South Hill

Another guest blog

2012-02-15T14:35:00.002+02:00

It's amazing how quickly the weeks are flying by, no sooner have I posted a blog entry on the Good Taste Magazine's site and another one is due!

If you are following them, the fourth one is now live, you can read it my following the link: http://www.goodtaste.co.za/Harvest-Time/A-Second-Chance

Guest Blog with Good Taste

2012-02-01T15:47:00.003+02:00

For the new couple of months I've committed to writing a guest blog on the Good Taste site, I promise to keep it short, fun and hopefully interesting. If you are interested, there will be at least two posts a week and you can follow them here http://www.goodtaste.co.za/Harvest-Time/

Cheers

Sean

Harvest 2012 is coming!

2012-01-31T11:41:00.004+02:00

We are generally a bit slow on the uptake here in Elgin, well at least as far as harvesting goes! The generally cooler weather means our vineyards take a little longer to ripen their crop, which is not a bad thing as it gives the grapes a chance for their flavours to develop before the sugar (and consequently alcohols go through the roof).

I have just started sampling our earliest ripening variety, Pinot Noir and the second variety, Chardonnay, is coming along nicely.

The bulk of these two blocks will be sold off for sparkling wine, which is always harvested fairly green so it won't be long now before the team moves in!

I have been asked to contribute to Good Taste's guest blogger section so over the next few weeks I will be updating it regularly (at least twice a week) with my news and harvest antics.

As soon as it is up, I'll post the link here.

Cheers

Sean

Rain on the way?

2011-10-28T11:50:00.002+02:00

Those threatening clouds are back, but it's still sunny down in our end of the valley. On average we get one third of the rain that falls on the Steenbras Dam side (that is the part that is dark grey in the picture).

Open Gardens and Sheena Ridley

2011-10-27T14:41:00.005+02:00

For the first time South Hill's magnificent gardens will officially be participating in the annual Open Gardens weekends here in Elgin! If our contemporary indigenous gardens, great wine and fantastic food aren't enough to tempt you to come and visit, we are also thrilled to announce that renowned artist, and former local of the valley, Sheena Ridley will be hosting her exhibition of paintings and sculptures at South Hill, this year from tomorrow the 28th October until Sunday the 6th of November.

Photographs hardly do these whimsical sculptures justice, so come and visit either this weekend or next.

Spring Has Definitely Sprung!

2011-10-11T12:11:00.005+02:00

Wow, in the fury of getting the vineyards pruned before budding our blog has been somewhat neglected, but hopefully the new life that we see all around us will be reflected here too! What a spectacular season spring is, so much so that words and even pictures can barely do it justice, but I'll give the latter a go.

But there really is no substitute for actually visiting, so why not joining us for the open gardens on the 28-29th Oct or the 5-6th November?

Winter Solstice

2011-06-21T12:33:00.005+02:00

It was a bitterly cold start to the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, here in Elgin. The shortest night has also been the coldest with the first frost of 2011 but the sun is out and whilst the forecast of 26 degrees seems a little bullish, it is warming up nicely!

Winter Wonder

2011-06-10T11:48:00.002+02:00

Crisp air, clear skies and not a breath of wind, who said winter was all bad?

South Hill About Town

2011-04-07T16:41:00.000+02:00

We’ve done a few wine sponsorships about Town of late and we’d like to share one or two of our experiences with you, if we may…

PR-Net meetings are held on a monthly basis by PR Guru and Travel Writer, Brain Berkman. Earlier this month Brian was kind enough to let us showcase and supply South Hill wines for attending PR’s at a meeting led by Clare Mack of Spill and Jamie Who, where they talked about communicating with bloggers. The bottom line is… treat a blogger as you would any other media personality, and target blogs as you would any other media platform. We had loads of fun at this rowdy meeting:

[Thanks Brian Berkman and Mike Wesson for these pics]

On another note, we’ve also spent some time with Marlene van der Westhuizen and guests in her Green Point kitchen. As you may know, Marlene is the author of many cookbooks such as Lazy Lunches and Sumptuous, she is owner of The Food Studio, and more recently has launched month-long cooking courses in France, which sound divine!

The studio in Green Point is a stunningly restored and light Victorian building that inspires and relaxes at the same time, add to the mix a leisurely cooking demonstration and a glass of good wine, and you never want the afternoon to end!

Picture the setting:

[Thanks Food Studio]

Now call 021 433 2259 to find out more about the class, the cost, and to book.

Last Chance!

2011-03-14T16:10:00.000+02:00

Just a reminder that this is your last chance to ‘like’ our Facebook fan page before 15 March (yes, that’s tomorrow) in order to stand a chance of winning a case of South Hill wine.

Search for South Hill, ‘like’ the page to become a fan and revert back regularly for news and special offers. We also welcome your thoughts on the Elgin Valley, wines and weddings.

Join us on Facebook now!

Weddings at South Hill

2011-03-14T10:47:00.001+02:00

After sharing our picture showcase of South Hill and its stunning honeymoon suite we’ve decided to let you know more about weddings on the farm.

Wedding parties can opt to have their ceremony inside (depending on the size of the group) or outside on the boule court near the pool, followed by a reception in Gordon Manuel’s restaurant, The Venue – where Gordon himself caters. Many brides opt for a marquee, which can be set up adjacent to The Venue - hosting around 150 seated guests. South Hill wines will, no doubt, flow and couples will soon be able to celebrate with a limited edition Method Cap Classique exclusively offered to weddings at South Hill.

For more information call 021 844 0033 or email thevenue@southhill.co.za.

In Living Colour

2011-02-24T12:10:00.000+02:00

So, we started this blog a while ago now and we thought we’d share our little slice of heaven with you ... in pictures. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words:

Stunning views and bewildering vineyards

Royal treatment at The Guesthouse

Chill out at Gordon Manuel’s @ The Venue

Let us coordinate your big day

Dining inside or out

Honeymooning is our speciality - do it here!

And here ...

Join our community on Facebook!

2011-02-23T14:18:00.001+02:00

We’ve set up a fan page on Facebook, simply called South Hill. Search for South Hill, ‘like’ the page to become a fan and revert back regularly for news on our latest blog posts, special offers and fab giveaways. You can also share titbits with us about the Elgin Valley, wines and weddings, or ask the winemaker questions.

Join our Facebook fan page before 15 March and you might be one of three lucky winners of a case of South Hill wine!

Top Ten for SA Wine News

2011-02-15T09:27:00.011+02:00

Looking for a few good reads about South African wines? Here are our ten favourite South African wine sites to keep you informed ... or just in good spirits:

Wines of South Africa – a non-profit industry organisation whose goal is to promote the exports of South African wines. The website acts as an information portal on everything from regions, varieties and terroir to sustainability, ethical trade and biodiversity. wosa.co.za
wine.co.za – a website dedicated to the SA wine industry offering news, views, reviews, events and more. wine.co.za
Grape – a website of epic blog proportions with four dedicated wine bloggers (well-respected in the wine world), a guest blog, and a space for Grape readers to contribute too. grape.co.za
Pendock Uncorked – a witty blog about all that is wine. Neil Pendock has been called "South Africa's most influential wine writer" by DrinksBiz and some of his thoughts on wine will have you in stitches. blogs.timeslive.co.za/pendock
Wine Goggle – an interesting site on the lighter side of wine with the tagline “wine, food and fun through rosé-tinted spectacles”. winegoggle.co.za
Cathy Marston – Wine Editor of Food24.com shares wine, food and restaurant news on her own informative website. cathymarston.co.za
The Cape Town Wine Blog – specifically about Cape Town’s wine scene, the Cape Town Wine Blog provides information on wine tastings, farms and wine news from the region. capetownwineblog.com
Under the Influence – with the tagline “discover wine” it really does provide news on everything wine from first growths to estates, as well as an interesting blog to keep up-to-date with. undertheinfluence.co.za
Wine Times – a website dedicated to wine events, wine news, wine restaurants and bars, gossip and recipes ... even those for phuza breakfasts. winetimes.co.za
Wine magazine - the website of one of South Africa’s top wine magazines (Ramsay’s Wine magazine) long ago went online with their news and views on South African wines, restaurants, and winelands travel. winemag.co.za

And out of interest, online food and drink magazines to watch out for include:

South Hill joins the Elgin wines throng at the Elegantly Elgin Wine Festival

2011-02-07T14:25:00.003+02:00

For those of our readers who hail from Joburg; visit us at our table at the Elegantly Elgin Wine Festival in Sandton for a chat and a tasting. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn more about our farm, but also about the fantastic Elgin Valley.

The Festival is being held at the Sandton Sun from today until tomorrow, on the 6^th Floor SAN Deck. The show opens to the public from 17h30 – 21h00 with tickets available at the door or via events@julietcullinan.co.za*. Entry is R90.00, and well worth it - as a whole selection of wines from the Elgin Valley will be on show and available for tasting!

*Please email the organisers at events@julietcullinan.co.za to find out about availability.

Word of the day: 'veraison'

2011-01-25T15:20:00.003+02:00

In the last month and a half, while we have been enjoying the festive season break, the vines have been working hard to ensure that your next festive season will not be a dry one, well not on the wine front at least!

The bunches have filled out nicely and as you can see, the ripening process has just begun. This photo shows the first signs of veraison in our Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the time when the hard green berries in red varieties begin to colour and soften. White grape varieties soften and become slightly translucent which is a lot more difficult to capture in a photo.

I will post a follow up photo in a few days so that you can follow the process but at this stage we are still about two months away from harvesting the Cabernet Sauvignon which is generally the last block to ripen on South Hill.

Back to Work, Back to Reality: The Priceless Gift of Relaxation

2011-01-18T13:06:00.000+02:00

The New Year usually starts in drips and drabs with the first week of January reserved for a handful of sacrificial workers who are sent back at work. Most of them twiddle their thumbs for ten days, jealous as all hell that the rest of the country is still on holiday.

But before we know it, it’s back to the two day break after a five day working week and we all start to look for that little bit of well-deserved personal downtime.

The Elgin Valley is a best-kept secret just one hour out of Cape Town. Think rolling fruit orchards and winelands (and subsequently some pretty fantastic wine), outdoor activities, rumbling tractors ... and tranquillity.

So how about a visit to South Hill with a leisurely wine tasting, a delicious country meal at our restaurant, Gordon Manuel @ The Venue or a weekend stay in luxury at The Guesthouse or The Pumphouse. Whether you’re here for a few hours or a few days, the time away – your time – will help bridge the gap till that next long, lazy holiday.

www.southhill.co.za

A Glass a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

2011-01-06T17:10:00.000+02:00

It’s that time of year again when we feel the need to make those pesky New Year’s resolutions. Isn’t everyone’s basically the same? Eat healthy, drink less, stop smoking, exercise…blah blah blah. But how many of us actually make head way with those resolutions? And, if you do manage, for how long?

At South Hill we have a 2011 New Year’s resolution we think our readers will enjoy ... drinking one glass of South Hill Cabernet Sauvignon a day – every day – to keep the doctor away. And of course, we are talking about drinking in moderation and only having one or two glasses! At one glass a day, that’s only 91.25 bottles of wine this year.

There’s as much debate about having a glass of red wine a day as there is about drinking coffee or eating chocolate. Research shows that there are significant health benefits to drinking red wine, (unfortunately white wine doesn’t contain quite as many anti-oxidants as a red). Take note, these benefits are from the grapes and not the alcohol – so a glass of scotch a day wouldn’t do the same.

Basically, red wine aids digestion due to polyphenol anti-oxidants that limit the growth of destructive bacteria and neutralize toxins from fatty foods preventing blood clots and blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. It also helps regulate cholesterol levels in the blood by reducing the formation of bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease.

We suggest you enjoy your glass a day with a fine meal and good company. Here’s to you, here’s to 2011!

2010-12-07T15:10:00.005+02:00

Well this wind may be driving you mad if you are in Cape Town and sure, it does make sundowners on the beach, or any other outdoor activity that doesn’t involve a sail unbearable, but it helps keep the temperatures in the vineyard down, which is a good thing.

Thankfully the vines are finished flowering as wind then leads to poor fruit set and reduced crops.

The vineyards are now at what is called ‘pea size’ stage for obvious reasons…

This is actually a photo of one of our Cabernet vines, the berries will darken and soften later in the season.

4 Seasons in an hour

2010-12-02T08:33:00.005+02:00

So this is what we are talking about when we say ‘cool climate’, when I left Cape Town at 6:30 this morning it was summer, shorts, T-shirts and sunglasses weather, not a cloud in the sky, but as I approached Sir Lowry’s Pass I could see that it was going to be a long cold day for me….

From the top of the pass I said goodbye to summer......

And in just an hour it was back to winter for me, thankfully this is not the first time and I always keep a warm jacket with me, just in case.

Pinks and Greens for GO!

2010-11-30T11:42:00.004+02:00

This year it is green, for GO! The Platter guide for 2011 has been released and Michael Fridjhon reviewed our wine very favourably.

It is always gratifying when well respected critics back up what I feel and say about my wines. I still maintain that seeing people enjoying my wine is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job but getting positive feedback in such a widely distributed publication is also fantastic.

Unfortunately most consumers (and an amazing number of retailers and restaurateurs) rely on the experts to tell them what to drink, and trawl through Platters searching for the pink patches (wines that get 4 or more stars). Hopefully the 4,5 stars we got for the Cabernet Sauvignon and 4 stars for the Sauvignon Blanc will introduce South Hill to a whole bunch of future South Hill devotees!

To all of you for whom this has not come as any surprise, give yourself a pat on the back secure in knowledge that you discovered us first!

Cheers

Sean

South Hill's First Trade Luncheon

2010-11-23T15:34:00.000+02:00

South Hill hosted its first trade day on Sunday and a good time was certainly had! Sean cracked open the Malbec 2007 and we mastered the art of opening an MCC on the lees. Gordon and Emma served up superb fare (more of that Coconut Seafood Soup, please) and we recommend that you don’t go up on a quiz-off with Rick and Debbie Bennetts of Wine on Time. The last stragglers were seen playing boule into the twilight hours and there were several exhausted children by the end of the day.

Thanks to everyone who could join us, and for those who couldn’t ... see you next time!

Here are a few memoirs from our day:-

Gordon and Emma do what they do best

Guest Paula helps plate starters in the kitchen

Bill and Janet of The Wild Fig

Mazuba and Edwin, Gold Restaurant

Kobie and Izette from Carolines, and Chris from Nobu at the One & Only

Opening MCC on the lees is a messy business

The ladies of Wine Concepts enjoying Sean's Malbec 2007

Kevin King and Rick Bennetts on the boule court

We Really Love Wine!

2010-11-16T09:44:00.000+02:00

We really love wine. When we began farming wine all those years ago in 2001 the world was a different place. Apple announced iTunes and launched the iPod, the London Stock Exchange went public and, sadly, it was also the year of the 9/11 attacks, but here on a gentle hill in Elgin, a disused apple and pear farm was about to be transformed. It’s been hard work requiring enormous dedication and lots of committed people but here we are in 2010 (on the verge of 2011) and we are blogging! Our love has been made real in this project. I am very proud to be the co-owner of South Hill.

On Sunday, we are welcoming some of our most loyal, valued restaurant and retail partners to a day on the farm, a leisurely lunch and….some good wine! I think I might even have convinced Sean to bottle some of the barrelled 2007 Malbec – it’s taken some arm-twisting to release it - so hopefully our wine gurus will agree it was all worthwhile when they enjoy it on Sunday!

How Gordon, Emma and a restaurant ended up at South Hill, which seemed to be the middle of nowhere …

2010-11-10T17:32:00.001+02:00

They say you must never burn a bridge and this couldn’t be more true than in the hospitality industry. It is due to our non bridge burning ways that we have ended up at South Hill, running our own restaurant and function venue and living the country life! (Which for our Joburg friends is hilarious!)

To cut a long story short, Gordon and I, Emma, were working away in Cape Town - I was a Sales Manager at the CTICC and Gordon an Executive Chef at a boutique hotel - when I received a call from an old colleague from the Arabella, Joep. We had had a conversation two years back about running our own restaurant and doing weddings. Joep remembered the conversation and had an offer for us. If you have ever worked with Dutch people you will know that they do not go away easily, so instead of avoiding his calls we agreed to meet him to see the farm – South Hill. Firstly, we nearly died when we had to go over Sir Lowry’s Pass as we were under the impression that Cape Town stopped at the pass! But to our amazement, and pleasure, a truly beautiful part of the Western Cape lay in front of us and we were instantly mesmerized by the Elgin area and the South Hill farm. The next few months were busy for us - we signed the deal with the farm to take over operations of the venue and to open a restaurant, resigned from our jobs, moved house and had our fist baby girl, Luci – all in a three month period! When we look back, we can’t believe we managed to get it all off the ground. We opened in August 2008 and are now heading into our third season, loving living in the country and expecting our second little girl.

So the morale of my little introduction to our lives on the South Hill farm is to never burn a bridge, because our bridge has bought us to a very special place and we invite everybody to come out, have a great meal and enjoy this little bit of Eden!

Emma

2010-11-10T07:36:00.002+02:00

This is what I arrive to every morning, I'm sure there must be uglier places to work!

Look and Listen

2010-11-01T17:07:00.006+02:00

So I’ve just braved big bad Joburg for WINEX 2010.

I partook in the annual migration that sees us country bumpkins take over Sandton for 3 days.

I’ve always felt that one of the biggest problems with the wine industry is that we are so out of touch with our customers. Most products that rely heavily on their brand’s cache in a highly competitive market spend small fortunes on market research. From soft drinks to spirits, washing powder to hand creams, these businesses know exactly what they need to do to win more custom, or at least they should if you consider the resources channelled into analysing consumer behaviour.

The wine industry is different, apart from a handful of really big players, most of us wander around, clueless as to what we should be doing. We rely on instinct and ‘gut feel’ to varying degrees of success.

You see, as glamorous and wealthy as the wine industry may seem from the outside, if you want to make real money, stick to selling hand soap or deodorant, there just isn’t the budget for putting together focus groups or large scale quantitative research if it’s the wine business you are in.

We in the industry love to moan about the drunken hordes, but for most of us this is one of the few opportunities to actually connect with a massive cross section of the wine drinking public and conduct some market research.

It can be somewhat frustrating at times, giving away something, that we put so much effort into creating. It is easy to become despondent as most people are either in no condition to appreciate it, or are only there to work on becoming so.

This is however missing the point. In amongst this mayhem which needn’t frustrate, if you observe the often hysterical antics that only alcohol can facilitate, is an opportunity to listen, learn and hopefully narrow that rift between industry insiders and our market.

I don’t after all only make wine for my personal consumption.

Cheers
Sean

WISH YOU WERE HERE?

2010-10-25T16:29:00.000+02:00

So this is us. We decided to start this little blog as a fun journey; both for ourselves (sometimes recording small details is a form of meditation) and for our friends; those people who drink our wine, eat our food, play here, marry here and who remain always a part of our reason for being. If you are not one of these people yet, we have room for more…join us at least on our digital meander, pause a moment and breathe in our fresh air.

We hope it will convince you to experience the real thing…