Belfield News March 2008
We picked our Merlot today, all 3 tons of it. The grapes looked really good after our final bunch, and individual berry thinning. An extra week was allowed to allow for a better balance between ph, sugar and TA. The wait was worth while, with the pips a nice golden brown, and lovely sugar/ acid balance on the tongue. And rain did not interfere with our planning either.
The dogs looked disappointed to see their favourite snack disappearing down the road to the cellar. But I tried to explain to them that there is still lots of Cab to snack on !
The four months since our last newsletter have flown by and the 2008 harvest is about to happen. The grapes are in good condition, and have benefited from early bunch exposure to our summer sun. Generally it has been a cool summer, so this extra sun is valuable. Thanks to my niece Caryn for the beautiful image of the grapes taken in early March.
Lawrence’s management of the vineyard canopy has again been outstanding, and he has received many compliments from wine farmers and viticultural experts who have visited Belfield.
Marketing and sales
Since releasing our 2006 vintage we have put a lot of energy into selling and promoting our new wine. Whilst we will continue placing great emphasis on direct sales, which allows us to enjoy personal contact with consumers, we need to reach a larger market. We have thus recently appointed distributors to drive our sales in the greater Cape Town area, Gauteng and in the Eastern Cape. Getting listed is a slow process, but currently Belfield wine can be bought directly from the following outlets:
Hermanus - The Hermanus Wine Village / The Wine Company
Elgin - Peregrine Farm Stall / Houwhoek Farm Stall
Cape Town - The Noble Grape (Constantia) / Lisa’s Little Wine Shop (Kalk Bay)
Our wine can also be enjoyed in the following restaurants:
Elgin - Country Club / Bear and Barrel in Elgin / Orchard Farm Stall (From May)
Stellenbosch - La Pineta (on the R44 outside Stellenbosch)
Hermanus - The Harbour Rock
We were also listed at the Nose Bar in Green point as Wine of the Month in February. There are other outlets in the pipeline…
Trumpets and accolades
Lisa’s Little Wine Shop: Red Blend 06 – “ Dark purple in colour, rich in fruit made for good, light, easy drinking” Magnifica 06 (Cabernet Sauvignon) – “It is not easy to find a good and affordable example of Cabernet Sauvignon. Many wineries have discontinued the Cab in favour of the more popular Shiraz. I loved its warm colour with a good minty mix on the palate. Well made and good for aging. “
Nosh! – A Summer Edition 2008 (Michael Olivier well known food and wine writer) “I was happy to meet a childhood friend Michael Kreft again and to taste his Belfield Magnifica 2006 (named for the Protea Magnifica) a cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon with its dark black berries and minty eucalyptus which I found so alluring in Western Australia Cabs, followed by fat sappy blood plums and chunky yet soft tannins.”
Nosing Around (The Nose Restaurant and Wine Bar) “Allister Kreft has been a long time drinker here at The Nose and has always talked about his family’s vineyards, but never done more than talk until now. He should have come and shown us his wine earlier is all I can say, because this first release Cabernet has come flying out of the blocks……… It is concentrated, yet elegant with lovely black fruit and a long, fruity finish……”
And our 2007 vintage?
The wine was bottled in January, and we opened the first bottle of Cab recently, sharing it with wine industry members including Brendan Shaw, wine connoisseur who runs The Cru wine blog. Everyone was excited by what they tasted, although it is very early days as the wine is still settling down in the bottle.
The 2008 crush
We are ready for the challenge, and along with the rest of South Africa are hoping that Eskom won’t let us down! We are crushing the same tonnage, 10 tons, as 2007. We have increased our percentage of new oak barrels to maintain the complexity of our latest vintage. Your winter wine order I have it on good authority that we are in for an icy winter.
Enjoy! Mike and the Belfield team
