Does anyone else feel like they blinked and 2019 flew past?
We are still adjusting to the idea that Christmas is here, but we’re not complaining. We would like to take this opportunity – our last newsletter for 2019 – to wish all our customers, fans, friends and family a wonderful festive season. Thank you for your continued support this year, we look forward to supplying you with even more fabulous wine in the New Year.
Following shortly after all the festive celebrations, is another super special celebration you do not want to miss out on. Remember to get your hands on tickets for the 2020 Pinot Noir Celebration, happening on 24-25 January! We cannot wait to see you there.
Great (festive) wine wishes
The La Vierge Team
Last chance!
The 7th annual Pinot Noir Celebration is so close we can almost taste it. And we’d love nothing more than to raise a glass (or two) of fantastic Pinot Noir with you while toasting this fabulous event, our world-class wines and the exciting things ahead in 2020.
For details about the event, the program and tips on where to stay, visit the Pinot Noir Celebration website. You can either visit for the day or spend the weekend. Whichever ticket you decide on, you’re going to have a blast. See you there!
| Stoffel in the spotlight Not all super heroes wear masks and capes… Some make sure that the operational aspects of your farm run smoothly. And our number one super hero is called Stoffel Damons, Foreman of Babylon Farm where the grapes that go into our award-winning wines are grown. Stoffel started at Babylon Farm in 2013 and has since become an invaluable member of the team. He says he enjoys working in a team where he is valued and his opinions are taken seriously. “We had some tough times with bad rainfall and challenges with equipment in the beginning. We struggled, but we persevered and things got better. The farm has grown and production has increased. It makes me very proud to see our wines on the shelves and to know that I helped to get them there.” When talking about what lies ahead in 2020 and beyond, Stoffel is very optimistic. He muses about young blocks of vineyard that he is excited to see produce excellent wines and how he would love for the workers to learn even more skills. His positive attitude is contagious. Thank you for your hard work, Stoffel. We appreciate you. |
| Festive season trading hours To make sure that you get maximum opportunity to enjoy our fabulous wines (and of course, our Wine, Chocolate and Nougat pairing) we’ve extended the trading hours of both our Tasting Room and our Restaurant. The Tasting Room is now open for an extra 2 hours EVERY DAY! Tasting Room: Open 7 days a week, 10:00 – 19:00. Closed 25 December & 1 January. Restaurant: Open Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00 – 16:00, selected Saturdays. Closed 25 December & 1 January. Bookings: Tasting Room 028 313 0130 & Restaurant 028 313 2007 |
Brrrrrrr…
We promised you exclusive, behind-the-scenes, info about everyday life on the farm. Therefore, you are the first to share in our exciting news. We recently took delivery of our brand new cooling container for Babylon Farm.
But what would we need a cooling container for? Harvested grapes will be placed in the container to cool down before being processed. This allows us to harvest more grapes for processing in one day, with complete peace of mind that the already harvested grapes are waiting in a safe and snug environment. Happy grapes = spectacular wine!
Poetry Competition Winner
In the August edition of our newsletter, we offered a bottle of our award-winning The Affair Pinot Noir to the person who wrote us the best poem about Pinot Noir. And here it is… Submitted by Charles Botes from Johannesburg, we simply adore this beautiful ode to a sometimes contradictory, but always delicious, wine. Enjoy your bottle of wine, Charles… You deserve it!
Pinot Noir…Hey You… Oir!
Hey, you, you are so contradictory, yet so compatible…
You are difficult, but so easy,
You are intricate, but yet, so accessible,
You are secretive, but also an open book,
you are bold, but timid,
You are voluptuous, but sometimes very shy,
You are seductive, but elusive,
You are confident, but introvertish,
You are everywhere, but secluded,
You are Pinot, but also Noir,
You are dark, but also light.
You are a Fab-Affair…
I want you, all of you…!
Early bird gets the worm
If you missed out on staying in our fantastic cottage during the festive season, do not worry… All is not lost. There’s always Easter weekend 2020 and the next school holiday. Book the most beautiful accommodation available in the whole of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley for your next winelands getaway.
Visit the Country Escapes website to book your stay right now!