That Wine Demesne

We spent a lot of time thinking about what we wanted to call our Pinot noir,  We had the name of the farm, but how to choose the name for the wine.  The name we kept coming back to was TAKE ROOT.

It comes from a play written by David’s father, Guy: Take Root or Die, which took its name from a passage in Henry Dugmore’s Reminiscences: …”There we were in the wilderness; and when they were gone we had no means of following, had we wished to do so. We must take root and grow, or die where we stood”.

It resonates on so many levels: Take, is to settle, assimilate, accept; Root, is nourishment, to establish firmly, foundation, the bedrock. To take root, we become familiar, acclimatised to our part of the world.

We have taken the Burgundy grape, the quintessential French cultivar, and have rooted it here.  Finding a new expression in these ancient African soils.

The simplicity of the label belies the multi-layered meanings: historical, familial, cultural, agricultural, personal. The image depicts the vastness of the landscape, the beauty, the resolve, endurance, and solitude of working the land (plus those pesky birds who LOVE sun-ripened grapes).

Read more...

That Wine Demesne

We spent a lot of time thinking about what we wanted to call our Pinot noir.  We had the name of the farm, but how to choose the name for the wine.  The name we kept coming back to was TAKE ROOT.

It comes from a play written by David’s father, Guy: Take Root or Die, which took its name from a passage in Henry Dugmore’s Reminiscences: …”There we were in the wilderness; and when they were gone we had no means of following, had we wished to do so. We must take root and grow, or die where we stood”.

It resonates on so many levels: Take, is to settle, assimilate, accept; Root, is nourishment, to establish firmly, foundation, the bedrock. To take root, we become familiar, acclimatised to our part of the world.

We have taken the Burgundy grape, the quintessential French cultivar, and have rooted it here.  Finding a new expression in these ancient African soils.

The simplicity of the label belies the multi-layered meanings: historical, familial, cultural, agricultural, personal. The image depicts the vastness of the landscape, the beauty, the resolve, endurance, and solitude of working the land (plus those pesky birds who LOVE sun-ripened grapes).

Read more...

About That Wine

That Wine comes from one of the smaller estates in the country. On a little plot of land in The Crags just outside Plettenberg Bay, a tiny start, in 2016 of 577 bottles, we have been steadily increasing our production as the vines grow stronger.

The 2018 vintage (2930 bottles) won a gold in the prestigious Michelangelo Award. In 2020 with just over 4000 bottles, we were awarded gold in the Gilbert & Gaillard Awards.  2021 vintage, with just over 4000 bottles, doubled the awards with Michelangelo and Gilbert & Gaillard awarding it DOUBLE golds! In 2024, the 2022 Take Root (3339 bottles) was awarded 91/100 by Gilbert & Gaillard which is a double gold, but you can only choose one. otherwise it looks a little tacky!

Pinot Noir is the hardest grape to grow but also the most rewarding. Close to the sea and with cooler temperatures than those in the Western Cape, The Crags is an area that can produce superb Pinot Noir.

About The Butlers

David has always had a penchant for gardening, he loves trees, and things grow for him. We also both like wine – especially that evening glass after a long day’s work! So one day while we were wandering around our little Demesne, with a glass of excellent vintage and the dogs, he looked across at Bramon Wine Estate and said “what about we do a small field?”  So we nipped across to Peter & Caroline Thorpe who started the whole wine industry in this area, had dinner and planned our wine future on a paper table mat and that pretty much sealed it. So easy, that small white piece of paper …

 

Wine Tales tells the story in more detail

About the Vineyard

Farming is not for sissies – even though we had nurtured our first block of vines, which we planted so lovingly and which held so many of our hopes and dreams, in 2021 we had to take them out as they were not producing sufficiently well. It was a tough decision.  But, we are learning how to make difficult decisions – not too much of the romance in that one!

However, the planting of 2018 is growing a storm and the older blocks are looking quite stately as their stems thicken and their crowns of leaves & grapes spring up with vigour.

The total area at the moment is now one hectare & there is a lot of work to be done. The vines and the farm need constant attention and this success is due in no small part to our two Men-on-the-Ground: Mkhuseli Simon Gaba and Mzwabantu Maboeta Smoki, (pictured here) with William Baskerville at the 2018 harvest.

About Growing and Producing Wine in the Area

Traditionally, Pinot noir grapes are grown in the mostly cooler climates around the world, which makes the climate of Plettenberg Bay seem ideal for this grape.

Terroir is that complex combination of factors in a vineyard (the grape varietal, the geology, hydrology, physiography & climate) which gives each region, each parcel of land its uniqueness.

Our vineyard is in an area called The Crags, about twenty kilometres east of Plettenberg Bay. As the name suggests, the area is mountainous and the vines are planted on the edge of a deep gorge.  Fresh sea breezes funnel up the gorge ensuring that temperatures are seldom higher than the low-to-mid-twenties and we (and the vines) are spared the intense heat of the Western Cape winelands.

The terroir (or soil if you like) is well-suited for wine production: a fairly thin layer of topsoil over koffieklip and then clay (a profile quite similar to parts of the Hemel and Aarde valley).

About That Wine

Demesne:   (n)/di’mein, di’mi:n –  The Lord’s waste.  A piece of land attached to the manor and retained by the owner (the Lord) for their own use.

That Wine comes from one of the smaller estates in the country. On a little plot of land in The Crags just outside Plettenberg Bay, a total of 5708 vines have been planted on 1.5 hectares. The vines are still young with the stems thickening well, and the new block, planted in 2018 growing apace and starting to produce some very good grapes.

Pinot Noir is the hardest grape to grow but also the most rewarding. It has been called the “heartbreak grape” because, as a very thin-skinned varietal it is prone to every pest and fungus that bedevils viticulturists around the world. In South Africa the best Pinots come from the Hemel and Aarde Valley, but with climate change you can expect to find new areas opening up. The Crags is one such area. Close to the sea and with cooler temperatures than those in the Western Cape, this is an area that can produce superb Pinot Noir.

We hope you enjoy the wine’s excellent structure.

About The Butlers

David has always had a penchant for gardening, he loves trees, and things grow for him. We also both like wine – especially that evening glass after a long day’s work! So one day while we were wandering around our little Demesne, with a glass of excellent vintage and the dogs, he looked across at Bramon Wine Estate and said “what about we do a small field?”  So we nipped across to Peter & Caroline Thorpe who started the whole wine industry in this area, had dinner and planned our wine future on a paper table mat and that pretty much sealed it. So easy, that small white piece of paper …

About the Vineyard

In 2022 we had to take out our first block of 1300 which were under performing – such a hard decision.  But out they had to come.  Now, the vines are stacked in piles, drying in the sun, ready for next year’s winter fireplaces.  So nothing is wasted on the farm.  It does take a lot of getting used to though.  You feel that something you’ve planted and tended and cheered on, should be able to live for at least a lifetime.  However, you can’t be sentimental.

So 2022 leaves (pardon the pun) us with 4408 vines.  The hard seasons of 2020 and 2021, the cool and damp winter of 2022 seem to have given the vines a bit of voomah, as this spring, the vines are powering!  It’s so beautiful to literally watch the canopy whip up from a tiny froth of chartreuse to a swathe of green.

About Growing and Producing Wine in the Area

The climate of Plettenberg Bay seems to be ideal for Pinot Noir. The vineyard is in an area called The Crags, about twenty kilometres east of Plett. As the name suggests, the area is mountainous and the vines are planted on the edge of a deep gorge.  Fresh sea breezes funnel up the gorge ensuring that temperatures are seldom higher than the low-to-mid twenties and we (and the vines) are spared the intense heat of the Western Cape winelands. The soil is well-suited as for wine production: a fairly thin layer of topsoil over koffieklip and then clay (a profile quite similar to parts of the Hemel and Aarde valley).

The Friends of Kurland Foundation: Paying it Forward

We are delighted that That Wine was chosen by the FRIENDS OF KURLAND FOUNDATION to represent the value a small local venture has in long-term support in a poor area: permanent, full-time employment in a learning environment.

This Dutch foundation is run by Marc Schoon at Madiba Travel and Pieter van Rensburg, a local Plettenberg Bay resident.  Through this foundation, funds are raised to run various projects in Kurland Village.

Its aims are ambitious, but simple: uplifting the community, in particular the youth, by developing and improving the welfare of the community.

For further details contact Marc at: marc@madibatravel.nl

Website: www.madibatravel.nl

Friends Of Kurland On Facebook

Where To Find That Wine

Beau de Jour Cafe @ the Bramon Tasting Centre

www.bramonwines.com

Mobile: + 27 (0) 83 489 7972

18km East of Plettenberg Bay, off the N2, at the Bramon Wine Estate turnoff

Fynboshoek Cheese Farm

+27 (0)72 342 0445

www.fynboshoek.co.za

Bookings only

The Table Restaurant

+ 27 (0)44 533 3024

www.thetable.co.za 

Luka Cafe

Luka Cafe & Vineyards

http://www.lukavineyards.co.za

Mobile +27 (0) 76 575 4768

Off the N2 at the Elephant Park Road, Harkerville, 6604

Barrington’s

Web: www.barringtonsplett.co.za

Telephone: +27(0) 44 050 3767

Barrington’s Restaurant And Bar, Piesang Valley Road,  Plettenberg Bay 6600

The Fat Fish – Plettenberg Bay

www.thefatfish.co.za

Telephone: +27(0) 44 533 4740

The Fat Fish, Milkwood Centre, Hopwood St Plettenberg Bay 6600

Ice Dream Land – Plettenberg Bay

http://icedreamland.co.za

Telephone: +27(0) 82 424 0486

A 15 Robberg Road. From town follow Robberg Road which becomes Airport Road Plettenberg Bay 6600

Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards - Double Gold Medal Award

That Wine Demesne was awarded a double gold medal by the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards (2022) – 2021 vintage.

The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards was established in 1997 to offer South African producers the opportunity of having their wines adjudicated locally by a highly experienced and respected panel of professionals from around the globe. The primary objective was – and to a great extent still remains – to support local wine and spirits producers who are targeting international markets for exports and, through our international judges, are able to determine whether their wines will be well received both abroad and locally.

Now, in its 25th year, the competition remains unique in South Africa, in that all judges are hand-picked wine experts, representing all seven continents. Since the start of the competition in 1997, more than 170 different judges from 46 countries (more recently including Russia, Romania and China) have served on the panel. All entries are judged blind by panels of 5 or 6 judges, using the 100-point international recognised OIV judging system… (read more)