We recently bottled the third harvest of our Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon blend, from grapes grown on the property, next to the Liesbeek River. These 74 bottles will be set aside, to later be auctioned for charity. Preparing for the next vintage, we also spent the morning pruning and tending to our vines, and excitedly planting a new block of Chardonnay!
: In October 2008, the hotel set about reigniting the history of wine in the Newlands area by partnering with five local wine farms, namely Klein Constantia, Meerlust, Simonsig, Warwick and Waterford. The first harvest saw Klein Constantia producing 64 bottles of wine under the Vineyard’s very own label.
In keeping with its reputation as the Cape’s premier wine destination hotel, the hotel is excited to preserve and maintain the rich heritage of our area. Says Roy Davies, our General Manager, “We want to bring the hotel’s history alive for our guests and we’re delighted to also be restoring the wine heritage of the Newlands area.”
The property, once the home of Lady Anne Barnard, has a rich history in wine stemming from the late 1700’s. When she moved into the home in February 1800, it was already aptly named “The Vineyard” as there were already almost 22 000 vines planted on the property.
In October 2008, approximately 350 years after the first vineyards were planted in this area, the Vineyard Hotel invited five renowned wine producers to join them in reigniting the history of wine in the Newlands area, by establishing a private vineyard in the gardens of the hotel. These five wine farms, namely Klein Constantia, Meerlust, Simonsig, Warwick and Waterford became the hotel’s five official wine partners. The most recent bottling was done by Meerlust, which resulted in 74 bottles to be auctioned off for charity. As always, the hotel is excited to see what next year’s vintage holds!