Thursday: 12 June  2003

This site will be updated on: 19 June 2003 at 17:00

Business - Sakenuus

• All's well at Winelands Estate
• Roads upgraded for Berg Water project
• Awards for local winemakers
• Glen Carlou shines
• Estate approved

THE lavish gates to a newly established upmarket development, Winelands Estate, will roll open in Simondium shortly.

At a cost of R300 million, the 190hectare security estate next to the

At the height of building activity, more than a thousand construction workers were on site on any given day.

The low density development has a Provencal style, with thick walls, natural stone finishes in earthy tones, wooden windows and doors and is set in vineyards with lavender and herb gardens.

The Winelands Hotel and Santé Wellness Centre will be operated by the Southern Sun Group and is scheduled to open in September.

The ten-suite five star plus country hotel has restaurants for the residents. Also on the estate is a corporate conference centre, 14 privately owned villas and another 10 fully furnished luxury apartments.

The apartments and villas, valued at R155million, was sold out off-plan within six months. Buyers were South Africa's top corporates, including Leon Vermaak (Auto & General) and GT Ferreira (FirstRand), and two international investors.

Three villas are now available for re-sale from R5,2m while two apartments are on the market for R3million.

Two large dams with an island and water features, wooden broadwalk and bridges, have already lured an abundance of bird life and become home to indigenous vegetation.

The hi-tech conference centre is linked by a colonnaded walkway to the hotel and will accommodate 180 delegates with break-away rooms and exhibition space.

Phase two will commence later this year and will comprise of an exclusive residential estate with an upmarket farm stall. This will include a gallery, a theatre, restaurant, cheesery, bakery, wine shop and olive press.

Each villa is located on more than a hectare planted with vineyard, olive groves and gardens. They are fully maintained outside and offers a hassle-free farming lifestyle.

Villa owners are entitled to the annual production of some 350 cases of wine from the newly established vineyards. A wine cellar with a capacity of 500 tons is to be constructed.

Seventeen swimming pools are being constructed. Residents will have access to the pools, gym, saunas and jacuzzis.

The emphasis of the wellness centre is on pre-emptive corporate health. The new centre boosts 100 bedrooms and 22 treatment rooms.

Medical services include dental and aesthetic surgery, with full-time medical officers and physiotherapists during recuperation before and after operations, detoxification and destressing.

State of the art equipment has been imported from Germany and a unique indoor swimming pool fitted with light and sound therapy.

The hub of the property, the former Akarana vegetable farm, was acquired from Bruce Glazer and Dewcrisp.

The Winelands Estate project is the flagship property of Original Developments (Odev), which is owned by entrepreneurs Craig Young, Eduard du Plessis and Joe Kieser.

For more information, contact the Winelands Estate sales office at 875-5357.

CONSTRUCTION of the Berg Water Project near Franschhoek at a cost of R1,5 billion is due to start early next year, and as a result access roads to the construction sites are to be upgraded.

The Department of Water Affairs plans to upgrade the forestry gravel road extending from the R301/R45 junction (opposite Wemmershoek Primary) to the site of the dam wall to a tarred road.

Another road to be upgraded is the "Safariland" road (P1095) from the R301 to the site of the supplementary balancing dam on the Berg River to be built on Drakenstein Prison land.

An Open House meeting to discuss the road upgrading will be held at the Wemmershoek forestry community hall from 16:30 to 19:00 on Thursday 19 June.

TCTA will implement the construction of the Berg Water Porject on behalf of the Cape Town Metropolitan Council and the Department of Water Affairs.

The additional water supply should become available soon after completion in 2007, once the dam has filled, to meet the increasing water needs of the Western Cape.

Water will enter the 570 hectare dam from the upper reaches of the Berg River, as well as from the overflow piped from the Theewaterskloof Dam. 

In addition to this, a 4 ha balancing dam to collect water from the Dwars River, a tributary of the Berg River lower down, will be constructed on the property of the Drakenstein Prison.

This water will be pumped to the new dam to ensure maximum utilisation of rainfall.

Should the Berg River dam be full to capacity, some of the overflow will be piped to the Jonkershoek dam via the existing Dasbos inlet which links to the tunnel from Theewaterskloof.

Consultants are preparing specifications so that tenders for the construction of the dam can be advertised.

The dam wall will consist of rock fill obtained from the river bed, protected by a concrete layer to prevent water penetration.

The dam wall, approximately one kilometre in length and 70 metres in height, will be built across the Berg River channel in the La Motte forest 5km from Franschhoek.

The dam will have a catchment area of about 77 square kilometres and will flood up to the Dewdale trout farm in Robertsvallei. It will hold 126,4 million cubic metres of water.

It is expected that only Franschhoek residents will be employed on the project, excluding the professional, skilled workers not available locally.

A skills audit survey of all households in the Franschhoek and Dwars River valleys has been initiated

It will identify project appropriate skills and ensure that priority of employment is given to long-term residents.

The audit will result in a database of skills which will be relevant during and after construction of the dam.

Housing constructed for such employees (80-140 houses) could later be utilised for local residents.

An Environmental Management Plan for the project, which will identify critical issues arising during construction of the dam, is also being prepared.

An extra levy of 12c per kilolitre on water will be instituted by the City of Cape Town on 1 July to fund the construction of the Berg Water Project near Franschhoek.

This Berg Water Capital Charge has been included in the Drakenstein rates increases announced last week,and will continue until 2007.

TWO local wineries, Diemersfontein in Wellington and Agusta in Franschhoek, were among the trophy winners at the second annual Fairbairn Capital Trophy Wine Show judged in Paarl last month.

When the results were announced at the awards function held at the Mount Nelson Hotel on 3 June, Vergelegen nearly swept the board.

The Somerset West cellar won the trophies for the Best Winery, the Best Red Wine and the Best White Wine, as well as the individual trophies for the Best Bordeaux Blend (Vergelegen 2001), Best Blended White Wine (Vergelegen 2002) and Best Shiraz (Vergelegen 2001).

The Fairbairn Capital Trophy for the Discovery of the Show was awarded to Vlottenburg for its 2001 Merlot. The award is made to a trophy winning wine whose overall score, divided by its pre-show price, produces the highest ratio.

Other noteworthy awards include the second successive Pinotage triumph for Diemersfontein, whose 2002 Carpe Diem selection followed in the footsteps of the 2001 which won the trophy at last year's show.

The Chardonnay Trophy was shared by Stellenbosch cellar Asara and Franschhoek producer Count Agusta for their 2001 vintages while the Morgenhof 2000 won the coveted Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy. 

The Fairbairn Capital Trophy for the best Port on show was won by Bredell's Cape Vintage Reserve 1998, a Platter five star wine and a widely recognised industry benchmark.

Said Agusta winemaker Alastair Rimmer: "I am delighted that the judges recognized the more classical elements in the Count Agusta Chardonnay 2001 that are so often overpowered by new world styles at wine shows." 

Alastair also received a silver medal for his Count Agusta Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 as well as a bronze medal for his Agusta Chardonnay 2002, in a screwcap bottle.

This is the first wine under a screwcap closure in South Africa to get such a prestigious accolade. Alastair believes strongly in the advantages of using screwcaps and hopes this will highlight the fact that wine must be judged for what it is and not by the closure used.

Says the other trophy winner, Bertus Fourie of Diemersfontein: "The Carpe Diem Pinotage 2002 is a good reflection of terroir, a well balanced wine of quality.

"It is a serious, elegant wine with the finesse and balance for ageing - it is not just an easy drinking red."

The Diemersfontein Shiraz 2002 was awarded a silver medal.

Fourie is extremely proud of the three golds awarded to Wellington wines (Diemersfontein, Linton Park and Mischa), indicating that the area has excellent terroir for the production of top wines.

Linton Park won gold for their River Garden Merlot 2001 and silver for their Claire Division Chardonnay 2001, with a gold for the Mischa Cabernet Sauvignon 2001.

Silver medals were also awarded to Dieu Donné Brut de Blancs 1998, Fairview Akkerbos Chardonnay 2001, La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, Landskroon Port 1998 and Monis Tawny Port 1993.

There were 916 entries for this year's competition - an increase of nearly 15% on 2002. However, there were fewer gold medals awarded - 19 compared with last year's 26 - and even fewer silvers: 65 against 97 in 2002.

The threshold set for bronze medals was also tougher than at the inaugural show - a mere 313 qualified, some 15% less than the 2002 result, adjusted for the increased entry. Detailed results are on the website www.winemag.co.za.

A WINE'S reputation is not built in a day, and now Glen Carlou has shone at the Interntational Wine Challenge in the UK (the world's biggest wine competition.

The Glen Carlou Shiraz 2002 has won a Gold Medal at the IWC, following on the success of the Shiraz 2001, which won the same award last year.

Together with the Glen Carlou Chardonnay Reserve 2001 (which won a Silver medal at the IWC, following a Gold Medal for the 2000 vintage last year), this Shiraz shows that meticulous care taken in both the vineyard and the cellar will reward the winemaker.

It delivers spice flavoured, rich, ripe and full wine maintaining the elegance which is lacking in many modern day contemporaries. The Chardonnay Reserve "Black label" which has always been made in small volumes for selected export markets, is now available from the winery in limited quantities.

THE Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning of the Western Cape has approved the development of the Franschhoek Estate at the foot of the mountain pass.

The Record of Decision described the development of a conference centre and residences in vineyards and olive groves on 55 hectares by Frandevco as a "model" initiative on a sensitive site which is a valuable asset to Franschhoek.

The approval is subject to the appointment of a suitable Environmental Control Officer, conservation architect, specialist studies and submission of building plants to the Aesthetics Committee.

Development of erven 1680 and 1692 in Franschhoek commenced earlier this year, with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry "Work for Water" project clearing the site of invasive alien plants.

The proposed development aims to provide benefits to the private and public sectors and provides empowerment opportunities to the previously disadvantaged communites of Franschhoek.

Interested and affected parties have the right to appeal against the authorisation of the development by 19 June on the Appeal Questionnaire which is obtainable on www.westerncape.gov.za/eadp. For enquiries, phone 483-3915 or contact lvdberg@pawc.wcape.gov.za.2222

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