We bring you all the latest news and announcements from Ernie Els Wines.
1. Coveted ‘Platter 5-star’ for Ernie Els Wines!
Ernie Els Wines is thrilled to announce a successive 5-star rating in the Platter Wine Guide, South Africa’s definitive wine buying guide. Winemaker Louis Strydom is passionate about the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends, and his skill was acknowledged with a stunning collection of high ratings in the 2016 Platter Guide for no less than four Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines. The highlight of the ratings was the Ernie Els CWG 2013, which was awarded a highly sought-after 5 stars, but this was closely followed with three other 4.5-star ratings for the Ernie Els Signature 2012, Ernie Els Proprietor’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 and Ernie Els Proprietor’s Blend 2013.
Ernie Els Wines is situated in the “Golden Triangle” on the north facing slopes of the Helderberg mountain range in Stellenbosch, with the ideal terroir to produce ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon. Ernie Els Wines is committed to become the foremost Cabernet Sauvignon producer and to showcase the different styles and characters that this noble variety can produce.
For more information…
Follow our progress in #drivingcabernet on Twitter by joining the @ernieelswinery community. Click here to watch a video of winemaker Louis Strydom’s expressing his views and passion for Cabernet Sauvignon. Click here to purchase any of our wines from the Ernie Els Wines portfolio
2. Inauguration of Hilton Durban Golf Cup for Els for Autism
The Durban Hilton hosted the inaugural Hilton Durban Golf Cup in aid of The Els for Autism Foundation at the Durban Country Club (DCC) on 23 October 2015. Earlier in the day, 12 children on the autism spectrum from schools in KZN were invited to DCC to attend a ‘GameOn Golf Clinic’, enjoyed by all.
The Hilton Durban Golf Cup day was devised as a fundraiser to help further the work of the Els for Autism foundation in South Africa, and the philosophy of giving back to the community was present throughout, with the guests enjoying a round of golf at the fantastic Durban Country Club, whilst having the opportunity to raise some money for charity.
Ernie Els Wines were present at various points around the course to provide refreshing tasters of our various white, rosé and red wines. Ernie Els Wines actively supports every one of the Els For Autism fundraising events on the calendar, and provide support for the foundation to endeavour to improve the awareness and treatment for autism in South Africa. In addition, winemaker Louis Strydom provides several rare and unique wines for auction as a vehicle to raise money for the various projects under way.
The GameON clinic was run by the Els for Autism team, and assisted by golf personalities Don and Muss Gammon from the Logical Golf Lab located at DCC. Specialised teaching aids and golf equipment were provided by SNAG Africa who have partnered the GameOn Clinics in South Africa. Co-founder of Els for Autism, Ernie Els has described the philosophy behind the GameOn programme as: “… being aimed at developing life skills, encouraging social interaction and promoting healthy living through golf for individuals on the autism spectrum. Each session is designed to help build self-esteem and confidence in a fun, welcoming and supportive environment.”
To complete a perfect day of golf, the players were treated to an evening at the recently opened Big Easy Winebar & Grill located in the Hilton Durban. The atmosphere was extremely exciting as many of Durban’s ‘Who’s Who’ experienced the restaurant for the first time with former Proteas cricketer, Pat Symcox, entertaining the crowd as master of ceremonies. Executive Chef Janine Fourie and sommelier Eric Botha flawlessly paired a four-course menu with a selection of Ernie Els Wines.
For more information on Els for Autism, please click here.
3. Enjoy Ernie Els Wines in Lonely Planet’s top country to visit in 2016: Botswana
Blessed with spectacular wildlife and sceneries, Botswana has recently been voted Lonely Planet’s top country to visit in 2016. While visiting Gaborone, Ernie Els Wines was treated to Botswana’s hospitality and hosted a wine and canapé event at the luxurious Phakalane Golf Estate on 22 October 2015. Ernie Els Wines wine, great food and good company is always a superb combination, while the Batswana’s kindness and generosity highlights the natural beauty of the African landscape.
The Kalahari Wine Tasting Festival, organised by Fine Brands, was a show stopper event held at the Gaborone International Convention Centre on 23-24 October 2015. The extravaganza showcased over 80 different South African and Italian wines. Ernie Els Wines is looking forward to continuing our strong relationship with our northern neighbours in Botswana and we encourage you to visit during 2016!
For more information on Ernie Els Wines in Botswana, please click here.
4. Ernie Els Signature 2011 dazzles in the Big Apple
Ernie Els Wines was invited to showcase its flagship wine, the ‘Signature’ 2011, at the prestigious Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience, known as the ‘Oscars of the wine industry’. The annual event is hosted at the Marriot Marquis in Time Square and top wineries from around the world are selected on an ‘invite-only’ basis to pour their most coveted wine to the eager wine lovers who attend.
Ernie Els Wines winemaker and MD, Louis Strydom, along with Marketing Manager for North America and Europe, Louw Strydom, travelled to New York to represent the winery at this hugely successful event.
The Ernie Els Signature, a true South African interpretation of a Bordeaux-style blend, showed phenomenally well over the course of the three-day extravaganza. The response to the wine again reaffirmed the conviction that EEW is at the forefront of SA winemaking and can be proud to showcase our wines next to the top European and American producers.
5. Winemaker’s Corner: Quality – from the vineyard to the bottle
Bottling to a winemaker is like watching your children grow up. You have nurtured and cared for them for up to two years and now they are ready to leave the winery and go off into the world. At Ernie Els Wines we believe it is important to ensure that the highest standard of quality is maintained from tank to bottle.
Bottling might be the last step in the production of wine, but also one of the most important processes. Assistant winemaker, L’Re Burger will meet with cork suppliers to discuss and select the cork batches for individual wines before it is processed and branded. All bottles and corks will be checked again once it arrives at the winery in time for bottling.
Bottling day usually means an early start at the winery. ”We like to taste the wine in tank the morning of bottling as a last measure of quality control,” explains L’Re. “Then we head over to the bottling line to ensure that it has properly been sterilised and set-up to our specifications. In addition, the entire bottling process is supervised with various quality control tests to ensure a high standard is maintained throughout the process.”
There is a saying in Africa that “it takes a village to raise a child” and in winemaking at Ernie Els Wines the whole production team, from those who work the land to those that complete the winemaking process in the cellar, share the same commitment to quality to ensure that all wines are exceptional.
