From the wine side, this year we launched our brand new Fairview Wine Club. This was something that never existed at Fairview before, and in the space of a few short months, I was amazed to see the positive response and growth that we experienced. It is clear to me that there was a desire to be part of the greater Fairview family, and I am so happy we are finally able to offer this to all our members. For me, the key was the simplicity, as all it takes to join is to purchase 12 bottles. Thereafter, you get access to all the membership benefits for one year – not too shabby if you ask me!

Our wine and cellar team are always hard at work, and this year, I believe they really reaped the fruits of their labour, receiving a flurry of accolades and awards. Here is our awards honour roll and highlights from the year gone by:

Tim Atkin’s ‘Medal of Excellence’ South African Report 2017:

Fairview Bloemcool Vis & Tjips 2016 – 94
Fairview Bloemcool Di’Tjie 2016 – 93
Fairview Caldera 2015 – 90
Fairview Drie Papen Fontein 2016 – 90
Fairview Homtini 2015 – 90
Fairview Nurok 2016 – 90

Platters: 4.5 Stars

Fairview Caldera 2015
Fairview Drie Papen Fontein 2016
Fairview Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2015
Fairview Extraño 2014
Fairview Homtini 2015
Fairview Jakkalsfontein Shiraz
Fairview La Beryl Blanc 2016
Fairview Nurok 2016
Fairview Petite Sirah 2014
Fairview Stok-By-Paaltjie Grenache 2015
Fairview The Beacon Shiraz 2015

2017 National Wine Challenge Top 100: 

Fairview Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2014
Fairview Extraño 2013
Fairview La Beryl Blanc 2015

2017 Shiraz SA Wine Challenge Top 12:
Fairview Beacon 2014
Fairview Swartland 2014

Winemag Signature Red Blend Report Awards 2017:
Fairview Extrano 2013 – 90 points

Winemag Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon Report:
Fairview Drie Papen Fontein – 92 points

Rosé Rocks:
Fairview’s Goats Do Roam Rosé 2017: Gold Medal

Paarl Wine Challenge 2017:
Fairview Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2014

MCC Challenge:
Fairview Brut – Bronze

2017 Wine Label Design Awards
Fairview Bloemcool Range – Silver
Fairview Extrano  – Bronze

Review on our Fairview Rose Quartz by Matthew Jukes, voted most influential wine writer in the UK by OLN in 2011
“Made by the massively talented Anthony de Jager, this is the finest rosé I have ever tasted from the Cape. Made from a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault, with a careful touch of old French oak barrels to add a creamy texture, this is a pink grapefruit and watermelon-kissed wine with serious appeal and a magical touch”

Speaking of awards, we handed out some rather shiny Goat Trophies in September, marking the start of Spring and the annual La Capra Goat Run. This year, the Goat Run added even more festivities to the agenda with the introduction of a lively festival. The festival offered a colourful array of fun activities and food stalls for both spectators and runners, including a range of delicious treats from the farm, such as freshly baked patisseries (think croissants and danishes), health smoothies made from Fairview’s full fat yoghurt and locally-made, artisanal ice cream. The event was very well attended, and marked the pilot run of one of our latest concepts – Goat Yoga!

Yes. You read that right! Goat Yoga is now a trend. After first gaining traction in the USA, the animal therapy-meets-exercise concept has been grabbing the attention of everyone, with videos going viral across social media and the key message being about having fun, getting out in nature, bonding with an animal and getting exercise. Due to the overwhelming response to the pilot session, we have decided to open the paddock to the public over the summer, and what a great success we enjoyed! It was an African first as well as a Fairview first, and we hope it allowed for all participants to relax. After all, the world is so serious all the time, that sometimes it’s necessary to take a deep breath, stretch and let a baby goat nibble on your hair.

Then onto the Goatshed, which hosted their annual Charity Dinner in October. The dinner is unique in its approach, in that the full ticket price goes to charity. Nothing is deducted, no remainders sent off. Instead, we’re proud to offer every cent earned to a well-deserving organization, with this year’s beneficiary being the The Athlone House for Abused Women and Children. On the night, we earned over R100 000. This would not have been possible if it wasn’t for our Goatshed Manager, Shannon, as well as Executive Chef SJ, Head Chef Heila and our incredibly kind and passionate Goatshed team, all of whom stayed behind to work on the night for free.

Finally, on the 3rd November we officially opened our newest venture called Back’s. This has been a culmination of close work with my long-lost cousin Raphael Bak. Together, we envisioned providing fresh, local produce and value for money prices to our community. After a lot of brainstorming and effort, we acquired a central spot along Main Road in Paarl, and hope to welcome plenty of feet through our door in the season.

When all is said and done, 2017 has been an adventure – as all previous years before it – and I look forward to seeing what 2018 has to bring. Happy Festive season to all – and enjoy your New Year!

The post Looking Back on 2017 | By Charles Back appeared first on Fairview.

Yes. You read that right! Goat Yoga is now a trend. After first gaining traction in the USA, the animal therapy-meets-exercise concept has been grabbing the attention of everyone, with videos going viral across social media and the key message being about having fun, getting out in nature, bonding with an animal and getting exercise.

As kidding season started on our farm this Spring, we had a light bulb moment. After a round table meeting with our goat herd, our baby goats agreed to hop on board. We are proud to introduce Africa’s very first Goat Yoga! We first tested the concept out at this year’s La Capra Goat Run. Due to the overwhelming response to the pilot session, we have decided to open the paddock to the public! Goat Yoga is all about relaxing – the world is so serious all the time, that sometimes it’s necessary to take a deep breath, stretch and let a baby goat nibble on your hair.

Our baby goats are completely untrained and we let them do what they want. So the only thing you can expect is for each class to be different. Maybe one time the baby goat will hop on your back, maybe another they will all huddle in a corner and sleep. At the end of the day, all that matters is to enjoy a simple and natural class and see things from a different perspective. After all, happy goats make happy people which make a happier world.

Check out our video to get excited! All details below:

From October until December 2017, Raine Dunn of Body Poetry will be leading Goat Yoga classes (featuring the baby goats, of course) every Saturday 9am to 10am at Fairview Wine and Cheese!

*SPECIAL OFFER*

Come enjoy a 1-hour Goat Yoga session followed by a delicious Goatshed breakfast consisting of our home-made granola, Fairview yoghurt, seasonal fruit and honey + your choice of hot beverage. Why not bring a bunch of friends and book an entire class for an end-of-year function or celebration? Spaces are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.

Special offer: R185 per person (including Goat Yoga + breakfast)

Space is limited to 30 people per class, so bookings are essential to reserve your spot!

You can pay your deposit into the following account:

Raine Dunn
Capitec
1413576360
Lonehill 470010

Use your full name as reference and sms proof of payment to 0837295858.

There are mats available to rent if you don’t have your own, at an extra cost of R10. Please inform Raine if you need a mat, and add R10 per mat to the EFT total. Please be there 20 min before 9am so that you can fill in the indemnity, get set up and enjoy some extra goatie time!

To book, please call Raine at 083 729 5858, or drop her an email at raine@bodypoetry.co.za.

Raine has been passionate about health and fitness since a young age, and always dove into all sports with enthusiasm, with a particular love for horseriding and ballet. She has been practicing yoga for 13 years and Pilates for 6 years, and has been teaching full time for the last 2 years in Joburg. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge of the body, and helping people to heal themselves both physically and emotionally through these two powerful practices. She is also enthusiastic about healthy eating (having attended chef school after matric and later ran a wholefoods blog) and encourages people to take an holistic approach to their health.

In 2016 she opened Joburg’s first Barre Body studio – a high intensity cardio fusion of ballet barre and Pilates. In 2017, having had enough of the big city, she decided to make the move to Paarl, where she will be able to fuse her love of nature with her passion for helping people.

Raine is forever on a quest to expand her knowledge about health, the body and the mind in order to help her clients become the happiest version of themselves.

Check out our gallery to see what you can expect:

The post An African First – Goat Yoga at Fairview! appeared first on Fairview.