My Blog

Cape Epic Prologue

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:09:00 GMT

Nitida Official Spectator site for ABSA Cape Epic Prologue

What an honour and pleasure it was to host the annual Cape Epic Prologue on our little farm on Sunday.

Preparations started early as the first riders came past just after 07:00 and continued till around 13:00. After-which we were entertained by local musicians Louwtjie Rothman & Chad Zerf.

Lots of fun was to be had around the dam with kids and adults rowing the canoes and enjoying the great food available during the entire day.

This event has brought some new faces to the farm and Durbanville Wine Valley, we hope they will return to enjoy all we have to offer.

Watch this space!

la Fiesta del Vino - Harvest Festival

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:03:00 GMT

la Fiesta del Vino - Harvest Festival

With so much anticipation with any festival, we had to think what would set us apart from the normal harvest activities, and true to our nature, we succeeded! What do you get before the beautiful end-product that is wine? Must...and yes, there are few things in life that one must do, but this is not the same, we used the grape must (grape juice during the fermentation process into wine) within recipes for our Roosterkoek and Salsa cooking demo with renowned chef Francois Ferreira.

We had a great day out with the fires lit, kids canoeing in the dam and cold Sauvignon Blanc all around. We would like to thank all that came out and supported our day, we hope you had as much fun as well did!

So with the first of the three valley festivals behind us, we look forward in preparation for our next event, and hope you will join us for good food, great company and exceptional wine.

SPCA Woefie Wandel

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:01:00 GMT

SPCA Woefie Wandel

We opened our doors, vineyards, arms and hearts to the annual SPCA Woefie Wandel for the first time and we couldn't be prouder. 2 and 4-legged participants had a wonderful day out as they attempted a 2km & 4km route on a gruelling trek through the upper part of the farm.

The SPCA clearly is an old hand at this as the organisation was superb.

We also made record numbers as there were an estimated 1500 people on the day.
To make it even better next year we will loop the route through the vineyards, so if you couldn't make it this year, don't despair, there is always a next time.

Concours Mondial du Sauvignon

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:20:00 GMT

The third Concours Mondial du Sauvignon took place during March in Bordeaux, this competition was created to promote wines of this varietal and create worldwide public awareness to the comprehensive range of Sauvignon Blanc wines.

So pretty much a highly specialized global Sauvignon Blanc award, and we won one for our Coronata Intergration 2010.

This award is a testament to what we want to achieve with the wine, a well intergrated Sauvignon & Semillon blend, not dominated by a single varietal, but rather a well balanced wine that shows the best of both varietals.

We are the only South African wine that won an award in the Sauvignon Blanc blend category and one of only six South African wine cellars to have won an award in this highly acclaimed international competition.

To add to that, our Sauvignon Blanc 2011 missed out on a Silver medal with a 0.87 point difference! So out of the 666 entries of which only 189 wines were awarded...not too shabby I'd say.
Another feather in the cap for "Handmade wine".

Busy March

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 08:28:00 GMT

Want to spend some lazy time next to a fire learning to make roosterbrood and wine-must-salsa together with the bigger than life personality chef Francois Ferreira?

Crazy about cycling and looking for a good spot to watch the pivotal prologue in the Cape Epic?

For this and more this March.............


	CYCLING AND @ TABLES Theresa and Gary from the Tygerberg MTB Club will lead a gentle 8km family cycle through the vineyards starting 8:30 from Nitida. Then do an MTB breakfast wrap at TABLES. At 11:00 join in a cycling gymkhana, a fun obstacle challenge on the skills course. TABLES have live music (Take 5), a jumping castle and festival platters for the rest of the day.
	EPIC FRONT SEATS AT OFFICIAL SPECTATOR POINT Cassia on Nitida is the official spectator point with front row seats for the Cape Epic Mountainbike Prologue through the Durbanville Hills. ENTRY IS FREE! This time-trial is viewed as one of the most exciting days of the Race, don’t miss the BEST SEATS ON THE RACE with live broadcast and commentary. ......... For the Early birds, Cassia will offer a variety of muffins, their fabulous Panini breakfast, pannekoek and coffee ......... Those of us arriving a touch later can indulge more freely in a glass of wine with our sushi, PICNIC (pre-book please, click here for menu),lamb-spit burger or footlong FANTASTIC LUCKY DRAWS VALUED AT OVER R6000 ......... Once the cycling excitement has abated, we have the inspirational duo of LOUWTJIE ROTHMAN AND CHAD ZERF. They will demonstrate their insane virtuoso skills on guitar, piano and vocals. Truly masters of their musical instruments, these 2 young artists are real pros at keeping the crowds entertained while they play seamlessly through their wide repertoire. Kids get to enjoy the freedom our our grass and the inflatables on the dam with their friends, a jumping castle for the smaller ones plus slushes and ice-cream
	NITIDA SUNSET MARKET There can be no more rustig way to spend a Friday evening than around the dam at Cassia. Look over the water and savour the sunset as the birds settle down for the night while behind you the gentle bustle of the market folk keeps you entertained and well fed. Recently added is a small selection of really lovely craft. While you put your feet up with a glass of Nitida’s best, your children can kick a ball around the grass, wander through our newly planted water-wise garden, eat some dinner or make a candle. We look forward to unwinding together with you. SATURDAY MORNING MARKET For anyone who has come to know our market over the years, nothing has changed in our once-a-month morning market. As always Getha makes sure that only the finest of stall-holders are with us. Depending on supply you can stock up with the staples of bread and eggs, specialities from around the world, a wonderful selection of one-sauce-more-gorgeous-than-the-next and a host of other exciting sweet and not so sweet option, not forgetting Eugene’s lovely coffee with a Cassia breakfast Panini.

Valentines

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:10:00 GMT

Sauvignon is Top 10

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:39:00 GMT

On Friday 4th November 2011, our green label sauvignon blanc was chosen as one of the
TOP 10 SA wines in the Bartho Eksteen International Sauvignon Blanc Competition
(Nitida had 3 wines in the top 48 including our 2009 and 2010 Club Select's)

St Luke's Hospice

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:45:00 GMT

One of our favourite restaurants in Cape Town is The Foodbarn in Noordhoek, so when they mentioned that they were doing a fundraiser for St Lukes Hospice we were on board immediately.
The dinner is this Saturday evening, with legendary commentator Robin Jackman interviewing Gary Gold on this year’s Rugby World Cup and Gary Kirsten on the Australian cricket tour.

This is what The Foodbarn has to say

“Each year one of our staff gets to pick a charity close to their hearts and we see if we can do something to help.
This year, it is Debbies turn … her Mom is one of those angels who work for St Lukes Hospice. Sister Yvonne feels that she does not have enough on her plate so she has decided to walk 175km around the peninsula to increase awareness of, and raise funds for St Lukes Hospice.
We thought it would be a great idea to put together an evening to send her on her way.
So, her rather well known commentator husband (Robin Jackman) will interview Gary Gold on this year’s Rugby World Cup and Gary Kirsten on the upcoming Australian cricket tour … this promises to be an evening not to be missed.
Franck then got a tad excited and put together a menu pairing the food to the delicious Nitida wines nogal (French for ‘as well’).
We know money is not easy to lay our hands on at the moment, and it does not look like it is getting any easier, but this is an evening for us to meet and chat to three of our top sports personalities … and donate some money to one of the most deserving charities on the planet in the process!"

Date: Sat 29th October 2011
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: R395 pp (excl 10% service)

Click here for the menu

CWG Auction 2011

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:22:00 GMT

This is been a busy time for Bernhard. A series of public tastings, winemakers dinners, golf days and a boules day all leading up to the final auction on Sat 1 October at Spier Conference Center.

CWG Cape Town Public tasting :

Always an incredibly well attended event, many wine lovers rate it as their best tasting event of the year .

There has been much talk about this year’s auction as it is the first year where winemakers submitted wines they felt showcased their skills best.

Feedback indicates that the wines are more adventurous and exciting as noone was trying to second guess a panel.

Bernhard's Cape Winemaker's Guild Wines

Bernhard has put up 2 wines this year. An elegant Bordeaux-style white blend and a superb Sauvignon Blanc.

Nitida Aureus 2010
is the melding of Nitida’s finest and most expressive Sauvignon blanc and their very best new barrel of Semillon. Once blended, the wine is matured in an old barrel for a further 9 months prior to bottling. The result is a beautifully balanced and refreshing Bordeaux-style white wine which shows a magical integration of warm creamy honey and hints of paw paw.

The philosophy behind this wine was to produce a true Bordeaux-style benchmark allowing both the Semillon and Sauvignon blanc to express themselves to the full.
As a recognised producer of both Sauvignon and Semillon it was a logical step to consider a white Bordeaux-style blend. From the outset, we wanted more than just the safe Sauvignon Blanc variable, we wanted to define White Blends in South Africa by creating a wine of serious complexity without losing the freshness that people look for when drinking white wine in our warm climate,” explains Bernhard

Auction buyers

The Nitida Decorus 2010
Recognised as one of the country’s Sauvignon blanc specialists, Bernhard’s Decorus 2010, crafted specially for the auction, entices with notes of minerality and nettles with just a pinch of Provence herbs, Seville oranges and Bramley apples.

“Durbanville is well known for producing Sauvignon blancs for a broad market appeal. With this wine we have looked for characteristics that are aimed at the more purist consumer of Sauvignon blanc who is looking for a racy expressive wine. We have held this wine back for a year to allow it to develop further in the bottle and show its full potential,” says Bernhard.

The Auction will be held on Saturday 1 October at the Spier Conference Center and is open to the public.
For more info please contact info@capewinemakersguild.com or call Tel: +27 +21 852 0408

Ride the Rhino

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:06:00 GMT

Ride the Rhino is a 3 day mountain bike event from Langebaan to Nitida Cellars. Its intention is to create awareness for the plight of the rhinos in South Africa and the renosterveld in the Western Cape.

Come and join us to cheer the riders on to the finish as they cycle across the Cassia dam on Sunday 3rd October - all this as part of the Seasons of Sauvignon Celebration on the farm.

Entry is free, there is live music, loads of ball games and fun for kids plus stunning food and beverages including Nitida wines are available for sale on the day.

20% of the proceeds from the ride will be donated directly to the Renosterveld Trust to help establish nurseries, seed collection, conservancies and other identified projects.

The South African Rhinos
In 2011 alone more than 288 rhino’s have been poached in South Africa, this astounding figure of more than one a day, is made even more frightening when you realise that it is a 1000% increase on just 4 years ago (27 were killed in 2007).

Clearly there is some very big money that has come into play and it appears to have decided to target South African home to over 90% of the rhino in the world.

The West Coast Renosterveld
The little known West Coast Renosterveld, our indigenous vegetation in Durbanville and along the Western Cape coastal areas, is equally endangered. Its major sin is that it grows on rich, fertile soils – exactly the type of ground that every farmer wants to farm. Over the centuries these soils have been put to successful agriculture and today just 4% of the original area remains.

Part of our fynbos plant kingdom, it has attracted little attention until recently probably because it is pretty unglamorous vegetation at first glance. However, in spring time there are glorious bulbs that appear, sometimes in flower for as little as just one day of the year. Of course the vegetation is also home to a multitude of insect, mammal and reptile species, many of whom are becoming endangered as their habitat is destroyed.

To become involved in protecting the Renosterveld and to read more about the Trust

Facebook Winner

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:02:00 GMT

Social media is the new thing and if you are not on Facebook and or twitter, with your website also being a mobi site and all your winelables including a QR code – you are just not going to sell any wine! Or so they say.

To drag ourselves into this new form of marketing we ran a little competition to promote our Facebook fan page, by liking our page on Facebook you stood a chance of winning this 9L bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon 2009.

CONGRATULATIONS

Natasha Olivier Louw.

Natasha has won herself this bottle of Nitida Cabernet 2009.

For those of you who are not fans, and would like to be click here and then click the like button at the top of the page - you are now a Nitida Fan.
For those on twitter, please follow us here

We will be running special offers & competions via both of these social media platforms and of course instant updates on what is happening on the farm.

Calligraphy Launch

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:33:00 GMT

With the success of our 2009 Calligraphy (winner of the Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year award for Nitida winemaker RJ) we wanted to show off a little bit with this wines successor.

So we invited a few friends from the media for a relaxed lunch in our production cellar. The culinary aim of the lunch was to show how versatile this fabulous wine can be with food. We enrolled the talents of Warren from Cassia and Helena from Tables at Nitida, each one was tasked with preparing 2 courses. Bernhard and RJ were in charge of dessert.

RJ’s cellar was hijacked, a table put down the middle, granny’s silver cutlery was polished and set out.

Welcome drink was Calligraphy 2010 – soft tannins and warm fruit, allow full enjoyment without food.

The first course prepared by Warren, was a Venison, chocolate and chilli soup, served in tin cups with silver spoons. The richness of the venison and chocolate were a perfect match to the rich flavours in the Calligraphy 2010. The spice from the chillies was spot on.

Next up seared Cajun tuna, wonderful dish to show how a full bodied red matches with fish and a spicy fish at that.

On to Helena from Tables, her first offering was Imams delight, a Middle Eastern dish of eggplant, tomato, feta, rocket & a balsamic glaze an unusual dish for a robust red, but a great match, the tomato really brought out the Cab Franc.

Imam's delight a loved regular on the Tables menu.

Helena’s next offering was the Irish lamb stew, with a difference - A classic match for a Merlot driven blend, perfect.

Dessert was Italian ice cream, rich chocolate sauce and RJ’s sweet dumplings cooked in a Calligraphy reduction – red wine and ice cream really do work well.

To end off Jacus opened some 1999 Calligraphy, to show just how well this wine ages and wow, what a gorgeous wine. A great day, with our friends from the media and our very talented chefs.

Bernhard giving the Calligraphy's History

Now for the more wine stuff stuff!!!
Bernhard has a great love of Bordeaux blends and his first attempt at such a wine was in 1997 when he co-fermented Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Calligraphy dates from 1999 when some Cabernet Sauvignon was included in the mix and the wine was made every year until 2004, when an infestation of leaf-roll virus meant the vineyards had to be replaced. No 2005, a 2006 from grapes acquired from nearby Altydgedacht, no 2007 or 2008. The new vineyards came on line in 2009 and Botha promptly won the title of Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year with the wine from that year.

Like the 2009, the 2010 is also 100% home grown,matured, blended & bottled.

The Calligraphy 2010 is a blend of 48% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot and spent 11 months in barrel, 25% new. Medium bodied, fresh and elegant, it drinks very well now, but hold onto some as it will mature beautifully.

“Being from cool-climate Durbanville, these red wines have a distinct herbal edge to them but this serves them well, adding to their refreshment value. There’s a difference between green aromas and flavours that are the consequence of under-ripe fruit and those that are present in a wine due to cooler growing conditions. It would be a pity if the pre-occupation with wines of weight and power in some critical circles eventually resulted in their being no place for wines like Calligraphy.” Christian Eedes

Our Matriarchs

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:21:00 GMT

The Matriarch and Matriarch in Red (methode cap classiques) are created, named and packaged
as a tribute to the inspiring nature of Peta’s mother, Christine, “our wonderful Matriarch who, in the very
beginning, made it possible for us to buy the piece of land that eventually became Nitida”.

	The wine farm journey began just over 20 years ago for Bernhard and Peta Veller when they looked to buy a house with a beautiful view on a 37 hectare piece of land in the Durbanville countryside. However, the size of the property posed what seemed to be an insurmountable problem – it was too small for a loan from the Land Bank and too big for the commercial banks. It was Christine who saved the day.
The Nitida Matriarch is a tribute to Christine who epitomised the name fully. A woman of great tenacity and strength, she created an incredible home environment for her 5 children which was always full of people, debate and laughter. “She had intense humanity, wisdom and colonial graciousness and personified the name, Matriarch. She really was a benevolent leader to our immediate family and to everyone else we brought home.” explains Peta.
“In fact,” says Bernhard, “our Matriarch’s, one showing great delicacy and elegance, the other intense strength and vibrancy, seem to me to celebrate the yin and yang qualities of so many women. I am in awe of the resilience required by today’s special ladies to fulfil their dual functions in the work place and home environment. Our society expects them to do the impossible and juggle their personal ambition with their instinctive role as the nurturing glue that holds the family together.”
Making the Wines It was important for Nitida’s winemaker, RJ Botha, to make both a White and Red Matriarch Cap Classique so that the true spirit of Christine could be captured in unison. For Peta, The Matriarch evokes her mother’s elegance, selflessness and graciousness, while her mother’s joy is reflected in the Matriarch in Red, a celebration of her vibrance and astuteness. A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot noir, The Matriarch is Nitida’s very first white Méthode Cap Classique. This bubbly impresses with exquisite, fine beading emitting pomegranate and raspberries as it dances on your tongue. To achieve a fresh, fruit- driven style, the Matriarch in White spent only 9 months on the lees before being degorged and corked. It will uplift sponge cake and strawberry panna cotta and sparkles up a humble mushroom risotto or a little smoked wild Irish salmon millefeuille. Nitida Matriarch in Red is made of 100% Shiraz grapes and teems with mulberry, paw paw, dark chocolate and ripe plums. Bernhard and Peta first discovered deep red bubblies in Australia where they fell in love with the Black Shiraz from Rockford in the Barossa, South Australia. They decided immediately to become one of the first South African cellars to make this wine. “We started off with small quantities as a fun venture and have increased our production substantially over the years. The measure of our success is that even with the unusualness of the red Cap Classiques, we are still struggling to fulfill the market demand,” says Bernhard. A red Cap Classique can be a high risk venture. As with any other red wine the grapes are harvested, crushed, de-stemmed and then fermented in open vat fermenters. It then is left to mature in barrels for nine months, unprotected by sulphur which would inhibit secondary bottle fermentation. After a further 10 months on the lees, it is finally degorged and corked. “The wine has to be in perfect health throughout this almost two year process,” says Bernhard, who enjoys his Matriarch in Red most served icy cold with rare roast beef on a hot summer’s day.
With just 3 000 bottles of each produced from the 2010 vintage, The Matriarch and Matriarch in Red are available exclusively at Nitida Cellars at R115 a bottle.

SOS 2011

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:15:00 GMT

Season of Sauvignon is all about embracing spring with family and friends in the company of some of the world’s best Sauvignon Blancs. Be sure to bring the whole family along for a fun-filled day on either Saturday, 1 October or Sunday, 2 October.

FREE ENTRY 11AM - 4PM

LOTS OF FUN & GAMES

1st & 2nd OCTOBER

Wine and food lovers can relax on the lawns at the water’s edge, sipping on a glass of Nitida Sauvignon Blanc while listening to mellow live music from Ricky Nass.

Of course Nitida never forgets the kids. Weather permitting they will be able to canoe around the dam, play soccer and a number of other ball games and the small people will have a jumping castle at their disposal.

FREE ENTRY 11AM - 4PM

LOTS OF GREAT FOOD

Cassia will once again have their yummy gourmet picnic baskets
crammed with your favourite delicacies
(they also prepare a basket specially for children stacked with more appropriate kid goodies).
If you don’t feel like doing the picnic thing, try some Cassia sushi
or their legendary lamb spit burgers and extra-large boerewors rolls,
which will be on sale with ice cream and slushies galore for the younger at heart.

Sunday also sees the end of the 255km Ride the Rhino mountain bike race from Langebaan to Nitida. This three-day adventure is all about saving the Renosterveld,
which is one of the most endangered vegetation types in the world.
Get a front seat for the finish while you enjoy all the other activities on the farm.
click here for more info

Bring your kids, blankets, deck chairs and head down to Nitida
in the heart of the Durbanville Wine Valley
on Saturday and Sunday, from 11h00 – 16h00.
Picnics will be R200 per basket for two and R50 for a children’s basket.

FREE ENTRY * FREE ENTRY * FREE ENTRY * FREE ENTRY * FREE ENTRY

Club Party 2011

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 06:57:00 GMT

Thursday 8th September – Club night !!!

The concept - BEING CREATIVE AROUND TECHNOLOGY.

At least 4 experts have tried to persuade us to put QR codes on our labels
(these you scan with your smart phone and voila!!!!
- immediately everything you want to know about the wine!!!!).

At first it sounded like a darn fine idea, but after a short snooze on the thought,
I realised it is everything I don't want for our Nitida wines.

I want you to experience our wines in the most human way possible.

I want you to really taste the wine, decide for yourself what you like or don’t like,

I want you to feel how the ambiance of the occasion changes the flavours,

I want you to imagine for yourself what foods would go really well with the wine.

If all of that is available at the touch of a button,
where has the uniqueness of your moment with the wine gone?
I totally believe that you don’t need to know the acidity or sugar or free sulphur
to know whether you are enjoying the wine or not,
in fact, if anything, it is probably distracting.

For a great play on words and some serious fun poked at your average social media guru, click here. WARNING if you are sensitive to bad language or hyper protective of your social media guru status, this is not for you. Ruan this is so not aimed at you.
Click HERE for the video

BITS FROM THE NIGHT
We played with various symbols of technology on small paper squares to make
miniature kaleidoscope origami rosettes (called teabag folding).

If anyone is still confused or interested in learning more techniques of this craft,
here is a good starter site.


Gifts for the girls were a set of handmade cards featuring this teabag folding. (All made with love by Nitida staff and our incredible set of friends who help every year).	Men got the item of the moment everywhere you go – plastic loyalty gift card.

Warren made us fabulous food also featuring bts of social media tongue in cheek.

He wrote F A C E B O O K on the choc chill venison soup, re-fashioned the chicken to look futuristic and made small model twitter birds fluttering over a yummy choc coffee mousse served in state-of-the-art plastic, microwaveable, dish-washable, “drinks-like-fine-glass”, plastic wine glasses.


	All the lekker food and wine was knocked back to the incredible sound of local hero Louwtjie Rothman and his partner Chad Zerf as their newly formed band "Davis". Louwtjie does inhuman things with a high tech guitar and Chad is just as awesome on a keyboard. The Nitida family and friends were blown away by their charisma and ability.

A stampede of guests have asked for contact details for Davis. Louwtjies cel phone number is 072 186 9458.
Or find him on facebook here. Chad Zerf facebook site here: