Latest news with #MotherSippy
Time Out
16 hours ago
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Mother Sippy: Vusi Dalicuba
Welcome to Mother Sippy, where we shine a light on the talented winemakers, brewers, distillers and mixologists that make sure the Mother City never goes thirsty! From new wine releases to taprooms pouring perfect pints, Mother Sippy is your guide to all that's good and great in Cape Town's world of drinks. What do you get when you blend the iconic cultivars of Bordeaux, False Bay breezes and a winemaker with something to prove? Welcome to Vergenoegd Löw, which is enjoying an ongoing revival in the vineyards and cellar. Since its founding in 1696, Vergenoegd has been a quiet presence along the N2 outside of Stellenbosch, an estate for years best known for its historic Cape Dutch homestead and waddling army of Indian Runner ducks. In 2015, German entrepreneur and heritage specialist Prof Dr Dr Peter Löw acquired Vergenoegd and set about transforming the 160-hectare estate. Renamed Vergenoegd Löw, the farm underwent a full restoration of its 18th-century Cape Dutch buildings, now a national monument, and the hospitality offering was transformed with the addition of two restaurants by Bertus Basson, and a choice of luxury accommodation. He also restructured the cellar for low-intervention winemaking, and assembled an expert team to replant the vineyards. With detailed soil analysis, a major replanting project and the arrival of winemaker Vusi Dalicuba, this estate is fast becoming one of the most exciting producers on the coastal fringes of the Stellenbosch Wine Route. 'We have a range of soils on the farm, and we are very flat; only about 12 metres above sea level, which has a big influence on our terroir,' says Dalicuba, who joined the farm in 2021 and now leads winemaking with mentorship from industry heavyweight Abrie Beeslaar. Vergenoegd Löw's MD, Corius Visser, also sees parallels between Vergenoegd Löw and the French wine region of Bordeaux: 'Of course, we are very much closer to the sea, but if you think of the farm's Eerste River estuary that is marked by periodic flooding, there are similarities with the Garonne River. Ours is also a flat, low altitude terrain with very old soils.' With around 52 hectares under vine – 70% red, 30% white – the replanting effort, completed in 2022, was no small feat. Hundreds of soil pits were dug to analyse conditions and match the right cultivar to the right parcel of land. The result is a patchwork of terroir-driven blocks – including limestone-rich soils rare in Stellenbosch – that now support a focused selection of varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. 'When we replanted, we focused on Cabernet and Merlot,' adds Dalicuba. 'These are the oldest varieties planted on the farm. The grapes used to go to KWV, so we wanted to keep with the tradition of what was grown here.' But that doesn't mean the new wines are playing it safe. From skin contact to new fermentations, Dalicuba is experimenting with style, structure and texture. 'We found that a slightly warmer fermentation works for us, with the right skin contact ratio,' he says. 'We want to show the terroir, to capture what's on the farm inside the bottle so we can show what we are.' Climate is key to the Vergenoegd signature. Set just four kilometres from False Bay, the site benefits from cooling ocean breezes that slow down ripening and preserve acidity. 'We've started talking about our 'merroir' rather than terroir as it underscores the sea's influence,' says Visser. 'We see our location as lending freshness, restraint and even salinity to our wines.' 'With the wind we get here, the vineyards are planted in line with the south-easter, not against it, otherwise your bunches are going to fall off,' Dalicuba explains. 'That has a big role in the ripening of the grapes, especially for Merlot. Unlike many other farms, we have Merlot with small berries and nice concentration.' It's this careful attention to the nuances of the estate – the interplay of topography, soil, and wind – that's shaping the style of Vergenoegd's latest releases. 'Our vision is to capture the terroir. Because we are still working with young vines, it's a process of experimentation, and we have to adapt as the vines mature,' Dalicuba adds. 'For now, we aim for a drinkable New World style of wine. We want wines that are enjoyable now and have some ageing potential. So, it must have fruit and structure, but not so big that you can't enjoy a glass today. Nice, soft tannins, round and juicy, but you can also taste the wines that have the potential to age eight or 10 years.' If there's one white to watch, it's the Chardonnay: a bold yet mineral-driven expression shaped by those limestone soils. 'It's more of a Chablis-style of Chardonnay, with quite a bold mouthfeel. We are the only farm in Stellenbosch that has limestone, so we planted Chardonnay on those soils which produces fantastic wines.' As the estate settles into this new phase, it's clear that the wines – and Dalicuba – are just getting started, carving out an exciting new vinous identity for this historic Cape estate. Pair it with a visit: Vergenoegd Löw offers a choice of tastings at the elegant 1773 Homestead Wine Lounge. Choose between classic flights or the uniquely local Indigenous Experience, featuring wine paired with amasi, bokkoms and spekboom.
Time Out
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Mother Sippy: Pienaar & Son
Welcome to Mother Sippy, where we shine a light on the talented winemakers, brewers, distillers and mixologists that make sure the Mother City never goes thirsty! From new wine releases to taprooms pouring perfect pints, Mother Sippy is your guide to all that's good and great in Cape Town's world of drinks. There is no shortage of craft breweries and taprooms in Cape Town, and from Woodstock to Noordhoek, you are never far from a pint of Pale Ale. Wine? Urban cellars are dotted about, with Duncan Savage perhaps being the most notable, and there are even a handful of gin distilleries to visit if you look closely enough. But whisky? Nope, there's only one place in the city distilling and ageing uisge beatha in the heart of Cape Town. You'll find Pienaar & Son in Maker's Landing, the incubator hub in the V&A Waterfront, close to Time Out Market Cape Town. And it's not hard to miss, with its gleaming column still and racks of oak barrels hinting at the creativity within. Pienaar & Son first made a name for itself when the craft gin revolution was kicking off, and their duo of signature gins – Empire, all lemon and cucumber, and Orient, a nod to the spice trade around the Cape of Good Hope – remain hugely popular with gin aficionados and mixologists alike. But it's whiskey where Pienaar & Son truly stands out, as the Mother City's sole whisky distillery. Their Tiny Batch whiskies blend hand-crafted creativity with a touch of cheeky street sass. Time Out Cape Town sat down with Andre Pienaar to discover more about this hand-crafted collection of Cape-inspired spirits. Pour us a tale. How did Pienaar & Son get started? The journey began around 2013 or 2014. I was composing music for film and advertising, but I began to feel burnt out. At the time, everyone was brewing beer in their garages, and I had studied chemistry and biochemistry. My dad is a chemical engineer who specialises in potable alcohol stills. I bought a small 20-litre stove with the idea of making gin and moonshine on the weekends. It kind of scratched every part of my brain: technical, flavour, branding. It was such a creative endeavour. The timing was good and we'd just started to see the start of craft gin. So in 2015, he designed and built our stills. He built the still; I'm the chef. We got our licenses in 2016 and have been in business ever since. In 2020, we moved to Makers Landing, and we grew from doing gin to vodka, and later whiskey – though, of course, whiskey needs to age. Talk us through the distillery at Maker's Landing... We use a continuous column still, the same one we use for making vodka. Both are 100% corn fermentations, but of course vodka is distilled to a high percentage to strip out flavour; the whiskey is distilled to a sweet spot that lets in some propanols and butanols for a peppery, biscuity profile. Because we built the still, we can pick a strength – a flavour profile – and draw that consistently. From the still, it goes into the barrels… anything special? We import new American oak barrels. They're expensive, but worth it. Our whiskey, apart from being made outside the US, would technically qualify as bourbon. We aim to fill 10 to 12 225-litre barrels a year, and we usually release single-barrel batches. How long do you age your whisky for? Regulations say three years, and with our first batch, I was happy with how it tasted then. But by the time I had sourced the bottles and designed labels, it was around three years and nine months. So, I figured we'd just wait four years. Now, we're on a four-year cycle. We do keep some barrels back for longer maturation – partly for curiosity, partly for quality. But there's always a balancing act with cash flow and the evaporation loss. We might release a six-year-old later this year. We use two char levels in our barrels – a medium char and a heavy char – and release both simultaneously, as separate batches. What's the flavour in the glass? The heavy char is your classic profile of maple, vanilla, chocolate – a sweet, rich bourbon vibe. The medium char is more grassy, lighter, with a coconut sweetness. It's more intellectual, I guess – the kind of whiskey you sip and think about. Your packaging is great… why is it so important? Tiny Batch is a bit of a stab at these giant distilleries releasing 'small batch' whiskies, and because we're small, we need to stand out. Our whiskey bottle is actually an olive oil bottle, but I just love the shape of it. I take a lot of branding inspiration from the cosmetics world. I think high-end craft spirits and perfume have a lot in common. Do you have other spirits on the horizon? We've done some one-offs – a bourbon-style blend with rye and malt, and I'm chatting to barrel suppliers about orange liqueur barrels. So yes, we're always playing around with stuff, but whiskey is our core. Can the public stop in for a tasting? We're open seven days a week for collections. Tastings happen from Friday to Sunday, and every Sunday we run a gin school where you can distil your own bottle. Bookings are via the website.
Time Out
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Mother Sippy: Fairview grows Regional Revival series
Welcome to Mother Sippy, where we shine a light on the talented winemakers, brewers, distillers and mixologists that make sure the Mother City never goes thirsty! From new wine releases to taprooms pouring perfect pints, Mother Sippy is your guide to all that's good and great in Cape Town's world of drinks. Ah, Bordeaux, the most renowned of French wine regions. The Left Bank. The Right Bank. Cabernet, merlot and white wine blends that will make you weep with joy. Prices that will turn those tears into sadness. Happily, Fairview rides to the rescue with the latest addition to their innovative Regional Revival series: Fairview's homage to the classic wine regions of Europe, reimagined through a distinctly South African lens. Each wine in the series draws inspiration from Old World styles and grapes, but adds a distinct local character. This year, it's the turn of Bordeaux, with the release of the Altesse 2024, a crisp white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon—the classic combination for a 'Bordeaux White'. Inspired by the sea breezes and high-altitude vineyards of Darling, and modelled on classic Bordeaux whites, this is a wine where terroir does all the talking. The name Altesse is a tip of the hat to the two key aspects of the terroir that shape the wine: altitude and sea. With grapes harvested from vineyards near Darling, the vines on the hills above Yzerfontein soak up cool Atlantic breezes and enjoy long ripening days. The result? A vibrant, lime-zesty white with a whisper of salinity and a generous seam of Sémillon texture. 'It's a Darling revival,' says Fairview's Charles Back. 'A wine rooted in French tradition but unmistakably Cape in personality.' Likewise, the label, styled as a vintage postage stamp, features a lighthouse standing watch over waves and vines and is a tribute to the region's maritime climate and coastal beauty while reminding drinkers of the wine's deep sense of place. And aside from being Fairview's first take on Bordeaux, it's also the first white in the acclaimed Regional Revival range. Take the Homtini 2022, a blend in the style of the 'Super Tuscan' wines, without the super-spendy prices. Here, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz come together in tribute to the winding Homtini Pass near Knysna, which was once home to the Italian ancestors of winemaker Anthony de Jager. Their dreams of silk farming were dashed, but they found their fortune in winemaking. In the glass, expect ripe cherry, spice, and structure with plenty of Italian flair. From Tuscany to Rioja, the Extraño 2021 is all about expressing Spanish passion with a gutsy blend of Tempranillo, Grenache, Shiraz, and Cinsault. The name – meaning 'stranger' in Spanish – pays tribute to Tempranillo's outsider status in the Cape, even if this punchy red grape is now firmly at home in Fairview's vineyards. The wine is dark and brooding, bursting with plum, spice, and swagger, making it perfect for pairing with tapas or grilled meats. Someone light the braai already! Extraño is 'Spanish temperament in a red wine glass!' says cellarmaster Anthony de Jager. 'This red will pack a punch … Arriba! Arriba! Bring out those castanets!' Finally, there's the Caldera 2022, perhaps my favourite in the range. This is Fairview's nod to the southern Rhône, a region of France just below the foodie city of Lyon, where some of the world's finest Syrah is crafted in the steep hills tumbling down to the river below. Caldera is one of the Cape's first 'GSM' blends – Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre, plus a dash of Cinsault – and is also a fine fit for a South African braai as much as it is for a hearty Lyonnaise ouefs en meurette (eggs in red wine). But leave the French behind and don't take this wine too seriously, even if it did bag a five-star rating from the Platter's guide twice in the last five years. Cheers to that!
Time Out
08-05-2025
- Time Out
Alto Rouge marks 100th vintage
Welcome to Mother Sippy, where we shine a light on the talented winemakers, brewers, distillers and mixologists that make sure the Mother City never goes thirsty! From new wine releases to taprooms pouring perfect pints, Mother Sippy is your guide to all that's good and great in Cape Town's world of drinks. There are some things in life that you can always rely on. And no, I don't mean death and taxes. A Toyota Corolla is one. The summer southeaster in Cape Town is definitely another. And in the world of wine, it's Alto Rouge: a wine that has long been guaranteed to over-deliver on quality and complexity and impress with its affordable price point. It's the kind of bottle you know you can take to a friend's braai or dinner with your in-laws, and everyone will be happy. And in terms of value for money, Rouge has long been a showstopper. And by long, I mean long. In fact, 2024 marks the 100 th vintage of Alto Rouge, a farm that has quietly and consistently produced some of the best red wines on the Helderberg. The farm dates to 1919, when the farmer Hennie Malan bought a portion of the historic Groenrivier farm and established Alto. Joined by his son Manie Malan, a pioneering viticulturist and winemaker, they planted an array of red grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cinsaut, Gamay Noir, and Pinot Noir. And Manie Malan was a man with a vision: of blending robust Cabernet Sauvignon with fruit-forward Shiraz and Cinsaut. It proved to be a smart move. He put his first vintage of Alto Rouge in the cellar in 1922, and when it was released it won top prize at the 1924 Cape Wine Show. Even though – can you believe! – at first it was all exported to the United Kingdom and only hit local shelves in 1933. Remarkably, in the 100 years since that first vintage Alto has had just five winemakers in charge of the cellar. With each winemaker adding their own stamp of character, over the years the make-up of Alto Rouge has evolved with our changing tastes. Today you'll find the blend combines Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, to ensure a red wine of depth and complexity that is hugely approachable even on release. No need to put this charmer in the cellar for too long! 'Even more amazing is that Alto Rouge has remained a popular and commercially viable wine for almost a century,' says Bertho van der Westhuizen, Alto's fifth-generation winemaker. 'And if the forebears of Alto happen to be watching, this year's 2022 vintage will be great!'
