Tag Archives: Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year

Blaauwklippen celebrates 30th anniversary of its popular Blending Competition!

Blaauwklippen Blending Competition Bottle and FrameYesterday Blaauwklippen celebrated the 30th anniversary of its popular Blending Competition, and it was a day filled with celebratory balloons and nostalgic reflections of the heritage of the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition on the 331 year old wine estate in Stellenbosch.  The competition has helped to demystify wine and make it more accessible to wine drinkers.

I have attended the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition (which they refer to as BBC) for a number of years, but had never seen so many guests before, 70 guests seated in the Barouche restaurant, many of whom having links to 1984, the first year of the blending competition.  Blaauwklippen MD and Cellarmaster Rolf Zeitvogel reflected on the world 30 years ago, Apple having launched its Macintosh PC, Archbishop Tutu receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mrs Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister of the UK, and Nelson Mandela seeing his wife Winnie for the first time in 22 years.  Through a number of speakers, we heard about the history of the blending competition, having been the idea of Angela Continue reading →

Diners Club buys Platter’s South African Wines!

What was hinted at at the launch of the Platter’s South African Wines 2013 guide late last year has become reality, in that it was announced on Thursday that Diners Club has acquired the Platter’s Guide.

Diners Club has been expanding its involvement in wine, already a sponsor of the Diners Club Winelist Awards, Diners Club Winemaker of the Year as well as Young Winemaker of the Year, and the Diners Club Bartho Eksteen Wine Academy.

While the 2013 edition of Platter’s already carries the Diners Club logo, it is likely that the 2014 edition will be named the ‘Diners Club Platter’s South African Wines‘, although the Diners Club media statement about its acquisition does not mention any changes to the name, the editorial team, or the wine evaluation methodology.  The statement does however confirm that the 35 year old publication, of which 40000 copies are printed annually, will ‘be looking at ways to expand the digital offerings and viewership option.  In addition Diners Club will be reviewing options on ways to bring the guide to its cardholders through exciting new channels such as Diners Club Connoisseurs, a virtual meeting place where like-minded members can converse, learn, share and cultivate their passion for the finer things in life’, said Ebrahim Matthews, Managing Director of Diners Club South Africa.  Matthews added that both his company’s and the Platter’s brand would benefit from ‘wider exposure to each other’s markets and clients through co-branding and cross-marketing‘.

For the advertisers in Platter’s the acquisition by Diners Club is good news, in that it can only mean an even wider distribution of the publication, something every listed wine estate will be grateful for too.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Bartho Eksteen puts Hermanus(pietersfontein) on the Diner’s Club wine map!

One of the most refreshing wine marketers in South Africa, and focusing predominantly on traditional marketing media, is Hermanuspietersfontein, a mouthful of a wine brand, and also the original name of the seaside town of Hermanus.   Now its winemaker Bartho Eksteen has been named the 2010 Diners’ Club Winemaker of the Year, joining such illustrious previous winemakers winning this honour as Pieter Ferreira of Graham Beck, Carl Schultz of Hartenberg, Günter Brözel of Nederburg, Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof, Sydney Back at Backsberg and Danie de Wet of Dewetshof.

Eksteen and his team are proudly-Afrikaans, choosing one of the longest wine brand names in the country(although abbreviated to HPF on some labels), in their choice of sub-brand names (Bloos for their Rosé, Swartskaap, Kleinboet and more), and in their advertising.  Leading their marketing is Gerrie Heyneke, an advertising veteran of The White House, Y&R Cape Town and DDB South Africa.  He is the CEO of grapefuel.co.za.   The winery is visible as a modern structure when one enters Hermanus, on the left,  and has made itself popular as the home to the Saturday morning food and wine market.  

Eksteen himself is a character, much like his wines, and his Die Bartho 2008 blend was awarded a 5-star 2011 Platter rating  for the first time last week. However, it is the 2009 Hermanuspietersfontein No.5 Sauvignon Blanc that won the Diner’s Club award, the wine produced for the first time exclusively from grapes of its own vineyards.   His prize is a SAA ticket to any wine-producing country in the world plus expenses. Eksteen was previously a winemaker at Wildekrans in Bot River, winning SA Champion Young Wine in 1996.  He launched the Bartho Eksteen label for his Sauvignon Blanc, and five years ago he became a partner in Hermanuspietersfontein Vineyards.

The Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year was judged on Sauvignon Blanc submissions this year.   Chairman of the judging panel, Dave Hughes, said of the six finalist wines submitted: “There was not a single wine amongst them that was not deserving of praise.  Where they differed was in style” .  Every one of them was expressive of their location and, taken together, represented virtually the entire taste spectrum that can be produced locally. We tasted the typical cool-area grassy nose and sweet gooseberry fruit; lemons and limes on the nose with a ripe tropical fruit palate and citrus zing; dusty hedges and zippy acidity; exotically oaked with opulent sweet fruit; a tropical fruit salad; and West Coast green peppers, grass and green figs”.

At the awards evening last night, the 2010 Diners’ Club Young Winemaker of the Year was awarded to RJ Botha of Nitida in Durbanville, and went to the winery’s 2009 Calligraphy, a Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

To celebrate thirty years of the Diner’s Club Winemaker Awards, a commemorative pack of 12 wines made by past winners of the Award, including Rust en Vrede, Graham Beck, Allesverloren, Thelema and Bouchard Finlayson, has been made available via the Diner’s Club Wine Society.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com   Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Food & Wine Bloggers Club pairs Pieter Bubbles Ferreira and Foodie Pete Goffe-Wood

The second Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club meeting takes place at the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School on Thursday 1 July at 18h00 – 20h00, and features two highly regarded food and wine personalities.

Pete Goffe-Wood is a respected food alchemist, who is a judge for Eat Out’s Top 10 restaurant list, runs Kitchen Cowboys cooking workshops, is a restaurant consultant, and opened Wild Woods restaurant in Hout Bay early this year.   Pieter Ferreira is a renowned winemaker at Graham Beck Wines, specialising in Cap Classique, and is so good at it that he is called “Pieter Bubbles”.  He has been a Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year.  Both will talk about their blogs, and will share their blogging experiences and tips.   Pieter Ferriera will also take bloggers through a Graham Beck wine-tasting.

The Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club was started to meet bloggers’ needs to learn something new about Social Media Marketing, and given that there is no Bloggers’ Manual to teach one about blogging, the Bloggers Club focuses on food and wine blogging, and “pairs” a food blogger with a wine blogger. Every month a different food and wine blogger pair addresses the Bloggers’ Club meeting.

Liam Tomlin, owner of the new Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School in the Cape Town city centre, has come on board as a partner in the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club, and his Cookery School will host the meetings. He will also make snacks to match the wine that the Wine Blogger will be presenting during his/her talk.

Each of the selected wine and food bloggers speak for 30 minutes about his/her blog, giving a description of the content, spelling out their goals, and providing guidelines to the other bloggers present about how to be a better blogger. Bloggers attending will then be able to ask questions, and to meet the other Bloggers present.

The programme of speakers for future Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club meeting are Mike Ratcliffe of Warwick Wine Estate and Vilafonte Blog, Sam Wilson of Food24 Blogs, Rob Armstrong of Haut Espoir, Dax Villanueva of Relax-with-Dax Blog, Hein Koegelenberg of  La Motte and Hein Koegelenberg Blog, Clare Mack of Spill Blog, Simon Back of Backsberg Blog, and Emile Joubert of Wine Goggle Blog. Future Club meetings will be held on 28 July, 18 August, 22 September, 20 October, and 24 November.

The Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School is a stockist of the most wonderful local and imported kitchenware, glassware, crockery, utensils, pots, as well as a broad range of unusual ingredients, oils, essences, and teas. Chef Liam Tomlin was the co-owner of Banc, Sydney’s top restaurant, whilst he was there.

To attend a meeting of the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club, or to volunteer to be a speaker, please e-mail Chris von Ulmenstein  at info@whalecottage.com. All aspirant bloggers, avid Blog readers wishing to meet their blogging heroes in person, and regular bloggers are welcome to join the Club! Attendance costs R 150 per meeting, payable in advance by bank transfer or credit card.   Attendance is limited to 20 persons per meeting, so bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

The Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School is at 50 New Church Street.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com