The PMR Golden Arrow Award recognises excellence following a national survey amongst
150 random Liquor Buyers, Food and Beverage Hotel Managers and Restaurant Owners and Managers. DGB was rated top amongst Liquor Distributors and Producers in South Africa with a very strong focus on evaluation and measurement of customer service and customer satisfaction.

“This is great validation and substantiates our Mission Statement of ‘Leadership through Service’,” says DGB Chairman Tim Hutchinson. “We value our customers’ perceptions and are dedicated to delivering outstanding products, service and experience in all our business dealings at all levels. This is also welcome recognition for the commitment, loyalty under pressure and hard work of our staff through our recent challenging SAP implementation process.”

“Boschendal bubbly is all about purity,” says winemaker Lizelle Gerber. “We use only classic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for our Grande Cuvée Brut and then only the first 500 liters from the best grapes.”

Great care and attention is lavished to achieve the definitive style and complexity of Boschendal Grand Cuvée Brut. “We work reductively to capture the inherent freshness and lively potential of the grapes,’ explains Lizelle. “ First and foremost, a good bubbly should be crisp, clean and pure allowing the cuvée to reveal itself naturally in endlessly intriguing layers after a slow second fermentation in the bottles and 24 months maturation on the lees.”

2007 was distinguished by a cool growing season for the Cape’s Méthode Cap Classiques with an early harvest in the early weeks of January that achieved pleasing natural acidity and vivacity.

“This release will tickle your palate with fresh green apple and hints of citrus supported by discreet almond biscotti and brioche typical of Boschendal’s bubbly style. Extended lees contact has given the wine a full and creamy mouthfeel , elegant minerality, good balance and a seamless finish,” enthuses Lizelle, ”perfect for anywhere, anytime!”

The 2007cuvée follows in the wake of the highly coveted 2006 vintage that set the bar high when Boschendal relaunched their bubbly at the end of 2009. Its formidable track record includes a 4 star John Platter rating, Gold at Monde Selection Belgium and most recently it was singled out as the only 4½ star MCC amongst the top performing wines of 2010 rated by Wineland magazine’s Watterwyn panel of experts. Early signs show that this new release will easily live up to high expectations set by 2006.

Whilst it may be a long wait before the energy and expression of this year’s bounty makes it to our glasses sometime around 2014, the Boschendal Grand Cuvée Brut 2007 is happily already on the shelves in fine wine stores ready to make a splash. The wait is over. Get your bottle on ice and enjoy immediately!

“What a great way to start the year!” says Jaco. “Hot on the heels of a cracking 2009 vintage, this Chenin blanc immediately showed signs of greatness straight from our vineyards in 2010, packed with purity of fruit, character and charm. I don’t think many winemakers ever experience 2 consecutive vintages that are particularly standout in their careers, let alone the triple run of awards we have won for this wine.”

This success comes in the wake of both 2008 and 2009 taking gold medals at Concours de Mondial de Bruxelles, and further commendations from Decanter World Wine Awards and International Wine Challenge.

This consistent excellence can for the most part be attributed to the grapes form predominantly bushvine vineyards in the warmer region of the Wellington ward. Douglas Green is fanatical about seeking out proven vineyards sites to best express clarity of fruit and quality that far exceeds modest price points on shelf. “It is really wonderful to be rewarded for our core philosophy and unwavering ambition to produce world class quality in significant volumes ” says Jaco.

Recognised for “a burst of pure fruit on the palate and fresh acidity” by the Wine Magazine panel, Douglas Green Vineyard Creations Chenin Blanc is a no-nonsense unwooded wine with all the deliciously generous passion fruit, ripe melon, yellow apple and honeysuckle that you might expect of a Chenin Blanc.

“This great news is a tremendous surge of inspiration for our team,” says Jaco. “We cannot wait to see what 2011 has up its sleeve.”

Douglas Green Vineyard Creations Chenin Blanc 2010 is available in most supermarkets and fine wine retailers nationwide.