At the beginning of the year, we introduced you to our 2019 Joburg Wine Club partners in a special blog post.
Well, we’re super excited to announce that we recently gained a brand-new partner in wine!
Welcome on board, Laborie!
Located in Paarl, the estate has a long and proud history of winemaking, starting with the Tailleferts, a prosperous French Huguenot family from the district of La Bri.
The farm was granted to Isaac Taillefert in 1691, who placed it in his son, Jean’s name. Together, they set about clearing the property and planting vines and, within seven years, were producing a drinkable wine. When a fellow Frenchman named Leguat, visited the Cape in 1698, it was his opinion that their wine was “the best in the colony and similar to our small wines of Champagne”.
With their knowledge of French viticultural techniques, the Taillefert family laid a solid foundation of vineyards and outstanding wine production for a further three hundred years and counting.
These days, the task of creating Laborie’s memorable wines has fall to the formidable team of Kobus van der Merwe (winemaker) and Marco Ventrella (viticulturalist).
Van der Merwe grew up on a vineyard and fruit farm which ignited his passion for winemaking from a young age. He is truly passionate about winemaking as he believes you are working with a living organism which must be treated with the utmost care and respect in order to achieve the perfect result.
Ventrella thrives on the challenges and mysteries of winemaking. He believes it’s like playing seven games of chess at the same time, as the relationship and interaction between geology, soil, climate, topography, cultivar, rootstock and practises constantly changes and shifts.
Location: You can visit Laborie and taste their exceptional wines at the KWV Emporium in Paarl.
Why you should visit: Spread over 22 hectares, the KWV cellar complex in Paarl is one of the largest in the World and offers a broad portfolio of products, including sparkling wines, natural wines, fortified wines, liqueurs and brandies.
Be sure to book a pairing of Laborie’s three MCC’s with delicious cheesecake for only R65!
Click HERE to find out more.
