Harvest is in full swing this week. The grapes wait for no-one and our flock of interns are working hard. This year we have three Americans (one female, two male), a local apprentice from origin wine and a Stellenbosch University student to help out in the cellar.

Last week we got a pretty cool mention:

London based chef Heston Blumenthal mentioned us among some of his (and our) favourite South African things, people and places.

“The new boutique wineries, not least the winemaker Ken Forrester, are doing super-concentrated chenin blancs that last for years. I’d say that’s the most exciting thing happening with the whites right now. There are also some fantastic Rhône-style reds. The winemaker Adi Badenhorst stands out and leading the group is Eben Sadie, whose top wine is Columella.”

Read his beautiful article on The Telegraph’s page, click here.

In other news: ADI SHAVED HIS BEARD OFF. I’ve known the guy since I was in high school and I have never seen him look like this:

Adi is taking part (as an outsider and proud Swartland representative) in the Bot River Beards challenge. Click here to see more and we will keep you posted on the growth.