Harvest News A small block of Sauvignon Blanc was taken in last week from a nearby vineyard in the False Bay area. We are happ y with the great sugar/acid balance and some really nice flavours. We have experienced no heat wave as yet, still experiencing coolish weather and we are in no rush to start early as we want to ensure some nice bright acidity. Regarding the weather experie nced in past years, although we had late spring rains - right into the growing season and huge winds, we've had zero precipitation since beginning November. Thus although bunch counts are consistent with last year, we are seeing yields down 25/30% so far, small berries, hopefully with more concentration of flavour? Time will tell! Wine Awards/Ratings The news of the ratings received by The Gypsy 2006 and the FMC (Forrester Meinert Chenin) 2008 in the authoritative Wine Spectator in their December 16th 2009 issue was a joyous end to 2009. The Gypsy 2006 rated 93 Points and the FMC 2008 92 Points. Previously the FMC has also garnered ratings of 93 for the 06 and 07 vintages and the 05 vintage was rated as one of the Top 250 wines of the World. News from the Winery Ken Forrester Vineyards are totally committed to provide a rewarding working environment for our employees. To further this focus and as a reward for all the hard work, the employees are taken on regular educational trips, e.g. to Robben Island in 2009. On Saturday 9th January all our employees attended a performance of CATS, based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. This starte d 2010 off with “a theatre experience of a life time” according to Cheylin, 11 year daughter of Carey Wertheim. Cheylin continues: “We were introduced to many different types of cats (Jellicle cats, mischievous cats, old cats, theatre, magic, and railway c ats) and Old Deuteronomy their leader at the Jellicle Cats Ball. The setting of an oversized junk yard was so well done – the lighting and smoke made you feel like you were in the junkyard. Some of the music like ‘Jellicle Cats’ made me want to get up a nd dance! The cast was full of energy and very talented. After interval when everyone was retuning to their seats – the ‘CATS’ climbed over the chairs and rubbed the audience’s heads and behaved like real curious cats. My favourite character was Mr Mistoffelees with magical powers! As well as Rum Tum Tugger – he was a real ladies Tom cat – and is recognised by his wild mane as well and his wild dance moves! It was a great experience that I will never forget!” The employees enjoyed lovely snacks before leaving by bus for the show. Davy Adams (far right on photo) adds that “he loved the make-believe setting of the story, the action and then of course the dancing!” Events The Francois Pienaar/Make A Difference Foundation (MAD) event In o ur last Newsletter we reported about this event which took place in New York City on December 9th 2009. Lindsy Marais, MAD’s representative in NY, told us that the function with guest speaker Francois Pienaar was a huge success and $260k was raised in a li ve auction to benefit a collective of South African children’s charities – which was much more than they expected! Ken Forrester Vineyards was very proud to be the sponsor of the wines enjoyed at this very authentic South African evening. Here is a link to more photos of this fun-filled evening. The inauguration of the Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame at Oubaai Golf Resort & Spa Ken ended a hectic 2009 by joining a select number of golfers in the Celebrity Charity Invitational Tournament and attended the Induction Banquet on 23 December at the Hyatt Regency . The dinner at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai was an up-market ticket-only celebrity affair with sumptuous food and excellent entertainment. We as a sponsor, are proud to be associated with the event and our Sauvignon Blanc was enjoyed at the banquet. Golfers included Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Sally Little, Mark McNulty, Dale Hayes and Denis Hutchinson, whilst memorabilia for the auction were recei ved from Trevor Immelman, David Leadbetter, Gary Player, and Greg Norman, as well as exhibition memorabilia from Gary Player. Valentines Lunch at the Winery Looking for a small and intimate setting for Valentine’s Lunch on Sunday 14th? To avoid di sappointment and lots of love, please make your booking by calling Ina Smith on (021) 855-2374 or send an email to [email protected] . Join the Ken Forrester Vineyards Wine Society and receive some exclusive wines We would like to re-introduce the Ken Forrester Wine Society to our newsletter readers. The Society was designed to introduce and share wines of exclusiv e characteristics. Ken’s quest for wine excellence and passion for travel has awarded him the pleasure of tasting, smelling and blending some of the finest wines in the world. The Ken Forrester Society strives to showcase wines of unique style, origin a nd viticulture delivering a product so unique and tailored to the member that you won’t want to share this secret! Quarterly wine shipments of 6 bottles (selected by Ken), including the like of specially imported labels Torbeck, Sancerre Noz Jolivet and Am elia Chardonnay, 20% discount on all wine purchases, special invitations to exclusive wine tastings with Ken including & unlimited complimentary tastings at Ken Forrester Vineyards tasting room are only some of the unique benefits! Please contact Ina Smith at [email protected] for more information re becoming a member of our Wine Society. Personnel Winners and Learnership successes Helet van der Merwe at Ken Forrester Vineyards, manages an ongoing adult literacy and skills training program for all employees and work hand in hand with government agencies to improve training and skills in our community. There were also several Learnership successes in 2009, Cornelia Adams passed both ABET English level 1 exam (with merit) and Plant Production, whilst Samuel Lackay also passed his Plant Production exam. A further incentive for our employees is the nomination of “Quarterly Employee” by the farm manager, Pieter Roussouw. Here are recent winners Sibongile Ngceni and Piet Kondlo) with their prizes amongst their colleagues. Three new additions to the Forrester team Expanding!! We would like to introduce three new me mbers who joined the team at Ken Forrester Vineyards over the past few months. Pieter Rossouw (Farm Manager) joined us after many years at Asara. Carla Weyers (Sales Manager WC) comes to us with a wealth of experience and good relations with many of our present clients. Ina Smith (also Manager of the Chenin Blanc Association) is assisting both Ken and Anthony in their marketing efforts. Pictured here is from left to right is Pieter Roussouw, Ina Smith, Carla Weyers. Final notes Anthony van Schalkwyk, Brand Manager, and his Ken Forrester Buccaneers team won the 3rd consecutive super league touch rugby final last year. They are back in full force as they entered the "In 2 Touch" Cap e Town Summer Super League again. They won their grading game will officially, start the season on the 1st of February. All the best for another for the team! Kind regards, Ken, family & team P.S. Send this newsletter to a friend or contact us to add yourself or your friends to our mailing list! Also don’t forget to keep up to date with all the latest events, awards, and photograph on our website, www.kenforresterwines.com . Pop in for a convivial wine tasting at the corner of the R44 and Winery Road . Tel: +27 21 855-2374 • Fax: +27 21 855-2373 • P.O. Box 1253, Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa Email: [email protected] • URL: www.kenforresterwines.com .