Earlier this week, we were bottling James McKenzie’s “Lady Anna”, and I had the privilege to be invited into his office to hear about the history of his farm and his own background. And I must say the gentleman is a fount of knowledge… Back in time… “Nabygelegen was first founded in 1712. The first farmer, Ian Lorentz, came from Rostock in Northern Germany, on the Baltic.” James believes “he was an accountant in the Dutch East India Company, and after 25 years of service, he was granted his own farm” in 1707. Title was issued to Jan for ‘the 20 morgen 320 square rood farm Stuk Land at Bovlei, Wamakersvallei’ on 11 May 1712. According to James, “what happened a lot at that time with these European settlers that were accountants or traders, is that they didn’t really have a clue about farming, and they were also not strong people, so they mostly died after 2 to 3 years. Either the wild animals would get them, or they would get sick.” And that what may have happened with Jan Lorentz… (NB: As often with history, this is only one of the many different versions that can be found about Johann/Jan Lourens/Lohrentz/Lorenz… ) “There were several other owners (a total of 11 owners of Nabygelegen so far). But one of the most famous ones was a lady called Anna Lategan. It was actually very unusual in 1780 for a woman to own property. She owned 3 farms in the Valley: Nabygelegen, De Compagnie, and Canetsfontein. She was famous for being one of the first people in the Cape to release her slaves (these farms were all slave farms in the 1700s). Anna Lategan also built the old winery”, and as you must have guessed, James’ White Blend “Lady Anna” was named after this exceptional Lady. “There were several farmers after that, but from the 1840s, Nabygelegen belonged to the Du Toit family”, which is the family James bought the farm from… Portrait of a Gentleman Farmer James says himself that his background his very strange. He is from Joburg originally, worked in Switzerland and London as a banker, a currency trader and a bond trader. Then he decided to change his life, so he bought a farm on the Bovlei in Wellington. He has been the owner of Nabygelegen for 20 years now. All the grapes on his farm are made into wine in the little cellar, and James has been the winemaker for 15 of the 20 years he has owned the farm. “The real enjoyment that I get out of my life is growing grapes (and olives, I love growing olive trees), and making wine!”. What a lesson of wisdom! [James also says that neighbors are welcome to contact his office team in case they want to make sure it is not going to rain for a special occasion. “Have you noticed that whenever we have a bottling production, it rains?” he tells me, laughing.] The wines “We make about 120,000 bottles a year, (10,000 cases), red and white wine. I think we are probably well-known for Chenin Blanc, and for big powerful red wines, like ‘Scaramanga’’ or ‘Seventeen Twelve’. ‘Scaramanga’ is a new-world blend, the ‘Seventeen Twelve’ is more classical, old style of wine.” James is also the man behind the Snow Mountain Wines range, a brand that he started “with handcrafted wines from high-altitude sites, then progressed to parcels not necessarily elevated but unique or interesting” (Source: Platter’s Guide 2018) Most of Nabygelegen’s Wines are sold overseas, and “If you are asking the things that make me most excited, it is about selling wine in Italy and in France where, obviously, some great wines are made.” (even though these 2 countries are obviously not James’ main target markets). Contact Details : Address: R 301, Wellington, Republic of South Africa GPS: S33 37’ 54.7” E019 3’ 51.2” Email: [email protected] Phone: +27 21 873 7534
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Earlier this week, I was in Piemonte (Italy) to commission our brand new Champagne e Vino Labelling unit. It is now ready for shipping and will be ready for work in early September 2019... As you can see, it will be able to apply MCC capsules and ruff labels (using optical spotting), and of course front and back labels, and certification seals. I must say I was amazed! It will be able to label about 800 MCC bottles per hour, and up to 2200 wine bottles with polylam capsules. Special thanks to Kleine Zalze, Lanzerac and Boschendal Wine Estates for providing sample bottles and labels enabling us to set up the new baby to their specifications... More details coming soon Make sure to book ASAP! #Lanzeracwineestate #Kleinezalze #DGB #Boschendal#labellingspecialist This morning, our 'small' bottling unit (GAI 10 head filler) is on its way to one of the smallest wine estates near Stellenbosch. Neighbouring the famous Neethlinghshof and Overgaauw Wine Estates, Lovane Boutique Wine Estate was bought 5 years ago by Bordeaux Blend lover Hennie Visser and his wife Theresa.
With 2.5 Hectare vineyards consisting of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, Lovane's flagship is a Bordeaux style blend called Isikhati (meaning "Time" in Zulu), and the 2015 vintage was awarded Gold Medal from Veritas. The other wines produced by Lovane are a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Petit Verdot, a Shiraz, a Pinotage, a Rose "Blanc de Noir" named Theresa, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a "Cape Vintage" Port. After a career as a Chief Financial Officer in Johannesburg, Hennie worked hard to become a "self made winemaker". And the result is astounding, also thanks to the help and advise of 2 close friends well known in the industry. From the vineyards to the cellar and almost all parts of the farm, Hennie seems to be everywhere. And this must be the key of Lovane's success. A family farm and guest house getting bigger as I am writing these lines, thanks to the hard work of its hands-on owners and employees... About the Guest House... When Theresa and Hennie bought the farm 5 years ago, it consisted of 9 bedrooms. Now they have 16 beautiful bedrooms and conference facilities to accommodate seminars, team buidings and small events such as weddings and anniversaries (up to 40 guests). But let's get back to our bottling production. The bottles are there, screw capsules as well, our unit as been sterilized and set up, production must start! Let's fill these bottles with an aromatic Sauvignon Blanc to start with, followed by a subtle Cabernet Sauvignon... Thank you Hennie and Theresa for trusting Estate Mobile Bottling and Labelling, and we will see you next week for the labelling run! And thank you to your amazing team of workers that made things so easy and pleasant! Keep going! For more information on that lovely Boutique Wine Estate, please visit www.lovane.co.za Sources : Interview of Hennie Visser on the 16/05/2019, www.wine.co.za, Platter's Wine Guide 2018, www.lovane.co.za |
The AuthorI landed in Cape Town in July 2013 and entered the South African Wine industry shortly after that. Raised in the South of France by a Bordeaux blend lover, it must have been written in the stars that I would one day or the other take part into that fascinating world (although my part is tiny...) Archives |