, diverse and continually changing wine list. It also illustrates merchandising options which make it easy for their customers to identify and locate their desired brands.

This research takes into consideration the nature of the target market while listing new wines, preparing the merchandising planogrammes, and planning the promotions for BFDF: the large spectrum of destinations that people travel to, the mixed nationalities and different buying patterns of almost every ethnic group, the inability to communicate owing to language differences, and the spending power of shoppers from different countries.

This paper also highlights the importance of wine brand ambassadors and their role in promoting and selling wines. The findings indicate that the local wine industry acknowledges BFDF as a model consumer-orientated platform for marketing and promoting their wines.

Implementation of the recommendations made in this research for BFDF and the wine industry will enable BFDF to be an even better marketing channel and retail platform for the fine wines of South Africa, where international travellers can select their desired wines with ease and confidence.

PROFILE: Mark Philp
Mark Philp, who was born, bred, and educated in Stellenbosch, the heart of the winelands, has been associated for the past 40 years with the Selfords and Donford Motor Group of companies where he is a director.
Mark has been interested in wine since his days at university and his desire to understand more of the complexities and magic of wine led to him enrolling for the initial Cape Wine Academy courses and completing the Diploma level course in 2007. He embarked on the Cape Wine Master course in 2018 and qualified in 2022.

Mark started making wine as a garagiste in a barn on a farm on the outskirts of Stellenbosch in 2008 under the watchful eye of mentor, wine making partner and CWM, Andy Roediger – something he still takes pride in doing to this day, as he learns the lessons of each new vintage in his quest to make an enjoyable wine.
MARK PHILP’S DISSERTATION IS TITLED: TOWARDS CARBON NEUTRALITY IN THE WINE INDUSTRY.

The dissertation aims to achieve a greater awareness regarding the main factors contributing towards the carbon dioxide (CO2) generated in the wine industry via its processes of wine-making, packaging, distribution and in wine consumption. It offers useful measures for neutralising, sequestering or eliminating these emissions.

With the planet warming up faster now than at any previous time in history, across the globe, grape growers and winemakers are seeing the effects of climate change as the temperature rises and the changing weather patterns become more severe. Appropriate efforts to maintain environmentally friendly practices in both vineyards and cellars must be made to ensure long-lasting and sustainable viticulture.

While wine is a relatively eco-friendly product, the international wine trade is making a sizeable contribution to humanity’s CO2 emissions, with each bottle currently generating an estimated 1.2 kg of CO2 during its lifetime (Buehner, 2012).

For a winery to mitigate the consequences of global warming, it needs to make viticulture and vinicultural adjustments by, for example, moving towards using the right rootstock, planting drought-resistant grape varieties, planning the planting spacing, restricting irrigation, using carbon friendly materials and machinery, and restricting non-eco-friendly chemicals. This, however, is just the start. The research reveals and offers 80 practical guidelines for wine producers to reduce their carbon footprint.

The real commitment, however, is to become carbon neutral by achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released into the atmosphere (carbon footprint) with an equivalent amount of carbon sequestered and offset, and thus achieving a zero carbon footprint.

Information and photographs supplied by the Institute of Cape Wine Masters
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Raath Promotions wine trade show at the Winchester

Kathy Raath and her son Dane presented the wines they represent to the trade at the Winchester in Sea Point
The winemakers, all producers of premium quality wines, were on hand to show their products
It was wonderful to be able to attend a function like this after such a long time

Kathy and Dane Raath and their team

John Loubser, owner/winemaker at Silverthorn, near Bonnievale

showed his award-winning Silverthorn Cap Classiques, including the unusual, excellent River Dragon, one of our favourites, made from Colombard

Lovely to see Jayne Beaumont in typically good form

showing her own Pinot noir, grown and made from her own vineyard on the family's Bot Rivier farm
which she sold to her son Sebastian in 2015

Very good canapés were circulating, from Harvey's restaurant in the Winchester - seared tuna

Beef sliders

Barbecued chicken legs

enjoyed in a break by Narina Cloete, Blaauwklippen winemaker

Sebastian Beaumont showed some of our favourites,

including his Hope Marguerite Chenin, New Baby white blend, Dangerfield Syrah and Far Side Mourvèdre

Winemaker Reynie Oosthuizen of Tamboerskloof/Kleinood in Stellenbosch
is also the viticulturist of this high altitude wine farm

Tamboerskloof has made its reputation with Rhône varietals Syrah and Viognier
Now, they have added Mourvèdre to their range

Cape Collective is an online shop started by Dane Raath,
with attractively packaged wines and a beer from selected producers



Illimis was a new name to us. Lucinda Heyns showed her Riesling and excellent Chenin blanc

Jonathan Grieve of Avondale with his range of organically grown wines
Avondale Wine Estate has recently joined PiWOSA as its 12th member
PiWOSA – Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa, is a collective of likeminded, independent wine producers
focused on promoting premium South African wines on the international stage.


The show was well-attended but not overcrowded

After too many years, it was great to see sommelier Eric Welile Botha
whom we last saw at The Oyster Box in Ballito in 2011
He is now back in Cape Town at a wine bar on Bree St

Narine Cloete pouring a glass of her Blush Rosé

Blaauwklippen was a pioneer producer of Zinfandel under Walter Finlayson in the 1970s and early 1980s
While they still produce good wines made from that grape,
Narina is concentrating on production of excellent wines made from the Bordeaux classics


Another person we were pleased to see was Brad Gold, who is now marketing the wines of Baleia,
made by Gunter Schultz, who was previously winemaker at Kleinood
We have been very impressed by their cool climate Chardonnays and Pinots from the Cape South Coast
since we first tasted them about 11 years ago


Lizette Kühn, Sales Manager of Bouchard Finlayson invited us to visit the farm on our Hemel en Aarde visit two days later. Our comments on these impressive wines are in our story in this week's MENU

Johann Fourie, cellarmaster at Benguela Cove, invited us to visit him after our visit to Bouchard Finlayson
Sadly, he had to cancel after being in contact with a Covid positive person
Our visit was deferred to our next visit to the Hermanus area

The first Benguela Cove wines were made by winemakers from the Hermanus area
Since Johann, previously cellarmaster at KWV, was appointed, he has been responsible for all the wines,
including wines from the company's properties in the UK, which we wrote about in 2019
and the first red wine from that vineyard will be launched later this year

Overgaauw was the first farm in South Africa to plant Merlot
David van Velden showed some of his oldest wines, including the 1987 Tria Cordia,
one of the first classic red blends to use small barrels for maturation
They were also pioneers in planting Portuguese varietals for their Cape Vintage
These wines were a great statement, showing how well wines from Stellenbosch can age

Eric Botha and John Loubser in a bubbly mood

Elaine Koelewijn in the Courtyard

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

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The cottage at De Werf

When we are invited to taste wine and food and to write articles about them in the Hemel and Aarde Valley,
we are very, very fortunate indeed to have dear friends who have a lovely cottage on a property called De Werf
and allow us to stay overnight
It is such a beautiful place, in a superb location, that we thought we would share it with you,
especially as it is now on AirBnB and you, too, can go and enjoy this tranquil place

The cottage has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large lounge, full kitchen and an outside shower,
an indoor inglenook with a wood burning stove, an outdoor braai and a plunge pool. The birdlife is superb too

There are three lily ponds, part of the Onrus River, which flow into each other and in which you can swim
This is the early morning autumn mist which disappears quickly as it gets warmer
It is one of the secrets of the valley and is very beneficial to the wine farms

De Werf was once a farm and the buildings have all been converted into lovely homes
The farm is owned by a group of individuals, each of whom owns one of the houses

The cottage has spectacular views of the mountains and here you can see the ponds

The outside stoep with its table and chairs and built in braai

Restless River wine estate's Staffie, Frankie, paid us an enthusiastic visit. The plunge pool is in the foreground

The large, spacious main bedroom upstairs

It has its own shower and loo

The main room with its seating area in front of the wood burning stove and its TV
You can also see the dining table and chairs
The second bedroom and bathroom are on the ground floor
Access to the third bedroom is from the verandah - on the left of the first photograph
The house has a well-equipped kitchen and good Wifi

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

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A visit to Bouchard Finlayson

Bouchard Finlayson was founded by Peter Finlayson in 1989
Before that, he had been the first winemaker at neighbouring farm Hamilton Russell,
the first wine producer in the Hemel en Aarde Valley

The thatch roofed cellar building, featured on all the labels

Autumn vineyards with a view to Walker Bay

The fountain in the courtyard

and then into the cellar tasting room

Good lighting, comfortable seating and lots of space

A real find, a 2010 Pinot Noir on special offer for R195 a bottle

and a gallery of the awards the farm and its wines have received

We moved through into the lovely function room for our tasting with Danél Theron, Sales & Marketing Assistant

Lizette Kühn, Sales Manager, who had invited us to come and taste
She came to say hello and to catch up with what we have been doing during Covid

Danél was so hospitable, friendly and accommodating and gave us an excellent tasting of their current range of wines
We love sitting and talking to her about Bouchard Finlayson and the industry while we taste their superb wines

She has comprehensive knowledge about the Bouchard Finlayson wines

and they brought us a really comprehensive platter to enjoy while we tasted, full of charcuterie, pâté, biltong,
droëwors, cheeses, humus, olives, apricots, apples chutneys, and excellent fresh local bread

We began with an old favourite of ours,
a wine we sold very successfully when we had our food and wine shop, Main Ingredient
2020 Blanc de Mer, which is a blend of 64% Riesling, some Elgin Viognier and Chardonnay
As Danél says, it’s a Balcony wine for the Brits who visit and a Kuier (stay and relax) wine for the locals
Riesling arrives first on the nose, followed by honey hints from the viognier
Crisp and zesty Chardonnay shows first on the palate, then the other two arrive with good fruit
It takes you to the Mediterranean, and then the Riesling reminds you that it is there. A good wine with sea food too

The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc has fig leaf and green peppers on its classic nose
It is crisp and green with lovely gooseberry and Granadilla fruit and some fig

The 2020 Sans Barrique (unwooded) Chardonnay has a lovely perfumed nose of golden fruit and lemon zest
It is crisp and full on the fruit filled palate with long flavours of lemon, lime and apple
and has lots of enjoyable length and good crisp acidity
 One word, Buy! You will not regret it

The Crocodile’s Lair 2020 Chardonnay grapes come from the Kaaimansgat near Elandskloof and Villiersdorp

Brioche richness, cooked apple, and pencil lead on the nose, the wine is full on the palate
with more cooked apple, caramel and rich pastry; another reminder of a Tart Tatin
Long, spirity flavours ending with some wood smoke; such an enjoyable wine,
which just gets better and better as you drink it

The Galpin Peak 2020 Pinot Noir spent 10 months in 30% new oak
It has a bit of wildness on the nose, with perfume of cherry and cooked rhubarb
It is soft and juicy on the palate, with careful wooding, long, long flavours of dark cherry berry fruit
and it says loudly, "Give me food"

The Tête de Cuvée (the pick of the vintage barrels) 2020 Pinot Noir came next
Only six barrels were produced, with 75% new oak. Sweeter fruit on the nose, lots of depth and class,
incense wood with bruléed cherries, sweet cherries and ripe mulberries, and that’s just on the nose
On the palate, there is a major hit of sweet cherries and excellent dark wood complexity
So, so good, this is a very special Pinot Noir, one of the best we have tasted in the Cape;
it will age really well, but is drinking so well now. Winemaker Chris Albrecht can be very proud of the wines he is producing,
especially these which are so hand crafted

The Hannibal 2019 is an unusual blend of Italian and French grapes:
47% Sangiovese; 15% Nebbiolo; 14% Pinot Noir; 11% Shiraz; 7% Mourvedre; 6% Barbera,
linking the two countries’ wines as Hannibal did with his elephants
A gamey, exciting blend on the nose, with wildness and hints of olive groves
Red and black berries follow through on the palate,
where more wildness and lovely zingy red berry fruit predominate and dance on the palate;
also calling for food immediately. It has long flavours, good tannins and some soft chalk;
and wood shows it face with dark licorice notes on the end.
The restaurants say it's a good fireside wine, served with game and rich meat dishes

A Cape river frog (Amietia fuscigula) on the edge of the fountain

We had a wonderful experience and thank Danél so much for spending such a long, enjoyable time with us
Do go and experience the wines and hospitality for yourself

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

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