For the first time in my life, I am rather jealous of the folks up North. And if you know me, you’ll know I’m a real Cape Town lover and fan of “the mountain” (said in that spacey Capetonian twang). So why on earth would I be wishing I was far away from our beloved sea and sand at this time of year? Continue Reading
Down here in the Cape, we take it for granted that at a drop of a hat and a 25 minute drive later, we can be in the heart of the Cape Winelands, sipping our favourite Hillcrest wines. Gautengers don’t have it as easy but their dedication to the cause is never questioned: they don’t bat an eyelid at travelling for 45 minutes just to “pop in” at a friend! And so when there is a bit of the Cape on offer (read: wine on offer, and lots of it) they come in hoards.
Hillcrest loves this enthusiasm for our Cape wines and it has ensured that WineX is the premier public event on the wine calendar. Once again sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank, it will be taking place on 26/27/28 October at The Pavilion, Sandton Convention Centre and we’re hoping to see the commitment to the cause again this year! Hillcrest will be there offering our award winning wines for tasting and purchase. We will also be running special prices for our wines that are purchased at the event, even more reason to head to WineX Joburg and stock up on Hillcrest wines for the Christmas season!
For more info, please visit www.winex.co.za or purchase tickets from Computicket
And to make sure we put on an equally good show for our Capetonian fans, we’ll be doing a special summer wine tasting evening on Thursday, 27 October. This will include a 4 course meal paired with our Hillcrest Wines. The fabulous team at the Hillcrest restaurant have put together the following sumptuous menu:
Entrée: Pissaladiere tarts with cured beef, paired with Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Starter: Confit cherry tomato caprese salad with borcocinni and Hillcrest Olive Oil, paired with Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Main Course: Slow roasted pork belly on dauphinoise potatoes with apple sauce, paired with Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Dessert: Almond pudding with wild berry sorbet, paired with Rose 2011
Nadia (our new recruit!) will be taking bookings and you can reach her on (021) 976 1110 or on cellardoor@hillcrestfarm.co.za We’ll be chatting to Nadia in our next newsletter so make sure you read up enough about her to make her your new best friend when you’re doing a wine tasting at Hillcrest!
Also catch our assistant winemaker Arno Smith this Saturday at Wine Concepts on Kloof between 11:00am – 13:00pm for a wine tasting. Continue Reading
Bud burst is now complete and the few buds that remain (3%) are unlikely to open.
As the time period of bud burst was relatively short (7 – 10 days) one can expect uniform shoot youth growth which translates into evenly ripe grapes at harvest.
This is very important as it indicates that growth of the vine is in balance which augurs well for the production of good quality wine. Shoot growth is speeding up and largely due to the dominant effect of increasing daily temperatures.
The shoots are now about 10-15 cm in long and one or two clumps of flowers per shoot are distinctly visible. In 82% of the vines the flowers have separated. No flowering, which is the next developmental phase, has yet taken place.
Date: Wolly Buds Green Leaf Inflorescence visible Flower separated
29/08/2011 10.5% 0%
5/09/2011 22.0% 1.0%
12/09/2011 54.0% 37.0%
20/09/2011 8.0% 13.0% 74.0%
11/10/2011 - - 18.0% 82.0% Continue Reading
Despite the blustering wind, the Season of Sauvignon once again saw a great turnout of wine lovers who spent the day sipping on delicious Hillcrest Wines and listening to Elvis sing more than just the blues! Continue Reading
