In order to be eligible for the White Blend Report, wines had to contain a Chenin Blanc component of more than 15% and less than 85%. 38 entries from 31 producers were received and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by the three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale. Ratings over 90-points were awarded a certificate at the ceremony. We were very happy to host some of South Africa’s most esteemed winemakers and wine opinion formers in our Beryl Back Master Tasting Room, treating all to a veritable cornucopia of our Fairview Brut for starters, followed by a flavourful Fairview Cheese selection and delicious canapés served by the Goatshed Restaurant team! Fairview Nurok is from our Regional Revival Range, made to honour Diane Back’s lineage and inspired by Old World winemaking. It has always been a particular labour of love for the team, read more here. With the label depicting one of Diane’s own paintings, we dare say the beauty of the outside matches the elegance of the inside. A perfect Christmas gift for someone you treasure!

Photos courtesy of: Danie Nel

The post Nurok Scores 92 Points at the Cape White Blend Report 2017 appeared first on Fairview.

Undoubtably, his impact on the farm does not go unnoticed. Yesterday, Jessica Hector, one of our Fairtrade Premium Committee members and long-term vineyard team employees, felt so strongly about thanking Charles for all that he has done, that she wanted to send him her very own good luck message from everyone in the vineyard and cellar team. Congratulations Charles – to life!:

The post Our Farmer of the Year 2017! 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.

The story of Fairview cheeses starts three decades ago, when Cyril Back purchased his first Saanen dairy goats, setting Fairview on the path to becoming one of South Africa’s leading artisanal cheese producers.

Cyril Back proudly holding some of the first Fairview goats

Cyril and his wife Beryl had been on a trip to France and fell in love with the richly flavoured goats’ milk cheeses produced on a number of the wine farms that they visited. Upon returning to Paarl, they began investigating the possibility of starting South Africa’s first goats’ milk cheesery. After much investigation and a few fortunate coincidences, the first Saanen goats arrived at the farm in 1980. Cyril was farming with pigs at the time, and his understanding of livestock was not in question. However the skill of producing delicious goats cheese was not one that was easily learned, as his son Charles recounts:

“My father and I had an excellent book on cheese production, however it was all in French which neither of us understood! We tried many recipes and methods with very mixed results. Our greatest achievement in those first months was that we managed to tick off every cheese fault that the book specified. These included a hideous looking contamination called ‘hair of the cat’, which resulted in long grey hairs growing out of our cheeses.”

Cyril Back presenting the latest Fairview Wine and Cheese offering

Fairview enlisted the assistance of Michel Agostinelli, a passionate Italian who had settled in South Africa after arriving as a POW during World War Two. Together with Charles (to whom Cyril had kindly passed the responsibility of the cheesery), Agostinelli began to develop the cheesery and the processes and disciplines involved. Cyril was soon satisfied that the quality of the Fairview cheeses was good enough to serve and they were offered along with wine tastings in the tasting room. The arrival of a large group of French engineers in Cape Town to work on a new power plant, added impetus to the cheesery as they quickly became fans and returned regularly during their stay. Goats’ milk cheese was a tough sell in South Africa in the 1980s as it was not a product that consumers were familiar with at all. But as time passed, both the size of the herd and the range of cheeses grew, with expansion to the cheesery taking place.

In 1995 the Vineyard Cheesery took a significant step forward thanks to two key events. Louis Lourens joined Fairview as head cheesemaker and Jersey cows’ milk cheese production was introduced.

Charles, Beryl and Cyril Back proudly presenting their latest range of Fairview Wine and Cheese in front of the Tasting Room

Louis’ knowledge, passion and dedication quickly took the production to new levels of quality and his professional approach began to show in the systems and styles of cheese produced. Traditional recipe cream cheeses, Brie, Camembert and blue mould cheeses were added to the range and Fairview’s products began to garner accolades and awards. Roydon Camembert, the flagship product in the range, was awarded the Gold Medal at the World Cheese Awards no less than 5  times in 7 years, a performance that did not go down well with the French no doubt!

The Fairview Vineyard Cheesery is based in Paarl in the Western Cape and produces a range of over 20 cows’ milk and goat’s milk artisanal cheeses that are sold in all major centres in South Africa. Fairview products are sold both in the catering market and major retailers.

Our award-winning goats

Fairview offers a range of locally and internationally awarded artisanal cheeses including white mould, blue mould, feta and cream cheese styles. The cheesery sources the bulk of its cows’ milk from a leading Jersey milk dairy. The Saanen goats’ milk used for production is supplied by the resident herd of over 1000 goats. The factory is fully audited and complies with international hygiene and safety regulations. The Fairview range of cheeses is certified Halaal and Kosher.

The Fairview Vineyard Cheesery’s team is lead by cheese maker Louis Lourens, who has been with the company since 1990. His extensive experience and insight into the industry is vital in maintaining Fairview’s position as an industry leader and innovator. Lourens is assisted by cheese maker Bruce Rowbotham, who joined the company in 2005. In addition, Fairview has assembled a team of experienced staff and food technologists who assist in all aspects of new product development and quality control. Fairview’s sales and administration department deals with South Africa’s leading retailers, ensuring that the company’s mark of quality extends from its products through to its client and customer service.

Louis Lourens, working his magic, in the cheese factory

The production facility has been built and expanded so as to facilitate the efficient production of a range of products utilising differing cultures and moulds, while maintaining the hygiene and control standards required of a world class facility. Access is strictly controlled and the cheesery is not open to the public. The production facility processes over 16 000 litres of Jersey cows’ milk and 2 000 litres of Saanen goats’ milk daily, with production running seven days a week. This translates into a production of approximately 900 tons of cheese per annum. The Fairview Vineyard Cheesery is fully HACCP accredited, with audits taking place annually. The factory also has Kosher and Halaal certification.

 

Our Fairview Cheese offering today

 

 

The post Our History of Fairview Cheese appeared first on Fairview.

This year marks the fifth annual Shiraz SA Wine Challenge with about 220 entries received. The results were announced at Rhebokskloof Wine Estate in Paarl. The competition has maintained great prestige and popularity since its inception, no doubt a testament to the popularity of this specific cultivar amongst South African wine lovers.

In addition to our Top 12 achievement, the Fairview Jakkalsfontein 2014 and Fairview Cape Granite Red Blend 2014 were also finalists in the competition. The Fairview Jakkalsfontein is a 100% Shiraz, while the Cape Granite Red Blend is crafted from Shiraz, Grenache and Tempranillo. We were also recognized for our vineyard consistency, having maintained a spot in the Top 12 for the last five years.

“Shiraz has always been a flagship variety for our farm, carrying with it a special heritage and significance,” says winemaker Anthony de Jager.

The Fairview Beacon Shiraz 2014 is dark ruby red in colour, with aromas of white pepper, mixed spice and black cherries. The Shiraz resembles a French Syrah from the Northern Rhone.

Meanwhile, the Swartland Shiraz 2014 has a rich concentrated palate, with flavours of ripe fruits, savoury spices and silky tannins on the finish. Perfumed aromas of cinnamon, dark berries and liquorice can be picked up on the nose. Both wines go really well with red meats, such as lamb and beef, cooked either on the braai or in stews.

“There is so much diversity within the styles of Shiraz – it’s definitely one of the aspects that excites us most. We’re really proud to have so many wines in the running this year, and for two of our wines to be in the Top 12,” says winemaker Stephanie Wiid.

We pride ourselves on our abundance of Shiraz wines that feature in almost all of our ranges. These include a number of exceptional wines namely, the Fairview Cyril Back, our flagship wine named after owner Charles Back’s father, as well as three different Shiraz wines in our premium Single Vineyard range – the Beacon, Jakkalsfontein and Eenzaameheid, a recent Top 100 2017 winner. These wines were created to showcase the powerful difference terroir can make in the ultimate result of a wine. We invite you to come visit all these wines, available from our tasting room.

The post Two in the Top 12 Shiraz SA! appeared first on Fairview.

So gather around, fellow wine lovers! Our second session starts with an Italian stallion – Sangiovese!

The Basics:
Grape Variety: Sangiovese (sahn/djoh/VEH/zeh)
Origin: Italy
Style: Dry red wine
Colour: Ruby red
Aromas & Flavour: Savoury, maraschino cherries, cloves, tomato
Key Regions Planted: Italy, Corsica, Argentina, US
Food pairing: Think Italian foods – rich roasted meat, cured sausages and hard cheeses. Bellissimo!
Fairview Wines: La Capra Sangiovese and Homtini

Sangio-who? Outside of its native home of Italy, Sangiovese is actually quite scarse. So we’re proud to be able to grow and work with this champion red grape variety. Known as a more savoury grape, Sangiovese wines offer a wide range of tastes from very earthy to round and fruit-forward. Regardless of where it’s grown, it always exhibits cherry flavors with more delicate notes of tomato. We first spotted Sangiovese when we brought our Darling vineyard – and we liked what we found! Our Sangiovese works very well in the cooler Atlantic region of Darling, bringing forward a vibrant fruit and fresh acidity.

With our very own Italian descendant here on the farm, chief winemaker Anthony de Jager, it came as a natural evolution to release a Sangiovese-based blend called Homtini. Having quickly risen in popularity since its maiden 2014 vintage, the wine is now loved not only for its outstanding flavour but also for its wallpaper-inspiring label! If you’d like to try this grape variety as a single variety, our La Capra Sangiovese is the perfect opportunity to do so, and is absolutely perfecto with tomato-based sauces like marinara and pasta dishes.

La Capra Sangiovese is available for R50 a bottle, click here.
Fairview’s Homitni is available for R160 a bottle, click here.

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We are so proud to announce our winning labels from this year’s 2017 Wine Label Design Awards! Our Fairview Extraño came in with a Bronze medal, while our new Bloemcool Range shined with a Silver award. Both labels were designed by the very talented team at Jane Says Design, headed up by Victoria Peter.

According the Winemag.co.za, the Wine Label Design competition seeks “to reward the best design and packaging for bottled wine made in South Africa and judging criteria include originality of concept, execution, shelf appeal and effectiveness as a piece of communication”. The news came on Wednesday, 29th March, and the results were warmly received at the Fairview farm.

Fairview’s Extraño received a face lift late last year, drawing on inspiration from the Spanish varieties of used for this powerful red blend. The label is a carefully executed melange of Spanish-styled typography, using a vibrant colour palate of gold and red. The main icon is a peacock fanning its tail feathers on the label, which harks back to the tale of when we spotted a ‘stranger’ floating through the jumble of our old Tempranillo vines. Inspired by this monarchical peacock – who has now made a home among our vineyard – our winemakers have carefully tamed Tempranillo’s temperamental streak by integrating fellow Hispanic varieties Grenache and Carignan.

In quite sharp contrast, the Bloemcool labels – our newest range also released last year April – is a very clean and minimal design. The range takes its name from Bloemcoolfontein (meaning ‘cauliflower fountain’ directly translated from Dutch), which was the original name of the Fairview farm before the Back family took ownership. Drawing on our heritage, the diamond shaped label is made out of handmade, recycled paper with cauliflower seeds embedded into it. The idea is to plant the label once the bottle of wine is finished, and to grow your very own bloemkool (cauliflower) at home, encouraging a sustainable approach to the range, which uses recycled bottles and minimizes printing by not including back labels.

The Extraño and the Bloemcool range are both available on our online store: https://www.fairview.co.za/shop/

The post Fairview’s Winning Label Designs appeared first on Fairview.

The Forests

Barrels are made out of oak, so the best place to begin is in the oak forest! France is the largest source of European Oak, and that’s exactly where Steph went – to a large oak forest in Darney within the North East of France. Here, the trees range from 160 to 250 years old (some with bullet holes from World War 1) and are selectively harvested. Traditionally, oak has been used for wine barrels, as opposed to other wood, because it is stronger, denser and contains natural compounds which help improve the quality, ageability and flavour of the wine. The sustainability of these forests is incredibly important worldwide, and in France, there is a certification called the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), ensuring the correct management of these ancient trees. It’s safe to say that every last bit of the tree gets used, and they only cut down as much as the forest can afford to lose.

The Staves

When a block of trees is ready, a wood specialist arrives to assess the quality, and then different coopers from cooperages (the people who make the barrels) bid on the block. Only the highest quality wood can be used for barrel-making, which is generally the straightest part of the tree with the narrowest grain. However, the rest of the tree also gets put to use, with the top part often going to carpentry, while off cuts can be used for firewood. Once selected, the oak tree gets split and turned into staves. The staves are then laid out to air dry for 18 to 36 months to allow the wood to properly ‘season’. Much like braai wood, the seasoning means the wood literally needs to get affected by the seasons – through rain, and snow and sunshine – allowing it to lose that ‘greenness’.

The Cooperage

With the wood now ready, it’s time for the cooper to get to work. The shape is everything when it comes to barrel making, as it needs to be watertight without the aid of glue. Once made, the fun part begins! According to preference, the barrels gets toasted over a fire. Toasting is a process of singeing the inside of the wine barrel to achieve different oak flavour in the wine, and helps transform the tannins so they can soften and mature the wine. Toasting can be light, medium or heavy or anything in-between depending on what the winemaker wants. For example, for our Petite Sirah (which is a wine with heavier tannins), we prefer to use barrels that have undergone short, hot toasting, as the wine can handle a lot more wood than something lighter like a Grenache.

When reflecting on her experience, Steph says:

“As a winemaker, this was a truly valuable experience. There are so many similarities between wine and barrel making – from the terroir and the climate to the involvement of the human hand. It really gave me a larger appreciation for every element of the whole winemaking industry and how the process affects the quality – you can understand why barrels cost as much as they do!”

Even once our barrels are used several times and are no longer usable, we sell them on to our friend Kiewiet, who has ingeniously started recycling used barrels to make beautiful wooden cheese boards, sold in our Tasting Room. The barrels live on perpetually.

The post The Journey of a Barrel appeared first on Fairview.

You could say there is a trend permeating among local winemakers, and it is a very positive one at that. After centuries of keeping close to traditionally classic, cooler climate grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, there is a quiet avant-garde movement happening that is turning the status quo on its heels.

In recent years, South African vineyards have seen a steady rise in Rhône-style varieties such as Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault being planted, and a more warm-hearted embrace to crafting wine out of our own indigenous grape varieties such as Pinotage and Chenin. The change is dynamic, and one solid reason for such a choice is that these Rhône-style and local varieties are better suited to the harsh, hot and now drought-ridden climate that seeps through our winelands, producing beautifully refined bottlings.

It is with this philosophy in mind that Charles Back went out and pioneered the plantings of such varieties on our farm over 30 years ago. And today, our winemakers are blown away by the results that our Paarl-based vines are showing, in particular the Paarl Chenin and Old Bush Vine Cinsault. Both these varieties are the traditional work horses of the South African wine industry, mainly because of their high yield and ability to blend well with other wines. But with extra care and attention to detail, both have broken the mould and the resulted wines are expressive, well-structured and great additions to the Fairview portfolio. It just goes to show what can happen when you give each grape its time to shine.

As we love doing things differently, we encourage our fans to do the same, and join us as we toast to the comeback kids Chenin & Cinsault – trust us, they’ll be the words (and taste) on the tip of your tongue very soon.

Both of these special wines are available from our online shop.
Paarl Chenin Blanc: R100 – click here to buy now
Cinsault: R115 – – click here to buy now

Paarl Chenin Blanc grapes on the left, and Paarl Cinsault grapes on the right, captured by our winemakers last week

The post Paarl Chenin & Cinsault | The Comeback Kids appeared first on Fairview.

So gather around, fellow wine lovers! Our first session begins with one of the most popular South African’s white wines, Sauvignon Blanc!

The Basics:

Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc (say: saw vee nyon blahnk)
Origin: Loire Valley, France
Style: Dry white wine
Colour Profile: Bright light green
Aroma & Flavour Profile: Traditionally, it is herbal, with green bell pepper and grass on the nose. Our wine is more tropical, with notes of green figs and nettle.
Key Regions Planted: France, Australia, Chile, Brazil, New Zealand, USA and South Africa
Food pairing: Sauvignon blanc with its more herbal flavours and zesty-like character make it a terrific wine to use with foods that use more green vegetables in their preparation and goes well with lighter vinegar-based sauces or green sauces. Great with our Crottin cheese!

Our Story:

Sauvignon Blanc is South Africa’s sweetheart, much beloved as a choice, refreshing drink in the summer. Traditionally, the grapes are grown out in cool climate regions, so we opted to plant our vines in the Darling region. Here, you can see the ocean from our vineyard, meaning that the cool Atlantic winds create a more refined wine that offers a subtle salty minerality at the core.

Over the years, our winemaker’s have worked carefully with this zesty French grape variety, producing single variety bottlings and blending it into some of our most special creations, such as our brand new Bordeaux-inspired blend called Drie Papen Fontein.

Our Darling Sauvignon Blanc is available on our online shop. Click here.

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