66 years of innovation and improvements to the secret blend have produced a product that customers choose again and again with its growth being indicative of a loyal following. According to Nielsen’s recent performance review report, Roodeberg has outperformed the category by growing its value share by 19% (YTD April 2015) in red bottled wine and is ranked in the top 30 bottled red wine brands.
Roodeberg has come a long way since 1949, the year Roodeberg launched, under the helm of Dr Charles Niehaus, a highly respected wine maker and a pioneer of South Africa’s sherry industry and KWV’s wine making heritage. He played an integral role in establishing Roodeberg as an icon of quality and exclusivity, coveted amongst wine lovers in South Africa and ‘many favours were bartered’ in exchange for a bottle of this wine.
Although Roodeberg was not available in South Africa until 2004 it has always had an iconic status in the country. It was said that the lucky owner of a bottle of Roodeberg could procure test tickets, biltong, the use of a beach cottage, amongst other things. And to South Africans abroad, a glass of the precious liquid was likened to a hug from home.
Reflecting on the blend’s name, Niehaus once said: “Sitting at my desk, looking out to the Paarl Valley and reflecting on the past, I noticed an incredible sunset casting a red hue on the mountains. And from an instant of timeless beauty, Roodeberg (Red Mountains) was born.” The torch Dr Niehaus first lit has been passed down from generation to generation of great winemakers. Anneke du Plessis, the current Roodeberg winemaker, proudly bears this tradition.
“Roodeberg is a secret blend worth savouring, since the wine is skillfully blended from the finest varietals,” says du Plessis. “Roodeberg captures the very essence of mystery and intrigue with a distinctive, imaginative taste profile that captivates the minds and palates of consumers the world over.”
Roodeberg has maintained its award winning status all of these years and has garnered 26 medals both locally and internationally since 2000. Other recent gold awards include: 2011 Mundus Vini Awards (Gold: Roodeberg Red 2009); 2012 Mundus Vini Awards (Gold: Roodeberg Rose 2012); 2014 Gold Wine Awards (Gold: Roodeberg Red 2012) and 2014 Michelangelo International Wine Awards (Gold: Roodeberg Red 2013); 2014 Vitis Vinifera awards (Gold: Roodeberg Red 2012); 2014 People’s Choice Awards (Gold: Roodeberg Red 2013)
“Roodeberg is one of the big South African export brands and is now distributed in 56 countries,” says du Plessis. “Winning international awards for Roodeberg showcase not just a quality product for KWV but also what South Africa can produce in general. To continuously win awards with an iconic brand like Roodeberg, really reflects on team work in the cellar and our commitment towards innovation and improvement,” says du Plessis.
Du Plessis says that 66 years ago the wine industry looked very different. “Today there is more respect for terroir, producing more elegant wines that are varietal expressive,” she adds. “Wines are not over oaked and we are producing better quality wines due to better techniques and technology both with regard to viticulture and oenology.”
KWV’s Global Sales & Marketing Director, de Bruyn Steenkamp, says that Roodeberg is a truly special brand around which every consumer has a story to tell. “From trivial to life-changing events – Roodeberg was there and the memories of this sublime wine are endless,” he says. “From ‘the beach-party-of-my-youth’ wine, the wine my dad ordered at the Nederlandse Club in Cape Town when we lunched there together in the 60’s, the wine we drank at my wedding in Worcester – the list goes on and on.”
Roodeberg 2013 is available at a cost of R69 a bottle at leading retail outlets nationwide.
Join the conversation on facebook/KWVwines or on Twitter @KWVwines #roodeberg66 and Instagram @kwvwines or go to www.roodeberg.com