Category: Featured Producer

At the 2022 International Wine & Spirit Competition Annual Awards Banquet, held at London’s iconic Roundhouse on the 29th of September, Jordan Wine Estate was awarded the trophy for the White Wine Producer of the Year.

Jordan was one of five wineries shortlisted for the White Wine Producer Trophy together with producers from France, New Zealand and Germany, each with outstanding achievements.

The estate performed well in this year’s IWSC awards, but it was their Chardonnay that stole the show. Their Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2020 garnered an impressive 95 points / Gold Medal, while their Nine Yards Chardonnay 2020 scored 96 points / Gold Medal. The Nine Yards comes from an east-facing vineyard, which enjoy cooler morning sun and the judges were struck by the “dazzlingly aromatic nose”. Overall, they deemed it to be: “A wonderful wine of superb quality.”

This year the Jordan family celebrates 40 years since Ted Jordan purchased Jordan Wine Estate and the hard work of the past 4 decades is evident in their other recent accolades. Jordan has also been awarded a gold medal for the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon at this year’s IWSC competition. A four-time winner of the Chardonnay Trophy, as well as the Blended Red Wine Trophy, Jordan has also previously received the Trophy for the South African Wine Producer-of-the-Year.

Gary and Kathy Jordan are the husband-and-wife team behind this 164-hectare Stellenbosch wine estate. They have been making wines in this beautiful part of South Africa’s Western Cape since their first harvest in 1993.

“We hold the IWSC competition in high regard as one of the best international wine competitions and so we are thrilled to have received this coveted trophy for the best white wine of the competition. Cool hillside slopes within sight of the sea, an understanding of our ancient soils and a dedicated team working closely together ensures that the best estate-grown Stellenbosch grapes are brought into the Jordan cellar”, says Gary Jordan

“Jordan is well known for producing top-quality Chardonnay. We make several styles of which our Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is a classic example of this noble variety, with the Nine Yards Chardonnay expressing the complexity of the terroir from one of our oldest vineyards at Jordan. What makes it special is the fact that it is an east-facing vineyard on a geological fault where the white quartz pebbles provide high light reflection on the surface of the vineyard and help to ripen the grapes slowly and evenly” – Kathy Jordan.

“Consistently awarded across a range of varieties matched to both soil and aspect, Jordan is proud to receive this IWSC trophy on behalf of our vineyard and winemaking team as we strive to find the ultimate synergy between soul and soil. As the first producer to plant Assyrtiko in South Africa, we constantly search for texture and structure in all our wines, with fermentation in barrel, tank and amphorae enabling us to express the purest varietal flavours” – Sjaak Nelson, Winemaker at Jordan for 23 years.

North, south, east and west – their vineyards cover all aspects of the compass and range in height from 160 to 410 metres above sea level. The majority of plantings here are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin for the white varieties and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz for the red. Each site is harvested with a view to capturing the unique terroir given by the vineyard’s aspect, altitude and soil.

The estate is bursting with new ideas and innovations. In the past three years, the team has started experimenting with clay amphorae for their Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Assyrtiko and Syrah. “It captures the purity of fruit while preserving acidity and the perception of minerality which we enjoy in our wines,” they say.

In 2022, they introduced a new basket press to enable them to make wine from smaller parcels. In addition to the usual 225 and 228-litre barrels, they’re introducing new larger barrels to the wood regime. In the vineyard, Gary and Kathy have introduced new varietals, such as Assyrtiko, planted on a newly acquired north-facing parcel.

In contrast to the new, they are also focused on protecting the old: the estate is a member of the Old Vine Project, preserving the oldest vines which were planted decades ago. “We recognise that age in vines brings an intensity, a perceived freshness, a texture and a sense of place that our customers enjoy,” they say.

To view our full range of Jordan wines available to purchase click here

Kanonkop Wine Estate was once again the centre of attention at the annual IWSC (International Wine & Spirits Competition) awards ceremony on Thursday, September 29, when they were awarded the trophy for Red Wine Producer of the Year 2022.

Located in South Africa’s famed wine region, Stellenbosch, Kanonkop has 95 hectares under vine. Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon account for 85 percent of the varietals planted on the estate, with small areas of Merlot and Cabernet Franc making up the balance.

“Our aim is to remain the top red wine producer of South Africa,” says Johann Krige, Kanonkop CEO and the IWSC’s 2022 President.

It’s a bold but simple ambition – and one that the IWSC judges clearly felt is within reach, with no less than 12 medals awarded to Kanonkop this year:

1. Black Label Pinotage 2015
2. Black Label Pinotage 2017
3. Black Label Pinotage 2019 (Gold Medal / 95 points)
4. Paul Sauer 2012
5. Paul Sauer 2017
6. Paul Sauer 2018
7. Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (Gold Medal / 97 points)
8. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
9. Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 (Gold Medal / 95 points)
10. Pinotage 2006 (Gold Medal / 96 points)
11. Pinotage 2017
12. Pinotage 2019

To view our full range of Kanonkop wines available to purchase click here

Amrita is an ancient Indian word meaning “Nectar of the Gods” , a drink that bestowed immortality.

The spotlight this month is on one of our newest wineries, Golden Amrita, a family owned company owned by the Liu family that for many generations has produced the finest quality aged Pu’er vintage teas in Yunnan province in Southern China

The Liu family reside in both Adelaide and Yunnan Province, and this interest in high quality products led them to the purchase in 2017 of a small estate vineyard situated in the Greenock sub-region of the Barossa Valley.

Being considered one of the finest tea producers from the Yunnan province, the Liu family understand the importance on quality in all aspects of production, and aim to build from the bottom up, a quality brand from the highest quality grapes, reputation and provenance.  Pu’er tea is a very distinctive, richly flavoured tea and the family see synergies with this in the richer style of Barossa Shiraz.

The vineyard is expertly managed for Golden Amrita by a sixth generation family of Barossa vignerons, the Kalleske family.  Nathan Kalleske and his sons were managing the vineyard when the Liu family purchased it from the previous owners. With the new focus on quality over volume, yields have been reduced, foliage wire added, and no herbicides are now used for weed control, only mechanical tilling. In 2019 Nathan’s brother Shawn Kalleske (a highly experienced Barossa winemaker who owns Laughing Jack Winery) met the family and agreed to take over their winemaking.

In mid- 2020 the family approached renowned Barossa winemaker Kym Milne (MW) about working with the Kalleske family to oversee the project, assisting with blending and general wine advice. After meeting with the family, visiting the vineyard and tasting the wines Kym was so impressed by the Liu family’s dedication and aspirations, he agreed to join the project.

The result is a magnificent Single Estate Shiraz from the best 20 year old Australian Shiraz vines on a single vineyard estate.

The concept of Ernie Els Wines was born out of friendship between golfing legend Ernie Els and Jean Engelbrecht (owner of Rust en Vrede Wine Estate) in 1999.

As one of South Africa’s leading ambassadors and most recognizable faces in the world of sport, it was fitting that Ernie should choose Stellenbosch to produce his wines, with vineyards located high up on the northern slopes of the Helderberg Mountain.

With award-winning winemaker Louis Strydom, they produced the maiden 2000 vintage of Ernie Els – a ‘classic’ Bordeaux blend. The intention from the outset was to focus on delivering a quality product that could hold its own in the company of the world’s finest wines. With several Platter’s Wine Guide 5 star rated wines in the portfolio and as demand for Ernie’s wines has grown, so has the range to now include four collections with a particular focus on Cabernet Sauvignon: Big Easy, Major Series, Proprietor’s and the Signature.

As our wine producer of the month, we are offering a special 15% discount across the Ernie Els Wines range (expires 31^st March 2021).

Having recently re-opened to the public, after extensive renovations, a visit (once International travel is back on the cards) to the stunning new Ernie Els winery and cellar door is a must.  Selected for its prime position and framed by panoramic views of Cape Town, Table Mountain and Stellenbosch, this is one for your bucket list of wineries to visit in South Africa.

Shop our Ernie Els Wines

Situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain, in the heart of South Africa’s most famous wine region Stellenbosch, Ken Forrester vineyards are commonly referred to as the ‘Home of Chenin Blanc’.

The historic farm Scholtzenhof is one of the oldest wine farms in the Western Cape and was originally granted as Zandbergh in 1689.  Ex-restaurateur Ken Forrester started his winery in 1994 with the purchase of the property and over the past 27 years has become known as one of the most dynamic and charismatic South African wine producers, often referred to as the ‘King of Chenin’ or ‘Mr Chenin’ due to his pioneering approach to producing quality Chenin Blanc, South Africa’s most-planted grape variety.

Ken Forrester represents the true pioneering spirit of the post-apartheid South African wine industry. Drawing on the examples of top Loire whites and one of the first to cherish and respect old-vine Chenin and to break the mould in terms of vinification style, he has used his uniquely placed Chenin vines to maximum effect and has single-handedly led a Chenin Blanc quality revolution. As a result, these wines have achieved iconic status worldwide.

Much of this work has been in partnership with his old friend Martin Meinert, and their most famous Chenin, The FMC (Forrester Meinert Chenin), celebrates this long-term relationship.  Ken makes a wide range of Chenin Blancs to suit all palates, however his red focus is on Rhône varieties, which he believes is the way forward for the Cape’s largely Mediterranean climate.

Over the years their range of top-quality wines have received massive national and international acclaim with literally hundreds of awards and accolades.

Farming sustainably with no herbicides or pesticides, Ken Forrester’s philosophy has always been to create a range of handcrafted, individually made wines that suitably compliment a wide variety of food styles. Thus the reason behind producing three Ken Forrester ranges including;

The Petit Range – A range of elegant, value for money wines, crafted for everyday drinking and to be opened and enjoyed light-heartedly.  Created with a fruit forward profile that demands a second sip.

Petit Chenin Blanc 2019

Petit Rosé 2019

Petit Pinotage 2019

Petit Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

The Reserve Range – Sourced from older vineyards mainly from the family property in Stellenbosch, just 4 miles from the cool Atlantic and in the sheltered lee of the majestic Helderberg mountain.  The Reserve range of wines, show more depth of character and concentration – ideal food wines, with structure and elegance.

Sparklehorse 2019

Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2019

Merlot Reserve Pat’s Garden 2017

Renegade 2017

The Icon Range – Sourced from single parcel vines, where an older, special vineyard like a small postage stamp on the map, produces exceptional fruit and extremely low yields.  These wines make a statement of purity and show intensity, complex concentration of fruit and elegant balance.  The pinnacle of the range, crafted in small quantities and continually scoring extremely high points across the Parker, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast ratings every year.

FMC 2019

Gypsy 2015

Today, along with his winery, Forrester is also co-owner of 96 Winery Road Restaurant, also in Stellenbosch.

View the full range of wines

Translated as ‘Cape View’, family owned Kaapzicht Estate commands a stunning position in Stellenbosch, with magnificent views over to Table Bay in the distance. Danie Steytler Jnr (pictured above) has taken over from his father as winemaker, and continues the estate’s success with Pinotage and Chenin Blanc. The estate’s old vine, oaked Chenin Blanc known as The 1947 has had the wine trade talking since its introduction (winning a Gold medal at the Veritas awards and consistently receiving 95+ points from Tim Atkin MW), while the recently-released 2017 vintage of Steytler Vision Cape Blend has picked up a much-coveted Gold Medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition and a 5 star Platter rating.

The family take their responsibility towards their employees incredibly seriously and have a number of schemes in place to make their lives easier, including an on-site crèche, Pebbles, for ten babies and toddlers under 6. Since 2002, Kaapzicht have paid all school bills for the 42 children of employees, who also use Pebbles as an After School Club where they can do their homework and benefit from a number of extracurricular activities. In the evenings, Pebbles then turns into a centre to teach literacy to adults and offer tuition to help them achieve their end-of-school exams, sometimes many years after having left school.

Click through for further details on the fabulous range of Kaapzicht wines on our website

Our focus this month is award winning, organic New Zealand producer, Greystone.  Established in 2004 and recently described by Decanter Magazine as one of New Zealand’s top wine producers, Greystone takes its name from the steep limestone clay hills in Waipara Valley, North Canterbury.

With the aim of making exceptional wines from its unique terroir, since 2014, Greystone has managed its 33-hectare vineyard organically. The team are continually searching for new ways to fully reflect the terroir, including vineyard ferments, which capture the vines’ wild yeasts in situ, while exposing the wine to the elements – the ultimate in natural winemaking?

For a relatively young wine company, Greystone has twice won Decanter trophies for Best Pinot Noir as well as earning the ranking of Top New Zealand Chardonnay in 2018. Greystone was Raymond Chan’s 2018 Winery of the Year and winemaker, Dom Maxwell, was named 2018 New Zealand Winemaker of the Year by Gourmet Traveller Wine.

Click through for further details about the outstanding Greystone wines on our website.

Bremerton Wines is a family-run estate, with sisters Rebecca Wilson (Winemaker) and Lucy Wilson (Marketing Manager) at the helm, who have focussed the family’s wine range on high quality and individualistic wines. They have given Bremerton a strong foothold in the highly competitive wine market with Rebecca’s first label at age 25 – the 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon winning a trophy and rated third best Cabernet in Australia by Winestate magazine.

Since then the Willson Sisters have taken Bremerton to become one of the best-known brands from South Australia’s Langhorne Creek wine region and for the past 11 years Bremerton Wines has been awarded the James Halliday 5 star rated winery, ranking them in the top 5% of all Australian Wineries.

Bremerton pride themselves on their environmental practices, with sustainability a key feature of their viticultural approaches, a commitment to nature conservation in their local area and active measures in place to reduce both water consumption and the estate’s carbon footprint.

This drive to find a more sustainable future has translated into the wines themselves, new vintages of which are suitable for vegans, as well as the new Preservative Free Shiraz that is now available to purchase.

Click through for further details about the Preservative Free Shiraz and other Bremerton wines on our website.

 

Congratulations to Bird in Hand winemakers Dylan Lee and Kym Milne MW, who have won the coveted trophy for the ‘Red Winemaker of the Year’ at what is considered the world’s most influential wine competition, the International Wine Challenge (IWC) at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. This comes just months after Bird in Hand’s 2017 Syrah received four trophies and was awarded the best ‘Australian Red’ at the IWC in May.

Lee and Milne were among four winemakers shortlisted this year for the prestigious award, the others being: Hervé J. Fabre from Bodegas Fabre (Argentina), Christophe Briotet from Edouard Delaunay (France) and Chris Hatcher and Steven Frost from Wolf Blass (Australia).

Originally from Perth, Lee moved to Adelaide to study winemaking, graduating from the University of Adelaide in 2007 with a Bachelor of Oenology. He then travelled and worked in Rhône Valley, Niagara Peninsula and Margaret River where he gained invaluable experience in cool-climate winemaking, before starting at Bird in Hand in 2010.

Lee has worked under the guidance of Winemaking Director Kym Milne MW for eight years and is honoured to be awarded the 2019 Red Winemaker of the Year.

“I am delighted and humbled to win an international award of this level, and it is a credit to our dedicated, passionate and hardworking winery team. For us, being awarded on a global stage for wines across different varieties, styles and vintages is particularly pleasing as it shows that we have been able to maintain a high level of consistency in our winemaking.”

Bird in Hand was the region’s top producer, gaining four Gold medals – two from Adelaide Hills and two from Mount Lofty, including the Syrah 2017 which scored 96/100 points by a panel of international judges, including Masters of Wine Tim Atkin, Natasha Hughes and Madeleine Stenwreth. The Bird in Hand 2017 Syrah was described by the panel as “Brooding and focused with elegant floral black fruits on the nose and cool climate elegance. Pure raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, understated oak and fine tannins.”

In addition to the best ‘Australian Red’ trophy, the 2017 Syrah won another three trophies including Adelaide Hills Shiraz, South Australian Red and South Australian Shiraz. The Bird in Hand 2017 Shiraz was awarded the Mt Lofty Shiraz trophy and gold medals were also bestowed upon the 2017 Bird in Hand Shiraz 95pts, 2014 Nest Egg Shiraz 95pts and 2015 Nest Egg Cabernet Sauvignon 95pts.

Bird in Hand winery founder, Andrew Nugent says “As a family winery, we are so grateful to be able to showcase globally the elite artisan winemaking of South Australia and in particular our Adelaide Hills home. Dylan Lee, Kym Milne and the entire winery team have set a standard to be at the pinnacle of world winemaking and results like these are a wonderful recognition of their rare skill and dedication.”

ABOUT BIRD IN HAND
Bird in Hand is a world-renowned producer of fine wine that celebrates place and passion, not only through expert vinification but also through food, art and cultural events. Its portfolio of cool climate wines is produced across four speciality tiers; Tribute Series, Nest Egg, Bird in Hand and Two in the Bush. Founded in 1997, the family run winery believes in the aspirational side of winemaking – the ability to be creative while pursuing quality and excellence.

Frontier Fine Wines are delighted to be stocking a new range of Argentinean wines from Belhara Estate, a family owned winery with it’s Estate Vineyards located in the high altitudes of the prestigious Uco Valley Of Mendoza, within the premium appellations of Altamira, Gualtallary and Tupungato.

The estate is comprised of 3 estate vineyards with altitudes between 1100 and 1400 meters above sea level. Belhara Estate focuses on crafting artisanal red blends and single vineyard wines with their 180 hectares of planted vineyards, some of which include 80 year old vines for some of their Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Bonarda varietal plantings.

Stephen Huse, Owner and Director of Winemaking received his formal training at the University of Bordeaux obtaining a Diploma of Enology as well as a Master of Science in Winemaking & Viticulture.  Before taking up the reigns at Belhara in 2013. Stephen subsequently worked for wineries such as Chateau Margaux and Mouton Rothschild in France, followed by Harlan Estate and Merryvale Vineyards in the Napa Valley.

We are offering an introductory 10% discount on our new Belhara Estate range of wines by entering discount code BEW10 at checkout. This offer is valid until Wednesday 31st October 2018 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers.