The Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Festival – which takes place at the Killarney Country Club's Crystal Room on Thursday, May 10, from 18h00 – includes in its impressive line-up many high-end, award-winning Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs that are not shown at other festivals because they are often too expensive and with too small a production.

Winemaker Koen Roose of Spioenkop

Also attending Gauteng’s only showcase of these noble varieties is winemaker Koen Roose of Spioenkop, the acclaimed and award-winning wine estate in Elgin, who will be presenting the Spioenkop Pinot Noir 2015. Richard Kershaw will be showing his Kershaw Clonal Selection Chardonnay and Kershaw Clonal Selection Pinot Noir.

Other highlights include Chardonnay Du Monde Silver Award winner the Rietvallei JMB Chardonnay 2017; the Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2016 which was awarded 5 stars by Platter and the Eikendal Chardonnay 2016 and Hartenberg The Eleanor Chardonnay 2015, both named in the Winemag Chardonnay Report Top 10. Other premium wines to be tasted at the festival include The Drift There are Still Mysteries Pinot Noir 2016; Oak Valley Groenlandberg Chardonnay 2016; the Lismore Chardonnay 2015 and the Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2015.

There are a host of new South African wines on show this year including the Domaine Des Dieux Josephine Pinot Noir 2013; Elemental Bob Cosmic Hand Pinot Noir 2015; Lismore Pinot Noir 2017; MVH Signature Pinot Noir 2016; Paul Wallace Reflection Chardonnay 2017 and Raised By Wolves Limestone Pinot Noir 2015.

Tickets cost R250 per person and this includes a tasting glass as well as an array of light snacks chosen to complement the styles of wine being sampled. In addition to tastings, the wines will also be on sale on the night, at less than retail prices. Some are no longer available on the general marketplace.

Participation in the festival is by invitation only with organiser, Corlien Morris of Wine Menu, choosing what wines will be available for tasting to ensure that only the best is shown at the festival which has been sold-out since it first started in Gauteng seven years ago.

Says Morris: “This is a targeted wine experience that focuses on the flavours and nuances of these two famous Burgundian varietals.”

Only 300 tickets are available for the 2018 Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Festival so booking is essential and can be purchased via www.webtickets.co.za or from Wine Menu in the BluBird Shopping Centre, Illovo.

Just announced as showcasing his wine is Hannes Storm, former winemaker at Hamilton Russell, who started making his own super premium small production Hemel en Aarde focussed wines. He will present his Vrede Pinot Noir 2016 (Hemel en Aarde Valley), Ignis Pinot Noir 2016 (Upper Hemel en Aarde); Ridge Pinot Noir 2016 (Hemel en Aarde Ridge) and Vrede Chardonnay 2017 (Valley).

PRODUCER VARIETAL AND VINTAGE	NEW AT SHOW	ACCOLADES
Almenkerk Chardonnay 2016	Back in 2018
Ataraxia Chardonnay 2016
Ataraxia Pinot Noir 2015
Black Block Pinot Noir 2014
Black Block Pinot Noir 2017
Blackwater Cuvee Terra Lux Pinot Noir	Back in 2018
Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2015		5 Star Platter
Bouchard Finlayson Kaimansgat Chardonnay 2016
Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay 2015
Broad Valley Pinot Noir 2014
B Vintners Fireheath Chardonnay
B Vintners Strandwolf Chardonnay
B Vintners Black Bream Pinot Noir
B Vintners Reservoir Road Pinot Noir
Catherine Marshall Clay Soils Pinot Noir 2017	Back after two years
Catherine Marshall Finite Elements Pinot Noir 2016		Super Premium wine
Catherine Marshall Sandstone Soils Pinot Noir 2017
Creation Art of Chardonnay 2016		Super Premium wine
Creation Art of Pinot Noir 2016		5 Star Platter
Creation Chardonnay 2017
Creation Pinot Noir 2017
Creation Reserve Chardonnay 2017
Creation Reserve Pinot Noir 2016
Crystallum Agnes Chardonnay 2016
Crystallum Peter Max Pinot Noir 2017
De Grendel Op Die Berg Chardonnay 2017
De Grendel Op Die Berg Pinot Noir 2015
Domaine Des Dieux Chardonnay 2013	New
Domaine Des Dieux Josephine Pinot Noir 2013	New
Eikendal Chardonnay 2016		Winemag Chardonnay Report Top 10
Eikendal Janina Chardonnay 2017
Elemental Bob Cosmic Hand Pinot Noir 2015	New
Elemental Bob Retro Series Pinot Noir 2018	New
Fledge & Co Katvis Pinot Noir
Fledge & Co Classic Pinot Noir
FRAM Chardonnay 2017
Glen Carlou Unwooded Chardonnay 2017
Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2016
Glen Carlou Quartz Stone Chardonnay 2016
Glen Carlou Pinot Noir 2017
Glen Carlou Pinot Noir Rose 2017
Glen Carlou Unwooded Chardonnay 2017
Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2016
Glenelly Estate Chardonnay 2015
Glenelly Glass Collection Unpacked Chardonnay 2017
Groot Constantia Chardonnay 2017
Groote Post Kapokberg Pinot Noir 2015
Groote Post Kapokberg Chardonnay 2016
Groote Post Unwooded Chardonnay 2017
Hannes Storm Vrede Pinot Noir 2016
Hannes Storm Ignis Pinot Noir 2016
Hannes Storm Ridge Pinot Noir 2016
Hannes Storm Vrede Chardonnay 2017
Hartenberg Chardonnay 2016
Hartenberg The Eleanor Chardonnay 2015		Winemag Chardonnay Report Top 10
Highlands Road Chardonnay 2016
Highlands Road Pinot Noir 2014
JH Meyer Palmiet Pinot Noir 2016
Jordan Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2017		2016 vintage was Platter 5 Star
Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2015		Premium wine
Jordan Unoaked Chardonnay 2017
Journey's End Chardonnay 2017
Journey's End Destination Chardonnay 2016
Journey's End Haystack Chardonnay 2017
Julien Schaal Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay 2016
Kershaw Clonal Selection Chardonnay
Kershaw Clonal Selection Pinot Noir
La Brune Pinot Noir 2016
La Brune The Valley Pinot Noir 2016
Laarman Cluster Series Chardonnay 2016
Lismore Chardonnay 2015		Premium wine
Lismore Pinot Noir 2017	New
Lothian Vineyards Chardonnay 2016
Lothian Vineyards Pinot Noir 2016
MVH Signature Chardonnay 2016	New
MVH Signature Pinot Noir 2016	New
Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2016
Newton Johnson Southend Chardonnay 2017
Newton Johnson Walkerbay Pinot Noir 2016
Oak Valley Beneath The Clouds Chardonnay 2016
Oak Valley Groenlandberg Chardonnay 2016		Premium wine
Oak Valley Sounds of Silence Pinot Noir 2016
Paul Wallace Brave Heart Pinot Noir 2016
Paul Wallace Reflection Chardonnay 2017	New
Spioenkop Pinot Noir 2015
Raised By Wolves Limestone Pinot Noir 2015	New
Rietvallei JMB Chardonnay 2017		Chardonnay Du Monde Silver
Rietvallei Unwooded Chardonnay 2017
The Drift There are Still Mysteries Pinot Noir 2016		Super Premium wine
Vondeling Chardonnay 2015
Vriesenhof Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2015
Vriesenhof Pinot Noir 2015
Vriesenhof Unwooded Chardonnay 2017
Vriesenhof Pinot Noir 2015
Waterford Estate Chardonnay 2016
Waterford Elgin Pinot Noir 2016

MORE ABOUT WINE MENU

Wine Menu is a specialist wine retailer, situated at BluBird Shopping Centre, Atholl-Oaklands Rd, Illovo. Tel. 011 440 5498. It is owned by Corlien Morris who was born and bred in the Cape Winelands and has been involved in the local wine industry for more than 20 years. In May 2013 she opened her first specialist wine store in the Blu Bird Centre, Illovo, with the aim of showcasing South Africa’s best wines. With her roots in the Cape and strong relationships with the winemakers and farm owners, she is able to source not only the best, but the often-lesser known wines from boutique producers. Wine Menu features wines that are not available anywhere else in Gauteng and the selection is ever changing.






Pictures: SUPPLIED