A Day in the Life at Oldenburg Vineyards: Pour yourself a glass of wine. Take a 20-minute time-out, and enjoy our immersive, visually stunning video showing a typical day at Oldenburg Vineyards – from vine to wine.
Click to watch video
| |
Help Wanted!
With unemployment levels around the world rocketing upwards, it is unlikely that the Help Wanted sign - a symbol of more prosperous times - will be visible in many places (if any) over the coming months. The world has indeed changed, but my hope is that we can make it through this pandemic and return to some level of normality soon. In May, our team began returning to work after Lockdown Level 5 turned into Lockdown Level 4; however, it has all been far from normal.
To ensure that our team can function safely and securely back at work, we have adopted a wide variety of protocols – following the guidelines and mandates of our local authorities. The team has been able to return to working on the farm, in the cellar and in the office (up to now, only on export orders but with Level 3 approaching, we are working to finally get local orders out soon!)”. A large portion of the team are now back: wearing masks, keeping appropriate social distance, commuting only in very small groups and taking a number of other precautions to keep safe.
While that takes us one step closer to normal, South Africa is just emerging from life after several months of Prohibition: during our lockdown, the sale of alcohol was entirely banned. The rationale behind the ban was an attempt to ensure heavy drinkers and their alcohol-related injuries were kept out of hospital, thus preserving hospital beds for Covid-19 patients. This was one of the most unusual consequences of the Covid-19 crisis – a hugely damaging one for Oldenburg (and the wine industry in general), and clearly a serious setback for us to overcome. Over the past few months, we also had restrictions on exports which, at times, left us with our only sales coming from Direct sales channels in the UK and Europe, where we have stock from which we delivered.
Here’s where you can help us – and by extension, our local community:
Since launching our <CL° Series wines, we have contributed R10 of every bottle sold to Aitsa! – a local after care centre. For the next few months, we will extend this built-in contribution to our entire range, and donate the proceeds to local feeding schemes.
This means that the Direct purchase of ANY of our wines contributes R10 (approximately half a Pound/Dollar/Euro) for each bottle sold, to those in need. Please contact orderwine@oldenburgvineyards.com for a pricelist, or to place your order. Thank you in advance for your help – it will certainly make a difference!
The Post Covid-19 world – Wine as an Investment
As many of you may know, my career has been in investing. I have spent a large amount of time over the past few months informing myself about the consequences of Covid-19 on our economic future. Without going into too much finance-speak (this is a wine newsletter, after all) I am now of the opinion that once we get through the deflationary impact that is occurring due to the shutting down of our world’s economy, we will then head into an inflationary world. I believe this will be a significant and important change, with far-reaching consequences. While I realise the South African economy is generally an inflationary environment, the rest of the world has pretty much been a disinflationary one - for nearly the past 40 years! I believe that the economic solution for Covid-19 being applied, in the large economies, is one of printing vast amounts of their currencies to bridge the economic chaos of the virus, to when things normalise. Huge budget deficits are being financed by vast monetary printing, and although Central Banks claim they will wind back this money when times improve, my bet is that this will not happen. It might not even be possible. It is therefore my strong conviction that one of the consequences will be a few decades of inflation, and possibly even high inflation.
Why do I mention this? Well, in an inflationary environment one needs to hold ‘hard assets’ – gold being a common one. Another is - of course – wine. I believe the future economic environment adds a very compelling reason to buy and store great quality wines. I believe that our wines potentially now offer a Triple Merit investment opportunity: firstly, our wine quality is moving up each year and with the many quality focused initiatives we have implemented in the past 5 years, this upward trend still has some way to go. Secondly, South African wines trade at a major discount to global like-for-like peers, however this gap is narrowing. Add to this the fact that older vintages of SA wines are now appreciating, as is the norm globally. Finally, a switch to an inflationary world will add to this trend. Taking a 10 or 20 plus year view, one will do very well to invest in wine. And as an added bonus: you will not run out next time there is a Lockdown!
To conclude that train of thought: if the above sounds like an appealing strategy, then you can invest in any of our wines. I would recommend our Rondekop Series – specifically the Per Se or the Rhodium. We offer a convenient storage plan where you can purchase our wines now and leave them to be stored at Oldenburg Vineyards - in the same ideal conditions that I store my own vintage collection. By the way, I will personally be following this strategy. Oldenburg as a business has already implemented it as well. I would be happy to discuss this with any of you, just drop me an email on adrian@oldenburgvineyards.com.
Meanwhile, back in the cellar, Nic and the team have been busy bottling. On one of our Zoom calls, Nic was telling me about the Grenache Noir 2019 that has just been bottled. He is very excited about it, and there are only 2000 bottles of it available - so stay tuned in a few months for when we release it (and if you’d like to enjoy a pre-release notification, you should join the 8 Elements Wine Club). Hopefully, the wizards of Silicon Valley will work out how you can actually taste on a Zoom call soon!
In conclusion, I trust that you are all staying safe and that the Lockdown Blues are not overwhelming you. Pour yourself a glass of wine, take a 20-minute break and watch the video made by my son Max during harvest 2020 (featured at the top of the newsletter). It is a beautifully immersive glimpse into a day in the life at Oldenburg. Thinking back to the filming, it seems a lifetime ago. I was his gaffer and it was fun cruising around getting the shots, particularly the early morning ‘starburst’ sun shots. Oldenburg is indeed a very special place, and both Vanessa and I are now longing to return, soonest.
| |
Rondekop Stone Axe 2017
With the winter chill settling in over the country, now is the perfect time to indulge in some decadent red wines to help stave off the cold. And possibly one of the most luxurious wines in our line-up at the moment, is the Rondekop Stone Axe 2017.
Representing a small selection of the best barrels, this 100% Syrah is named after the many stone axes (tools used by the early humans who settled in this valley) found on Rondekop. Today, we have Syrah blocks planted in this special place, producing a spectacular wine.
This wine is elegance, bottled. Rich, vibrant and deep purple hues fill the glass, inviting you in. The nose carries vanilla, violets, rose petals and lavender in layers of increasing complexity. The palate is rich – luscious fruit up front, followed by white pepper and finishing with a crescendo of vanilla. Over time, aromas of mocha, white chocolate and savoury compote completes the sublime palate. Velvety tannins and an exceptionally balanced acidity perfects the backbone of this beautiful wine.
Imminently enjoyable right now, this wine will age to perfection over the next 6 to 8 years.
The Rondekop Stone Axe 2017 is currently available directly from the winery at R390 per bottle. Order online or email orderwine@oldenburgvineyards.com to place your order.
| |
|
Siphesihle Toto - Tasting Room Assistant
As the winter chill sets in, we sit down to have a chat with one of the warmest smiles in The Tasting Room – Siphesihle (or Siphe, as we all know her) Toto. Originally all the way from Cradock, Siphe grew up in Cape Town. She attended Ikhusi Primary and Bulumko High School in Khayalitsha. After matric, she had an interest in teaching. Growing up, she had always helped her aunt teach disadvantaged children, by helping them with their school work.
Shortly after finishing high school, she found out about and applied to the Pinotage Youth Development Academy, where she was accepted and completed the Wine Tourism programme in 2017.
After taking her first job at another wine farm, she joined the Oldenburg Vineyards team in 2019 and was recently appointed as a permanent member of the team.
While Siphe had an early interest in teaching, she is currently enjoying exploring all the wine industry has to offer. During lockdown, The Tasting Room team have been busy with some intensive training, to improve their wine knowledge. Siphe has been enjoying this opportunity, as it helps her prepare to further her studies. She plans on pursuing her WSET Level 3 qualification, so she can see where the world of wine takes her. Her interest is people – she loves engaging with them, learning about their culture, learning about where they’re from and sharing her wine knowledge with them.
Her favourite part of working at Oldenburg Vineyards is the VIEW. No other place compares for her. And she loves being part of a team that’s helpful and friendly, and always ready to assist her if she needs a hand.
When she isn’t delighting guests in The Tasting Room, she enjoys watching movies. Horror movies are her favourite, and she watches them with her mom – who’s also a big fan! She still helps the children in the neighbourhood with their homework, and loves spending time with her family.
Siphe is looking forward to when The Tasting Room can reopen safely, to welcome everyone back for a glass of wine and our wonderful view.
| |
Facebook Live / Instagram TV (IGTV) Virtual Tastings | Weekly Events
While events in the world out there are on hold for now, we are bringing the tasting experience to you, virtually and in the comfort of your own home. Join us on Facebook and Instagram, where we will be streaming live tastings with winemaker Nic van Aarde, and Brand Ambassador Stefan Reinmuth, on a regular basis. Be sure to check our Facebook Page and Instagram account for up-to-date information on when the next virtual tasting will be.
| |
If you have any comments, questions or feedback for us – about the newsletter or anything else, for that matter – please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Simply hit “Reply” and send us your thoughts. We would love to hear from you.
Warm wishes in wine,
| |
Pride, Ambition, Respect, Team
ADRIAN VANDERSPUY
Proprietor
| |
|
|
|
|
