5 Top Moments at De Grendel in 2015
There were plenty of moments to celebrate at our beautiful farm this year!
#1 We Won A Batch Of Awards!
As fans of De Grendel, we know you love our wines, but it’s always exciting to receive accolades from the leaders in industry. The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirit Awards of South Africa awarded us with Platinum for De Grendel Rubaiyat 2013, Gold for De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2015 and De Grendel Op die Berg Pinot Noir 2012. De Grendel Rubaiyat 2013 proved to be our star of the year – it also won a Gold award at the IWSC Awards earlier in the year.
De Grendel Restaurant also came out tops in 2015. In November we walked away with two awards at the Klink Awards: the Award for Best Gourmet Restaurant on a Wine Farm and the Award For The Klink Nominee with the Most Consumer Votes. The American Express® Platinum Fine Dining Award also paid tribute to our home of fine dining, voting De Grendel Restaurant as one of the top 89 restaurants in the country!
#2 Launch of the De Grendel Tasting Lounge
Our exclusive area for wine tasting was launched and given a sophisticated look thanks to celebrated interior designer Graham Viney. The walls display trophies, artifacts and contemporary blue and white china, a family favourite. Edwardian antique furniture from the Graaff family’s collection where brought in to add warmth and ambience. Our guests can now ease back in true comfort and sample our wines for R50 (premium wines, or R30 for 3 wines) or our flagship wines for R80 (or R20 for each wine). We hope to welcome you here soon if you haven’t checked it out yet.
#3 The new & improved De Grendel Online Shop And Website Launched
While we know you love visiting the farm to sample and purchase our wines, there’s nothing fun about running low on stock of your favourite tipple! Delivered directly to your door, our online shop also offers you exclusive deals. We’ve been overwhelmed by your response – see you online again soon!
#4 We Went Even Greener!
It was a truly exciting moment on the farm when we installed solar panels in a step towards making De Grendel a more sustainable and environmentally aware venture. Our grapes thrive under the warmth of the sunny days we are privileged to enjoy on the farm – so it was time we used this free energy source to contribute to their growth and harvesting.
#5 Our Cellar Master Celebrated a Milestone
Charles Hopkins celebrated 10 years at the farm this year! He was lured to De Grendel from Graham Beck Wines in Franschoek when Sir David Graaff offered him the opportunity to not only head up winemaking at the new estate, but also to design and build his own cellar. He is one of South Africa’s most highly regarded winemakers, a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild and Chairman of the South African Wine Show Association.
We have many exciting innovations and events planned for you in 2016 – we’ll keep you posted!