A beautiful Cape Winelands harvest story unfolded when Nederburg recently hosted the grand prize winners of a harvest experience promotion by the Paarl winery, offered nationally over the past festive period.
The two competition frontrunners, Sibusisiwe Nzimande from Durban, and Juanita de Lille of Mitchell’s Plain, together with their partners, Sibonginkosi Msweli and Cheslin Vogt, took a magnificent harvest journey with Nederburg, learning how the bounty of nature is artfully and skilfully transformed into wine, while taking in the attractive sights, sounds and smells of the Cape.
Front row: Competition winners Juanita van Lille and Sibusisiwe Nzimande; Nederburg red-wine maker and assistant red-wine maker, Samuel Viljoen and Heinrich Kulsen; back row: winners Cheslin Vogt and Sibonginkosi Msweli; Nederburg cellar-master and assistant white-wine maker, Andrea Freeborough and Chandré Petersen.
The all-inclusive experience came complete with three nights of luxury accommodation, tasty lunches and dinners including multiple award-winning wines from Nederburg, wine tastings, as well as a cellar tour, exploration of the Old Cellar Museum for a fascinating glimpse of the Nederburg story, and a visit to Nederburg’s historic manor house dating to 1800, a national monument that is now home to The Red Table restaurant.
Juanita de Lille, Annetjie Hopkins, Sibonginkosi Msweli, Sibusisiwe Nzimande and Cheslin Vogt tasting a variety of Nederburg’s most awarded wines
They also participated in Nederburg’s very popular public ‘Harvest at Dusk Festival’, annually staged to celebrate and give thanks for the wine grape harvest. Here, under the expert guidance of cellar-master Andrea Freeborough, and Bennie Liebenberg, Nederburg’s viticulturist, they handled and tasted a selection of grape varieties, and were given the chance to taste some fresh grape must before it becomes wine.
Competition winners Juanita de Lille, Cheslin Vogt, Sibusisiwe Nzimande and Sibonginkosi Msweli in the Nederburg barrel cellar
As the sun set over the majestic Drakenstein Mountains, bathing the fully ripened vines in a warm orange and yellow glow, they joined festival-goers in hand-picking, and experienced first-hand the fun of grape stomping, immersing themselves in this traditional way of making wine.
Then it was time to relax with a bountiful harvest feast prepared by chef Edmore Ruzoza of The Red Table. The three-course meal did not disappoint, with family-style table platters, laden with delicious food, matched with outstanding Nederburg wines. The cherry on top was a live performance by South African singing sensation, Mathew Gold.
The winning couples’ weekend concluded with a tour of the Cape Peninsula, ending at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
