On Sunday evening I was one of the invited guests who were introduced to the new House of Hier wines by its owner Jaco Pienaar, in the home of Tania Olivier, whose White0000 company crafted the unusual name of the wine brand, and designed its unusual labels.
Jaco explained that Hier in the name denotes the location and terroir of his wines, being on the Breede River, between Bonnievale and Robertson, in one of the most southerly vineyards of the Robertson Valley, facing the sea breeze.
Hier is a collaboration between Jaco and Arendsig owner and winemaker Lourens van der Westhuizen.
Yesterday afternoon WineMag presented its first Merlot Report in a number of years, an evaluation of 67 entries. It was motivated by the Merlot Forum, and the results of the Report reflected that wines in the category are ‘good‘, but can improve greatly, according to WineMag Editor Christian Eedes. The ceremony was held at Asara wine estate outside Stellenbosch. 