Dornier a big hit at WSWA conference in Las Vegas

The 67th annual Wine and Spirits Wholesalers Association conference, the biggest gathering of wholesalers in America, was held in Las Vegas from 6-8 April 2010.

Every year the wholesalers have a big wine competition in conjunction with the experts at Tasting Panel Magazine.

Dornier was awarded a silver medal by the panel for its Donatus.

Source: Wine.co.za

Harvest initiation at Dornier - 6 March 2010

On a magnificent day we met at the Dornier Bodega Restaurant for muffins and coffee and took of for the vineyards on a tractor trailer. Winemaker JC Steyn, took us to merlot block 8 where 40 harvesters had been working since the early morning hours. The labour broker had brought an extra team with the result that there where no scissors left for the visitors. Instead of grapes most of us went after nice photo motives and there where plenty. After this, we drove back to the cellar for a cellar tour.





JC explained the process of winecmaking. We could experience de-stemming, crushing, pump-overs, fermenting wine in open tanks, addition of yeast, pressing. We tried unfermented and semi-fermented wines; Chein Blanc, Rose from Cabernet Franc as well as red wine. We did some grape stomping in front of the cellar, which was a great experience for the kids and some of the grown ups.
Lunch with more wines at Bodega was fabulous and we lingered until 4 in the afternoon.




The company was great. People came from Stellenbosch, Somerset West, England, Germany, and Russia. We hope to stay in touch.

Dornier Harvest 2010 - Fermenting Pinotage in Open Oak Barrels

Fermenting wine on wood, especially new, (we have 20% new wood) integrates the wood much better and also changes some of the wood components as they are metabolised by the yeast during fermentation.

JC Steyn, Winemaker at Dornier)

Dornier Pinotage

Dornier's 50 Yen Project - helping children with special educational needs

Every bottle of Dornier Cocoa Hill wines that sells in Japan has a silver 50 Yen sticker on it. Similar to the Japanese 50 Yen coin it carries a simple message. With every bottle purchased, the equivalent of 50 Yen will be donated to a charity in South Africa focussed on child education.

Tsukasa Miyake of Masuda Ltd., Dornier's Japanese importer to Japan, who had himself spent several years in South Africa, always wanted to generate support to South African children and we eventually found this way to raise the money for a well respected charity organisation. Japanese consumers are responding very well to the project and are gladly paying a little extra for the wine. Since April 2008 Japanese consumers have contributed R28 200.00 in total to the Pebbles Project.

The Pebbles Project was established in 2004 to offer support to children with special educational needs, particularly those whose lives are affected by alcohol in some way, in the Western Cape of South Africa.

The Pebbles Project believes that if a child, particularly one with special needs of any kind, is supported and given the necessary education at an early age, they are far more likely to go on to achieve more at school, and become well-adjusted, educated and achieving adults.

Pictures: pebblesprojekt.co.za


Dornier Wines Cocoa Hill Range

Pebbles Project

A memorable night at 1800 Degrees Restaurant in Cape Town

Dornier Wines on Canadian TV - Tout le monde en parle

Tout le monde en parle: The Cocoa Hill Red is the wine of the week.
Link

Wine, dine and blind tasting competition with Dornier winemaker JC Steyn

Friday 27 November 2009
Dornier Bodega Restaurant 18h00

Dornier Wines winemaker JC Steyn invites to an entertaining evening at the Bodega Restaurant. We will host a blind tasting competition followed by a three course dinner paired with wines. You don't need to be a pro. Just come and find out more about the wines. The winner gets a Dornier Donatus Magnum (Platter 4.5 stars).

Dornier's Chenin Blanc Focus

WITH roughly 18,8% of the total vineyard area in South Africa planted to Chenin blanc, it is South Africa’s most planted varietal. And while it was once considered the workhorse of the wine industry it has lost its Cinderella status and today demonstrates its versatility by the different styles of single cultivar wines it is made into - from fruity luscious whites to sumptuous wooded wines to dry quaffers. Not to mention its role in brandy and in dessert wines.

Since their inception as a wine estate – Dornier Wines has been making white wine with a Chenin blanc focus. Today they produce three differenttiers of wines including threetiers of Chenins – Cocoa Hill Chenin blanc, Dornier Chenin blanc and their flagship Donatus White – a blend of Chenin blanc and Semillon. These wines all showcase handsome varietal-driven offerings and Dornier has recently released new vintages of each of these wines.

Different Styles of Chenin Blanc
When asked about why they produce three different Chenin Blanc focused wines, winemaker JC Steyn referred to the six styles recognised by the Chenin blanc Association of South Africa. ‘Of the six styles, we currently offer three: The Cocoa Hill Chenin blanc fits into the Chenin blanc Association’s fresh and fruity category. Grapes for this wine were harvested at lower sugar level in order to obtain this fresh and fruity expression - as opposed to the grapes for the Dornier Chenin blanc which were rather ripe in order to fall into the category known as ‘rich and ripe unwooded’ says Steyn.

JC further comments ‘Our final offering and flagship white wine - the Donatus, falls into the Chenin Blanc Association’s rich and ripe wooded category’. However it must be noted that we really make a point of it to obtain a certain level of freshness in the Donatus White blend. Often this comes from the Semillon, but harvest time for the Chenin is crucial in also obtaining these elements for the main variety. One attribute we portray is how well Chenin blanc handles wood ageing.’

Resistant to many diseases, vine vigour, and the tendency to early bud break as well as late ripening suits Chenin blanc to grow in warm climates. The vines grow well in many soil types and terroirs. In the old days, in spite of its wide plantings most Chenin blanc was made into serviceable, but generally bland wine. There was general tendency to over-irrigate and over crop, reducing most Chenin blanc to the forgettable.

But today, careful viticultural practices have easily overcome Chenin blanc's weaknesses and have resulted in many excellent flavour-packed wines. Here, more and more wine farms are placing greater emphasis on suiting specific vineyards to the varietal and undertaking more stringent viticultural practices to ensure quality grapes. The result is wines that demonstrate excellent terroir and varietal characteristics.

2009 Cocoa Hill Chenin Blanc – Fresh & Fruity (unwooded)
The 2009 Cocoa Hill Chenin Blanc demonstrates that terroir is key to producing flavour – the grapes for this wine were grown in prime terroir in the decomposed red granite soils of Cocoa Hill, which gives the range its name.


The 2009 vintage was considered one of the best in the last six years, with a mild, dry temperate climate, allowing for better quality. While yields were slightly lower, this led to more intense flavours. Grapes selected for the wine ranged from vines aged from 19 to 52 years and were gently pressed to allow the wine to speak for itself, with as little intervention as possible. The juice was individually fermented in stainless steel tanks for 10 days and then remained on the full lees for a further two months, to allow for maximum fullness and complexity.

Winemaker JC Steyn describes the wine as offering up flavours of banana, honeysuckle and ripe loquats. Nuances of citrus coupled with an appealing warmth and richness are testimony to the fact that the wine was left for so long on the lees. The finish shows clean and crisp tropical fruit.

2009 Dornier Chenin Blanc – Rich and Ripe (unwooded)
Grapes for 2009 Dornier Chenin blanc – a completely new addition to the Dornier line-up, were regarded as one of the best at harvest since 2003. Again crop levels were slightly lower, allowing for concentrated fruit flavours.

This time the fruit came from the semi-arid Swartland area, which is extremely well known for its dry-land bush vine Chenin blanc grapes. With a somewhat harsh terroir, the fruit delivers singular quality and highly expressive flavours. Grapes were lightly pressed and then aged in steel tanks and older oak barrels, with the wine remaining on full lees for a further five months before filtering and bottling.

Winemaker JC Steyn describes the wine as demonstrating fresh whiffs of litchi, ripe, white pear and peach on the nose, while offering up fabulously rich flavours, with a concentrated yet silky mouth-feel. A crisp finish with a distinct mineral quality adds to the final appeal. The wine has good ageing potential of at least two years.


2008 Dornier Donatus White – Rich & Ripe (Wooded)
Dornier’s flagship range - Donatus offers singular quality, elegance and complexity in its wines. The 2008 Donatus White is a blend of Chenin blanc (65%) and Semillon (35%) and admirably combines the opulence and complexity of
barrel-aged Chenin Blanc with the freshness and rich mouthfeel of the Semillon.

Winter leading up to the 2008 vintage provided almost ideal conditions, with
cold weather and good rains offering optimum conditions for complete vine dormancy, thus resulting in an even and good quality crop. The cooler temperatures meant that grapes ripened slowly, with intense flavours developing in the two varietals.

Grapes were harvested in the cool early morning hours and only the minimum yields were extracted. The wine was fermented slowly in both first- and second-fill French oak barrels to allow for maximum freshness and both varietals spent seven months on the full lees in the barrel, resulting in a singular roundness and depth.

With eight months of oak maturation, the wine has a luscious golden hue. Steyn describes the Donatus White as being handsomely rich with aromas of white pear and cumquat, complemented by nuances of honey and citrus. The Semillon gives a fullness and richness combining well with the freshness, elegance and complexity of the Chenin blanc. With a deliciously silky finish with a densely layered aftertaste, this fine wine will age well for up to five years.

BMW shoot at Dornier Wines