NEDERBURG: CRAFTED OVER TWO
CENTURIES
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Walk into Nederburg’s
pristine, temperature-controlled cellars on any given day and you will find
cellarmaster Razvan Macici and his colleagues Tariro Masayiti and Wilhelm
Pienaar, quietly and intently tasting, blending, comparing and choosing from
the many barrels and tanks from which the farm’s famous wines are made, not
just for the tables of South Africans but wine enthusiasts on every continent.
When Philippus Wolvaart
received the title deed to his Klein Drakenstein farm from the Dutch East India
Company in 1791, he called his property Nederburg, after a local official. Little could he have known that one day it
would become a household name for generations of South Africans, and now for
winelovers further afield. Clearing his
49 hectares of land at the foot of the majestic Drakenstein Mountains and
planting his vineyards in unchartered terrain, he could scarcely have realised
he was laying the foundations for South Africa’s most awarded winery. Nor could
he have imagined that the graceful house he built for his wife, who never lived
to see its completion, would become an icon in the Paarl winelands and a symbol
of refinement and hospitality.
More than two centuries later, Nederburg has become internationally recognised
for its hallmark fusion of fruit and finesse, a style that combines classical
elegance with purity of fruit expression and lively, refreshing flavours. It’s
an honest and authentic authentic approach to winemaking that appeals to
critics worldwide, earning trophies, medals and accolades on international and
domestic competitions every year but also delighting others, who may just drink
wine for the simple pleasures it gives.
“We don’t make wines to win
awards”, says Nederburg cellarmaster Razvan Macici, who has continued the
prize-winning legacy of his luminary predecessors like Günter Brözel and Johann
Graue. “Just like in the days of
Philippus Wolvaart and those who followed after him, we make wines to please
people’s palates - for the sheer enjoyment of good taste. That has always been Nederburg’s focus and it
is built on the premise that you need the best quality fruit to make the best
quality wine.”
While there have been many
changes since those early days, much endures unaltered. Nederburg may be one of the most popular
destinations for visitors to the winelands but it is no mere showpiece. It remains as much a working farm as when it
began, although far bigger in size today.
It is here that grapes are harvested, sorted, vinified, bottled and
labeled before being distributed to markets locally and abroad.
The house Wolvaart built
for his family, completed in 1800, still stands proudly as one of the best
examples of Cape Dutch architecture.
Beautifully gabled and finely proportioned, it is generously shaded by
trees and overlooks exquisite and expansive gardens bordered by roses, clivia
and many fragrant examples of indigenous flora.
The homestead features the original Batavian floor tiles and yellowwood
timber and has been faithfully restored and furnished with period pieces. To enter the peaceful tranquility of the
thatched-roofed, white-washed, H-shaped Nederburg manor house is to experience
a distillation of life lived over 200 years ago.
When you drive up to the tasting complex, you notice the meticulously
tended vineyards, nurtured by a team of viticulturists. They follow environmentally sound growing
principles that show the greatest respect for the land that sustains the vines
on which Nederburg has built its reputation. The winery was the first to be
evaluated in the pilot study that led to the development of South Africa’s
eco-friendly Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) programme in 1998 and which
has since been hailed as the most progressive of its kind amongst
wine-producing countries anywhere in the world.
All grapes from which Nederburg wines are made, are IPW-certified.
It was the same
underpinning respect for the land that had originally led Johann Graue to
pioneer new viticultural practices when he bought the farm in 1937. He understood long before his peers that you
needed superior quality plant material to grow superior vines and he introduced
a programme of clonal selection that set the parameters for Nederburg’s
present-day highly sophisticated plant nursery. The work of specialists here is
enhanced through Nederburg’s access to
international research applied to enhance quality through soil, water and
canopy management in the vineyards to consistently deliver outstanding quality,
flavourful and well-balanced fruit.
Graue also introduced
far-reaching winemaking techniques to promote quality to critical acclaim,
spurring his successor, Günter Brözel to make his own innovations that still
further strengthened Nederburg’s award-winning reputation. Today, Razvan Macici and his team continue to
focus on cellar technology to ensure the best possible environment in which to
make wines by reducing the handling of the grapes to the minimum and so give
the fruit the best possible opportunity to show it inherent characters.
Nederburg has also invested
extensively in oak vats from France, Eastern Europe and North America in which
to ferment some of its wines and to age its reds, as well as selected whites.
Many of the cellar team’s
best efforts are showcased, along with those of other top South African
wineries, at the annual Nederburg Auction, rated one of the top four wine
auctions internationally. The wines Nederburg offers on auction are available
exclusively through this channel and are labelled as Private Bin, setting them
apart from its other wines. They can be
purchased by licensed traders, who in turn, can offer them to consumers on the
open market. The exclusivity of the
auction extends beyond the wines themselves. The event also remains a
must-attend social occasion on the South African wine calendar and every year
thousands of rands are raised in aid of the Nederburg Charity Trust, whose
beneficiaries are the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South
Africa, Organ Donor Foundation and an AIDS-HIV-support NGO, Mothers2Mothers.
Nederburg’s range is
designed to accommodate a broad spectrum of palates and pockets from wines for
relaxed, everyday enjoyment to those catering to more specialist, connoisseur
tastes. Common to all is a relentless focus on excellence and the closest
attention to detail, resulting in acclaim and awards not just for the top-end
wines but also for the mainstream, accessibly priced and accessibly styled
offerings.
At the apex of the range
are two blends: Ingenuity White, twice accorded a five-star rating in the Platter’s South African Wine Guide and
made from eight white varietals, and Ingenuity Red, also much decorated and
made from three relatively unusual Italian cultivars. The Manor House ensemble
of varietal wines are made from the best-of-best grapes to reach Nederburg’s
cellars. Special vineyards, selected for
their outstanding fruit, are earmarked for this purpose. The wines, named to
reflect the harmonious proportions of Nederburg’s homestead include a Shiraz,
once judged the best in the world on the International Wine & Spirit
Competition in London; a Cabernet Sauvignon; a Sauvignon Blanc, selected as one
of South Africa’s best examples of the varietal by WINE magazine; and a Chardonnay.
Nederburg’s Winemaster’s Reserve line-up includes a broad spectrum of
finely balanced varietal and blended red and white wines, including the famous
Baronne that for some South Africans has become synonymous with wine
itself. The Noble Late Harvest is one of
the most awarded, and in 2009, won no fewer than six accolades including two
international trophies, double gold medals, and a five-star Platter rating.
The entry-level Foundation
wines offer accessible enjoyment and amongst them you will find Lyric, Duet and
the off-dry Rosé, in its inimitable teardrop bottle.
Nederburg’s agreement with
FIFA has also resulted in a special trio of wines to mark the 2010 FIFA World
Cup ™. The three limited-edition wines
are a Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry rosé, and a Sauvignon blanc, available locally
and in selected markets abroad till the end of the year.
Each of the 2010 FIFA World
Cup™ wines will feature a special facility on the back label that will enable
consumers to instantly access information on Nederburg by clicking on a unique
QR code with their cellphone cameras. The information will then appear on their
phone screens.
Many of Nederburg’s
award-winning offerings can be sampled at the winery’s tasting complex with
fine views of the Drakenstein Mountains, vineyards and exquisitely tended
gardens. Cool and shaded in summer, the general tasting area is made cosy in
winter with a welcoming fire. Tours of
the farm, the cellars and the historical quarters start here too.
Visitors can enjoy their
wines with tasty mezze platters. During
the summer months, picnic baskets brimming with home-made delicacies can be
pre-ordered (preferably two days’ in advance), while in winter, delectable
platters are on offer. For special
events and by appointment, breakfast, lunch and dinner can be arranged for
private groups in the manor house.
The manor house, for
example, is the venue for a gourmet pairing of Manor House and Ingenuity wines,
with contemporary Cape cuisine.
The farm also hosts outdoor
concerts, harvesting activities and other special days.
Call (021) 862 3104, send
an e-mail to nedwines@distell.co.za
or visit www.nederburg.co.za
