When superb wine marketer and CEO Hein Koegelenberg is involved in a project one can expect it to be of a superlative quality, reflecting La Motte’s slogan of ‘A Culture of Excellence’. So it was on Wednesday, when we were invited to attend the launch of ‘sister’ wine brand Leopard’s Leap’s new Culinaria Collection of six wines, a range developed on the basis of terroir, inspired by the regionality of French wines, and its suitability for different food types. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Harry Joubert
Liam Tomlin Food to relocate to Cape Town in November
Liam Tomlin Food, a joint venture company with Liam Tomlin, Hein Koegelenberg, Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg and Berdine Neethling, is to relocate to Cape Town in November, the company announced today.
Co-owner Hein Koegelenberg said in a meeting today that to be closer to their support base in Cape Town, it makes sense to move the cookery school to a Cape Town venue. Chef Liam Tomlin is still running courses at the current venue in Franschhoek until the end of October, and will be one of a program of chefs who will be doing cooking demonstrations at Leopard’s Leap, and will continue as a consultant chef to Leopard’s Leap. The program could include a three Michelin star chef from the Institut Paul Bocuse school of cooking. The new Leopard’s Leap tasting venue was officially opened six months ago.
The move to Cape Town will co-incide with a food offering at Leopard’s Leap, given the demand expressed by winetasters. Hein said that plans have not been finalised, but it is likely that cake and coffee, as well as chicken from their rotisserie will be sold with salads and bread. Some of the space in the shop is likely to sell fresh foods to take home.
In the media release Liam Tomlin is quoted as follows: ‘It makes sense to be nearer to our main support base and although we will miss the beauty of the Franschhoek Valley and its friendly people (not to mention having wonderful wines across the room from us!), we are also looking forward to being in the hustle and bustle of Cape Town’.
To tie in with its Liam Tomlin Food culinary connection, Leopard’s Leap is launching a Culinary wine range, inspired by the French regions of Champagne, Loire, Rhone, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Sauternes, each of the wines being suitable for pairing with specific foods. The range will be available exclusively at the Leopard’s Leap tasting room in Franschhoek, and at the new Liam Tomlin Food venue in Cape Town.
Good news is that Harry Joubert, previously with the Brampton tasting room in Stellenbosch, is the new manager of the Leopard’s Leap tasting room.
POSTSCRIPT 2/10: Despite the media release published a month ago, and the interview I had with Hein Koegelenberg at that time, Liam Tomlin Food will close down at Leopard’s Leap at the end of October, and will not move to Cape Town, Hein Koegelenberg confirmed telephonically today, saying that it was not financially viable to open the cooking school company in Cape Town. Chef Liam Tomlin will be available to Leopard’s Leap on an ad hoc consultancy basis. Leopard’s Leap will start serving food from 1 November.
Liam Tomlin Food: www.liamtomlinfood.com Twitter: @LiamTomlinFood
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
Brampton Wine Studio brings its wines to its market
I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon the new Brampton Wine Studio in the heart of Stellenbosch, a small space with the most attractive interior design, which had been done by Nica Design Studio, and which opened two months ago.
Brampton is a Rustenburg brand which was recently taken over by DGB Wines. Its marketing strategy is to bring its wine range to the market, and to not expect its market to find its wines on a farm. The bottom end of Church Street has become trendy, with a Vida e Caffè, the Dylan Lewis gallery, the Dorp Street gallery, a pearl shop with the most unusual decor, and the very good De Oude Bank Bakkerij, and Brampton’s Wine Studio adds a touch of class to this collection. The Brampton capsules and the wine labels were redesigned when the brand went to DGB, I was told by charming and informative Manager Harry Joubert. 
A blackboard covers one wall, and in a funky handwriting details the cost of the tasting (R25 for 5 wines), that delivery of the wines to anywhere in the Western Cape is free of charge, and that food is served, being different dishes every day. Dishes available on the day that I visited were a salami, guacamole, peppadew, and feta wrap, and a mushroom potato bake, both served with a salad and costing a most affordable R35. A platter of five cheeses with biltong, grapes and figs costs R57. The blackboard section about the food is not very visible, so it was a surprise to hear that food is served, and is worth asking for. The mushroom and potato bake was served with a material serviette and stylish cutlery, and one sits at wooden tables with trendy black plastic chairs with a ‘woven’ look. 
Origin coffee is used to make coffees, the cappuccino machine still being awaited.
Harry told me that the Brampton wines are made from grapes which come from Elgin, Paarl and Stellenbosch, and that each variety of Brampton is made by a different DGB winemaker. All the Brampton winemakers get together, however, to ensure consistency in brand character. The company is very focused on reducing its carbon footprint, and that is why there is little paper in the Tasting Studio, all information being on the blackboard, and what is printed is done so on recycled paper. Local suppliers are used as far as possible. The Brampton wines are very affordable, the 2010 Rosé costing R39,95; the Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Chardonnay 2010 and Viognier 2008 costing R49,95; and the Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, both 2008 vintages, costing R54,95. I had a small glassful of Sauvignon Blanc, and loved its fruity and refreshing taste on a hot Stellenbosch day.
I love what DGB has done with Brampton in Stellenbosch from a marketing perspective, and also its modern classy design. It will be interesting to see if the wine consumer will buy wines from a ‘tasting shop’, rather than from a wine estate. Hats off to DGB for doing something new and different in wine marketing!
Brampton Wine Studio, 11 Church Street, Stellenbosch. The Order Form does not list their street address in Stellenbosch. Tel (021) 883-9097. www.brampton.co.za (The website has no reference to the new Brampton Wine Studio, and does not seem to have been updated since the take-over by DGB). Monday – Friday 10h00 – 19h00, Saturday 10h00 – 14h00.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage