Boschendal harvest season in full swing

Friday, 18 April, 2014
Boschendal
It has been a busy start to 2014 at Boschendal Wines. Harvest season has begun, our multiple award-winning 1685 Reserve Collection has undergone a transformation with new bottling and labelling, and resident winemaker and first lady of bubbles, Lizelle Gerber shares with us what it takes to produce South Africa’s best bubbly.

Boschendal exicted by potential of the 2014 vintage
Wine lovers, especially fans of red wines and Champagne-style bubblies, should keep a watchful eye on the 2014 vintage over the coming years, says Boschendal Wines award winning winemaker Lizelle Gerber who is impressed by the quality of the harvest.

The first grapes of the 2014 harvest to arrive at the historic Boschendal Estate outside Franschhoek, were 9.5 tons of Chardonnay and 11.7 tons of Pinot Noir - the components for Cap Classique sparkling wines made in the method of Champagne.

“These grapes are looking great! Absolutely healthy and with the perfect analysis - all the aspects needed to make a beautiful base wine for our Cap Classiques,” says Gerber, whose Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut was named South Africa’s best at the Amorim Tsogo Sun Cap Classique Challenge 2013.

Further good news is that the harvesting of red varieties is expected to be much later than normal. “I think we can look forward to a great vintage 2014 thanks to the warmer temperatures during ripening, along with cooler evenings,” Gerber explains.

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Time out with winemaker Lizelle
Q&A with Lizelle Gerber

Your love of the outdoors lead to studying winemaking - why Elsenberg Agricultural College and not Stellenbosch University?
“I chose Elsenberg because it has a working cellar and I enjoy studies with a practical element. That is where all the evil started!”

You did not grow up in a family where wine was part of the culture, so what was the attraction to winemaking?
“Wine intrigued me because I didn’t know anything about it. It was a challenge and I like challenges. Life is about more than just work. It is about finding your passion and pursuing that and as the saying goes - find a job you are passionate about – and you will never work one day in your life.”

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Chocolate & Wine treat for Mother's Day
Spend quality time with mom this Mother's Day. Treat her to a Boschendal Chocolate Experience.

Print this newsletter to redeem one free-tasting for every tasting purchased at the Boschendal Cellar Door on Saturday 10 May or Sunday 11 May. Booking essential and T&C's apply.

Watch the video here.

Win a case of our new look 1685 Reserve Collection
Boschendal’s multiple award-winning 1685 Reserve Collection has undergone a transformation with new bottling and labelling befitting the premium quality of the wines, while honouring the iconic figures who have nurtured the farm from its birth in 1685.

The new label takes the brand into the future by embracing the past, with insignia honouring the farm’s first title owner Jean le Long (1685-1715), the second title owner the De Villiers Family (1715-1879) and the third title owner Cecil John Rhodes (1887-1902).

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