Penny Streeter - the Zimbabwe-born entrepreneur and owner of Benguela Cove wines - bought the site at Mannings Heath in England in 2016 to develop the UK’s first golf and wine estate. Cellar master Johann Fourie, formerly of KWV, is managing the planting of 38 000 vines within the 500 acre parkland site in England’s South East sparkling wine region.
The English venue is now a showcase for the owner’s wines from Benguela Cove, a leading producer and wine destination in the Walker Bay region.
The Mannings Heath Golf Course and Wine Estate is a division of The Benguela Collection, a wine producer and hospitality group that Penny Streeter set up with the acquisition in 2013 of the Benguela Cove vineyard. The group now includes four restaurants and a hotel on the Garden Route.
“We are developing an international brand based on the South African wine farm experience - with wine tastings and pairings and themed events - through acquisition and new investment in vineyards, restaurants and hotels,” Penny Streeter says, who was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the UK for ‘services to enterprise’ in 2006.
“The new wine destination in England complements and promotes our South African offering: we already have golf club members at Mannings Heath booking wine tours to Benguela Cove and other SA vineyards.”
Vineyard
Johann Fourie was appointed in 2016 as cellar master for Benguela Cove wines in South Africa and at Mannings Heath, to manage the selection of vineyard sites, grow the grapes, plan the wineries and oversee winemaking. He was the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year in 2015. He says: “The limiting factor in UK viticulture is lack of heat: the location at Mannings Heath was selected for its steep slope, sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly winds, below 100m altitude.
“We have no such issues at Benguela Cove - even though Walker Bay as a region has a cool climate for growing grapes. The vineyard position is ideal, at the edge of the southern coast. The south-easterly sea breeze is chilled by the Benguela Current flowing up from Antarctica, cooling the grapes during the sunny growing season. It makes for a longer than usual ripening period and ideal temperature fluctuation, which plays a key part in the quality of wine making.
“Both SA and UK properties share common themes - a cool climate and location in global wine regions which will become even more important due to global warming, offering a style of wine with increasing appeal to the palate of wine lovers.”
Benguela Cove produces a range of award-winning wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Mourvèdre grapes.
Contact: www.benguelacove.co.za | Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate, R43, Bot River Lagoon, Hermanus, 7201, South Africa | +27.219441041.