It's a revolution

The Revolution in motion (picture)

2011-11-28T22:23:00.001-08:00

The official video of the 2011 Swartland Revolution is here. Made by the multi-talented and enthusiastic Frenchman, Sébastien Burel, who flew in for the weekend to capture the event of film.

He says, in his intro "probably the best wine related public event in the world. It is definitely the craziest, the funniest and also the most serious one, when it goes to the quality of the wines tasted during the weekend."

Enjoy!

A revolution in pictures, day 2

2011-11-15T07:11:00.001-08:00

Mullineux Magic:

Beer break:

Expert Opinion:

Bar Bar Black Sheep Festival Feast:

Swartland Independent Street Party:

Photos by Maree Louw, Naturallight Photography.
Lunch at Bar Bar Black Sheep.
Styled with the help of Cornelia Badenhorst, De Liefde.
For more pictures of the tastings and lunch etc visit Maree's blog, just click here for pictures from the Reuben's BBQ, click here.

Photos from the revolution - Day 1

2011-11-15T06:13:00.001-08:00

They have arrived! The first of the official Swartland Revolution pictures, taken by Maree Louw.
We are so blessed to have so many amazing skills in our extended Swartland Family. You may see the men (and Andrea, deservedly so) on the posters and up on the stage, but behind every successful wine maker is a stylish wife.

Maree (Callie's wife) Louw took these pictures at this week's Revolution in Riebeek Kasteel.

Registration @ The Royal Hotel:

Quality First a tasting by Olivier Clape:

Reuben's BBQ Extravaganza:

Lucky for most, Maree didn't make it to 6 Degrees...

Tasting & Registration @ The Royal Hotel.
BBQ @ Bazaar.
Bazaar, styled by Cornelia Badenhorst, De Liefde with the help of various Swartland legends.
For more pictures of the tastings and lunch etc visit Maree's blog, just click here for pictures from the Reuben's BBQ, click here.

Sit, feast on your life...

2011-11-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to bed dreaming about the BBQ dinner menu, this morning I woke up to find the Bar Bar Black Sheep lunch menu in my inbox. The excitement is getting too much now.

So, if you are one of last year's Revolutionaries who can't remember the BBBS menu after all the Bollinger and wine, or if you are a revolution virgin - all you need to know is you are in for a treat!

Tapas and Mezze Starters

Roasted red pepper hummus

Oak smoked aubergine pate

Olive Tapenade

Cucumber mint and thick Greek yoghurt raita with borridge flowers

Marinated shrimps and mussels with gremolata

Courgette and flower battered and deep fried with parmesan and lemon juice

Salad with greens, olives, tomatoes, locally made feta, balsamic and shiraz reduction

Olive and rosemary coarse salt bread

Spinach, oregano and feta puff pastry tart

Roasted red and yellow sweet bell peppers with anchovies and caper berries

Baked lemons with artichokes, Rosa tomatoes, anchovies and cream cheese

Mains

Rosemary, garlic and lemon lamb off the spit

Brinjal, pepper, courgette and tomato vegetable Moussaka

Warm baby potato, pea, mint and butter salad

Dessert

Dark chocolate cakes with white chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries

(blog title from a poem by Derek Walcott)

Bloody brilliant BBQ

2011-11-07T07:20:00.000-08:00

We just received the final menu for the Reuben's BBQ on Friday night. Now we are really beyond excited...

Here is a teaser...

For the carnivores:
cape malay, marinated Merweville lamb leg sosaties, dried fruits
rudis pork braai wors, camembert, organic dried cranberries and rocket
bbq chicken wings
sticky spare ribs
thai marinated chalmar sirloin
traditional skilpadjies

On the side:
kachumber tomato, cucumber red onion, mint, coriander, salad
potato salad, boiled egg, sweet mustard dressing
pasta salad baby marrow &mint
red &green cabbage salad, onion, garlic, chilli, cumin, coriander
traditional rice salad
slap hakskeentjies

sweet dreams:
traditional cape brandy pudding with custard & fresh fruits

Sold Out...

2011-11-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

With the countdown at 10 days till the Revolution, we have officially SOLD OUT.
A big thank you (and congratulations) to those who bought tickets, we are really looking forward to hosting you in Riebeek next weekend.

You are in for a treat...

You can however still come to the Swartland Independent Street Party, an open tasting of wines from 13 local producers. Tickets for this part of the event (on Saturday 12.11.11 from 14.30 till 17.00) are still on sale online or on the day at only R50 per person... click here for more!

Chenin, Sharp Sharp...

2011-10-27T01:33:00.000-07:00

Four Swartland Chenin Blanc wines made it onto the wine pages of iSavour (released with the Sunday paper in Johannesburg and KZN) last weekend.

It seems even famous folk are loving the Swartland Chenins:

Top four Sommeliers

2011-10-19T02:41:00.000-07:00

The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Awards, launched at last year's Revolution, has announced four finalists for the inaugural 2011 competition.

After passing through the testing Semi-Finals, four bright young sommeliers will take part in the Finals of The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award on Friday 21 October 2011, this will take place at The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, on Victoria Road beyond Camps Bay. The winner and runner-up will be announced at 19h00 on Friday, 11th November 2011, at the Swartland Revolution.

The finalists are:

Joakim Hansi Blackadder, GM / Sommelier at The Roundhouse Restaurant, Camps Bay

Josephine Gutentoft, Sommelier at Grande Roche Hotel and Restaurant, Paarl

Wayve Kolevsohn, Restaurant Manager / Sommelier at Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek
Gregory Mutambe, Sommelier at The 12 Apostles Hotel, Cape Town

Organiser of the Award, Ginette de Fleuriot CWM, is impressed with the calibre of the finalists, “Now that we are at the business end of the competition, it’s gratifying to have four such outstanding finalists coming to the fore. The Final will be fiercely competitive, not least because we will have two women and two men, and two South Africans and two Swedes, fighting it out for this unique Award. Let the show begin!”

Swartland legends

2011-10-19T02:21:00.000-07:00

Wine Magazine listed a few legends in their final printed issue. People without whom they feel the winelands just wouldn't be the same.

Two revolutionaries made it onto the list of 'future legends' although we like to think they are living legends already.

Thanks and 'cheers' to Wine Mag, we will keep a keen eye on your new online adventures!

Taking the Swartland Revolution to Paris

2011-10-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

Adi, Eben and Chris are on their way to introduce the French to some Swartland wines soon.

Between THIS picture and our 2011 Swartland Revolution poster I am seeing WAY too much skin from Adi...

The One-Day-Only invasion on Saturday October 15th will include two events.

First, a FREE tasting with 3 classes:

one to introduce Swartland with Eben's wines,
one with Chris & Stéphane Ogier (our imported guest at 2010 Revolution)
and one with Adi presenting his wines.

This will take place in a wine cellar in the Latin Quarter of Paris starting at 3pm.

Secondly there will be a wine dinner with a menu to pair with Mullineux and Badenhorst Wines in a secret location.

Anyone interested in participating can contact Raffi Gabeyan via email at raffi.gabeyan@gmail.com.

All for wine, and wine for all...

2011-09-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

And now, for the wine you have all be waiting for... I give to you - Olivier Clape's 6 wines for the Quality First tasting on 11.11.11...

Olivier Clape is a third generation vigneron who farm alongside hisfather with vines at Cornas and further parcels classed as Côtes du Rhône andSaint-Péray. The Clape operation isinfused with a sense of cautious modesty and genial simplicity that havesecured them a profound international reputation by consistently producing topquality wine.

For his tasting at the 2011 Swartland Revolution (moderated by Eben Sadie) he will show the following wines:

>Cornas 2009 vintage

>Cornas 2008 vintage

>Cornas 2001 vintage

>Cornas Renaissance 2009 vintage

>Cornas Renaissance 2008 vintage

>Cornas Renaissance 2001 vintage

Nothing like a Friday afternoon drinking French wines to get the weekend started...

Like Bryan Adams would say: All for wine and wine for all... (that is what he says right!?!)

“Wine is bottled poetry.” Robert Louis Stevenson

2011-08-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

We have received the list of wines that will be tasted during the seminars at this year's revolution. Exciting times, as we count down to 11.11.11 The Day of The Revolution. Today it is only 77 days away!

So, without further ado I give you, (most of) the wines you will taste at the 2011 Swartland Revolution:

Saturday morning tastings,

Mullineux Magic:

>Mullineux Schist Chenin Blanc
>Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc
>Mullineux Viognier
>Mullineux Clairette blanche
>Mullineux White Blend

>Mullineux Granite Syrah

>Benchmark Granite Syrah
>Mullineux Schist Syrah
>Benchmark Schist Syrah

Expert Opinion:

Jamie's favourites:
>Le Soula Blanc (Cotes de Fenouillèdes, Roussillon)

>Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet Syrah (Northern Rhone)
>Adriana Occhipitini Frappato (Sicily)

Michael's favourites:
>2005 Chateau Beaucastel, chateauneuf du Pape
>2007 Domaine Mathieu, Cuvee Marquis Vignes Centenaires, Chateauneuf du Pape

>2008 Domaine Gayda, Chemin de Moscou, Brugairolles

Jorg's favourites:

>Matassa Blanc (Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon)
>Terroir al Limit L'Arbossar (Priorat)
>Niepoort Batuta (Douro)

The wines from Olivier Clape will be revealed a bit later.

A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover. - Clifton Paul Fadiman

The West Coast is the Best Coast...

2011-08-12T03:18:00.000-07:00

The Wine Detective's Sarah Ahmed visits the Swartland and starts planning her return for November to be a part of the 2nd Revolution.

She chats to Eben and Adi and rates a few of their wine.

"Made in minsicule amounts, in June I had the good fortune to taste two wines from this super-limited edition range, another Chenin-based white blend and a single vineyard Chenin (pictured). At the other end of the price spectrum, my favourite white from Sadie’s fellow Swartland revolutionary Adi Badenhorst is his entry level Secateurs White, a straight Chenin which I actually prefer to his top wine, a white blend."

Bold reds and lush sweet whites

2011-06-28T03:25:00.000-07:00

A brilliant (read flattering) article in the UK's Daily Mail on the Swartland wine region. Olly Smith writes that "Many of (these) young stars cut their teeth in big-name wineries before striking out on their own, and with a progressive approach to social media and an emphasis on fun, theirs is an example other wine regions could learn from."

He also talks about a few of our wines:

1. AA Badenhorst Family Red Blend:
An outstanding red blend is AA Badenhorst Family Red 2007 (£29.95 at Harrods) - bold, harmonious and spicy, and an impressively restrained 13.5 per cent. Its creator Adi Badenhorst has an enviable bounce that's more than matched by his winemaking skill.

2.Sadie Family 2009 Columella

A sense of balance and more elegant levels of alcohol are what he's (Eben Sadie) aiming for, and his 2009 Columella is awesome, with freshness and a real sense of purity.

And we love these quotes:

Marc Kent: 'Bank robbers rob banks, because that's where the money is; we're getting more involved in the Swartland, because that's where the quality is!'

Eben Sadie: 'The Swartland isn't the most known area in South Africa, but it definitely has the most interesting soils. It's got no water, no irrigation and the highest number of old vineyards per capita in the country, and can produce incredibly high-quality fruit.'

Su Birch: 'New wine investment usually comes to Stellenbosch with restaurants and wineries. This is the opposite: younger people, not big capital, bringing back to life old vineyards and varieties which are either new or not usually treated with respect.'

The final programme is out of the box!

2011-06-03T04:35:00.000-07:00

With the raging success of the inaugural Swartland Revolution organisers have made 250 tickets available for this year’s Revolution that will take place on the weekend of 11 – 12 November 2011.

With guest feedback that included praise such as “the best wine event that I have ever attended”; “like Woodstock... but without the sex”; “world class performance” and “a revolution against boring wines, against boring events; this was a revolt against the plain and the sad, the straight and the narrow; it was simply a benchmarking of joie de vivre” most of last year’s attendees have already booked their place at this year’s event.

The programme for 2011 has just been finalised and is bigger (and even better) than in 2010;

Three tastings of benchmark wines:

- Eight wines from the local Mullineux Cellar;

- Olivier Clape presenting six of his wines from The Northern Rhone in France

- and nine wines, all personal favourites selected by London based wine writer Jamie Goode, ze German Sommelier Jorg Pfutzner and local kenner Michael Fridjhon.

The food will again be “simply superb” as noted by 2010 revolutionary:

- Celeb chef Reuben Riffel and his team are ready to braai up a storm once more. If last year’s BBQ was any indication we can expect mountains of perfectly prepared meat, salads to stun and fire grilled veggies that will impress even the most hard core carnivores.

- For Saturday lunch the team at Bar Bar Black Sheep will again prepare a truly local feast to mesmerise guests.

The event will conclude with The Swartland Independent Street Party. At R50 per person this tasting is more accessible and open to the public. With local producers showcasing their natural wines it will attract a whole new crowd as we take over the Riebeek Main Street and party into the sunset.

Tickets sold via Webtickets.

Poster Politics

2011-05-05T04:31:00.000-07:00

It seems our poster has gotten a few people's attention.

In a new blog post on Grape.co.za Tim James talks about the (infamous) poster, this year's programme and the revolution in general. Says James, "The crucial element for the next Swartland Revolution party has been revealed - the poster. On which no comment is necessary, or desirable, or even possible...."

He also notes that he is "very pleased to say that they're having me along again - this year with the privilege of "moderating" the tasting that les Mullineux will be presenting of their brilliant wines."

and we will add no comment to this quote: "There's going to be a tasting of international wines presented by (at least) Michael Fridjhon and Jamie Goode (who I hope is going to discover in the Swartland at least a few of South Africa's top 100 wines that aren't in the list of the Top 100 SA Wines - at present he seems to be having some difficulty in seeing the difference between those two categories!)"

Read it all here.

Another enthusiastic blog comes from Ingrid Biesheuvel (or kungfukittypow on twitter) who is very excited to attend her first Revolution this year.

She says, "I have no words to describe it, other than to say … I kinda like it."

Read her blog post here.

On twitter some comments on the poster:

kitchenvixenSA Bianca du Plessis

@kungfukittypow Reminds me of the old Voelvry posters #retrocool!#swartlandrevolution is the hippest wine gang in t universe!

kungfukittypow Ingrid Biesheuvel

I'm speechless - The Swartland Revolution poster says it all.http://wp.me/p1s0DR-1s

beaumonthouse Beaumont House

The Swartland Revolution was allegedly THE best wine event of 2010 so get your booking in early for this November..http://bit.ly/kJcGOm

Hats off to a new Côte

2011-05-03T01:36:00.001-07:00

The Yorkshire Post has published a lovely article on the Swartland. With focus on last year's revolution - and particularly the tasting by Stephane Ogier of the Northern Rhone - Christine Austin tells the story of a wine region that is fast becoming world class.

"The reason for Stéphane’s presence in South Africa that day is because Swartland shares many of the characteristics that create some of the Rhône’s finest wines. The soil is complex with granite, clay, slate and river shale creating individual pockets for different varieties; the climate is hot during the day but a cooling breeze spreads over the region in the afternoon; and there is enough distance between the Swartland and the manicured vineyards of Stellenbosch to feel that this is the pioneering, Wild West of wine growing."

She also focusses on Eben and Adi's journeys to the Swartland and rates some of their wines, including the "fresh-tasting complex, pepper and aniseed Badenhorst Family Red 2007, which is on its way to becoming one of South Africa’s great wines" and Eben's "dark, chocolate and spice-driven Syrah-Mourvèdre blend, Columella which is consistently rated as one of South Africa’s top wines."

Read the full article here.

Huston, we have a poster!

2011-04-28T00:59:00.000-07:00

Soon to be collectors items for their wit and revolutionary commentary, our latest Revolution poster is OUT.

Last year's poster proved to be so popular, the A0 one outside the Mullineux cellar was even "taken" by an enthusiastic (and no doubt wine fueled) fan.

This should be Goode!

2011-04-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

We have just received the delightful news that London based wine writer Jamie Goode will be joining us at the 2011 Swartland Revolution.

To quote his "about me" page; Jamie "is currently wine columnist with UK national newspaper The Sunday Express.

He won the 2007 Glenfiddich Wine Writer of the year award, and contributes regularly to a range of publications including World of Fine Wine, Wine Business International, Wines and Vines, Hong Kong Tatler, Sommelier Journal and Decanter. His first book, Wine Science, won the Glenfiddich Award for Drinks Book in 2006."

He will be conducting a tasting seminar at the revolution on Saturday 12 November alongside South African wine writer and expert Michael Fridjhon - they will each share four of their favourite wines with us.

More info on the wines to follow soon!

Just be sure to book your tickets before it is too late.

Programme of (lots of exciting) events

2011-04-26T04:20:00.001-07:00

The programme for this year's Revolution has been updated.

This year you will experience THREE tastings of amazing wines from the Swartland, Côtes du Rhône and beyond.

There will once again be amazing food, drinks and entertainment from the area, so be sure to have a look at the programme and to book soon! Tickets are flying!

Click here to see the full programme!

Pictures from a Swartland Roadtrip - Lammershoek

2011-04-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

Last stop: Lammershoek. Winemaker Graig Hawkins and girlfriend / marketing manager / wine expert Carla Kretzel showed us around the cellar and conducted a tasting of 11 wines. They are doing some very impressive work!

A message above the door explains the only thing they do not see eye-to-eye to... Super Rugby!

Craig is experimenting with whole bunch wine... These grapes have not been pressed and have been in the vat for over a year.

Indeed!

One of the geek wines Craig makes for his own private collection.

Love the labels on all the vats.

Pictures from a Swartland Roadtrip - Mullineux Family Wines

2011-04-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

After lunch we visited Chris and Andrea Mullineux at their cellar in Short Street Square. They treated us to a tasting of their latest releases.

Chris "explains" something to Dusan.

In the cellar.

The Mullineux cellar.

Pictures from a Swartland Roadtrip - Lunch at BBBS

2011-04-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Lunchtime! The best burgers in the world at Bar Bar Black Sheep in Riebeek Kasteel. We chose the lamb burgers to match with the unlabelled bottle of 2010 vintage Collumella - a gift from Eben Sadie.

The menu makes it hard to choose! and Swartland Revolution glasses (for water)...

Lamb burger with guacamole and bacon. YUM!

Reflections of a great meal.

Unlabelled 2010 Collumella... Bliss!

Pictures from a Swartland Roadtrip - Porseleinberg

2011-04-21T06:17:00.001-07:00

Callie and Maree Louw lives on top of the Porcelain Mountain with spectacular views of the Swartland. Real cowboy country as you have to follow directions like "past the second goat camp", "Left at the big cactus" and "through the gate with the hole in" and you have to get out to open 3 gates to get there.

But the view is worth it!

Callie's mobile chicken homes - the african chickens will eventually live in the vineyards.

These African chickens lay great organic eggs:)

Dusan and Callie talking soil.

Pictures from a Swartland Roadtrip - Sadie Family Wines

2011-04-21T06:10:00.001-07:00

Second stop was a visit to Dusan's local wine hero, Eben Sadie.

The Ou Wingerdreeks

Inspiration in the cellar.

"I only use elements that comes from the earth, wood, clay and cement." No steel in this cellar!

It is all about the soil, or terroir, with Eben.