Doolhof has reinforced its position as one of the leading producers of Malbec on the South African wine scene by being included in the Top 100 South African Wine Challenge.

The Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2010 was chosen from around 400 of South Africa’s top wines and one of only 51 red wines to be included in this prestigious list.  The 2010 Signatures of Doolhof Malbec is the 4th Malbec vintage to be released and follows in the celebrated footsteps of the previous wines.

The 2007 vintage received double gold medals at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, as well as  the Tri Nations Wine Challenge, a gold medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards, as well as being chosen as the top Malbec in the annual Novare Terroir Wine Awards. The 2008 vintage clinched a gold medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards and the 2009 was awarded a gold medal at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards and received the honour of being chosen the Top Malbec at the Novare Terroir Wine Awards.

Doolhof is located in the historic Bovlei valley, north east of Wellington and currently 2.5 hectares of the 380 hectare farm is planted with Malbec. The Malbec vineyard was planted in 2003 and is the highest vineyard on the property situated just below the Bainskloof Pass. The location of this vineyard means that the vineyard team must compete with baboons and wild pigs for the grapes, resulting in limited production!

Doolhof Wine Estate is an accredited member of the Biodiversity in Wine Initiative which is an industry wide project to help promote the conservation of fynbos.

“One of the  first decisions made on acquiring the farm was to plant Malbec, as we wanted all the Bordeaux cultivars on the property for blending purposes. It has not been an easy journey, but worth it,” says Dennis Kerrison, owner of the Estate

“I recall the  2008 vintage in particular. We planned to harvest on a Monday and on the Friday a major fire broke out below Bains Kloof  burning all the way down to our farm.  The Malbec was covered with ash.  Then on Saturday and Sunday the heavens opened and heavy rain poured down, making it impossible to  harvest on the Monday.  We harvested a week later, and  still managed a Decanter Gold!  We dubbed this Malbec vintage Fire & Rain. I am constantly amazed by the versatility of this grape and we are set to make quality  Malbec synonymous with the Doolhof brand.”

The current vintage on sale is the Signatures of Doolhof 2009, at R115.00 per bottle.

Treat the most important person in your life this Mother’s Day at Doolhof Wine Estate for a fabulous lunch underneath our Oaktree.

On the 1st of February, totally by coincidence, harvest 2012 started on the exact same day as last year. Unlike 2011 it was a fairly cool, cloudy day making it a perfect day to harvest our white varietals.

At Doolhof, all grapes are hand-picked in small lots to ensure perfect whole bunches reach the cellar, increasing the quality of our fine wines.

Sauvignon Blanc reached the desired ripeness first, which we then harvested on 4 consecutive days very early in the morning to ensure cool grapes reach the cellar, guarding the flavours and subtle aromas.

Soon after the Sauvignon Blanc the Merlot and the Malbec followed. Between all the baboons, wild pigs and the antelope, who also thinks our grapes taste absolutely delightful, we harvested a slightly smaller crop of Malbec than last year.

The cool weather played along nicely but also had an effect on the grapes reaching ripeness a little later to slow down the normally short Doolhof Harvest.

Another two weeks of harvesting is expected but we aim to finish prior to the annual Wellington Harvest Festival this weekend. We hope to see you all there.

Released early March the Doolhof Signature Cabernet Franc 2009 promises to be a wine with great elegance and softness with fine, velvety tannins.

The Cabernet Franc vines were planted in deep, well drained Glenrosa family soil with some clay present. Planted in a North-West row direction which is ideal for the warm Wellington area. These young vines where planted in 2005 and show great potential.

Enjoy this wine with smoked salmon or a light delicate red meat.

To purchase the Signature Cabernet Franc at R115.00 per bottle, please contact Susan Smit on 021 873 6911 or http://www.doolhof.com/blog/?p=252

For Denizen Members and visitors to our Tasting Room only, we are offering a great special on our Lady in Red 2008.

The Lady in red – A Bordeaux-style blend with intense perfumed mélange of red and black fruits, cedar and oak undertones. On the palate the fruit/oak balance is harmonious, with the soft firm tannins, cassis and plum flavours producing a wine with excellent structure. The fruit lingers long on the palate and will age perfectly in the bottle.

For only R810.00 you can now purchase 12 bottles of Lady in Red, saving you R150.00.

For more details, please contact Susan Smit on 021 873 6911 or wine@doolhof.com.

Enter our Facebook Photo Competition and stand a chance to win 12 bottles of the Doolhof Signature range.

How to enter:
Email a photo with any relation to Doolhof Wine Estate to wine@doolhof.com. All photos will be added on Facebook. The photo with the most “Likes” by the end of April 2012 will be the winner.

Visit our Facebook page for more details: http://www.facebook.com/doolhofwines

Dear Friend & Fellow Winelover,

Taj Cape Town has the pleasure of showcasing the incredible diversity of the wine, food and people of the Cape winelands through our Expressions of…series.

We begin our journey through the world’s most beautiful winelands by presenting Expressions of Wellington & Paarl and thereby wish to invite you to a private
tasting of wines from Andreas, Bosman Family Vineyards and Doolhof Estate, all which express the inherent character of the variety and their place of origin.

These wines, produced by some of South Africa’s most prolific winemakers will be available to purchase on the night of the tasting at cellar door prices.

DATE: Wednesday, 7 March 2012
VENUE: Lobby Lounge, Taj Cape Town
TIME: 17h00 – 20h00

Stay for Supper!

And enjoy the colours and flavours of the season with a menu which has been designed by guest chef Simone from Babel restaurant at Babylonstoren. Her
dishes have been incorporated into MINT Restaurant’s Table d’hôte menu for the entire month of March, with selected paired regional wines as an option. (Two of the Taj chefs have spent time with Chef Simone, to ensure that her dishes are replicated correctly!)

2 course R175, 3 course R210 excluding wine

To make your reservation please call 021 819 2000 or email restaurants.capetown@tajhotels.com

There is also a chance to win one of many prizes, including an evening’s stay for 2 persons in a luxury room at Taj Cape Town, whenever you dine from this menu.

Come join is for the Wellington Harvest Festival in March.

Come celebrate the month of love at Doolhof Wine Estate in Wellington.
12th and 14th of February 2012

Treat your loved one with a divine picnic basket under our immense trees while sipping on a glass of our full flavored 2011 Cape Robin Rose.

Picnic baskets will include the following:
Freshly baked ciabatta bread
Olive Tapenade
Venison Meatballs
Mini Cheese Board
Smoked Chicken Wrap
Rice Snacks and Dip
Potato Salad
Something Sweet
Only R180.00 plus a free bottle of wine with every basket.

Special baskets will be available for the little ones on request.

If you are not one for a picnic, you are welcome to visit our Tasting Room Restaurant which will serve a small a la carte menu beneath our oak trees.

Complimentary Wine Tastings will be available along with brilliant special on our superb wines.

Booking is essential due to limited availability.
For more information contact Susan Smit.
wine@doolhof.com or 021 873 6911

Invite our Three Ladies for dinner this Valentines day.

Purchase a mixed case of our Labyrinth range including 2 bottles of each of our mysterious Ladies for only R330.00, saving you R90.00.

Our three ladies are:
Lady in White with her Subtle, elegant citrus flavors
Lady in Red being a Garnet red wine with an intense perfumed mélange of red and black fruits
And The Dark Lady who will leave you with intense chocolate/mocha aromas

Contact Susan Smit for more details or to place your order.
wine@doolhof.com or 021 873 6911

This special will only be available for Denizen members, so join now to be able to enjoy the Ladies of leisure.

Recently a Wine Makers Dinner held at Mint restaurant in the Taj Hotel, Cape Town presented the opportunity for a friendly wine blogger from the UK named Pauline to meet up with our wine maker Frederieck Kuhne. She wrote a nice piece on the evening which you can read below.

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I always love been invited to dinner parties – changing into smarter clothes that make you feel handsome and beautiful; the dabbing on of that special cologne/perfume, the last minute shoe polishing; the changing of accessories to make sure they are not to flashy/bold; selecting a gift for the host; the anticipation of seeing your friends again and meeting new faces; the welcoming smiles at the door; the jovial atmosphere of witty intelligent conversation; the appreciation of the thought, effort, sweat & tears behind the food menu and preparation ;the conscious effort of making sure everything is just perfect!; and that wonderful magic feeling at the end of the evening of: ‘this was such a fantastic time, when can we do this again my friend?’

The Wine Makers Dinner at MINT Restaurant (The Taj Hotel), on Thursday evening, had all these elements and more! Superb and hand selected wines were presented by Raats Family Wines; Doolhof Estate; Groote Post; La Vierge and Warwick to accompany the gourmet food prepared by the kitchen team lead by Head Chef Shaym Langham.

Visit Pauline’s blog for the rest of this entry