News

With the 2019 harvest finally done and dusted, we sat down with Cellar Master Charles Hopkins for a quick chat about his take on this year’s crop. 

Whether you like an easy sipper for warmer days, prefer something with a bit more body to enjoy with a meal or want something sweet to round off the perfect dinner, De Grendel has it all.

Taro’s special chicken recipe is served on his favourite basmati rice, served with a splash of balsamic vinegar and paired with De Grendel's Three Spades Cider.

In the most recent Mundus Vini Spring Tasting, De Grendel’s signature red wine, Rubaiyat, scooped yet another prestigious gold medal to add to its long list of accolades. The award-winning 2015 vintage already bagged one platinum, 3 golds, 1 double gold as well as the Trophy for the South African Wine of the Year from China Wine & Spirits Awards.

The Mundus Vini is regarded as a prestigious international competition for wines from all wine-growing regions around the world. The aim of the competition is to promote wine quality and to award wines of excellence. An international jury delivers an independent, neutral and expert verdict on the wines, thereby guaranteeing that the competition is both fair and professional. This bestows a high level of recognition upon the medals awarded at Mundus Vini, the prize-winning wines and their producers.  For a wine to receive a gold medal, a minimum of 90 points should be awarded by the jury. 

A long-held dream by the late Sir David Graaff to produce a first-class Bordeaux-style red blend, was realised in the spring of 2009 when the maiden 2006 vintage was released. The current 2015 vintage is a thoughtful construction of only the finest grapes by Cellar Master Charles Hopkins and consists of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards are situated in the Firgrove area, approximately 6 km from False Bay. The grapes are selected from specific sites focusing on lower yields, the age of the vines, and the soil types. The aver­age berry weight of the selected vines is less than a gram, making them small and delivering excellent flavour concentration. The Cabernet Franc thrives in Cape coffee stone while the Merlot and Petit Verdot both perform well in weathered blue Durbanville shale.

The name Rubaiyat is the Persian word for a quatrain: a verse comprising four lines reflecting the four varietal components of the blend. Inspiration came from the Graaff family’s treasured copy, acquired by Sir David Graaff’s grandfather, of a 19^th-century English translation of a lyrical poem by an 11^th-century Persian astronomer and mathematician pondering on life’s great questions. The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam covers more than 750 verses and the 2015 vintage of De Grendel’s Rubaiyat depicts one of the poem’s quatrains on its front label.  

And much as Wine has played the Infidel,

And robb’d me of my Robe of Honour – well,

I often wonder what the Vintners buy

One half so precious as the Goods they sell.

Subsequent vintages will each bear another quatrain. 

To purchase the De Grendel Rubaiyat 2015 online click here. 

What a fantastic start to the new year! De Grendel has been classified in South Africa’s Top 100 Most Highly Rated Wines 2019 in the Shiraz category and we are tremendously proud to have received this award, especially right at the beginning of 2019.

Stock up on all your favourite De Grendel wines before Friday, 1 March 2019 to beat the price increase.

The start of a new year means opportunities, and sometimes new beginnings. De Grendel is proud to welcome Amelia Truter, our new Loyalty Club coordinator.

Amelia joins De Grendel with great experience, having previously been part of the Nuy Winery and Overhex Wines International families. “I have gained a lot of experience in the wine industry whilst working there,” she explains. “I then relocated to Durbanville and am now enjoying being part of the De Grendel Loyalty club and team.”

2019 is officially in full force and De Grendel is proud to look back on a fantastic and successful 2018.

De Grendel has once again proven that they are a consistent producer of quality wine with their latest achievement at the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition for their De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2017. The awards ceremony was held at the spectacular Landtscap venue in Stellenbosch on Wednesday evening.

In one of the most competitive line-ups in the 22 year history of the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirts Awards, De Grendel walked away with pride winning the African Cellar Suppliers Pinot Noir Trophy with their Op Die Berg Pinot Noir 2015 as well as 3 double gold medals. Double Gold medals were awarded to the De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2017 and 2013 as well as the De Grendel Loyalty Club-exclusive Elim Shiraz 2016.