All the latest releases, news and offers from the team at Ernie Els Wines.
1. King Cabernet! Ernie Els Wines set to launch a ‘game-changer’ Cabernet Sauvignon
The Ernie Els Wines team are launching the latest wine to further entrench the wine brand as one of the foremost Cabernet Sauvignon producers in South Africa. The Big Easy Cabernet Sauvignon (pictured above) to be launched on February 1st, will be our entry into the full range of Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet-based blends from the wine estate. This wine will be well-priced for wine lists and even by-the-glass programmes and will be targeting the restaurant, wine bar and hotel industry.
Proprietor Ernie Els is excited for the prospect: “We have one of the most amazing vineyard sites in the country, and I think this product will be a ‘game-changer’ for us as more people will be able to start enjoying our wines than ever before.”
The key person in the process is Head Winemaker, Louis Strydom, who is a great believer in clonal selection. Ernie Els Wines has no less than seven different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. Strydom’s view on winemaking is a combination of art and science. “The fundamentals of winemaking are scientific,” says Strydom. “As a winemaker starts understanding and appreciating terroir and technique, only then are they able to shape a wine into something truly unique and special. That is the art.”
This wine will also be the first new execution of our new packaging for the Big Easy range, which the team are very excited about. “We are all very excited about this new wine and feel it will be our most accessible product to date for our loyal Ernie Els Wines followers. It will deliver the full flavour and robustness of a Cabernet Sauvignon, but will importantly be priced right so consumers can enjoy it more regularly than our more exclusive flagship wines.” comments Ernie Els Wines Head of Marketing & Sales, Duncan Woods.
The Big Easy Cabernet Sauvignon will be made available for all international and domestic markets in February of 2016. It will also be available through our wine club. To place a wine club order, please email: wineclub@ernieelswines.com
2. Save the date! 11 February at The Big Easy Winebar & Grill, Durban
Excellent food, wine, music and company ensure a spectacular evening is in prospect on Thursday 11 February at The Big Easy Winebar & Grill in Durban, which recently hosted a star-studded official opening attended by Ernie and many other sports stars, including Gary Gold, Andre Joubert, Pat Symcox, Butch James, Don Gammon, Stefan Terblanche, Tonderai Chavanga, John Smit and Errol Stewart.
Echoing Ernie Els’s unique and easy style, The Big Easy Winebar & Grill is a comfortable and fun place to be among friends. The farm-to-table, seasonally driven menu offers a combination of fresh from the grill food, local specialities and Ernie’s personal favourites, inspired by the cultural crossroads of South Africa.
“Having travelled the world, I have developed a good feeling for what I look for in a restaurant – great hospitality in a fun, relaxed environment in which to enjoy the end of a long day – spending time with friends over a great bottle of wine and a meal,” says Els. “The ethos behind Big Easy Durban Restaurant is to achieve that. We are excited to be part of one of the world’s iconic hotel brands through this partnership with Hilton and Durban offers the perfect launching-pad, with its laid-back vibe and idyllic weather. It’s a great fit.”
Experience the hospitality of The Big Easy Durban in the upcoming 5-course food and wine pairing created by Chef Janine Fourie and winemaker Louis Strydom. For more information, please email: bookings@bigeasydurban.co.za
3. Ernie Els Wines proud to be part of history at the 105th South African Open
Ernie Els – tournament host, official ambassador and five-time former champion – was joined at this year’s BMW South African Open by the Ernie Els Wines team, who were out in force supporting the event with wines served in all the hospitality areas and at the many sponsor-held functions through tournament week. The Ernie Els Wines team also had a retail store, where customers could purchase the wines and enter some of the fun competitions that were arranged. One of the hottest items of the week were the limited edition SA OPEN 1.5litre magnums that were made for the event: 105 magnums produced and signed personally by Mr Els symbolising the 105th playing of the South African Open.
We were also delighted to have an up-and-coming star and personal friend of Mr Els, Brandon Stone, clinch the title in an incredibly exciting final round.
4. Celebrities and sports stars join ‘The Big Easy’ in leaving a legacy for junior golf
The Ernie Els Invitational was held in December 2015 to support the young golfers of The Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation (EEFF). It was, as always, a star-studded event including top golf pros, Branden Grace (himself a former member of the EEFF), Richard Sterne, George Coetzee, Thomas Aiken and Jbe Kruger, alongside sport celebrities Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers, Morne & Abie Morkel, Mark Boucher, Graeme Smith, Pat Lambie, Alan Donald and Bob Skinstad. Image: Ernie Els and Nico Van Rensburg enjoy a glass of Big Easy Rose.
Ernie Els Wines was proud to be the official wine partner for the event at the gorgeous surrounds of South Africa’s foremost golfing resort at Fancourt. This was an opportunity to showcase this year’s fantastic vintages to a highly affluent international and local audience.
“The event is always an outstanding success because Fancourt’s golf courses and Fancourt itself are world class and, of course, Ernie is a great host and ensures everyone has a fantastic time,” says Annie Lawson, Event Manager for the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation.
The Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation mission statement is: “To identify talented young South African of high-school age from families of limited resources and provide them with educational assistance and playing opportunities in order to produce successful young leaders and golfers.”
Ernie Els Wines of course wholeheartedly supports the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, and it was pleasing to see no less than eight current or former members competing in this year’s South African Open Championship.
5. Winemakers corner: It’s more than just putting a cork in it!
For centuries, natural cork has been the closure material of choice for quality wines. The remarkable physical and mechanical properties of natural cork make it an ideal closure for all winemaking styles, grape varietals and desired ageing. Selecting the right corks is a very important part of the process leading up to bottling, but this little cork travels a long way before it’s finally used to close a bottle of wine. It all starts in Portugal where the cork is harvested from the bark of the cork trees. Corks are then cut out of the bark pieces and left to rest. After the resting period the corks are sterilised and rested once more before it makes its way to South Africa for sorting and grading.
Once the corks arrive in South Africa, our suppliers go through the tedious process of grading the corks. This involves looking at both the physical and chemical composition of the cork. Corks batches are treated and assessed to ensure that there are no mechanical faults as leakage. The corks also need to pass a sensory evaluation to ensure no off-aromas or TCA-taint is present. Questionable batches will be rejected and sent back to Portugal. The corks are also inspected to determine the grading of the cork. The least porous corks and those with a better looking exterior will be graded higher.
Our team of winemakers like to be as involved as possible during the selection process to ensure that we are happy with the batches of corks destined for our wines. We will join our suppliers in assessing various batches and then identifying the corks batches to be used. The batches will then undergo the final steps including branding of the corks, before arriving at Ernie Els Wines.
Sometimes it is the little things that make the biggest difference. Not only do corks provide an effective seal for bottles, but they also protect the wine from oxidation while enabling optimum oxygen transfer needed for wine to mature. We’ve built relationships with our suppliers to ensure that we use quality corks with every bottling. This is just another way we ensure our ongoing commitment to produce ultra-premium wines.
6. Team Ernie Els Wines gets active in the Woolworths Charity Triathlon
After a very successful, but demanding 2015, the Ernie Els Wines team entered the Woolworths Charity Triathlon event as a team-builder and to enjoy the beauty of the South African outdoors in December. This was viewed as a great team building opportunity and several of the employees took part in the team triathlon and hiking events in between the mountains and vineyards of the Elgin wine region.
Given the nature of our busy industry it is often hard to find moments for the brand and work colleagues to get together and enjoy a fun and festive day in a relaxed environment whilst supporting a great cause. The event took place on the picturesque Paul Cluver Wine Estate in Elgin and was well attended by the public and a wide range of Woolworths supplier brands. What a wonderful way to end off the year! And all for a good cause, too.
We look forward to more events like these in 2016, which allow us to interact with industry peers and showcase the inherent sporting culture and team spirit among the Ernie Els Wines team.
