HOUT BAY VINEYARDS

High on the rocky slopes of Hout Bay, this family-owned winery produces the finest quality wines, Cap Classique and Port.

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Summer Open Weekend - 25 & 26 Nov

THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER - BRING ON THE BUBBLES!

After almost 2 years without Hout Bay Vineyards bubbles, we are delighted to offer you our 2020 Vintage MCC, Klasiek by Catharine.

In the last couple of years, we have planted 2 new Chardonnay vineyards in Hout Bay in order to increase our MCC production and keep it as a Hout Bay Wine of Origin product.

Did you know that some of the world’s finest sparkling wine is produced in South Africa? Alongside Champagne, South African bubbly is globally known and respected as a traditional method wine. South Africa, in 2020, was ranked as the world’s eighth largest wine producer, contributing 4.0% of the total wine volume.

Methode Cap Classique (MCC) refers to South African sparkling wines made in the traditional method. The term was adopted in 1992 in response to the ban on the use of the words ‘Champagne’ and ‘Champenoise’ for anything other than the bottle-fermented wine from the Champagne region in France.

MCC is a premium sparkling wine reflecting South African climate, soils, terroirs and the passion of the producers here. It is not a replica of Champagne. It is Methode Cap Classique itself. There will now also be a new Category - of which our Klasiek By Catharine already qualifies.

“Methode Cap Classique with extended lees aging”

Quite a mouthful, but this means that you will be able to distinguish it as a wine made from the three classic Champagne grapes only, and has been bottle fermented and aged for a minimum of 36 months.  This is a fantastic effort by the MCC Producers Association to ensure the quality of this noble drink!  We happily raise a glass to them!

Back to Vineyards

While the Northern Hemisphere harvest is already finished, for us below the equator, we are rapidly starting to prepare for the 2024 season. Vines are showing more leaves by the day, winemakers are bottling and shipping out wines to make way for the new harvest, inventories are being checked, machines serviced, and in many cases, vineyard activities now also have to incorporate damage control after the recent devastating floods. 

Hout Bay Vineyards was fortunate enough to have escaped the floods relatively unscathed.  Apart from an enormous amount of water rushing down the mountains on all sides of the valley where we have our vineyards, we suffered only a few mudslides and some freshly cut out grooves & ruts between the vines.

After a cold and very wet winter, we are positive and optimistic about the upcoming harvest. While we saw a smaller harvest this year, ideal winter conditions and lots of rain has set the stage for a promising 2024 harvest. So far so good. Bring on summer!

Summer Open Weekend - 25th & 26th November

With that said, our 16th summer open weekend  will be held on  25 & 26  November.

We will be selling our 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Blush & Rosé. Along with this will be the 2020 Klasiek by Catharine, and 2020 Merlot & Shiraz as well as the 2018 Petrus. On special will be a few ‘cellar master’  Petrus releases as well.

On Open Weekend, we look forward to welcoming you from 12h00 onwards. As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring friends and family along, but we kindly request that you leave your dogs at home.

We will be selling our wines at cellar-door prices, which of course means that the standard price includes VAT. 

In addition to Maxine’s honey and Samantha’s olives and olive oil, we will have the following wines available for tasting and sales:

2022 Vintage

Blush

Sauvignon Blanc

Rosé – Grenache Noir

2020 Vintage

MCC Klasiek by Catharine

Merlot

Shiraz

2018 Vintage

Petrus   

Black Swan 10-year-old Tawny Port 

A great variety of delicious food will also be on offer. Maurizio from Origin Food will once again be offering his fantastic charcuterie platters and Gill of Seven Circles will have a variety of tasty wraps and burgers.

An entrance fee of R100 will be charged. This includes 6 wine-tasting coupons and a R40 refundable deposit for the glass.

We do hold wine tasting by appointment at our cellar. This is a very special, personalised time for not only tasting the wine but also for learning about the grapes and the production of the different wines.

Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan.

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Winter Open Weekend - 27 & 28 May

The wild and wet rollercoaster of Harvest 2023 has finally come to an end!

Beginning on January 23 and concluding on March 28, this year's harvest required three months of unwavering attentiveness and constant hope for better weather

The 2023 vintage was a test of our resilience as it was heavily influenced by rain and a cooler climate. While water is vital to the farming of grapes - it can also throw a big spanner in the works. This harvest was unlike any other we have experienced in our 19 years of winemaking, but are proud to say… “we think we rose to the challenge”.

The untimely rain - 200mm in March alone -  not only delayed the picking process but also increased the incidence of rot, presenting winemakers with a conundrum. We had to choose between harvesting grapes at lower sugar levels to prevent further damage or waiting out the rain. This was a risky gamble. Despite the challenges, we managed to produce a vintage that exceeded our expectations, with unique flavours and aromas that reflect the weather patterns.

As this rollercoaster ride comes to a close, we express our gratitude to our dedicated team who worked tirelessly to make this vintage possible. We would also like to thank our customers for their unyielding support and appreciation of our wines.

Our Rosé keeps rising to the occasion and was awarded Gold at the National Rose Wine & Spirit Challenge of 2022.

There was some more exciting news this week. The Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Lewis-Hill, introduced his favourite choice of two wines per estate, selected from various renowned wine cellars in Constantia, Durbanville, as well as Hout Bay Vineyards & Cape Point Vineyards, to represent The Mayor's Choice wines. These will be presented to esteemed foreign dignitaries and other guests, at official functions.

We are thrilled to be included in this acclaimed list of Cape wineries, recognised for their exceptional quality.  Our  Black Swan Port was selected, along with the Rosé and Petrus wines, making Hout Bay Vineyards the only winery to have three wines  as part of the line up.

Jan van Riebeeck noted in his diary in 1659, "Today, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.”  That was some 364 years ago.

To celebrate, we would like to invite you to join us on the 27th & 28th of May 2023 to taste the fruits of our years of labour. Hout Bay Vineyards will be open for wine tasting and sales from 12h00 to 17h00.

We will have our usual delicious food on offer and, of course, all of Hout Bay Vineyards wine... just not the MCC - SORRY - we promise it will be ready at the end of the year in time for all your festive celebrations. 

As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring your friends and family along but we kindly ask you to leave your animals at home.

We look forward to seeing you!

Cathy & Peter

We will be selling our wines at special cellar-door prices which means a 15% saving for you as this price will be including VAT.

Wines available will be: 

BLUSH 2022

SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022

ROSE 2022

MERLOT 2020

SHIRAZ 2020

PETRUS 2018

PETRUS 2013

PETER & PAUL 2012

BLACK SWAN PORT 2013

* Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan.

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Winter Newsletter May 2022

The 2022 harvest is done and dusted! No two vintages are ever the same and every harvest has its own stories to tell. This year was no different.

The season was characterised by cooler weather conditions from Winter until mid-December, which resulted in later-than-usual budding, flowering, veraison and ripening. Warm spells in December and January then accelerated the ripening process somewhat. Despite this, the harvesting of most cultivars was still delayed by up to two weeks.

Last to be harvested this year was our Shiraz, which languished on the vines until the 14th of April, with the leaves already flaunting their autumn colours before we picked.

Whilst there was a delay, the yield improved, with the majority of farms announcing a record year. We too had a nice increase and this year we harvested a total of 28 712kg, up by 11% compared to 2021.

With primary fermentation done and the wine safely tucked away in tanks and barrels, the waiting game starts. We are very optimistic about what this year's yield has in store for us, and we are looking forward to sharing the magic with you when the wines are ready.

We have started preparing the vineyards for autumn with the planting of winter cover crops, a mixture of Koorog (also known as Triticale, which is a cross between Wheat and Rye) and bitter lupins. The purpose of these crops is to restore the nutrients and nitrogen in the soil, and they also help to control the weeds that thrive on the winter rainfall.

It is a beautiful time to be in the vineyards when everything is full of light and colour, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale. The days are milder but still warm enough to appreciate time outdoors.

Since our first open day in May 2008, we have only ever skipped one open weekend and that was due to Covid. This winter is going to be our second.

The Roeloffzes are taking a trip to celebrate the 21st birthday of their youngest daughter, Samantha.

When we return at the beginning of June, we will check the weather forecasts and hold our open weekend at the first possible opportunity. We will send out a message with the dates. We will also send another newsletter to confirm, but please keep an eye on our social media platforms as well.

Thank you sincerely for your loyal and long standing support! We cannot wait to share the 2022 wines with you.

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A Harvest of Gratitude January 9 2022

Please join us at Hout Bay Vineyards for our first wine launch of the year -  a very significant one celebrating a special friendship between winemaker Peter Roeloffze and artist Paul Du Toit.

To honour one of Hout Bay’s favourite sons, HBV will release a 2012 Rhone-style red named Peter + Paul, made with love and gratitude. Each guest will receive a case (6 X 750ml) of this rare Petrus blend.

The Sunday afternoon event, from 4-8pm, will feature live music, entertainment by Zip Zap Circus, and a complimentary bar serving wine, snacks and craft beer.

Proceedings will culminate in an auction of special wines and limited print editions of Paul’s work in benefit of Zip Zap Circus.

Tickets include:

1 x case (6 x 750ml bottles) of Special Release Peter + Paul  Petrus blend

Zip Zap Circus performance

Live music

Complimentary Hout Bay Vineyards wine, snacks and Hout Bay's Urban Brewery craft beers

Tickets are available at Quicket at R1500. 

Please contact Cathy for orders:

[email protected]

083 790 3303

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Save the Date: 9 January 2022

We’re excited to announce a very special collaboration taking place on 9 January 2022. Save the date! More info to follow shortly.

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Summer Open Weekend 27th & 28th November

Now that South Africa is emerging from the third wave and the summer holiday season is fast approaching, we are optimistic that life will slowly be getting back to what we once knew BC.

We have missed several open weekends at Hout Bay Vineyards and can’t wait to welcome you all back for delicious wines and MCC, great food, fantastic Hout Bay views and (socially responsible) good times. We did, however, improvise and held our open weekends in a different format but it just wasn’t the same as seeing everyone enjoying themselves like before. The last 18 months presented us with many challenges which we managed to overcome with the support of loyal wine lovers, essentially helping us to survive and continue with our passion of making quality wines.

Methode Cap Classique is what started our whole adventure with Hout Bay Vineyards. We purchased a piece of land on the Skoorsteenskop mountainside which was covered in blue-gum and black-wattle trees. Once this was cleared, and we could see the land again, a quick decision was made to plant grapes for bubbly. The challenge was to learn how to care for the vines and then, obviously, to make the wine!! We are very proud of our achievements so far and are always thankful when we can open a bottle with friends and enjoy the fruits of our labour.

In one of our previous newsletters, we told you about a new Chardonnay vineyard which will present us with its first crop next year. Although this will greatly help to increase our production of MCC, we constantly seem to run out of the current release before the next vintage is available. For this reason, we have just planted another small block of Chardonnay vines on the property of Vida Nova Retreat in Valley Road. After about three years the grapes from these vines will be added to our MCC, thereby increasing the quantity we are able to produce while keeping it ‘Wine of Origin, Hout Bay’. In line with the ethos of Hout Bay Vineyards and Vida Nova, these grapes will thrive using biological farming methods focusing on the health of the soil and the vine in order to produce quality fruit.

With the warmer climate and abundance of rain last summer, we enjoyed a particularly good harvest and have produced what we consider to be our best Sauvignon Blanc to date. Our production is forever creeping up and is now in excess of 25 tons. We managed to bottle the white wines and rosé in June and have just finished bottling the current MCC. Though we are very excited about its potential, it is a real patience game as this vintage will only be opened in 2024!!

Next year’s Platter’s Wine Guide ratings were released recently and four of the seven wines submitted by us achieved 4 stars. Our Klasiek, Petrus and Shiraz missed four-and-a-half stars by only two points, and our Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot were a mere one point short of 4 stars.

On the 27th & 28th of November, we will have our full range of wines available and you will also be able to enjoy delicious food from Seven Circles and charcuterie platters, cheese, cold meats and sausages by Origin Foods. Honey and olives, as well as olive oil from our centennial trees, will also be on sale.

We will be open from 12h00 until 17h00 and look forward to welcoming you. As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring your friends and family along but we kindly ask you to leave your animals at home.

We will be selling our wines at special cellar-door prices which means a 15% saving for you as this price will be including VAT.

2019 MCC Klasiek by Catharine

2021 Blush

2021 Sauvignon Blanc

2020 Rosé

2019 Merlot

2017 Petrus

2011 Port

* Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan.

Last but not Least

We are looking forward to another very exciting event in 2022. It will see the release of our 2012 Petrus which will be labelled as Peter & Paul, in memory of our artist friend Paul du Toit. The event will be held on 9th January and will also showcase the Zip Zap Circus. Please keep an eye out for the newsletter that we will be sending in the next month.

Header photograph courtesy Chris Morgan.

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Hout Bay Vineyards Winter Newsletter 2021

A bit late and a bit wet!

After what has been a very deurmekaar year personified by a late start and very slow ripening of grapes, we blink our eyes and find that we are well into May and have wrapped up the harvest of 2021. Since our first vintage in 2004, this is only the second year (the other being 2018) that we harvested the grapes for our bubbly as late as February with our Sauvignon Blanc, which is normally picked at the beginning to middle of February, only ready in March.

Most winemakers and viticulturists had been thrown a curveball with a not-so-hot average summer and rain over the last few weeks of the ripening period. The last of the white grapes just managed to achieve the desired sugar levels. Our Sauvignon Blanc is proving to be the best yet and we are exceptionally happy with this year’s result.

Various varieties of red grapes were still hanging way past what has been the norm for harvesting. An already frustrating year became a bit more challenging! As cooler and wetter weather loomed, we, not ones to shy away from a challenge, took the bull by the horns and ploughed forward. We decided to harvest our Shiraz and Merlot slightly earlier, even though sugars were not quite there yet but the grapes thankfully had reached phenolic ripeness. Ultimately, we are surprised by the quality of the grapes and are happy with the results. We believe our 2021 wines will be complex and fruity with a slightly lower level of alcohol.

All the reds have now gone into their barrels for maturation over the next twenty-plus months. Roll on 2023, and beyond, when we will get to taste these wines!!!

In the meantime, we are getting ready to bottle the Sauvignon Blanc and Blush in the next week or so. Our 3000 litres of MCC base wine - consisting of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier - will be resting in the tank for another month or two before it too will be prepared for the bottle fermentation process.

Alternative to the 2021 Winter Open Weekend

With winter well on its way, coupled with the ongoing struggle against COVID, and the potential of a third wave, we have decided to make a few changes to our public opening as opposed to postponing or cancelling the weekend altogether. The good news is that Hout Bay Vineyards will be open for wine sales every Saturday afternoon for the month of June 2021.

Unfortunately, no wine will be sold for onsite quaffing and we will not be offering our usual afternoons of drinking wine, snacking on delicious food and socialising with friends. To compensate our many loyal fans and visitors that look forward to being here, we will offer you a short wine tasting down at the duck pond, (familiar to many of you 😊) and give you the opportunity to purchase our wines and stock up to get you through the cold winter months.

But don’t fear … as soon as life returns to normal, we too will return to our normal-style open weekends and we will be back to having as much fun as in the past …… if not more! 

When you visit you will also have the opportunity to see our new passion project. 

The Restoration of Brat of Dunkirk … 

Built in 1913 by Camper & Nicholsons at their Gosport shipyard in the United Kingdom, Brat of Dunkirk is a 38-foot gaff-rigged yawl -  which is a two-masted boat with its sails configured in a certain way. Brat, as she was originally known, spent her younger life in the North Sea and in British waters. After the historic evacuation of Allied troops stranded on the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk in France during World War 2, she was aptly renamed Brat of Dunkirk by her new military owners.

The boat was sailed to South Africa in 1968 and over the years belonged to several people. In 2019 she was found in a derelict state in Port Elizabeth and was brought to Hout Bay where she will be restored to her former glory as originally envisaged by designer Charles Nicholson 108 years ago.

She is the oldest boat in South Africa and her restoration will mark a significant moment in the rich maritime history of our country.

It may not seem like it when you first lay eyes on her, but since we took over as her keepers in April last year, an enormous amount of work has been done. We had to remove some vines and level up and compact the ground to create a space for the boat. The boat trailer had to be completely converted for the new weight that had to be dragged up the steep hills before she was at Hout Bay Vineyards, which will be her new home for the next few years.

Since then, we have also started creating space for a container – we are still hunting for an affordable option here – and prepared the concrete bases for the posts and will soon start erecting a shed around the boat.

In keeping with old relics, by chance, we also acquired a bandsaw that dates back to pre-1933 which will be used for cutting the wood for Brat’s restoration.

 Back to the Wine 

We will be open every Saturday afternoon during June from 12h00 to 17h00 and will have the following available for tasting and then of course for sale per case:

The open afternoons will be weather permitting. When you see our old Landy at the entrance to Hughenden it means we are in business. See you soon!

Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan.

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Just a reminder in case you missed it last week...we are open every Wednesday to Saturday between 4 and 8pm until the 19th of December. Divine wine, to-die-for pizza and perfect Christmas gift packs! https://www.instagram.com/p/CIf1aXqpNxG/?igshid=1btce3ylod75v

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Friday 4th, 11th and 18th December. Join us for sundowners, pizza and award winning wines! (at Hout Bay, Western Cape, South Africa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIVgubeph6j/?igshid=a1owbv519wri

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Summer Open Weekend 28th & 29th November

OPEN WEEKEND GIVEAWAY!

Read the newsletter for details.

In South Africa there is a saying ’n Boer maak ‘n plan – a farmer makes a plan. Basically, it is the act of improvising, carried out with the resolve and resourcefulness to overcome any problem. It also fittingly sums up the mood of optimism tinged with fatalism that is prevalent in the South African wine community at the moment.

Ultimately the wine industry is facing unprecedented times with unpredictable challenges. Yet, much like the hardy vine, we oenophiles are a resilient bunch who adapt to circumstance. You can take away our essentials and have us endure the stormiest of weather conditions but somehow the fruit for the next vintage will be that much sweeter. We’re sure of it. And we will make sure of it!

Covid-19 has turned the world upside down and shaken out its pockets. Every industry has been affected in some way, and one that is taking a great hit is the wine industry.

Our 2020 Harvest

The 2020 harvest was a great success and although initially, the lockdown caused an interruption, we soon got an exemption from our beloved government to continue operations, to complete the harvest, and process the grapes that were already picked and in the cellar. The last two years of decent rainfall have resulted in above-average tonnage and exceptional quality. Fortunately, sanity prevailed and the government eventually also opened up export markets for the agriculture and wine industry. We have again seen improvement in this area with an additional import by a German company whilst at the same time maintaining our steady export of ‘Petrus’ to Switzerland. At Hout Bay Vineyards we are fortunate to have very supportive and loyal clients who we try to keep satisfied ‘come hell, high water or pandemic.’ We are continually striving to maintain the standard of our wine at the superior quality that you have come to expect. We are very excited about our 2020 vintage wines and can’t wait to introduce to you our brand new, barrel-fermented Grenache Noir Rosé. Peter has drawn inspiration from the wines of Provence and he is hoping to see the contemporary Rosé as a more serious contender among South African palate choices.

Relatively low in alcohol and tasting of red-currant fruits and just a hint of pepper, our Rosé shouts out ‘summer’ … yet can also be enjoyed in the winter or late evenings as the wine is full-bodied with lots of complexity and structural integration that linger on the palate. For the winemaking process, the grapes were hand-picked at dawn then taken into the cellar where the de-stalked berries were cold-soaked on the skin for several hours to obtain the rose-gold colour of the final product. The juice was settled overnight, racked off the lees for barrel fermentation and aged for another three months in a 500-litre French acacia wood barrel that was toasted specifically for Rosé.

A limited number of 600 bottles of this maiden 2020 vintage will be available only at our open weekend in a three-bottle box pack.

A little bragging …

We do not usually enter competitions unless they are regarded to be of a serious and professional standard. The Alan Mullins SA Sparkling Wine Championships competition sits at the top of this category as it is also a blind tasting which means that the judges are not influenced by the ‘big brand names.’

Our Klasiek by Catharine was entered and has once again proved to be the quality MCC that everyone enjoys: the 2018 vintage walked away with a gold award! This wine also achieved 4 stars in the 2020/21 Platters Wine Guide along with our 2017 Petrus and 2018 Shiraz.

The rest of our wines were given 3.5 stars, slightly down from four wines that received 4 stars in the 2019 guide but still an achievement that makes us very happy and this whole venture worthwhile!

Summer Open Weekend - 28th & 29th November

Our open weekend, scheduled for 28 & 29 November, will not be without its challenges due to the Covid-19 rules and regulations that have been laid down by law. Everyone entering the premises must wear a mask, will have their temperature taken and must provide contact details such as telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Seating will be spaced further apart and limited to six people per group. Social distancing at the tasting table will also have to be maintained.

To spread the number of visitors, and with people wanting to avoid crowds, we have decided to also be open for tasting and wine sales from 4pm to 8pm on the following days:

2, 3, 4 December

11, 12, 13, 14 December

17, 18, 19, 20 December

On Open Weekend, we look forward to welcoming you from 12h00 onwards. As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring friends and family along, but we kindly request that you leave your dogs at home.

We will be selling our wines at cellar-door prices, which of course means that the standard price includes VAT.

In addition to Samantha’s olives and olive oil and Maxine’s honey, we will have the following wines available for tasting and sales:

2020 Vintages

Blush                                                                               R 720 per six-bottle case

Sauvignon Blanc                                                            R 720 per six-bottle case

Rosé – Grenache Noir                                                 R 750 per three-bottle case

2018 Vintage

MCC Klasiek by Catharine                                          R 1 150 per six-bottle case

2017 Vintage

Petrus    750ml                                                           R 1 150 per six-bottle case

             1.5 litre                                                                                  R 400 each

             3.0 litre                                                                                  R 820 each

Black Swan 10-year-old Tawny Port 750ml                                    R 250 each

A great variety of delicious food will also be on offer. Maurizio from Origin Food will once again be offering his fantastic charcuterie platters and Gill of Seven Circles will have a variety of tasty wraps and burgers.

An entrance fee of R100 will be charged. This includes 6 wine-tasting coupons and a R40 refundable deposit for the glass.

We do hold wine tasting by appointment at our cellar. This is a very special, personalised time for not only tasting the wine but also for learning about the grapes and the production of the different wines.

Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan.

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Winter Newsletter

31 May 2020

Emerging from one of the worst droughts Southern Africa has seen in recent times, the expectation to move to greener pastures was speedily deflated with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As with most wineries, Hout Bay Vineyards was caught at the tail end of the harvest when the nationwide lockdown was enforced. We did however manage to harvest the last of our grapes, the Shiraz from Constantia Nek Farm, on the 23rd of March.

The lockdown meant that only skeleton staff were allowed to do essential agricultural work in the vineyards, so our entire family had to assist with the 2020 vintage in the cellar. It was a joyous occasion though and such fun to have everyone around and in the full swing of things.

On the whole, we are extremely happy with the quality of the grapes this year. It was, in fact, a bumper harvest. The extra care and attention that were put into all our vineyards during the winter preparations in 2019 definitely paid off.

The 2020 harvest of nearly 25 tons consisted of the following:

For Bubbly and Blush

        Chardonnay – 3300 kgs

        Pinot Noir – 864 kgs

        Pinot Meunier – 665 kgs

For Rosé

        An exciting new addition to our range to be revealed at the end of 2020

        Grenache Noir (ex-Wellington) – 850 kgs

Sauvignon Blanc – 3340 kgs

Merlot – 5085 kgs

For Petrus and Shiraz

        Shiraz - 3950 kgs

        Mourvedre (ex-Wellington) - 1097 kgs

        Grenache Noir (ex-Wellington) - 1130 kgs

        Carrignan (ex-Wellington) - 986 kgs

        Viognier - 1980 kgs

Samantha also had a fantastic olive crop, and judging by the amount of honey that Maxine harvested, even the bees seem to have been busier than usual.

In the interim, we have had to remove some of our vines to make space for a very exciting new project, even though it is not wine-related! This small loss, however, will result in a lot of gain. And joy. We are going to keep you in suspense just a while longer but rest assured it is of great historical significance, and important for Hout Bay as a whole, and also for some of its community members.              

Due to the unprecedented situation that not only South Africa but the whole world finds itself in, we unfortunately are unable to hold our customary winter open weekend this month. This will be the first one missed since our inaugural event in 2007.

In the meantime, we will be concentrating on bottling the 2020 white and blush wines and will ‘pivot’ our business to immediately focus more on direct cellar-door sales by arrangement and smaller private wine tasting by appointment – the latter as soon as it is allowed.

We hope to be able to welcome everyone back to life as we once knew it with a celebratory gathering and communal toast with a glass of Klasiek MCC, and look forward to your continued support with our cellar-door sales. The date for our next open weekend is still unknown but we will keep you posted.

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Summer Open Weekend

16 November 2019

We have had decent rains at last, the dams are full and our vines are growing vigorously. It should result in an above-average yield in 2020. The birds are still a menace but we are hoping they will now forage in nature and leave our grapes alone. The rains have also resulted in an abundance of blossoms on the trees which the bees are sure to exploit to boost their honey production.

According to most olive producers, although last year’s harvest was poor, thanks to the recent rains, there are already loads of fruit on the olive trees and at Hout Bay Vineyards we are also expecting a bumper crop for Samantha’s Oli Olivia.

Our bubbly has gone from strength to strength since our first vintage in 2003. Back then, with no harvest of our own expected for some time, we bought in the first grapes, while acquiring state-of-the-art equipment needed to produce Cap Classique. The initial batch yielded a mere 400 bottles of bubbly. Since we have been using our own grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – and as our skills improved and the vines flourished, the harvests have become more bountiful and rich in quality. Over the years some of our MCC vintages have received a Platters 4-star rating. From 500 wines, our present 2016 vintage was chosen by the Sommeliers-Selection competition as a selected bubbly on their ideal wine list, one of only two in that category to make it.

Due to this ever-increasing demand for Klasiek by Catharine, we have just planted a new vineyard of Chardonnay grapes. Naturally, we had to clear the area first, which entailed moving a large number of rocks and several huge boulders. It was an almighty challenge, to say the least. The soil is mainly sandstone and decomposed granite, and should ensure good drainage, encouraging the vine roots to reach for water naturally.

We do not really market Hout Bay Vineyard wines in the conventional manner, but word-of-mouth has proven to be a powerful tool and we are often approached by international wine distributors. Our wines are currently enjoyed in Switzerland, Finland and Slovakia. Recently our Klasiek, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc were presented at a wine show in Moscow and the reaction was overwhelming, so much so that we will hopefully start shipping our full range of wines to Russia as well.              

Over time our open weekend has morphed into more of a social event. The main focus and purpose of the open weekend, however, is still to taste our wines and thereafter buy your favourite variety by the case lots. Visitors are enjoying the venue, the views, and the pleasant company and have of late tended to buy a bottle of wine to enjoy before departing with their purchases.

As we did during May, we will be adding some extra seating and a greater variety of delicious food. Maurizio will once again be offering his fantastic Charcuterie platters and Gill of Seven Circles will have a variety of tasty wraps and burgers. An entrance fee of R100 will be charged. This includes 6 wine-tasting coupons and a R40 refundable deposit for the glass.

Our open weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, the 23rd & 24th of November. We look forward to welcoming you from 12h00 onwards.

As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring friends and family along, but we kindly request that you leave your dogs at home as our Sadi is rather territorial.

We will be selling our wines at cellar-door prices, which of course means that the standard price includes VAT.

In addition to Samantha’s olives and olive oil and Maxine’s honey, the following wines will be available for tasting and purchase:

2016 Klasiek MCC  (4*)

2019 Blush (3*)

2019 Sauvignon Blanc (4*)

2016 Merlot (3.5*)

2017 Shiraz (3.5*)

2015 Petrus (4*)

2014 Petrus (4*) (Limited availability and not for tasting)

Looking ahead, we intend to host an exclusive ‘invitation-only’ live concert every year on the first Saturday in December. This year, on 7 December, Arno Carstens will be playing, accompanied by two other musicians, with an opening set by Nick Turner.  Invitation is limited to 180 people.

We do hold wine tasting by appointment at our cellar. This is a very special, personalised time for not only tasting the wine but also for learning about the grapes and the production of the different wines.

Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan (download on Google).

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Hout Bay Vineyards presents

Arno Carstens Live

Sat 07 Dec 2019

4:30pm Doors open

6:30pm Performance

Tickets on Quicket South Africa

Hout Bay Vineyards presents Arno Carstens Live on Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 4.30 to 9pm

Your ticket includes a free glass of Hout Bay Vineyards MCC.

Arno Carstens is an award-winning singer-songwriter and fine-artist based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Arno’s solo performance includes the hits from his career as front man of Springbok Nude Girls, many of the beloved and most celebrated songs from his career as a platinum selling, award winning English solo artist and some popular cover tracks. Arno performs a bilingual set, and includes tracks from his debut Afrikaans album “Die Aandblom 13”.

During his career as the lead singer of The Springbok Nude Girls, and subsequently as a solo artist, Arno has released multiple albums in both English and Afrikaans, with a string of successful singles & awards including Best Rock Album, Best Alternative Album & Song of the Year.

Arno has headlined every major South African music festival and performed at the Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury, V Festival, T in the Park and Hard Rock Calling. He has also performed with The Rolling Stones, U2, and The Police on their European tours. Arno also features as lead vocalist and co-writer on three tracks on the Mike + The Mechanics 2011 album The Road.

He’s been called “The godfather of South African Rock” by Mail & Guardian & Sunday Times have hailed him as “One of the most prolific songwriters & performers of our time”

Arno is also a celebrated fine artist who paints in oils or acrylic on canvas and draws with charcoal on paper. He has collaborated with Beezy Bailey and the late Bared de Wet. His work can be viewed and purchased online at www.arnocarstensfineart.com or in person via appointment in Simonstown, Cape Town at his home based studio and gallery.

www.arnocarstens.com

www.arnocarstensfineart.com

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Hout Bay Vineyards Summer Open Weekend

We will be open for wine tasting and sales on the 23rd and 24th of November 2019.  Join us between 12H00 and 17H00 to enjoy a day out in Hout Bay and taste delicious wines and bubbly as well as stock up for the festive season. Tickets will be R100 and this will include a tasting glass (R40 refundable deposit) and 5 tasters.  All wine will be available to buy by the case lot of 6.

Seven Circles ( @seven.circles ) and Maurizio’s Origin Food ( @originfood ) will be offering their delicious fare. 

Please invite your friends and family.  We are child-friendly but please leave your dogs at home. We look forward to seeing you all then.  xx 

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Winter Open Weekend

17 May 2019

Our open weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, the 25th and 26th of May. We look forward to welcoming you from 12h00 onwards.

Now that we have had good seasonal rains and the dam levels are almost back to where they should be, many of us have already forgotten about the water restrictions that were imposed on the Western Cape during the drought of the past three years. But nature, having dealt with the adversity, is not quite as forgetful, and the lingering impact of the drought on our vines will be felt for another year or two.

In October of last year, we endured unfavourable weather conditions and exceptionally strong winds which caused a dramatic drop in effective pollination, reducing this year’s harvest to well below average albeit slightly higher than last year when the drought was at its worst. Hout Bay Vineyards managed only 13.5 tons which is 45% less than our average yield!

Loose bunches of grapes with smaller berries results in a lighter harvest with a lower yield. The upside to this is that a higher quality of wine is possible. We believe the smaller ratio between juice and skins usually results in better quality when delicate pressing of the juice for white wine is exercised and when cold-soaking and maceration of the red varieties are carefully managed.

It wasn’t only the vines that suffered from the lack of water but so too did the local birdlife. Due to the drought and the numerous Cape fires, the declining natural food resources in the wild caused the birds to flock into urban areas in vast numbers where they tend to eat the “low-hanging fruit”. Grapes must be a delicious and juicy treat for birds. Our vineyards definitely served up a feast for them. In particular the Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, very little on some of the vines for us to harvest. Our olives did not go unnoticed by them either and even the bees seem to have struggled to fill their pantries.

Farming remains a challenge but what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts. We hope to continue producing the best possible wines as we remain driven by quality and not quantity!

What remains as a highlight of this year’s harvest, is that we picked the Shiraz under the full moon.  The night of 20 March 2019, saw a spectacular moon, and as it was right time to get the grapes off the vines, we seized the moment to pick under the bright rays of this supermoon. 

This is the first full moon of autumn for the Southern Hemisphere and appeared at the arrival of the March 20 equinox. We have kept this batch separate from the other Shiraz we harvested this year and it will be very interesting to see the results. We will be certain to report back on this as the wine matures.

Upcoming Event

Already it is the middle of May and by the time you receive this newsletter, there will only be a week or so until our winter open weekend. This year we will be managing it a little differently. Our open weekends started with the focus on tasting and then buying a few cases but it has over time morphed into a more social event. Visitors are enjoying the venue, the views, and the pleasant company and of late, have tended to also buy a bottle of wine to enjoy before departing with their purchases.

To fall in line with this trend, we will be adding a greater variety of delicious food. Maurizio will once again be offering his fantastic Charcuterie platters, and Gill, of Seven Circles, will have a variety of wraps and burgers. Our tasting/entrance fee of R60 will also have a refundable deposit on your glass of R40 added to it. The main focus and purpose of the open weekend, however, is still to taste our wines and thereafter buy your favourite variety by the case lots.

Our open weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, the 25th and 26th of May. We look forward to welcoming you from 12h00 onwards. As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring friends and family along, however, we kindly request that you leave your dogs at home. We are sure by now you know, our Sadi is rather territorial. We will be selling our wines at cellar-door prices, which of course means that the standard price includes VAT. 

In addition to Samantha’s olives & olive oil and Maxine’s honey, the following wines will be available for tasting and purchase:

2016 Klasiek MCC

2018 Sauvignon Blanc

2016 Merlot

2016 Shiraz (limited)

2014 Petrus

We do hold wine tasting by appointment at our cellar. This is a very special, personalised time for not only tasting the wine but also for learning about the grapes and the production of the different wines.

Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan (Download on Google).

PHOTOGRAPHS – MAXINE ROELOFFZE/ FILE

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Summer Open Weekend November 2018

18 November 2018

Summer has barely arrived and already the mountain fires are raging. As we sat down on 4 November to discuss what to put into this newsletter, the slopes above us were covered with swirling grey smoke that crept closer and closer to the Shiraz vineyards. Visions of four years ago sprang to mind when the fire was halted a mere three meters from the fence. Fortunately, a number of fire trucks arrived promptly and the firefighters spent a good part of the afternoon extinguishing the flames. At this point, it would not be amiss to express our gratitude for the tremendous work they do.

At the start of the growing season, we gladly accepted the invitation to take over and manage the vineyard at Bay Farm. This is the first flat land that we will be able to utilise. All the other vineyards that we farm are planted on steep and terraced slopes. Venturing further afield in search of flat land was always out of the question for us as we strive to produce wine that is certified “wine of origin Hout Bay.” We are very excited about this stroke of good fortune, more so because the vineyard is planted with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes and, in keeping with Cathy’s dream to produce bubbly, it means that we will be able to increase our bubbly production significantly from the current 2000 litres per annum. 

Hout Bay Vineyards has joined the growing trend towards caring for the planet. Driven by Samantha, we as a family have become even more aware of our environmental responsibilities. We have always been mindful of our global footprint and have never used products that are harmful to the environment, but we intend to reduce our impact on nature even more. To this end, we have revisited what we do and analysed everything we use in the vineyards, in the cellar and at home in our daily lives and feel that we are certainly on the right path. Through Maxine’s beehives, we adapted our vineyard spray-programmes a few years ago as we became more conscious of the insects and their flora. Our grapes are hand-sorted and all creatures are removed and returned to their habitat. No animal or fish products are used at any stage during the wine-making process. Definitely vegan-friendly!

Platter’s Wine Guide has just released its latest results and we are pleased to announce that of the wines available at this open weekend our 2015 Klasiek by Catharine, our 2014 Petrus and our 2015 Shiraz all received 4 stars. Unfortunately, the 2015 Shiraz is nearly sold out and we only have a small number of cases left for sale at the weekend. Those lucky enough to have laid their hands on the 2013 Black Swan Port at our May open weekend will be glad to hear that this was also awarded 4 stars.

Our open weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, the 24th and 25th of November. We really look forward to welcoming you from 12h00 onwards. The ‘entrance fee’ of R50 will allow you to sample all the wines. As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring friends and family along, but we kindly request that you leave your dogs at home as our Sadi is rather territorial. We will be selling our wines by the case only at cellar-door prices, which of course means that the standard price includes VAT.

In addition to Samantha’s olives and olive oil, and Maxine’s honey, the following wines will be available for tasting and purchase:

2015 Klasiek by Catharine MCC ****

2017 Sauvignon Blanc ***

2015 Merlot *** (limited stock, then 2016 Merlot)

2015 Shiraz **** (when sold out, 2016 Shiraz)

2014 Petrus ****

To make your Christmas shopping a little easier, or as a personal treat, a limited number of 1.5 litre magnums of the 2011 Klasiek by Catharine and the 2014 Petrus will be available. We will also have a few 3 litre Petrus bottles for sale with the usual benefit of a discount when you return the bottle for a refill at the next bottling.

Maurizio’s popular Italian charcuterie boards will also be available.

We do hold wine tasting by appointment at our cellar. This is a very special, personalised time for not only tasting the wine but also for learning about the grapes and the production of the different wines. Hout Bay Vineyards have also hosted a number of small functions in the past year and we are exploring opportunities to expand this. Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan (download on Google).   BY WAYNE MATTHEWS PHOTOGRAPHS – MAXINE ROELOFFZE/ SPIRO RAGAVELAS/ FILE