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 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.
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 2011, a Sauvignon blanc/Semillon blend.
The House Wine
We also now have a very popular Shiraz based blend which we call Thatch House Red – so named in honour of the 19th century thatched Manor House on the farm. This is accompanied by Thatch House White 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.
Recent awards and accolades include:
Pinotage 2005 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show GOLD
Pinotage 2006 International Wine Challenge SILVER
John Platter Wine Guide 4 stars
Pinotage 2009 Decanter Awards SILVER
Michelangelo Wine Awards SILVER
Shiraz 2005 International Wine Challenge SILVER
John Platter Wine Guide 4 stars
Shiraz 2007 Michelangelo Awards SILVER
John Platter Wine Guide 4 stars
Shiraz 2008 John Platter Wine Guide 4 stars
Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Wine Magazine Bordeaux Challenge Top Ten
John Platter Wine Guide 4 stars
Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon 2010
International Wine Challenge Bronze
Decanter Awards Bronze
Thatch House Red 2009
Wine Magazine Best Value Award
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.wineonaplatter.com)
So, what is our secret?
• Careful hand nurturing of the vines themselves
• Well drained, low potential shale type soil
• Hand picking at night time
• Very efficient de-stemming
• Cold soaking
• Detailed watering & stressing programme
• Barrel matured in oak for 16 months
Buying our wines
Everyone in South Africa and now also the UK can buy directly from us. Place an order here.
South African customers can also order from www.onceagrape.co.za
For those of you in Europe, you can easily buy our wines through the exciting new venture Naked Wines for the UK , in Holland we sell through www.maxwijnimport.nl and Germany at www.aandwyn.com .
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.
