The last week has been notable for us with the news that 3 of our wines received 90 points and over in the prestigious Sommeliers Choice Awards in the United States.  Chenin Blanc 2019 picked up 90 points, Cabernet Franc Reserve 2017 93 points and our spicy Bordeaux styled blend Visionaire a stunning 94 points!  This will certainly help with our sales efforts in the United States as these awards are tasted blind by sommeliers, wine buyers and wine directors at on consumption locations around the USA.

Last night, in fact early this morning, I was delighted to present the Visionaire via Zoom to the guests of New Jersey’s leading independent jeweller.  The event was sponsored by Cartier and hosted by Forbes Food & Wine Correspondent Brian Freedman.  We had guests joining from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Palm Beach, New York and the Hamptons so it was pretty much a coast to coast affair.  The Visionaire made us proud and showed very well against a Bordeaux wine twice the price!

The move to Level 1 means that Franschhoek will be celebrating Franschhoek Uncorked on the weekend 6-8 November.  We have paired up with Franschhoek’s favourite son, Chef Reuben Riffel, to present a food and wine pairing dinner.  With only 40 tickets available we expect the event to be quickly sold out.  On Saturday and Sunday, we will be hosting a rosé themed brunch featuring bottomless Rothko rosé and a pink inspired brunch offering.  The main Uncorked celebration will see Langa based star sax player Neo with his DJ friend and a great marimba player entertain us under a Bedouin tent with wine tastings, a spit roast and special wine offers to keep everyone entertained.

This week saw the launch of the 2016 vintage of our signature Bordeaux blend Big G! A typical left bank Bordeaux blend of 70% cabernet sauvignon, 19% cabernet franc and 11% merlot combine with an explosion of dark fruits, graphite and cigar box. 

To celebrate we will be offering 10% off Big G until midnight Sunday.  Minimum order 6 bottles, over 18s, SA residents only.

Yours in wine!

Gerard & Migo

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We are hopeful that the government will shortly open the regional borders with neighbouring countries and before too long our international borders.

On the farm, we see the first signs of budding as the vines emerge from dormancy.  We are preparing for a big bottling and labelling run next week as the new cycle of growth gets into full stride.

This week we want to introduce you to our white Proprietors’ Blend – 40% chardonnay, 40% viognier and 20% Chenin this full-bodied white wine is enjoyable chilled as an aperitif while supporting white fish dishes as well as chicken and pork.  The viognier provides a highly perfumed nose while the chardonnay provides plenty of body and the Chenin a lovely long finish!  20% off cases of 6 until midnight Sunday 13^th September.  Over 18s and SA residents only.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Friday!

Yours in wine!

Gerard & Migo

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Our tasting room is open 7 days per week from 1000-1700 with light lunches including our famous Wagyu burger, artisanal cheese/charcuterie platters, bobotie spring rolls and homemade soup available all day during weekends.  We are also delighted to welcome back the Franschhoek Wine Tram which is operating Saturday and Sunday during September.  We had a few guests last weekend and are excited to receive more this weekend.

The Holden Manz Country House is open and working at full capacity – we just had our first full night since the start of Lockdown so things are slowly returning to normal.  We have seen good bookings for September and October as guests take advantage of our accommodation special offer.  We invested in a fogging machine so all suites and communal areas are disinfected between users.

To celebrate the start of spring we have a special wine offer.  Buy 12 bottles of Rothko Rosé 2019 and receive 6 as a gift from us.  SA residents only, over 18s, purchases via webshop until midnight Sunday 6^th September.

Yours in wine

Gerard & Migo

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Happy Friday to you all!

Day 155 of Lockdown really brings it home how long the economy has been damaged for.  The Western Cape is definitely open for business now that inter-provincial travel is allowed.

There are many reasons for people to get out of Cape Town come to Franschhoek, have a tasting of our award-winning wines while enjoying our famous Wagyu burger in front of a roaring fire, wander down the main road and browse the shops, check out the restaurants for dinner and spend a night in a soft, comfy bed waking up to a scrumptious freshly cooked breakfast!

On the farm, we have had a week of chilly weather allowing us to rack some wines while the guys and girls in the vineyard continue with the last of their pruning.  We have been blessed with plenty of rain and lots of cold days so this should be a good sign for the 2021 harvest.

This week marks the 10^th anniversary of our occupation of the farm!  It has been 10 fascinating years during which time we have got used to pretty much anything that can be thrown at us – lots of laughs, a few tears and many happy memories of weddings, birthdays, a buzzing tasting room, Christmas Eve Dinners.  We have worked with some great people who have helped us transform Holden Manz into a producer of consistently highly rated wines!  Most of all we have enjoyed working with you and growing our Holden Manz family around the world!  Here’s to another ten years!

To mark this special anniversary we would like to offer a celebration case of 3 bottles Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 and 3 bottles Syrah Reserve 2014.  Both wines are drinking incredibly well but will also benefit from further cellaring.  Normal price is R2,655.  Our special offer is R1,850 per mixed case.  Free delivery to your home in SA.  Limited to two mixed cases per customer as we only have limited stock.  SA residents only. Over 18s.

Yours in wine

Gerard & Migo

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As is now customary after an alcohol ban I spent the first two days of Level 2 driving around the Western Cape delivering wine to all those kind souls who took advantage of our special offerings during the period of the alcohol ban.  Your contribution to maintaining some cashflow is much appreciated and we will be forever grateful.

We had lots of wetting rain this week, the cover crop looks superb and many of the dams are full and all are certainly higher than they were this time last year.

Looking at the wet weather forecast for the next week or so I did joke, only slightly tongue in cheek, to someone earlier in the week we have had the fires and the plague, are we now going to get the floods?!!

We have re-opened our tasting room which is open 1000-1700 every day of the week.

The Level 2 regulations don’t allow us to let you take wine off the premises on Friday to Sunday and on public holidays but we will take your orders on those days and ship the wine to your home free on orders over R2,000.  Our full curated wine tasting options are available every day.

The Franschhoek Wine Tram re-starts on Saturday 29^th August and will be running Friday through Sunday for the month of September.  Book here for the Franschhoek Wine Tram.

Our tasting room food options will be back when the tram starts led by our famous Wagyu burger!

In other news, we have tied up with a good friend to make our wines available for the customers of her local gourmet frozen food delivery service, The Daily Graze.  If you live in Stellenbosch, Paarl, Val de Vie or Franschhoek be sure to request a list of the goodies she has for that week.  Details from: dailygrazecompany@gmail.com

To celebrate Level 2 we thought we would offer a special mixed case 3 bottles Barrel Fermented Chardonnay and 3 bottles of our Signature Big G!  Buy for only R1,370! Save R340 compared to the normal price. 

Valid for SA residents only until midnight Sunday 23^rd August. 

Yours in wine

Gerard & Migo

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In celebration we have a special Hiro rosé offer valid until midnight Sunday 16^th August – buy 12 bottles Hiro Rosé 2019 and get 6 bottles as a gift from us to celebrate the 6^th birthday of Hiro!! No need for a code, our team will automatically add 6 bottles to your order. You will get a quick mail confirming this upon purchase too.

Over 18s, South African residents and delivery when allowed by the Headmistress.

We woke up early to a crisp, cold but sunny morning today.  We have had nearly 80mms of rain this last week and regularly had night-time temperatures around 5C so the vines are getting a good rest.  Pruning of the vines is progressing well and the cover crop is looking resplendent with the blue of the lupins really standing out.

Thank you to all of you who have encouraged your friends overseas to buy our wines – it really helps!  We had new orders from the UK, Germany and Hong Kong this last week which is keeping us busy.  We are trying to plan production variables for harvest 2021 but with no idea when/if we ever move to a normal situation again here in South Africa when wine sales are once again allowed, our cellar door tasting room can re-open and restaurants and bars start selling wine again to visitors from far and wide, this is a very difficult task.

For those of you who are outside South Africa please support us via our partners and grab that extra case or two – every little help, and your support now will ensure we are still here when you return post COVID!

In the United States: Cape Ardor

In the UK: Museum Wines

In Europe: Capreo

Thank you very much.

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable weekend wherever you are!

Yours in wine!

Gerard & Migo

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Monday is a public holiday in South Africa to celebrate Women’s Day so many people are taking advantage of a long weekend.  Indeed the private schools add on an extra day of the holiday today so no homeschooling which leaves the kids to charge around the estate on their bikes while we pack for a couple of nights by the sea in Hermanus!  This will be the first nights off the farm in 140 days! Yeah!  We get to swap the beautiful mountains for sandy beaches and whales frolicking in the surf.

We had a busy week on the farm – labelling Vernissage for an export order and most importantly blending the two 2020 rosé wines, the two 2020 chenins and the 2020 white blend.  We have some fantastic wines from the 2020 vintage which you will get a chance to taste later in the year

The legal action by the Wine Producers against the government continues to move slowly through the court system – and this is an urgent application – with a court date set for the 18^th August.  The government’s response to justify its record of decision was to dump 350 pages of literature which all said the same thing – alcohol in excess is bad. We don’t disagree but there is nothing which suggests that moderate consumption of wine in tasting rooms, restaurants and at homes does anything to fill up the ICU beds.  Taxis can be 100% full, no-one polices the wearing of masks or keeping a window open and this is surely a huge vector to spread the virus. We live in a complex world of contradictions.

Luckily the export market is pretty strong and the campaign #SaveSAWine is picking up momentum and encouraging wine consumers overseas to buy South African wine.

On the wine side, we wanted to keep it simple and extend the 30% off sitewide until midnight Monday to give you time to shop during the public holiday!

Happy shopping and thank you for your continued support.

CODE: DRINKHOLDENMANZ30

For those of you who are outside South Africa please support us via our partners and grab that extra case or two – every little help, and your support now will ensure we are still here when you return post COVID!

In the United States: Cape Ardor

In UK: Museum Wines

In Europe: Capreo

Thank you very much.

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable weekend wherever you are!

Yours in wine!

Gerard & Migo

The post Lockdown – Day 134 appeared first on Holden Manz.

Thank you to those who are happy to pay forward wine purchases.  It has really helped us with our month-end cashflows!

We are still technically in winter but have the most wonderful clear blue sky and stunning sunshine with a temperature of 25C – only 10C behind London which is having it’s the hottest day of the year.

This weather fits in perfectly with the good news that we can at long last open our country house to guests from the Western Cape!  Restaurants, shops, galleries, coffee bars are all open in Franschhoek and the trails around the Berg River Dam are to die for with all the flowers in blossom.  A perfect time to visit Franschhoek’s Hidden Gem and experience the wonderful Holden Manz hospitality!  We have a special offer to tempt you. back.

R1950 per room per night includes breakfast. To take advantage of this click here.

We are employing appropriate COVID-19 protections to ensure your stay is memorable for all the right reasons!!

We are still prohibited from selling wine domestically and so are totally dependent on the generosity of our supporters who are prepared to pay it forward!  To reward you we will have a 30% off storewide from now until midnight Sunday 2^nd August.  SA residents and over 18s only, please.  Delivery when allowed by our friendly government.

CODE: DRINKHOLDENMANZ30

For those of you who are outside South Africa please support us via our partners and grab that extra case or two – every little helps, and your support now will ensure we are still here when you return post COVID!

In the United States: Cape Ardor

In UK: Museum Wines

In Europe: Capreo

Thank you very much.

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable weekend wherever you are!

Yours in wine!

Gerard & Migo

The post Lockdown – Day 126 appeared first on Holden Manz.

We have been enjoying day time maxima of 25-28C for the last few days although the 5C at night can be a little disconcerting.  The weather gods have their revenge on Sunday when a cold front is due to hit us with maximum temperatures of 12C.  We are still in winter and are flat-out carrying out the brush cut on the old vine stalks.  There is clear evidence of the new buds forming so we need a little help from the weather to slow down a bit with these beautifully warm days!  One of our neighbour’s orchards is in full pink blossom and while it looks magnificent if the weather gets too cold for too long it will jeopardise his crop.  Agriculture is so complex!

This last week saw the Restaurant Association of South Africa organise a protest of 1 million empty seats on the road outside restaurants to bring home to the government how much the restrictions on domestic sale of alcohol, ban on domestic and international tourism and 9 pm curfew are destroying the hospitality/tourism/wine businesses.  In Franschhoek, the whole community came together to protest.  I calculated there were over 2,000 people present.  Indeed it was so many that the protest blocked the road and turned into a march down the length of the main road and back.  Despite the current hardships I was truly impressed by the joy on people’s faces as they danced and sang their way along the street.  In spite of all this adversity which is killing Franschhoek on so many levels people are keeping their dignity and sense of humour – and the protest was, unlike many others we see, totally peaceful.  There was one moment of dark comedic humour when the Police Colonel decided to use the loudspeaker on his car to tell us this was an illegal gathering and we must all disperse.  You could not have made up the constant feedback sounds from the loudspeaker which made his words almost unintelligible but the best part was as he stood there he was surrounded on all side by happy, laughing, dancing protestors – it couldn’t have been better scripted!

So to celebrate our two wins we are offering 30% off the two recent award winners – Chenin Blanc 2019 and Proprietors’ Red Blend 2015.  Valid for multiples of 6 cases, SA residents only, closes midnight Sunday 26^th July.  Use code AWARDSPECIAL

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This last week saw our debut Proprietors’ Red Blend 2015 awarded a Double Platinum/Top 100 in the Buy Better Wine competition.  Congratulations to our winemaking team on a great achievement.

There is much that is random about the instantaneous banning of alcohol sales last Sunday night.  Consultation has been the cornerstone of this government but on this issue, they decided to consult with those affected parties was not necessary.  The irrationality of the ban on the wine sector is palpable.  I would defy anyone to say that the sale and consumption of wine at tasting rooms, by e-commerce, in restaurants and hotels has caused an impact on the availability of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.

This ban impacts not only wine producers, many of which are family-owned businesses, and their employees and dependent communities but transport, bottle makers, label printers, box manufacturers and many others. 

It is a blunt instrument used to address an issue which requires government policy, intervention and enforcement.  Once again the government abdicates its responsibilities in favour of punishing business and workers.

Enough of this!  We can still export and the reaction of our supporters around the world has been heroic.  Immediate cash flow is still an issue and so we will present you with a weekly special offer which will allow you to stock up your cellars when the ban is lifted.

So the start of season two of Lockdown specials we are offering 30% off all wines on the Holden Manz website until midnight on Sunday 19th July 2020.  Over 18s and South African residents only, please. 

Use check-out code LOCKDOWN2AGAIN

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