Yay! Look what we got! Let’s introduce you to the newest member of the patented Delheim Jack Russell Tribe^TM

She is a little girl, and her name is Vuvu. 

Just look at the size (or lack of it) of the little thing!

All together now………. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!

Well, wasn’t Father’s Day at Delheim a treat!

What a beautiful day!

The weather was sparkling, and the restaurant and tasting room full to overflowing.  We had planned to seat all inside the restaurant and Downstairs tasting cellar as we expected it to be as cold as it has been for the last week or two.  In the event it turned out to be a lovely, warm day, and most everybody went out onto the garden terraces where they lounged for the afternoon drinking in the sunshine, the spectacular view, and of course, the wines!

Hippo aka "The L'ill Beggar"

Hippo, or “The L’il Beggar” as he is affectionately known, did his usual rounds (see photo) and by all accounts was well rewarded (as he usually is, as you no doubt will note from his [*cough*] unique physique.)

Helene van Heerden, Sylvia Coetzee and Bruno Ruegg

So popular was the wine blending competition that we decided to divide it into two categories on the day: “Father” and “Not-a-Father”.

“Father” category winner Bruno Rüegg showed he could blend a red wine too, after having won a white wine blending competition at Delheim in a previous year. His blend of 40% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot and 30% Shiraz, with its deep berry nose, was perfectly balanced and followed smoothly through on the palate to the finish.

Lots of advice – solicited or otherwise - was being dished out to the blenders, and Dad Keith Munro had lots of help from his son making the “Dad’s Vuvu Vino!” blend, although junior was heard to complain after about an hour: “I’m not tasting ANY MORE wine, Dad!”.

Keith Munro and "helpers"

Delheim’s Sales Manager, Mignon, presided over the competition as judge and jury, and was therefore badgered, bribed and flattered in every way in an effort to sway her – to no avail, she insists!

“Father” category winners:

Best Blend: Bruno Rüegg with “Delesi”; First Runner-Up: Keith Munro with “Dad’s Vuvu Vino!”; Second Runner-Up: Willy Fergussen with “Kloofbosch Red”; Best Name/Description: Marc Joubert with “Marcus – from ‘Mars”, the God of War. Speaks of a history of conquest, achievement and growth. Protector of his (extended) family, Marcus values relationships and cares deeply for those around him. This wine will warm your heart with family and friends, and aims to highlight the things in life worth fighting for!”

“Not-A-Father” category winners:

Winners of best blend "Fraulein": Conrad, Marisa, Sigrid and Phillip

Best Blend: Conrad, Sigrid, Marisa & Phillip (pictured) with “Fraulein”; Best Name/Description: Ruan Beneke with “Ol’ Razlot Nr 40 - A poetic blend of Delheim’s secrets, leaving you with an aftertaste of chocolate, olives and Brenda” [ed. note: Brenda is Delheim’s winemaker!]

From L to R Paul Fourie, Wilma du Toit, Hannelize Robinson, Ruan Beneke, Rudi Scheepers

Special mention goes to the names “Delheim Red Rocker” (David Bell) and “DellaZella” (Byron Hollander).

During the afternoon, soccer tourists started arriving – we received Americans, Brazilians, Spaniards and Portuguese among many others – so there was no let-up as everybody tucked themselves into the cosy Downstairs tasting cellar to watch the late afternoon match.

An immensely enjoyable afternoon – we are so privileged at Delheim to be able to share this lovely old wine estate with you all!

THE DELHEIM TEAM

We had a very successful opening of Joshua Miles’ exhibition at Delheim last night – a feast of art, ceramics, jewellery, lighting design, music, food and wine. Thank you to everybody who attended! Herewith a catalogue of Joshua’s work that will be on exhibition at Delheim’s “Downstairs” tasting cellar until the end of the year.

Joshua Miles catalogue Afrikaans                         Joshua Miles catalogue English

Joshua Miles and wife Angela

Lights by Albertus Maree

Aninka Harms

Johan Swart and his ceramics

Nelson Buthelezi

Ons is baie trots daarop dat Nelson Buthelezi van Delheim een van die vyf finaliste van die SA Kelderwerker-van-die-Jaar Program 2010 is.  Die resultate sal op 27 Augustus 2010 bekendgemaak word – ons kan nie wag nie!

"Early Summer"

Delheim invites you to join us at what promises to be a memorable opening of Joshua Miles’ forthcoming exhibition “Delheim – Worth the Journey”.  Joshua is an expert in the art of reduction woodcutting – a very rare and difficult skill. 

Miles was given the commission to interpret twelve views of the stunning Delheim wine estate – something he has done with assurance and incredible perception. 

His reduction woodcut process involves selecting a block of wood, cutting away specific parts on the surface, rolling the lightest colour ink to be used in the work over it, and then pressing it on specially-made paper.  He then cuts away another layer, repeating the process for each colour that he intends to use.  The result is astonishing; the amount of detail achieved difficult to grasp given the medium. His speciality is his masterful depiction of water and light, in true impressionistic style. 

Due to the process involved, in which, by definition, the original artwork gets “destroyed” in the process of creation, he is able to produce a maximum of ten original prints of each work.  These will be numbered accordingly, and unframed prints will be for sale at the opening as well as afterwards in the Delheim gift shop at R3 000 each. 

For the opening of this unique exhibition on 25 May, Miles will be joined by fellow local artists Aninka Harms (jewellery), Johan Swart (ceramics), Guy Livingstone (music), and Albertus Maree (funky lighting), in a joint exhibition hosted by Delheim in its “Downstairs” cellar and restaurant.  Please join us at any time between 15h00 and 20h00 on the day, for a veritable feast of art, music and food. 

About the artists: 

Joshua Miles captures various scenes at the beautiful Delheim wine estate in his impressionistic and delicate woodblocks, combining masterful cutting with Japanese-style simplicity and sharpness. http://www.baardskeerdersbosartroute.com/joshuamiles.htm

Aninka Harms, with her many international awards for jewellery design, makes the most of South Africa’s abundant raw materials of gold, platinum, and diamonds, to create unique, one-of-a-kind family-heirloom pieces. http://www.aninkaharms.com/

Johan Swart is dedicated to the magic of clay, and the joys of shaping it.  His true passion is for Raiku, in which he gives classes.  He believes that everyone has a specific destiny set aside for them and feels very lucky to have found his;  he is “grateful that clay chose me to shape it. In clay I am able to express myself, share myself, find myself.” He welcomes anyone who would like to experience the joy and therapeutic value that the clay has to offer for classes – details at http://www.ceramicsjcs.co.za/studio.html

Guy Livingston, a member of the legendary Sperling family of Delheim, has conducted an impressive career as pianist and producer. In his latest oeuvre, “One Minute More”, Livingston presents sixty short films, accompanied by sixty different composers, for sixty seconds each – performed by himself on the piano.  Musical and film techniques range from modern-classical through DJ-based minimalism and on to theatrical performance-art.  http://www.guylivingston.com/

Albertus Maree of Stellenbosch has produced a series of eye-catching lights from a variety of materials. Maree graduated with a B.Sc. from the UNISA and his B.Sc. Honours from the University of Stellenbosch. Since 1995 he has concentrated on designing unusual lighting using a combination of traditional and alternative methods. 

Hope to see you there! 

THE DELHEIM TEAM

PROGRAMME

BLIND WINE TASTING COMPETITION FOR MOTHERS

Come and test your skills!

Prizes:

First:  A magnum of Delheim Pinotage and a Delheim “Ageing to Perfection” sweater

Second: A Bird Feeder, a bottle of Delheim Spatzendreck wine and two Delheim glasses

Third: A bottle of Gabriele fortified red wine & Gabriele chocolate

LUNCH

German gemütlichkeit is the order of the day in this garden restaurant in its

stunning setting with a view clear across to Table Mountain in the distance. 

In case of rain, we will move to the cosy “Downstairs” Cellar.

Set Menu:

A complementary glass of wine from our “Lifestyle” range

(Sauvignon Blanc-Chenin Blanc 2009, Pinotage Rosé 2009,

Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 2008, or Spatzendreck Late Harvest 2009)

~~~~~

Butternut & Orange Soup

served with freshly-baked farm bread

~~~~~

Oven-Baked Franschhoek Salmon Trout

served on rocket with grilled vegetables & baby potatoes

OR

Cape Malay Chicken Curry

served with basmati rice, a poppadum & mango salsa

OR

Balsamic-Infused Pork Fillet & Sweet Peppers

served with savoury mashed potatoes

(vegetarian option available on request – please specify when you make your reservation)

~~~~~

Mascarpone Cheesecake topped with Apricots in a Delheim “Natural Sweet” wine reduction

~~~~~

Coffee/Tea

Blind tasting competition, set lunch and complementary glass of wine – R150 p/p

______________________________________

Kiddies Menu (under 12 yrs):

Bratwurst Roll or Fish Cake

served with potato chips and tomato sauce

and

a Gabriele Chocolate Brownie

A glass of Fruit Juice or Sparkling Grape Juice

R50 per child

Booking essential at Tel: (021) 888-4607, or make your reservations at restaurant@delheim.com

The Phoenician ship in Table Harbour

Delheim is very excited to be associated with the Phoenician Ship Expedition currently docked in Cape Town (www.phoenicia.org.uk). This expedition is seeking to rediscover and document the secrets of ancient Phoenician mariners by attempting to recreate one of mankind’s greatest exploratory voyages, the first circumnavigation of Africa by Phoenician mariners in 600BC, in a replica Phoenician/Mediterranean vessel. 

The Phoenician Ship Expedition launched from Arwad, Syria in August 2008, sailed through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea, and eventually docked at Yemen. Phase Two, launched in August 2009, saw Phoenicia rounding the Horn of Africa and sailing down the east coast. Negotiating the dangers of the Cape of Good Hope was a critical point in the expedition, but the ship is now safely berthed at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront. 

The Phoenicians were regarded as ‘rulers of the sea’ and their trading activities reached as far as Cornwall for tin, and India and China for spices and precious goods. Delheim has loaded some of its Muscadel 2008 with this ship’s cargo to follow its ancient trading route back to Syria. 

The Muscadel grape is the world’s oldest known grape variety – it has been cultivated and harvested in the Mediterranean for more than 3000 years and some wine historians say it was the first grape to evolve. It was certainly the first grape to be used in winemaking. 

In ancient times, Muscadel grapes were used mostly for making raisins, and Roman physicians prescribed them to cure anything from mushroom poisoning to old age! So valuable were these raisins at the time that two jars of them were worth one slave. Pliny the Elder called Muscadel the “grape of the bees”, as they are uncontrollably attracted to the powerfully sweet odour, the result of a tendency to rot slightly on the vine, with the berries developing a very soft skin and a high sugar content. There are over 200 varieties of Muscadel grape and the wine made from it was known to ancient Egyptians, Arabs and Africans. 

The Phoenician voyage will continue up the west coast of Africa, through the Straits of Gibraltar and across the Mediterranean to return to Syria, where the special wooden box of Delheim Muscadel 2008 will be handed to the First Lady, Asma Assad, an avid supporter of the expedition. 

A white Muscadel was the first wine ever made at Delheim in Stellenbosch in 1948, so it was particularly pleasing that the 2008 Muscat de Frontignon was so outstanding. Harvested late in the season at 34.3 Balling, it comprised an exceptionally good mix of healthy grapes, raisins and berries that were packed with botrytis. 

Whole bunches went directly into the press for overnight skin contact, after which fermentation was induced by the addition of a selected yeast strain, and at the desired sugar level, fortification took place. To respect the fruit, no wood treatment was given, and only 3 320 bottles were produced. 

Back in 1948 it was very difficult to source proper wine bottles, so Delheim’s first wine was presented in a beer bottle instead. Only a small quantity of the 2008 Delheim Muscat is being sold – again in beer bottles – exclusively in the Delheim Downstairs Tasting Cellar at R95 per bottle (please contact orders@delheim.com for more information).

UPDATE – 14/4/2010:  The ship has just left St Helena where it has been berthed for a week, and is now headed for the Ascension Islands.  When it crosses the equator, the crew will be holding the traditional “crossing the line” ceremony, complete with “King Neptune”, and the Captain has promised to toast Delheim on that occasion with a bottle of our Grand Reserve.

Update – 23/4/2010: Captain Philip writes: “We have made pretty good progress over the last few weeks and are now approaching the equator- some 350 miles. At our recent speed that will mean we should be there on Sunday. However the winds will probably drop over the next day or so and it could be Monday before we are there. In any event I’ll send you an email when we are a few miles/hours off. If we reach it at night time we will have the ceremony the next day. Will send you some pictures of certain members of the crew being initiated by King Neptune and of the consumption of your lovely wine afterwards.”

The past week has been one of the hottest we have ever experienced in the Cape. Yesterday it was 43 degrees Celcius with no relief in sight. We are nearing the end of the smallest vintage ever seen on Delheim but hopefully the longest tourism season will make up for this. World Cup fever has set in and our own soccer team – Delheim United – will be going to one of the World Cup matches to enjoy the sport at another level. We look forward to welcoming you all to the farm in the near future.

This morning 144 mountain riders joined us at Delheim for our annual fundraising event for the Anna Foundation. With tracks ranging from 7 to 15 km single-track across the farm it wasn’t easy, but certainly some of the most spectacular scenery in the Cape was on show.  14 children from Anna Foundation training groups took part in the event.

All mountain bike riders are invited to join us on Sunday 22 November for the annual fundraising mountain bike event. Once a year we open up our mountain for everyone to enjoy. For more information www.dirtopia.co.za to make your booking. For more information on the Anna Foundation you can see our website and how they help with life skills and biking at Delheim.