Vines

The last couple of months have sped by; here is a bit of a recap.

You can now get Backsberg wines delivered to your door in destinations throughout Europe in 3 days. And most importantly it is seriously affordable.

Valiant Swart is kicking off the kykNET Backsberg Picnic Concerts this coming Sunday afternoon at the farm. Bring your picnic blanket and come have a glass of wine while enjoying some great music on the farm.

I recently met up with online wine legend Gary Vaynerchuk. After presenting Gary with a Springbok rugby T-shirt, we talked about the potential for South African wine in the US. Gary reckons we have a big opportunity with Chenin Blanc…

1-7 September is Arbor week. For the month of September, Backsberg is giving away the tree of the year – the Halleria lucida – with every case of wine purchased. Similarly, you get a free bottle of wine with trees purchased from Starke Ayres Garden Centre in Cape Town.

We recently had some nice coverage on the SABC’s Agriculture Today show as well on Classic FM’s Business Classic Wine Show. Check out the clip and the radio podcast/transcript…

Ever wondered why we call our Shiraz, Pumphouse Shiraz? Check out this video straight from the vineyard…

Last weekend saw us touring around the winelands tasting and sampling grapes from various blocks. Some exciting Sauvignon Blanc and our first Pinot Noir are in the pipeline. The week itself saw us harvest some Sauvignon as well as some super Merlot. Harvest is really kicking into gear now…

My sister and I set out to do do a crop estimate on the second and last days of 2008. Our estimates suggest the crop is definitely lighter than in 2008. This is largely due to the long cool winter. The 2009 Harvest is also going to start some 7-10 days later than usual. The quality is looking good…

The last number of weeks have been critical from a canopy management perspective. We have been putting the wires up in the vineyards. Patience and timing are everything. With the recent storms in the Cape one would have had an increased risk of wind damage if one’s timing wasn’t right…