SMS ‘Fairview’ and your favorite vintage to 33102 and you could stand a chance of winning a case of wine each month.

Fairview is delighted to announce the recipients of Platter’s highest rating – five stars – for the 2012 edition due in November.

Wines are graded in Platter’s on a five star scale, from “Somewhat less than ordinary” to “Superlative. A South African classic”. The guide strives to taste, rate and describe as many as possible of the South African-made wines available locally and overseas during the currency of the particular edition.

A record 7,000 wines are featured in the new edition (400 more than last time), of which 139 bottlings were identified in the first round of tasting by individual members of Platter’s judging team as potentially worthy of five stars.

The candidate five star wines were then entered into a second round of evaluation, conducted “blind” (without sight of the label) across a variety of categories, including reds and whites, sparkling, dessert wines and port styles. Only bottled (i.e. market-ready) wines, available during the currency of the 2012 guide, were considered.

Of the 139 five star contenders, 45 got the nod from the assembled panel.

Our Beacon 2008 Shiraz received the 5 star accolade this year. Something our winemakers are very proud of.

Congrats Anthony de Jager and team – a truly great achievement, for a truly great wine.

The Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition created much excitement once again this year when the announced 20 finalists were whittled down to the Top 10 award winners.

At the luncheon to announce the winners, Bobby Malabie, Chief Executive of Absa Business Bank, said: “Absa is again honoured to be the main sponsor of the Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition, in partnership with the Pinotage Association, to promote uniquely South African wine made from Pinotage grapes.”

He said this was not only an occasion to celebrate the success of the 2011 winners, but also a 15 year milestone of this exciting competition and partnership. “Its highly respected reputation has encouraged winemakers every year to do their utmost to be one of the Top 10 winners.”

Fairview have consistently been in the Absa top 10 over the years. Our first award being that of the Spice Route 2003 in the 2004 competition.

More recently the Fairview Primo Pinotage 2007 was awarded the honours in the 2008 competition, Fairview Pinotage 2009 in the 2010 awards. And this year the Fairview Primo 2009 has captured the hearts (and taste buds) of the judges.

The Deep red colour with purple touches. Intense cherry and perfumed violet on the nose, with underlying notes of smoky oak and sweet spice. Ripe plum and spice on the palate with a firm structure worthy of time in the bottle. This wine will only get better with time.

A definite must for any cellar.

We are extremely proud of our Pinotages and rightfully so, as Charles has spent a large part of his life in pursuit of locations that express the uniqueness and show-stopping ability of this varietal. During his travels, he have found many beautiful and unusual vineyard settings. Primo Pinotage is our selection of the finest wine of the vintage, selected from sites that allow the varietal to find its true expression.

The inaugural Fairview La Capra festival was held on the 30th of October 2010, bringing together wine and food fans as well as fitness enthusiasts to the farm for a day of activities, including the inaugural Goat run.

It was a great success and as such we have decided to bring the AMAZING fun to the people again.

This year the La Capra goat run, presented by Fairview, will take place on the the 12th November 2011 at the Fairview Wine Estate, Paarl.

Fairview Cheese has brought home not one, but six First Prizes from the 2011 South African National Dairy Championships, when the results were announced at a gala dinner recently. Read more »

2010 La Capra Chenin Blanc collected the only 5 star Decanter Award in the UK publication’s South African Chenin Blanc overview.

Read more »

2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the building of the Fairview Goat Tower! Read more »

Fairview has recently achieved champion status under the Biodiversity in Wine Initiative.

The BWI is a partnership between the South African wine industry and the conservation sector. The initiative aims to protect and conserve the existing natural habitats within the Cape winelands. The Western Cape is one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth and in addition to their vineyards many wine farms include large tracts of unspoilt indigenous vegetation. The BWI aims to protect these areas with the co-operation of the land owners and wine producers. This initiative has proved hugely successful to date, and a large number of producers are participating.

Under the BWI agreement, Fairview has committed to continued eradication of alien vegetation, prevention of erosion, an annual plant census, fire break maintenance prevention measures and annual fixed point photography to track the development of vegetation.

Over the past few years, Fairview has engaged in an aggressive program to remove alien vegetation from the farm. The Fairview property borders a nature reserve on the top of Paarl mountain and with assistance from the Department of Agriculture the farm managemet team have cleared large areas of pine trees and blue gums. These areas require constant maintenance to prevent regrowth and this hard work as started to pay off in the last two years with natural vegetation returning.

The fires during the 2009 harvest also burned through areas of pine and blue gum, which assisted to a degree.

A large grove of blue gums has also been removed on the lower part of the farm. These trees, as well as pines, are massive consumers of water and in a fairly dry region like Paarl this has a large impact. Incredibly, during the last 18 months small streams that have been dry for as long as owner Charles Back can recall, have begun to flow again. The only thing that this can be attributed to is the removal of these thirsty aliens. This small event is a huge encouragement for those who have been putting in all the hard work.

Find out more about the Biodiversity in Wine Initiative by visiting their website. Look out for the BWI emblem on bottles of wine and check back here to find out more as the project develops further at Fairview.

The Platter’s Wine Guide is South Africa’s most comprehensive guidebook to the country’s wine industry and awards a maximum of 5 stars to what it refers to as ‘stunners’. Fairview La Beryl Blanc has again been recognised as one of the guide’s 5 star wines in the 2011 edition. Read more »

The inaugural Fairview La Capra festival was held on the 30th of October 2010, bringing together wine and food fans for a relaxed day of activities at the farm, getting to know Fairview a little better… Read more »

We have recently marked the first anniversary of our Fairview afterschool club.

The Fairview afterschool club caters for children living on the Fairview farm ranging from 6 to 16 years old.  The club is split into Junior and Senior activities and takes place five days a week. It offers an educational homework programme for up to 35 children each day, that assists them with their academic school work in a safe and supervised environment. In addition to this, there are also other activities including a drama club, sport and games sessions, art classes, a small library, life skills development and regular outings.

Fairview has partnered with the Pebbles Project to provide a sustainable educational program which enriches the lives of these children. We employ three primary afterschool teachers who have been trained and are supervised by the Pebbles Project. Tania Malgas from Paarl, works with the seniors, while Sylva Adams and Carlin Goosen from the Fairview community work with the pre-pimary and juniors respectively.

A special needs teacher, Marilee, is provided and funded by the Pebbles Project. She visits the centre every Thursday to work with kids and to supervise the work our teachers are doing throughout the week.

The afterschool club is housed in renovated cottages near the farm workers’ residential area. It is situated in close proximity to Bergendal School, which most of the children attend. The children each receive a healthy snack before activities begin and parents can rest assured that their children are safe and sound whilst they are busy with their working day.

For more information on the Pebbles project please visit www.pebblesproject.co.za

The 15th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World in Florida will take place from 1 October to 14 November this year. This will be the ninth year that Fairview will be participating in the festival, which transforms the Epcot theme park into a food and wine lovers’ paradise. It will also be the third year that Fairview will be sponsoring the South African food and wine kiosk at the World Showcase and the fourth year that Robin Back of Fairview will be teaching the South African Wine School.

If you are in the Orlando area during this period, a visit to Epcot is a must. Throughout the Festival you will be able to purchase Fairview’s new La Capra wines by the glass at the Cape Town kiosk or by the bottle at the wine shop at the Festival Center. Robin Back of Fairview will be hosting the following events at the Festival Center, so stop by to say hello:
· Monday, 4 October @ 2:00pm – La Capra wine seminar
· Monday, 4 October @ 3:00pm – Bottle signing
· Tuesday, 5 October @ 2:00pm – Fairview wine seminar
· Tuesday, 5 October @ 4:00pm – Goats do Roam wine seminar
· Tuesday, 5 October @ 5:00pm – Bottle Signing
· Wednesday, 6 October @ 12:00pm – La Capra wine seminar
· Wednesday, 6 October @ 1:00pm – Bottle signing
· Wednesday, 6 October @ 4:00pm – Fairview wine seminar
· Thursday, 7 October @ 12:00pm – Goats do Roam wine seminar
· Thursday, 7 October @ 4:00pm – Bottle Signing
· Thursday, 7 October @ 6:00pm – La Capra wine seminar
· Saturday, 9 October @ 1:00pm – South African Wine School

Robin will also be pairing wines at the following culinary demonstrations at the Festival Center:
· Monday, 4 October @ 1:00pm – Goats do Roam White
· Monday, 4 October @ 5:00pm – La Capra Sauvignon Blanc
· Tuesday, 5 October @ 3:00pm – Fairview Pinotage
· Wednesday, 6 October @ 3:00pm – Goats do Roam White
· Wednesday, 6 October @ 5:00pm – La Capra Pinotage
· Thursday, 7 October @ 1:00pm – Fairview Viognier

If you’ve never experienced one of Disney’s weekly “Party for the Senses” during the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, they are sensational. Food stations showcasing the creations from eminent chefs from around the USA paired with fine wines from around the world combined with the sights and sounds of Cirque du Soleil. Fairview will be there on 2 October and pouring Viognier, Shiraz and Pinotage. Our sister cellar, The Spice Route Winery will be there on 9 October and pouring Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and Chakalaka.

Separate from the Epcot Food & Wine Festival but still at Walt Disney World, Fairview, La Capra and Goats do Roam wines will be featured at the Mombasa Market Place in the Animal Kingdom Theme Park on Sunday, 10 October. The wines will be available for both tasting and purchasing and Robin Back will be there from 11:00am-12:30pm and 1:30pm-3:30pm to talk about the wines and sign bottles.

Please note that for the Disney events, theme park admission is required in addition to tickets for the actual events. Advance ticket purchase is advised to avoid disappointment.

Over the past five years, Fairview has been developing relationships with a number of the leading wine importers in the Asian market. Fairview owner Charles Back recently visited the region to support the importers and learn more about their markets.

Read more »

On the 29th of October 2010Fairview will be auctioning a selection of our Goats. This will include 50 Saanen females, 5 Saanen bucks, 10 Toggenberg females and 2 British Alpine females. The auction takes place at the Fairview Goat Tower at 11h00.

For more information, please have a look at this flier or contact Donald Mouton on 083 260 8578.

The 2009 Fairview Pinotage has been recognised as one of the ABSA Top 10 for 2010. Read more »

The winner has been decided in our first Fairview Camembert promotion in association with some of South Africa’s top food bloggers. Charles Back and the cheese team recently hosted some of the entrants at the Goatshed to let them know the results. Read more »

Our Fairview Feta has hit the shelves in South Africa and we have had a fantastic response to the product so far. Aside from its great, fresh taste our feta has also garnered attention due to its brine-free packaging, which is virtually unknown in South Africa. Read more »

With the World Cup kicking off in South Africa on the 11th of June, we have released a limited edition version of our award winning cheese packaging, complete with a ‘moovuzela’. Read more »

On the 7th of June South Africa was added to Google’s network of locations that are included in Street View. Fairview was one of a handful of wineries to receive a little extra mapping.

Street View allows online users of Google Maps and Google Earth to wander the streets of the major cities of the world, with incredibly detailed photographs encompassing 360 degree views of the locations. After our visit from a Prius equipped with roof mounted camera turret, we have been looking forward to seeing how the visuals translate on the site. And we have not been disappointed!

The launch of the South African views is well timed to coincide with the kick off of the World Cup in just three days and I have no doubt that many visitors will be taking a sneak peak at where they will be staying, or giving their friends and family a virtual tour when they return from their time in SA.

When Google was planning their schedule for the required photography they approached a few Cape wine farms and we were fortunate to be included. According to their information release, this is the first comprehensive tour of a winelands region in the world. You can take a virtual trip through our Fairview vineyards along one of our farm roads, and see the view that gave the name to our farm for yourself. Enjoy.

Here’s a quick link to us on Google Maps.

If you are visiting Fairview during the next few months you will see an interesting development at the farm. Over the past month our farm team has been laying out our new organic garden near the wine tasting room. This working garden includes organic vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers, which will all be used on the farm. Diane Back has been carefully planning the garden and there is even a South African flag laid out in various vegetables and flowers! The farm’s peacocks have taken a liking to some of the vegetable leaves (especially the broccoli!) but aside from this everything has been going smoothely.

We have been fortunate to have developed a large base of loyal visitors to the farm throughout the year and this garden will supply the Goatshed restuarant with much of its fresh fruit and vegetables where possible. We hope that you will soon be able to have a meal including your wine and cheese, where everything has come right off the Fairview property! Diane always makes sure that our tasting room is well stocked with fresh flowers and now even more of these will be right off the farm.

Aside from the benefit of organically grown local produce for our restaurant, the garden will also provide additional crops for those living on the farm, and possibly for sale to guests too. We have been running a small garden on a different site on the farm for the past year and the amount of high quality vegetables that we have produced has exceeded the requirements of the restaurant. Our farm manager, Donald Mouton, has been working with a small team of previously unemployed and retired ladies from the community. Their hard work has seen the initial project flourish and has lead to the establishment of this new garden.

“When I was growing up on the Fairview farm, my grandfather and father had many different crops and livestock, in addition to vineyards. Over the years, we have focussed on our vineyards and our goat herd and I am confident that this attention has paid off in the quality of our wines and cheeses. Recently we decided to develop a small organic garden near to our Goat Tower and I am excited at the possibilities that this holds. We are always looking for ways to improve the experience of our guests while trying to remain true to what Fairview represents. This return to farming and the provenence of the soil is a welcome initiative and one that I think our guests will appreciate. The proof, I trust, will be in the eating!” Charles Back

As a cornerstone of our range of wines for more than three decades, we take pride in the quality and style of our standard label Fairview Shiraz. We feel that the wine offers excellent value and our winemaking team works hard to ensure that this benchmark bottling is consistent. The 2008 vintage is just about to be released in the tasting room and we have had very positive feedback from our guests at our recent Facebook group tasting at the farm.

Each year we enter a small number of international wine competitions and our winemaker, Anthony de Jager, strongly suggested that this wine be entered. This was following his assessment of the wines of the 2008 vintage late in 2009. His judgement proved to be accurate, and our Shiraz was awarded a gold medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which was this year held in Sicily.

“The 2008 vintage will be remembered for unseasonable rain and unpredictable weather making the vintage difficult for most producers. Fortunately, most of our vineyards are in drier areas which lessened the impact of the rain and lengthened the ripening season. This proved ideal for flavour development. The selection process, from vineyard to final product, was particularly important with this vintage. Our initial concerns about the vintage have proved to be unnecessary and the wines have surprised us all. I think that this may well be one of our best Shiraz vintages yet.” Anthony de Jager

The 2008 vintage has also seen us move back to cork closures. We have used the aluminium stelvin style closures on this wine for the past few years but have decided to make the switch back. You can read more about this in an earlier post on our blog.

Fairview enters a few international wine competitions each year, partly as a measure of how the international judges see our wines and partly to benchmark against other products in the market. This year we entered a small selection of wines and are happy to report that our entries have collected some medals for the cellar. Competitions and awards shows will always have their critics and while Fairview does not rely on medals to sell our wines, it is a nice added recognition.

A notable medal this year has been a Gold for the 2008 Fairview Shiraz, which is being released in the coming weeks. This was received at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. This wine has been at the centre of our range for more than thirty years. It has been a product that has been produced at a consistently high standard and for this, Anthony de Jager and his team deserve to be recognised. Shiraz is part of many of our wines and the standard Fairview Shiraz is the benchmark as an indication of the vintage.

Recent awards included:

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010

Fairview Shiraz 2008 – Gold
Fairview Primo Pinotage 2008 – Silver

Decanter World Wine Awards

Fairview Cyril Back 2007 – Gold

International Wine Competition

Fairview Cyril Back 2007 – Silver

The first 2010 vintage wines are now in the bottle, and will soon be released.  The red wines are in barrels, settling down for a bit of maturation. Our winemaker, Anthony de Jager, gave us his thoughts on the harvest and his first impressions of what to expect from this year’s wines.

Read more »

2010 has seen the launch of the irresistible and innovative new Fairview Feta cheese. Read more »

The Fairview cellar and vineyard teams are entering the final few weeks of harvest and the cellar is bustling. There’s fermentation, pressing, punching, pumping, oaking and and plenty of tasting going on. Amongst the first varietals to be harvested was Sauvignon Blanc, and some of these have completed fermentation and are showing lovely character. Read more »

Fairview wine and cheese estate has recently released a new wine label into the market. The producer’s award-winning wine range has now been added to, through the release of its endorsed label, La Capra. Read more »