For resident winemaker JD Pretorius, living and working on the estate has its many advantages: the drive to work is extremely short; there are beautiful views of the Constantia Valley from his backyard; he is close to the cellar in case of emergency and there is always peace and quiet, well nearly always.

Once a year, three early February mornings in a row, the harvester trundles loudly through the Sauvignon Blanc vines surrounding JD’s house. It starts at 01h00 in the morning and continues until dawn: “It sounds like a plane is taking off right outside your window! I tried putting my head under the pillow but that was futile.” As it is still dark at this time the harvester has a large headlight which helps the driver negotiate his way through the vines: “When it moves down a certain few rows the lamp lights up the entire house. It’s as if I am being abducted by aliens or something.”

The harvester is a valuable asset to any winemaker as it cuts down on harvesting time greatly, allowing a larger tonnage to enter the cellar in one go. When the time comes to harvest block 12 and 13 however (the vines which grow next to JD’s house) the machine plays a far more sinister role: “You can always look back at it and laugh but when you are trying to recover some lost sleep it’s difficult to see the funny side”, says JD.

When the grapes are ready, they need to be picked, and the best time to do it is first thing in the morning. For JD it is a small price to pay for great quality fruit: “Sauvignon Blanc grapes are extremely sensitive to sunlight and heat. That is why we pick it so early in the morning when it is still dark and cool. It really helps to protect the flavours in the berry.”

We love to welcome visitors here at Steenberg to experience our estate and our wines, just not visitors from outer space!

 

On Saturday 18 February, ably assisted by the Golf Operations staff, Steenberg’s Director of Golf, Ian Kennedy will be playing golf for 12 consecutive hours and seeing how many holes he can play with the intention of raising as much money for Ithemba House that he can.

Ian, who is a former Tour Player, will not only be testing his endurance and skills, but will also be weaving his way through the Saturday morning and afternoon competition fields at Steenberg.

The aim is for the club to handover a cheque of R100,000 or more to iThemba so that they can pay a deposit  to buy their own property.

People who would like to be a part of Holes 4 Hope, can get involved by either:

• Making a donation
• Pledging an amount per hole and seeing how many holes Ian can play
• Having your company donating an amount for each birdie and eagle that I score

All donations are to be paid directly to Ithemba House and you will receive a tax certificate from them. Pledge forms are available directly from the Steenberg Golf Bookings desk on 021-715 0227 or bookings@steenbergggolfclub.co.za.

“iThemba House is a house of safety in Hout Bay. They have opened their doors to abandoned and traumatised children between birth and six years of age. They are a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing a loving home environment for these special children.

iThemba House is endorsed by Child Welfare and they place the children at iThemba House until the children are reunited with their parents and families, or a suitable foster home or adoptive home is found for them.”

For more information, please go to http://www.ithembahouse.co.za/ to find out more.

 

Themed Tastings at Steenberg Vineyards are back! Featuring unusual and interesting topics around the appreciation of wine, these tastings offer a first-hand opportunity to take a delicious journey through some of the wines of the Constantia Valley and beyond.

Events take place at 18:00 on select Wednesdays during the months of February, March, May and June, and will be hosted in the Executive Tasting Room at the Steenberg Winery, with breathtaking views across the vineyards. (Tasting events for the remaining months will be announced later in the year). With some of the top winemakers from the Constantia Valley and other industry experts leading the events, these eagerly anticipated tastings promise to be highly enjoyable. Participation is R100 per person and bookings are essential. Email Lida van Heerden at lida@steenbrg.co.za or call 021 713 2211.

On Wednesday 22 February Steenberg’s Cellar Door Manager Lida van Heerden will present a Sensory Tasting journey that engages all the senses, bringing the magic of wine to life in a completely new way. Among others, the ritual of clinking glasses, engaging the sense of hearing, will be explored; and the sense of touch will be kindled in the vineyard.

What’s In a Glass? will be presented by industry expert Richard Kellond on 14 March, focussing on the different shapes of wine glasses and how it affects the taste of the wine, if at all.  Kellond is a Consultant at Crystal Direct, one of the top suppliers of fine crystal wine glasses and decanters in South Africa.  He will be sharing valuable insight into the journey of the wine to the palate, illustrating the difference in a wine when drunk from glass or crystal, and what the best shape is to show off its full potential.

Then it’s the turn of the trump card of the South African wine industry – the Pinotage, that uniquely South African cultivar that was created on home soil in 1925 by Professor Abraham Izak Perold at Stellenbosch University. Entitled Perold’s Creation, the third Themed Tasting is to be held on 9 May.  Guests may learn about this refreshing, fruity red wine, fondly referred to as South Africa’s ‘national grape’, while tasting their way through varietals from a selection of top Pinotage growing estates in South Africa and the Constantia Valley.

During the fourth Themed Tasting- earmarked for 13 June, Steenberg winemaker JD Pretorius will lead the Spot a Fault event, where he will tackle commonplace wine faults and how to recognize them when opening a bottle of wine. Covering very real issues such as cork tainting (the most common of all faults) and oxidation (where the wine is affected by exposure to air); guests will be able to try their hand at spotting faults and identifying their effects on the wine.