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We
represent seven wine producers in South Africa, from Stellenbosch,
Franschhoek, Paarl, Robertson, and Elgin. Each producer is unique in character
and offers wines of distinction. |
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Allée
Bleue
www.alleebleue.co.za
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New
on the South African wine scene, and entering the
U.S. market for the first time, are the beautiful
wines from Allée Bleue wine farm in Franschhoek.
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Allée
Bleue has a dynamic female winemaker, Gerda
Willers, who spent time studying, advising and
making wine in Portugal, Spain, France, Germany,
Italy and Hungary before coming to South Africa to
apply her skills at Allée Bleue. The Allée Bleue
wines have quickly gained a reputation since the
first harvest in 2006, winning various
international awards.
The
original farm was established in 1690 and is now
owned by the Dauphin family, who are dedicated to
building Allée Bleue into a premier winery and
destination in South Africa. Allée Bleue Farms
comprises wine, fruit, and herb farming
operations; and the estate also includes a
restaurant (Café Allée Bleue) and a conference
and event center. |
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Juno
www.junowines.com
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Juno
is an exciting brand
that has gained much
attention since it was
introduced in the
U.S.
in 2005.
The
packaging is
eye-catching, and the
quality of these value
wines brings the
consumer back for more. The
brand has strong
consumer appeal and is
supported by
eye-catching Juno
point-of-sale (POS)
materials and
merchandise, including
T-shirts, canvas prints,
aprons, gift
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boxes,
and other items bearing the lovely Juno Cape Maidens images.
These materials are also available on the web site.
Juno’s shippers are 4-color, eye-catching items that make Juno
easy to floor stack and hard for customers to miss. Juno is a
dynamic venture led by two young South African professionals and
a seasoned winemaker, who combine art and the enjoyment of
accessible wines at an affordable price.
The
labels, painted by owner/artist Tertia Du Toit, are beautiful
works of art that reflect the fun-loving nature of this team and
the wine. The wines are carefully selected from different
regions, and the selection is expanding.
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Le
Riche
www.leriche.co.za
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Etienne
Le Riche has been making wine for 30+ years, and is
known as “the King of Cabernet” in
South Africa
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Etienne
focuses on red wines and makes his wine in a classical
French style with a South African twist. |
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He
has just started producing a wooded Chardonnay as well, so that “he
has a white to drink”. Le Riche wines continue to receive high praise
and win awards in
South Africa
and internationally. The cellar is small, unassuming and low-tech: open
concrete vats and large open oak barrels are used for fermentation.
Most
processes including bottling and labeling are completed by hand. The
cellar reflects Etienne’s down-to-earth style and emphasis on quality
over quantity. Etienne’s attention to detail and quality begins in the
ground.
He uses only the best grapes from his own and other carefully
selected vineyards in the area, and produces small quantities of these
exclusive wines each year.
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Oak
Valley
www.oakvalley.co.za
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Although
a relatively new entrant to the wine industry,
Oak
Valley
is already gaining recognition as offering some of the
finest wines in
South Africa. Oak
Valley
’s owner, Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen, has supplied grapes
to some of the best labels in
South Africa
, and in 2003 decided to produce and bottle his own wine
under the
Oak
Valley
label. Winemaker/viticulturalist,
Pieter Visser has already received praise first
for his much acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc and more
recently for his Bordeaux-style blend. |
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Both
Pieter and Anthony will tell you that much of
their success is due to the perfect growing
conditions of the cool-climate
Elgin
area. To that end, the owner is sparing no
effort or expense in selecting and developing
prime vineyard sites on this 4,400-acre,
109-year-old farm. Varietals are carefully
matched to the terroir and substantial care is
taken to keep the vineyards virus
free.
Much of the best quality
grapes come from low yielding blocks planted
high on the mountain slopes that are exposed to
wild weather systems and where the grapes are a
favorite delicacy of hungry baboons.
Oak
Valley
is an expansive, beautiful Elgin-area wine farm,
which also produces fruit (apples and pears),
flowers, acorn-fed pork (for lower cholesterol
meat) and beef cattle (including Wagu beef) for
top-end clients in
South Africa
and abroad.
Oak
Valley
has committed its mountainside to conservation
in a joint venture with adjoining
farms. The
Oak
Valley
name refers to the 4,000+ oak trees that cover
the farm.
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Rietvallei
www.rietvallei.co.za
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Rietvallei
(meaning “Reed
Valley”) is a Robertson-area wine farm owned and run for
five generations (since 1864) by the Burger family.
Today
the farm is run by Johnny Burger (fifth generation) and
his son Kobus Burger (sixth |
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generation)
who oversee the whole process from viticulture
to vinification to produce Rietvallei’s
award-winning wines. With Kobus taking the
lead as winemaker, Rietvallei consistently
over-delivers on quality at various price
ranges.
The winefarm was originally known
for its Red Muscadel but has expanded its
portfolio of wines to include something for
everyone’s taste – from the fun-loving (and
over-delivering) “John B” range; to the
classic mid-priced range, to the upper end,
Special Select range.
Notable in the portfolio
are a beautiful Rosé named “Juanita” after
Johnny’s wife, and their famous Muscadel 1908
made from 100-year-old vines on the property.
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Slaley
www.slaley.co.za
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Slaley
is a mid-sized winefarm surrounded by expansive
vineyards and lovely mountains in Stellenbosch,
the heart of the wine region. It
is owned and run by the Hunting family, leaders in
Europe-South Africa shipping in the 1800s.
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Slaley
produces wines under two
labels: Slaley and Broken
Stone.
Wines bottled under
the Slaley label are more
classical in style and are
made for longevity. The
labels feature beautiful
paintings of 19th century
Hunting cargo ships.
Wines
bottled under the Broken
Stone label are of a more
New World
style: fruit forward
and ready to drink now. The
labels are more contemporary
in style, featuring a
stylized drawing of an
ancient marker stone found
on the property.
Marius Malan, the dynamic
young winemaker at Slaley
has already won awards and
recognition in
South Africa
and internationally.
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Stony
Brook
www.stonybrook.co.za
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Stony
Brook is a small family wine farm in Franschhoek, cared
for with great attention to detail by the owners, Nigel
(the winemaker) and Joy McNaught, in the wine business
for 20 years now.
In
keeping with their relaxed style, the McNaughts offer
tastings on their veranda and |
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in the front
room of
their house
on the
property.
You might
see Nigel
riding
through the
vineyards on
his quad
bike with
their feisty
Jack
Russell,
“Max”
(for whom
they’ve
just named
one of their
wines).
Stony
Brook’s
focus is on
quality
reds, of
Rhone and
Bordeaux
varietals.
The 54-acre
farm
produces
7,000 cases
a year –
not enough
to meet
demand.
Stony
Brook’s
wines are
poured in
the best
Franschhoek
restaurants,
which is one
reason Stony
Brook has
numerous
daily visits
from
American
tourists and
others to
their
tasting
room.
These
visitors
inevitably
love the
wines, and
clamor for
them once
they have
returned
home to the
U.S.
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