I think that my brother Tamo, our Cape Town Haute Cabriere ambassador, summed-up this past Bastille festival best … ”it was wild, it was fun and it was the most celebratory Franschhoek Bastille Festival ever! There were moments when I felt as if I was back in France in Springtime. Add to that the feeling of celebrating Madiba’s birthday and it was an experience impossible to beat!”

CC Attribution Franschhoek Wine Valley on Flickr

In fact over the weakend we enjoyed terrific Pierre Jourdan sales and, as one friend remarked, it looked like every Bastille visitor had a bottle of Pierre Jourdan in her / his hand.

If you were drinking Pierre Jourdan or Haute Cabriere this Bastille thank you for your support. If not, never fear, there is always next year!

Head out to Franschhoek this weekend and join us at the 2010 Bastille Festival. The weather is going to be fantastic so you have absolutely NO excuse!

CC attribution Franschhoek Wine Valley on Flickr

We’ve had quite a few international visitors in the Haute Cabriére Tasting Room lately. They are all out to support their respective football teams but in between the matches a number of them have come out to the winelands to taste what we, as a wine producing country, have to offer.

We work really hard at our experience in Haute Cabriére Tasting Room and it’s great to hear back from people who enjoyed that experience. Recently the Haute Cabriére Tasting Room team received a lovely email from Steve (one of our international football supporting visitors). Steve has very kindly given us permission to post his complimentary email here, on our blog. Thanks Steve!

Steve’s email:

“You may remember our visit to you last Thursday. Because there were so many of us it was not possible to thank you personally but may I now do that electronically. I found you to be a thoroughly charming and very knowledgeable guide and when I return, sometime in the future with my wife (as I surely will for I was captivated by your beautiful region ), we shall make a point of visiting Haute Cabriére and maybe cracking a bottle or two.”

If you’re in Cape Town this week, for the very exciting Spain vs Portugal game on Tuesday, why not take some time out and join us in the Franschhoek winelands?

When the Cape Town Stadium officially opened Haute Cabrière was in attendance. Because - as everyone knows - it’s simply not a event without a bottle of Pierre Jourdan, the Haute Cabrière sabre and Achim von Arnim!

Here are some pictures of the snow on the mountains surrounding the Franschhoek Valley.

We’ve added a few snaps of the snow, on the mountains behind Haute Cabriere, to our fan page. If you’re interested you’ll find them here.

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the April 2010 Haute Cabrière, Pierre Jourdan and me case of Pierre Jourdan Brut is none other than Joletta Luise Els. Please send your physical address to marketing@cabriere.co.za so we can deliver your case of Pierre Jourdan Brut.

Everyone at Cabriere absolutely loved Michele Reynolds entries … which means that we’re going to be sending Michele a Magnum of Pierre Jourdan. So Michele please send us your physical address and we’ll have that magnum delivered.

If you think you have what it takes to win a case of Pierre Jourdan this May add it to the Haute Cabrière, Pierre Jourdan and me Facebook fan page and get your friends to vote. Remember the person with the most likes and comments on a photo wins the case.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated you about the wines.

So here is the update:

• The Chardonnay / Pinot Noir Blend looks good as does the Pierre Jourdan Brut.
• The Pierre Jourdan Belle Rose will be bottled in just less than two weeks. I’ll let you know how that goes in another blog post.

Before any of you ask you can look forward to the Chardonnay / Pinot Noir Blend in the latter half of the year. Don’t bother asking for specifics because you won’t get them.

As you probably know I was recently in Europe. I attended the 2010 Prowein and I also spent some time visiting key distributors and stockist of our wines and cap classiques.

It was an incredible trip for two reasons:

1. The demand for our wine internationally is growing steadily. We produce some unique and delicious wines (specifically our Haute Cabriere Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend and Pierre Jourdan Tranquille) and the market likes unique and delicious. What was really great was experiencing first-hand the increased interest in and demand for the Pierre Jourdan Tranquille.
2. I had the opportunity, on this trip, to connect with the people who are stocking and selling Haute Cabriere throughout Europe.  I’ve discovered that this connection is important because it personalises the brand. This is a vital component of success - people must be able to put a name and face to a specific wine otherwise you’ll disappear into the new world wine sea.

So what this all means is that I will be back in Europe again next year. If I didn’t see you on this trip look me up on my next one!

We hope you’re all enjoying this glorious public holiday? Franschhoek, at this time of year, is simply breathtaking! It definitely feels like a Pierre Jourdan kind of day … definitely a bottle over a glass day.

Yup if you’re visiting us today we hope you brought along that designated driver. If not you could always try check into one of our fabulous local hotels. We believe that one of them, a certain Le Quartier Français, had their flagship restaurant (The Tasting Room) place 31st in the 2010 World top 50 Restaurants last night. Congratulations Le Quartier Français we’re very proud of your achievement!

If you’re still looking for something to do, on this beautiful mid-week holiday, then we suggest you head out to the Franschhoek winelands and join us for some wine tasting and lunch.

If you’re already on your way we can’t wait to see you!