Hip Wines

The owner Jean Engelbrecht at Rust en Vrede wine estate, established in 1694, suggests that specialization and focus pays off. His philosophy is based on being a producer dedicated to the highest quality and best expression of the 55-hectare vineyards in Stellenbosch. Winemaker Coenie Snymans focus is to specialize only in red wines, consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. Let´s hear more about how they place them self five times on the Wine Spectators list of the worlds 100 best wines.

Winemaker Andre van Rensburg at Vergelegen is one of the very best producers of wine in South Africa. With a rich history dating back to 1700, Vergelegen Estate has been owned by great explorers and visionaries who have helped evolve the highly rewarded wine list. Today they enjoys a reputation as one of South Africa’s, and indeed the world’s, premium wine producers. The focus from the outset has been on producing a luxury wine brand. Let´s meet Andre and learn more about the concept of fine terroir and how the wines reflect the Vergelegen estate.

Cellar master Kevin Arnold designed Waterford Estate from scratch to be the perfect modern winery. He planted grapes that fit his own winemaker philosophy. Kevin and winemaker Mark Le Roux is focusing on elegance and finesse. They are very open-minded, and have an attention-to-detail approach to winemaking, with the desire to explore new grounds. Let´s meet Kevin and Mark and hear why Waterford has established a reputation of excellence for a diverse range of wines among South African and international consumers.

David Trafford, is the architect that turned in to a winemaker. David puts the emphasis on his own boutique winery, producing age worthy red wines. De Trafford consistently produces some of South Africa’s best modern-style reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah. The focus is on big in flavour, concentration, balanced, complex and structure. Let´s meet David and hear about his passion for big flavour wines.

Winemaker Araceli Servera Ribas at the Ribas winery of Consell has more than 40 hectares of vineyards to work with. The Ribas Winery, located in the Majorcan village of Consell, has been making wine for over 300 years. The vineyards are carefully worked on and harvested by hand, and count on the oldest plantation and the widest diversity of native grape varieties of the island. Ribas is the pioneer in Mallorca for grape selection in the vineyard and hand selection, grape by grape at the winery; in order to guarantee optimum quality in all the wines. Let´s meet Araceli and hear more about the philosophy of the Ribas family, based on the quest of optimum quality through the control of their own old vines and a nurtured winemaking process leading to wines that are personal, elegant and with distinct terroir.

Winemaker Francesc Grimalt sources 4Kilos grapes from three different vineyards, two in their village, Felanix, on clay-rich soils and a third vineyard in Binissalem where the soils are rich in chalk and that is where the Manto Negro is grown. 4Kilos (or 4 million pesetas) was the initial investment made by Francesc Grimalt and Sergio Caballero, the partners of the recently created Mallorcan cellar 4 Kilos Vinícola SL. A modest investment for this sector that demonstrates that a good wine does not necessarily depend upon a great economic effort but an ambition for quality and a passion for the product. 4Kilos is unmistakeable in its signature and a declaration of principles.