The Wines
Tulbagh was originally a relatively small, white wine producing region. It was regarded by many as the lesser cousin to the more established areas of Stellenbosch and Paarl. All that changed on September 29th 1969 when an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale virtually levelled the town. It was rebuilt in the faithful style you see today and with its rebirth came a new determination in the people of the town.
Fast forward to 1999 when Dave (Manley) Jordan along with some of the other local producers established the very first of the new farms to plant red wine grapes.
Today Tulbagh is no longer in the shadows. It has become highly regarded, in South Africa and abroad, emerging as a wonderful boutique region, one producing some of the most significant red wines in the Cape.
Meet our winemaker
Tulbagh born and bred, Stefan Hartmann has just taken over from Dave (Manley) Jordan as our head winemaker. Stefan grew up surrounded by grapes. His father farmed in the area and the young Stefan was captured by the whole idea of wine making at a very early age. He went on to study viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch and has spent time working for prominent names like Meerlust and Delheim in South Africa. He has also gained valuable experience abroad both in France and in Switzerland.
If he wasn’t a winemaker, chances are Stefan would be a carpenter. What attracts him is the ability to, as he puts it, “take raw material from mother nature and turn it into something which someone can enjoy and cherish”.
This approach underlines his honest and open philosophy to wine making. His ambition is to make wine people can easily enjoy. Take the best grapes, keep the varietal character of each wine, not too heavy on the wood (despite the passion for carpentry), and use every vintage to build on the quality of the last.
When you meet Stefan you soon realise he has big plans powered by a dedication to what he does and some healthy competition, especially from his wife to be, Suzanne, also a respected up-and-coming winemaker.
Feel free to contact Stefan: stefan@manleywinelodge.co.za
Meet our wine
The Estate Wine
Small but perfectly formed. That is what Manley is all about. Grow the best and make the best. With a little over 7 ha under vines ours is a relatively small scale but detailed and concentrated labour of love. Annually we produce around 35,000 to 40,000 bottles of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Merlot and, new for 2009, a Merlot/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend.
The House Wine
We also now have a very popular Sauvignon Blanc/Chenin blend which we call Thatch House White – so named in honour of the 19th century thatched Manor House on the farm. This is accompanied by Thatch House Red so we have a pair of ideal everyday wines – delightful and extremely quaffable. They are the ideal companions to our special occasion, award-wining estate wines.
Sniff out our tasting notes here.
The awards
Our hard work pays dividends every time we receive a compliment on one of our wines. And occasionally we are also rewarded more formally. Manley has won a number of prestigious awards including the Grand Prix prize as the top wine at the 2004 'International Michaelangelo' awards and the South African ABSA Bank top 10 award for 2004 Pinotage.
The reviews
Always good to get a mention in the press. Here’s what the Cape Argus newspaper had to say about us: 'Manley Private Cellar, the new kid on the block has cleaned-up'. Also, Manley wines score consistently highly (4*) with influential reviewers like "Platter’s South African Wine Guide". (www.platteronline.com)
So, what is our secret?
• Careful hand nurturing of the vines themselves
• Well drained shale type soil – one of the
fortunate occurances from the earthquake
• Hand picking at night time
• Very efficient de-stemming
• Cold soaking
• Hot dry climate leading to high sugar content
• Detailed watering & stressing programme
• Barrel matured in oak for 16 months
Buying our wines
Everyone in South Africa can buy directly from us. Place an order here.
For those of you in UK and Europe, you can easily buy our wines through the exciting new venture Naked Wines or in Holland we sell through www.maxwijnimport.nl.
Being a small producer, quantities are limited, so please try and order as soon as you can. If you want to know when wines will be released please join our early-bird e-letter and we will let you know.
