ADAC Function

Thank you to Gen Mbuli and Gen Campherfor joining us on Thursday; 5 June 2014. We are sure that a "BRAAI" at Yonder Hill was the perfect end to a fruitful conference. Thank you that we can call you "Good Friends" of Intertechnic.

Winter Babies

Congratulations to first time parents and Olyfberg Managers; Pieter and L`nell Kruger, with the birth of their son; PJ Kruger. We at Yonder Hill hope this will be a blessed time in your lives.

We do not stop there, congrats to Bennie and Charmain Avenant (Our previous winemaker) on the birth of their second son. We hope that Daniel Avenant will be as much joy as Big Brother Ben!

This was a good weekend

Taste of the Helderberg

Olyfberg Products

All Olyfberg Olive products is now available at Yonder Hill Cellar. Our trained staff can assist you in any questions. Come and enjoy an olive and wine tasting combined for only R15/pp.

Neil Pendock`s Heart Heroes

WineNews | latest south african wine related news Neil Pendock's Five Heart Heroes 31 October 2012 by Neil Pendock A Halloween present to hard-pressed SA wine producers. 147 five-heart wines, the distillation of three weeks tasting around the Winelands with my Portuguese wineheartAníbal Coutinho. All wines were made from grapes grown in the appellation (as far as we know). Nobody paid us and we tasted all 2000+ of them blind. These were our favourites. 1. Allée Bleue Shiraz 2010 from Franschhoek. 2. Allesverloren Tinta Barocca 2009 from the Swartland. 3. Almenkerk Chardonnay 2011 from Elgin. 4. Altydgedacht The Ollo White Blend 2011 from Durbanville. 5. Alvi’s Drift Chardonnay 2011 from Breedekloof. 6. Annexkloof Red Blend 2007 from the Swartland. 7. Annexkloof SMG Red Blend 2010 from the Swartland. 8. Arendsig Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 from Robertson. 9. Ashbourne Sandstone White Blend 2007 from Hemel & Aarde. 10. Avondrood Shiraz 2009 from Breedekloof. 11. Axe Hill Machado Red Blend 2011 from the Klein Karoo. 12. Bellpost Shiraz 2008 from Namaqualand. 13. Bergsig The Family Friend Red Blend 2011 from Breedekloof. 14. Boland Five Climates Chenin Blanc 2012 from Paarl. 15. Boplaas Cape Tawny Port 1995 from the Klein Karoo. 16. Bosman Optenhorst Chenin Blanc 2009 from Wellington. 17. Bosman Optenhorst Chenin Blanc 2011 from Wellington. 18. Brennaissance King of Clubs Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Stellenbosch. 19. Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from the Cederberg. 20. Chamonix Chardonnay 2011 from Franschhoek. 21. Chamonix Pinot Noir 2010 from Franschhoek. 22. Constantia Uitsig Sémillon 2011 from Constantia. 23. Constantia Uitsig White 2011 from Constantia. 24. D’Aria Red Blend 2010 from Durbanville. 25. Darling Cellars Lime Kilns White Blend 2010 from Darling. 26. De Grendel Merlot 2009 from Durbanville. 27. De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2008 from the Klein Karoo. 28. De Toren Fusion V Red Blend 2010 from Stellenbosch. 29. De Toren Z Red Blend 2010 from Stellenbosch. 30. De Trafford Chenin Blanc 2011 from Stellenbosch. 31. De Trafford Shiraz 2010 from Stellenbosch. 32. De Wetshof Finesse Chardonnay 2010 from Robertson. 33. Deetlefs Hanepoot 2009 from Breedekloof. 34. Diemersfontein Carpe Diem Malbec 2010 from Wellington. 35. Diemersfontein Viognier 2011 from Wellington. 36. Domaine des Dieux Chardonnay 2010 from Hemel & Aarde. 37. Domaine des Dieux Red Blend 2010 from Hemel & Aarde. 38. Druk My Niet Invictus Red Blend 2009 from Paarl. 39. Eagle’s Cliff Arendskloof Pinot Grigio 2012 from Breedekloof. 40. Eagle’s Nest Little Eagle Red Blend 2010 from Constantia. 41. Eagle’s Nest Verreaux Red Blend 2009 from Constantia. 42. Esona Shiraz 2010 from Robertson. 43. Fairview Beacon Shiraz 2009 from Paarl. 44. Fairview Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2010 from Paarl. 45. Fairview Nurok White Blend 2011 from Paarl. 46. Fairview Primo Pinotage 2010 from Paarl. 47. Gabrielskloof Five Arches Red Blend 2008 from Bot River. 48. Gabrielskloof The Blend Red Blend 2010 from Bot River. 49. Gabrielskloof Viognier 2010 from Bot River. 50. Glen Carlou Grand Classique Red Blend 2009 from Paarl. 51. Glen Carlou Gravel Quarry Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Paarl. 52. Glen Carlou Quartz Stone Chardonnay 2010 from Paarl. 53. Goedvertrouw Pinot Noir 2009 from Bot River. 54. Graham Beck Cuvée Clive 2007 from Robertson. 55. Graham Beck MCC Rosé 2009 from Robertson. 56. Graham Beck The Ridge Syrah 2009 from Robertson. 57. Grand vin de Glenelly Chardonnay 2011 from Stellenbosch. 58. Grande Provence Red Blend 2007 from Franschhoek. 59. Groote Post Pinot Noir 2009 from Darling. 60. Guardian Peak Lapa Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Stellenbosch. 61. Guardian Peak SMG Red Blend 2010 from Stellenbosch. 62. Haut Espoir Shiraz 2006 from Franschhoek. 63. Jacques Bruére Cuveé Rosé 2006 from Robertson. 64. Jordan Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2010 from Stellenbosch. 65. Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2011 from Stellenbosch. 66. Jordan The Outlier Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from Stellenbosch. 67. Kanonkop Pinotage 2010 from Stellenbosch. 68. Karusa Terre Noire Shiraz 2011 from the Klein Karoo. 69. Kasteelberg Chenin Blanc 2010 from the Swartland. 70. Klein Constantia Perdeblokke Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from Constantia. 71. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2007 from Constantia. 72. Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Stellenbosch. 73. Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Stellenbosch. 74. La Vierge Pinot Noir 2010 from Hemel & Aarde. 75. La Vigne Shiraz 2007 from Franschhoek. 76. Landau du Val Sémillon 2008 from Franschhoek. 77. Lanzerac le General Red Blend 2008 from Stellenbosch. 78. Lemberg Surin Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Tulbagh. 79. Lothian Vineyards Chardonnay 2011 from Elgin. 80. Lutzville Diamond Collection Chenin (wood) 2011 from Namaqualand. 81. Lutzville Diamond Collection Shiraz 2010 from Namaqualand. 82. Major’s Hill Shiraz 2008 from Robertson. 83. Meerendal Chenin Blanc Natural Sweet 2009 from Durbanville. 84. Mellasat Chardonnay 2010 from Paarl. 85. Mellasat Tuinwyn Chenin Blanc Straw Wine 2010 from Paarl. 86. Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from Breedekloof. 87. Mimosa Shiraz 2011 from Robertson. 88. Mont du Toit Mont du Toit Red Blend 2007 from Wellington. 89. Morgenhof Red Blend 2005 from Stellenbsoch. 90. Morgenster White Blend 2011 from Stellenbosch. 91. Namaqua Wines Spencer Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Namaqualand. 92. Nicolas Charles Krone Marque I from Tulbagh. 93. Oak Valley Chardonnay 2011 from Elgin. 94. Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Elgin. 95. Oldenburg Cabernet Franc 2009 from Stellenbosch. 96. Oldenburg Vineyards Chardonnay 2011 from Stellenbosch. 97. Oldenburg Vineyards Chenin Blanc 2011 from Stellenbosch. 98. Ormonde Ondine Cabernet Franc 2008 from Darling. 99. Palesa Chenin Blanc 2012 from Breedekloof. 100. Paul Cluver Riesling NLH 2011 from Elgin. 101. Prospect Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Robertson. 102. Pulpit Rock Shiraz 2009 from the Swartland. 103. Rhebokskloof Red Blend 2010 from Paarl. 104. Rickety Bridge Chardonnay 2011 from Franschhoek. 105. Rickety Bridge Sémillon 2008 from Franschhoek. 106. Riebeek Cellars Rosé 2012 from the Swartland. 107. Rietvallei Classic Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 from Robertson. 108. Rietvallei Classic Estate Pinot Noir 2010 from Robertson. 109. Rietvallei Special Select Esteanna Red Blend 2009 from Robertson. 110. Rijk’s Touch of Oak Chenin Blanc 2010 from Tulbagh. 111. Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification Red Blend 2007 from Stellenbosch. 112. Rust en Vrede Estate Red Blend 2009 from Stellenbosch. 113. Rust en Vrede Shiraz 2010 from Stellenbosch. 114. Rust en Vrede Single Vineyard Shiraz 2009 from Stellenbosch. 115. Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2010 from Stellenbosch. 116. Rustenberg Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Stellenbosch. 117. Saxenburg Private Collection Merlot 2009 from Stellenbosch. 118. Shannon Vineyards Mount Bullet Merlot 2010 from Elgin. 119. Shannon Vineyards Rockview Ridge Pinot Noir 2011 from Elgin. 120. Sir Lambert Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from Namaqualand. 121. Spioenkop “1900” Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Elgin. 122. Springfield Methode Ancienne Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 from Robertson. 123. Springfield Methode Ancienne Chardonnay 2009 from Robertson. 124. Stark-Condé Oude Nektar Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Stellenbosch. 125. Stark-Condé Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Stellenbosch. 126. Sumaridge Maritimus White Blend 2010 from Hemel & Aarde. 127. Swartland Winery Bush Vines Shiraz 2010 from the Swartland. 128. The Berrio Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Elim. 129. Thelema Rabelais Red Blend 2008 from Stellenbosch. 130. Thelema Reserve Merlot 2009 from Stellenbosch. 131. Thelema Sutherland Red Blend 2009 from Elgin. 132. Thelema The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Stellenbosch. 133. Veenwouden Classic Red Blend 2009 from Paarl. 134. Veenwouden Merlot 2011 from Paarl. 135. Villiera Monro Brut 2007 from Stellenbosch. 136. Vrede en Lust Artisan Chenin Blanc 2011 from Elgin. 137. Vrede en Lust Barrique White Blend 2011 from Elgin. 138. Waboomsrivier Arborea Red Blend 2010 from Breedekloof. 139. Warwick Trilogy Red Blend 2009 from Stellenbosch. 140. Waterkloof Circle of Life White Blend 2011 from Stellenbosch. 141. Waterkloof Circumstance Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Stellenbosch. 142. Waterkloof Circumstance Chenin Blanc 2011 from Stellenbosch. 143. Webersburg Sauvignon Blanc 2011 from Stellenbosch. 144. Wildekrans Reserve Pinotage 2010 from Bot River. 145. Wildekrans Shiraz 2009 from Bot River. 146. Windfall Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from Robertson. 147. Yonder Hill Merlot 2009 from Stellenbosch. "Full tasting notes as well as our terroir top ten of everything and more will be available in Neil Pendock's Winelands Guide 2013 next month."

Helderberg Race amazes again with hospitality

29 October 2012 by Helderberg Wine Route More than a hundred adventure seeking visitors to the beautiful Helderberg Wine Region was once again stunned by the scenery, the great wines and the fantastic hospitality and friendliness of the participating wineries in this year’s Helderberg Wine Route Amazing Race which took place on 20 wine farms on Saturday, 20 and Sunday, 21 October. Highlights included barrel rolling at Annandale Wines’ rustic cellar building and farmyard, making up of bunches of Proteas to a professional standard at Uva Mira, an “obstacle course” race around the dam at Dornier Wines and counting barrels in the vaulted maturation cellar at Ken Forrester Vineyards. Yonder Hill Winery, in the capable hands of wine route chairman Bennie Avenant was a huge hit with their “minute to win it” challenges which had to be completed against the clock. This proved too much for many of the participants, especially at the end of a long day of tastings and exhausting tasks. At the end of the day, participants gathered at the NH Lord Charles Hotel to recuperate and cheer on the winners of each division to determine the overall winners. Congratulations to “Chefs don’t Wine” whose aiming and spitting skills could not be beaten on Saturday, and “Team MiX Touareg” who was crowned as overall champions on Sunday. Organiser, Bjorn van Oort, and many of the wineries rated this the best Amazing Race ever with a terrific group of participants and wineries going out of their way to showcase the best of the Helderberg Wine Route! Participating wineries were: Alto, Annandale, Avontuur, Croydon, Dornier, Eikendal, Heron Ridge, Hidden Valley, JP Bredell, Ken Forrester, Longridge, Lyngrove, Somerbosch, Stellenzicht, Uva Mira, Vergenoegd, Waterkloof, Welmoed, Wedderwill Wines and Yonder Hill. for further info go to www.wine.co.za

Yonder Hill taking part in the Helderberg Wine Route Gormet Evening

Taste of the Helderberg

“TASTE OF THE HELDERBERG” ADDS GOURMET EATS TO THE MIX Wine lovers from the Helderberg region can treat themselves to some of South Africa’s top wines and specially prepared dishes from gourmet winery restaurants during the “Taste of the Helderberg” wine show at the NH Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West on Thursday, 7 June from 17h00 to 21h00. Bennie Avenant, chairman of the Helderberg Wine Route, said that this show is growing annually and is getting more popular with regulars who have attended over the last few years. “We wish to keep the show intimate to enable visitors to chat to winemakers without feeling that they are part of a massive crowd. We therefore limit the number of tickets to 500.” Avenant continued by saying that the route hopes to showcase at least 25 wineries and ten restaurants. “Chefs have been asked to prepare small portions of their signature dishes to sell to patrons during the show, but the wine tasting is included in the ticket price. Examples of dishes on offer will be Avontuur’s salmon roses and Pinotage infused sirloin canape’s from Overture restaurant at Hidden Valley.” Tickets cost a mere R50 for which festival goers receive an elegant wine glass branded with the Helderberg Wine Route logo, and have the opportunity to taste more than 100 of the region’s best wines. Wines will also be for sale at the show. During and after the wine-tasting, guests can relax in comfortable couches in chill areas or make use of the hotel’s restaurant for dinner. However, if last years success is repeated, prior bookings at the restaurant will need to be made well in advance! The telephone number to make a booking is (021) 855 1040. For more info or to pre-book wine show tickets, please contact organiser Björn van Oort at bjorn@cvomarketing.co.za or at (021) 981 0216. Visitors can also buy tickets on the evening at the door, depending on availability.

Layla Roux

Congratulations to Chean and Lisa Roux on their baby girl, Layla. She was born 2/01/2012. We cannot wait to meet her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New baby born - Ben Avenant

Congrats to winemaker, Bennie Avenant and wife, Charmaine on their beautiful baby boy, BEN AVENANT. With both mom and sun healthy, we are amazed at how beautiful he is.

All of us at Yonder Hill want to welcome Ben to the family and congratulations to both parents. Good luck for the future, we know you will make wonderful parents.

Appointment of new Western Cape Representative

October 2011 – Yonder Hill is delighted to announce the appointment of new representative, Stephen Botha to the company to serve and further develop our customer base in the Western Cape.
Working the last 12 years in the wine industry has given Stephen a broad knowledge of wine and distribution. Stephen, we welcome you to the Yonder Hill team. We are glad to find someone who is just as passionate about Yonder Hill, than everyone on the farm.

WELCOME HOME.

The Naude Family and
Yonder Hill Team

Raffle Winner - Sameul Adams

Yonder Hill would like to thank everybody who took part in the ”67- minute” raffle. The money will be used for food to the “ACVV – Bright- Light- Shelter” in Somerset West. The lucky winner of the 67 bottels of wines is Samuel Adams.

We will repeat the Mandela Day yearly. Please make sure that you keep in contact with us on Twitter and FaceBook.

ACVV Shelter is in desperate need of food, children’s clothes, sanitary products, educational toys and, more importantly, people who can assist in making a difference to the shelter.

The duties of the ACVV is the safe care, nurturing and development of pre-school children in crèches, stimulation groups and pre-primary schools/classes, as well as after school supervision services for primary school learners. Support and care of older persons and persons with disabilities in the community by means of service centres, assisted living, as well as providing care in homes for older persons/ frail care facilities. Empowerment of women and community members through capacity building and the development of skills and leadership potential.

Stellenbosch Fynproewers Gilde at Yonder HIll

On the 15th of August 2011 Yonder Hill had the priveledge to host the “Stellenbosch Fynproewers Gilde”. This was a great opportunity for Olyfberg Olive Farm to introdu8ce their olive products to the members of the Gilde. This night will go down in the record books as the first official Olyberg Olive oil tasting at Yonder Hill. It was a night full of excitement and indulgence to be enjoyed by everybody present!

Olyfberg, like Yonder Hill is owned by the Naude family. It seem as if producing quality products run deep in their veins. These two quality driven producers obviously works hand in hand together to form a powerful team when it come to stimulating the palette. Olyfberg farm is in Elandia, between Worcester and Robertson, and has more than 35 000 olive trees. It is becoming one of the top producers of olive products in the country.

Wilna, manager of marketing and sales at Olyfberg, presented the tasting for over 50 guests. Each of these guests had 5 glasses of oil to taste. The glasses were placed on a piece of paper, and each variety was indicated. The 5 main olive oil varieties produced at Olyberg were tasted. They were Mission, Frontoia, Manzanilla, Coratina and Leccino. Wilna also indicated how the varieties were blended to give the final product. She explained the technical points of cold pressing and terms like: “virgin olive oil”. The feed-back was positive all over and Olyfberg certainly managed to introduce a new understanding of this fairly new industry.

After the tasting was conducted, the guests were treated to whole range of different soups, with bread to die for. And of course, they were also treated to the lovely wines from Yonder Hill to go with this lovely meal. Thank you for choosing Yonder Hill Wines and Olyfberg olive products.

Greg & Darcy Anania from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Our Friends loves Inanda 2002.

"My wife Darcy and I visited your wine estate in February of 2006 as part of our honeymoon. We bought a bottle of your Inanda 2002 while we were there and brought it home to Winnipeg, Canada with us. We were able to save it and finally opened it up on our anniversary this past January 2011. Just had to let you know that it was an amazing bottle of wine and ranks high out of the "many" bottles we have tried. Let me know if there is any where in Canada that sells your products so I could enjoy it again.
Thanks again, It was a great memory."


Greg & Darcy Anania
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Yonder Hill Scores Pole Position in Top12wines.com

Yonder Hill Merlot 2008 was given the chequered flag by an independent wine tasting panel from top12wines.com.
Top12.wines.com was founded by Frank Dasse who puts together an amateur wine enthusiast panel who partake in tastings of wines in different categories. Merlot was the most recent tasting and Dasse feels that the results of these tastings are a better perception of what the public enjoy and purchase. “I’m happy that people go on the website to check the current results and as we have more and more tastings of the same category, then one can see the temporary overall ranking. On top of that, it is about wines we are passionate about. I find it fun to follow, a little bit like Formula One”, comments Dasse.

For more information visit www.yonderhill.co.za and www.top12wines.com

67 MINUTES

Today Yonder Hill visited the ACVV Bright Light Shelter Somerset West which houses 28 boys and feeds over 30 children and 8 adults daily. This is a government owned shelter and is in desperate need of food, children’s clothes, sanitary products, educational toys and, more importantly, people who want to assist in making a difference to the shelter. Yonder Hill spent their 67minutes wisely today by feeding the inhabitants of ACVV with boerewors rolls and playing games with the children. Today`s visit made us realise that there is a big need for these future young leaders of South Africa and we want to make a notable difference in these children’s lives, even if it is by making a small monthly donation in any form. Let’s make every day a Madiba Day! Stand up and do your part! As Nelson Madela said: “We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right”.

We are donating 67 bottles of Yonder Hill wines valued at R2500.00 to be raffled.  All money will be donated to the Bright Light Shelter.  To buy a ticket in the raffle,  contact Susan / Carmen on 021 8551008.  Tickets will be on sale from 19/07 - 19/08.  Ticket price R5.00 each.

For any queries on how to donate contact Bettie / Andre at ACVV Bright Light Shelter Somerset West:
STREET ADDRESS: 15 Edgar Street, Somerset West
TELEPHONE: 021 851 2414
FAX: 021 851 2414
EMAIL: acvvbright@telkomsa.net


The ladies looking after the children

SOME OF THE CHILDREN 

 PS: TO ALL THE PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF THESE CHILDREN, WE SALUTE YOU!!!

Working on merlot

Submitted by Michael Fridjhon on 27 June, 2011 - 08:08

http://www.grape.co.za/users/michael_fridjhon/blog/2011-06-27-working_merlot.html

In the world of South African wine buffs Merlot has assumed the polecat position previously occupied by Pinotage. For most of the past two decades a seat on the Pinotage tasting panel was the official short straw for a local wine judge. While the overseas panellists frequently sought the Pinotage slot (because of its exotic-for-foreigners status), the South Africans squawked as if they had been condemned to a line-up of Egyptian Shiraz.

At the time, there were sound grounds for the brace-yourself-Sheila attitude of the rent-a-palates: too many Pinotage producers valued tradition above cellar hygiene, and tannin above flavour. Real men, so the subtext went, considered the acetone, green and chunky textures of unevenly ripened and poorly made Pinotage the most delicate thing to have crossed their lips since their last baboon tartare, scraped fresh off the cow-bar of the bakkie.



It took a lot to change this. Leadership came from within, from the persuasive example of people such as Beyers Truter - at Kanonkop and then at Beyerskloof - rather than from the flying winemakers. (They showed it could be done but were as welcome as Teddy Kennedy lecturing the apartheid regime on the importance of morality in government.) In the past five years Pinotage has provided some of the most exciting new style wines - with established cellars (Kanonkop and Lanzerac) sharing the limelight with relative newcomers like Manley, Tokara, Painted Wolf and Rijks.



Meanwhile Merlot filled the slot of ugliest sister at the dance. Partly this is because incompetent Pinotage producers don't have a monopoly on sloppy winemaking. When you work with an unforgiving variety, whatever you do badly is dramatically magnified. Uneven ripeness is harder to hide, unevolved tannins greener and more evident. On a scrawny beast all flesh seems angular.



The planting material has also been problematic. Many of the vineyards were established with an Italian clone which fails to deliver the textures ordinarily associated with Merlot in Bordeaux (and in the US). The wines seem to pass from under- ripe to Porty without achieving an intermediate stage of juicy. Then there is the question of location. It was assumed that, like other more versatile varieties, Merlot would flourish wherever there was soil, sunlight and water. This is obviously not true for any cultivar of which high quality, fine wine is expected. Still, it seems that Merlot is a picky princess, ready to make you suffer for not treating her properly.



Happily the Merlot producers have been more proactive than many in addressing the problems associated with their chosen variety. Led by Luca Bein (of Bein Vineyards in Stellenbosch) they have been looking at what can be done to optimise wine quality from existing vineyards, and how to improve the quality of the plantings. There are now signs suggesting some sites consistently perform better than others - though whether this is a result of geology, or the aptitude of the producer is not always clear. For example, the latest vintage of Shannon Vineyard's Mount Bullet - the 2008 earned a five-star award in Platter - looks pretty good. Is this because of the clone, the location, or the skills of the viticulturist and the winemaker?



Hillcrest, in Durbanville, which in 2007 won the Merlot Trophy at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, this year got a gold medal for the 2009 and the trophy for the 2008. This is very much a product of a single location, improved clonal material and dedicated work in the vineyard. (Winemaker Graeme Read only produces eight barrels from the site.)



Yonder Hill, Meerlust, Nederburg, Marklew and Meerendal are all performing well at the moment. In some cases there appears to be a pattern (many of the vineyards enjoy a distinct maritime influence, for example). But whether this is causal or coincidental is not yet clear: in short, there's still plenty of work to be done by the Merlot think-tank.



From Business Day, 24 June 2011

Wine column for Homefront Business Day 10 June

Simply red winter warmers
Winter is the season to explore the warm flavours of the Cape’s reds, writes Graham Howe

AS TEMPERATURES drop I always enjoy the time of the year when red wines come into their own to complement rich winter fare. I’ve tasted my way through a mixed case of exciting new blends from newer producers like Avondale, Shannon Vineyards and Oldenburg, as well as a few classics from old Stellenbosch favourites like Delheim, Muratie, Slaley, Villiera and Yonder Hill.

Variety is the spice of food and wine so I’ve included a few marvellous Merlots I’ve discovered along the way that are guaranteed to beat the winter blues.

BIG REDS
Yonder Hill Inanda 2007. When it comes to big red wines with staying power, Yonder Hill, a family wine farm on the Helderberg, is one of the Cape’s best-kept secrets.  Inanda 2007, a Bordeauxstyle blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot is a smorgasbord of chocolate, mocha, cassis, cherry and mulberry flavours on a mouth-filling palate, matured in oak for 20 months. Also try Yonder Hill Merlot 2007, a velvety wine with luscious blackberry, choc and mocha flavours.

■ Graham Howe is wine and food editor of Habitat.

YONDER HILL COMES TO THE FORE!

YONDER HILL comes to the fore with a new website designed by Daniel Naude, (son of Yonder Hill’s owner) together with Jan Solms and Rohan Etzebeth. Daniel Naude is an internationally acclaimed photographer and his artistic flare is evident on the website.

To coincide with the new domain another member of the Naude family was remembered and a premium red wine named Nicola has just been launched to celebrate her 25th birthday in 2008. This premium Bordeaux blend has been carefully nurtured by winemaker Bennie Avenant. Nicola 2008 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot that has been softly maturing in French oak for twenty months. Each bottle has been hand numbered and boasts a creative label by Anthony Lane and eye-catching wrapping by Holy Cow Designs making it a true collector’s item! “The launch of this four and half star John Platter wine would not have been possible without the team effort of all those at Yonder Hill”, says Bennie Avenant winemaker and viticulturist.

Visit www.yonderhill.co.za for more information.

2 Silvers at this years Old Mutual Trophy Awards

With only Hillcrest Quarry topping our Merlot 2008, we are proud to announce our newly released Merlot 2008 is rated as second best Merlot at the Old Mutual Trophy awards 2011. This Merlot is available at the Cellar for R120.00/btl.

The Vineyards are sixteen years old and planted on the northern slopes of the farm. The vines are trained onto a five-wire trellis system to maximise exposure to the sunlight and sea breeze. The use of minimal handling and insecticides shows our approach towards environ-friendly farming methods.

SOILS Deep fertile Oak leaf and Tukulu soil. The 20 to 30 cm of lime becomes a good mixture of sand to sand-lime-clay soil medium. It is then followed by 50 to 60 cm of wet zone, as a result of limited amounts of clay, with apparent granite origin.

The berries from the tiny 1.2ha vineyard, ripened in the early months of the year. Fermentation took place on the skins for twelve days, with five days post maceration after gentle pressing, malolactic was encouraged. This Merlot was then matured in 65%-new French Oak barrels for 20 months. Cellar for 7 years or drink now.
With a deep dark colour. Rich velvety texture with blackberries, cassis, eucalyptus and dark chocolates on the nose. This wine is build on a heavy but well rounded tannin structure, and is excellently well balanced.

ANALYSIS
Alcohol 14.56 %
Total acidity 5.7 g/l
pH 3.65
Residual sugar 3.70 g/l

BOTTLED 20/11/2009