Orange River Wine Cellars

Screw Cap or Cork - what’s your opinion?

Please tell us what you think about the use of the screw cap opposed to cork.  We welcome all your comments and suggestions.  What would you prefer?

Emile Orwcellars 2 Comments »

Women buy more wine than men

Women buy 80% of home-drinking wine

November 26, 2009 by douglasgreen

According to recent research ,  British women choose and buy eight out of every 10 bottles of wine that are drunk at home. The study also found that  a third of British women who enjoy wine as a treat at the end of the day admit that they prefer to drink it alone – in the bath.

The data, the result of industry research among more than 1,300 British women aged between 18 and 60, overturns common perceptions that men take the lead in wine buying, and reveals that in many cases women are far more influential.

Six out of 10 women in Britain said they drank wine at least once a week. And the same proportion said they preferred red wine to white or rosé.

Most women said they enjoyed drinking wine because they liked the taste (80%) and because it went well with food (70%). But despite appearing knowledgeable about wine, the majority choose to ignore its health risks. More than half see it as a “healthier” alternative to other alcoholic drinks such as beer and spirits, while the same proportion said they were not deterred by the government’s health warnings.

When it comes to choosing wines, women said they were driven mainly by price (74%), followed by the type of grape (64%), the country of origin (55%) and more superficial trappings such as the label (42%). Six out of 10 (61%) said they chose wine on their own, with women in the UK noticeably more independent in their choice than their peers elsewhere in the world.

These study results will probably be much the same for the South African market as grocers become more significant wine retailers .

Emile Orwcellars 3 Comments »

Cool Muscadel

Just because it is summer, doesn’t mean one has to save those bottles of delicious Oranjerivier Muscadel for when the weather gets cooler. Take a bottle of white muscadel and try the following:

Fill a tall glass with crushed ice. Now pour the muscadel over the ice

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Escaping to the Northern Cape

Visitors to the Northern Cape should not be surprised to find a team of winemakers from the Western Cape visiting our region. For the traditional winemaking regions of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl are experiencing some of the most freakiest weather conditions in history.

First there was a set of thunder and hail storms, the latter decimating some vineyards. Then came a gale-force South Easterly wind that ripped many a vineyard to shreds. And this was followed by cold winter rains, all playing havoc with the coming crop.

Many a winemaker has fled north to experience some decent weather!

Is this climate change? Nobody can be sure. But if it is, research has shown that the Cape’s traditional wine lands in the south-west are going to be moving north. Let’s hope the Northern Cape stays sunny and temperate as we are blessed to experience it!

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Orange River in Spring

It may feel like summer, but the Orange River Valley is resplendent in its green spring dress. I was in Upington over the week-end and mile-upon-mile of fabulously green vineyards greet you as you drive between the lovely sounding names of Kakamas, Keimoes, Grootdrink, Kanoneiland and Groblershoop. The vines are the greenest-of-green and the clean desert air ensure they are healthy and untarnished by any of those bugs that flourish in moist conditions. And chatting to viticulturalist Henning Burger, it appears that next year’s harvest is going to be a spectacular one. In the meantime, get your hands on a bottle of Oranjerivier Wine Cellars Chenin Blanc, Colombard or Nouveau. You may not be able to visit the Valley, but you can taste it in the wine!

Emile Orwcellars 1 Comment »

Summertime refreshment

When summer roles around, the Spanish concoction called Sangria is highly recommended. This wine-based punch is a refreshing drink for long lunches or sundowners. I make mine the following way:

Ingredients:

1 Bottle Oranjerivier Wine Cellars Shiraz, Cabernet or Pinotage

500ml Soda water

500ml Lemonade

125ml Brandy

2 Apples, 1 cup of strawberries, half a peeled lemon, 2 peeled oranges….actually, any fruit you like!

Method:

Chop the fruit into bite-size pieces. Place the fruit in a glass jug and add the wine and the brandy. Place the jug in the refrigerator for at least one hour to allow the fruit flavours to mingle with the wine and brandy. Before serving, remove the jug and add the soda water and lemonade to the mix, as well as a couple of handsful of ice cubes.

Drink from wine glasses and get the taste of summer!

Emile Orwcellars 2 Comments »

BafanaBafana

Oranjerivier Wine Cellars is taking the local wine market by storm with its unique way of reaching out to black consumers with its BafanaBafana wine range. In place of advertising and traditional promotions, teams of Brand Strikers are visiting taverns throughout the country to engage and interact with consumers. This serves two purposes: one, getting people to try the wines. And secondly, using these events as a sounding board to learn more about black consumers and their perceptions on wine! All very interesting and new. See www.winegoggle.co.za for more.

Emile Orwcellars 2 Comments »

Perceptions

It is amazing how the perceptions are changing about wines from the Orange River region. Twenty years ago the area was seen to be a table grape and distilling wine producer. Now the wines are really impressing the market with quality and - more importantly - consistence. Take the Chenin Blanc, for example. There is no better Chenin in the country at this price, and it has not failed to impress over the past three vintages. Refreshing, dry - yet fruity and sumptuous - it is difficult to believe such a great wine is being produced on the edge of the Kalahari desert! The reds are coming on in leaps and bounds, and I predict that in four years time Oranjerivier’s Shiraz, Pinotage and Cabernet are going to be serious competitors, punching above their weight in terms of price and quality.

I really hope this magnificent region gets the recognition it deserves. There is no wine region like it anywhere in the world.

Emile Orwcellars 2 Comments »

Technorati Profile

admin Orwcellars 1 Comment »

Hi everybody, blog away and tell us what you think and invite your friends to participate in our discussion and conversations with the winemakers

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