Cult South African Wine
July 29, 2010
A REPORT ON THE FOOD & WINE BLOGGERS CLUB MEETING LAST NIGHT
Written by Chris van Ulmenstein and posted to her blog www.whalecottage.com/blog/
Free-lance writer and second-most read South African food blogger Jane-Anne Hobbs, writing the Scrumptious South Africa blog, described food bloggers as “desperate for attention” at the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club meeting last night, and their genre of writing can be called “vanity publishing”, she said. The bloggers present felt that this description probably applies to bloggers across the board!
The Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club was started earlier this year, and “pairs” a different food blogger and a wine blogger every month. The wines of the Wine Blogger are tasted, and Warwick/Vilafonte’s Mike Ratcliffe brought along his Warwick Professor Black, the unique Warwick Blue Lady without vintage, and Vilafonte Series M 2006 (the highest rated Merlot blend according to Wine Spectator), for the bloggers to taste. Food was served by Cafe Max. Meetings are informal, and questions are answered during the two-hour meeting, encouraging fledgling bloggers to obtain input and tips from more experienced bloggers.
Jane-Anne said that through social media, “opinion has been democratised”, creating a serious threat for traditional media, with their short lead times in publishing restaurant reviews, or food information, compared to traditional magazine and newspaper publishing, and this is leading to tension between the two media types. She started her blog three years ago, and it reflects her love for cooking and for developing recipes. While one may not get financial reward out of a blog, especially if one does not accept advertising, which is Jane-Anne’s policy (nor does she accept freebies), she feels that she is adding value to her readers, and she herself receives emotional, intellectual and entertainment satisfaction from writing her blog. She advised that food blogs must focus on accuracy in terms of ingredients and method of preparation, but also in terms of spelling and grammar.
Online integrity is vital, and one must trust one’s palate in expressing what one experiences, even if it is not the popular view, one blogger said. One should track one’s performance, and Jane-Anne advised that referring to, and tagging, names of chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay leads to increased web traffic. She also advised that one “should find one’s voice” through the blog, and allow one’s readers to “get to know you”, and one’s personality should come through, whatever one’s communication style might be. While content is king, a “yummy and descriptive” headline is vital in attracting readers into the content, and photographs should be of a “reasonable quality”. Jane-Anne feels that it is sad to see so many young people’s idea of food and cooking being shaped by chefs and cookery book writers such as Ramsay, Lawson and Oliver, without them having exposure to a more classic cooking culture. With her Scrumptious blog, Jane-Anne hopes to broaden their cooking knowledge.
Mike Ratcliffe is probably the most experienced social media marketing wine marketer, and impressed with the different tools he referred to and uses: Blogging, Twitter, FourSquare, Twideo, Google Maps Latitude, and Nice to Meet You. He has opted out of Facebook, due to the lack of control. He writes a Vilafonte and a Warwick blog, being the Managing Partner of the former brand, and the Managing Director of the latter brand. Vilafonte grapes are grown near Sante Wellness, between Paarl and Franschhoek, and the wines are made in a state-of-the-art venue at Bosman’s Crossing in Stellenbosch, while the Warwick wines are made the traditional way by Mike’s mother Norma on their farm. Her 25th vintage celebration will take the Warwick wines around the world with 40 dinners, at which 10 vintages of their wines will be tasted. Mike is an irregular blogger, as he travels a lot, and finds he has more time to blog when he travels. He “leans to controversy” in what he writes, he says, yet he will not pick a fight, and will step back in a fight. He complimented www.wines.co.za for their platform on which he is encouraged to write, creating huge exposure to their 40000 unique readers per month.
Mike advised bloggers to be responsible in their blogging, as one influences views. One must check one’s information sources, and not use a blog as a platform for retaliation. If one disappoints one’s readers, they will no longer follow the blogger. A blog is successful when one is passionate about one’s topic, and about writing. Twitter is on a growth trend, he feels, and positional tweeting (crowdsourcing) will be introduced soon. Mike uses traditional marketing communication media too, such as advertising and PR, and the 2000 members of the Warwick Wine Club are an important testing and tasting ground for new wines developed. He claims that his marketing is spontaneous and dynamic, but one gets the impression that Mike Ratcliffe knows exactly what he is doing in marketing his brands, and is acknowledged by his peers in this respect. He was praised by a fellow blogger as a professional.
The next Food and Wine Bloggers’ Club meeting is on Wednesday 18 August, and will “pair” Sam Wilson of Food24 Blogs, and Rob Armstrong of Haut Espoir in Franschhoek. Bookings can be made by e-mailing info@whalecottage.com
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
July 17, 2010
The most beautiful Winter morning at Warwick Wine Estate
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
July 11, 2010
On the train to Soccer City - the world Cup final vibe is awesome
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
July 4, 2010
Having fun at the Warwick & Vilafonte table at the Nelson Mandela World Cup ball in Joburg
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
July 2, 2010
June 28, 2010
June 25, 2010
June 24, 2010
What becomes a wine industry legend? My breakfast with Zelma
There are only a few people in the U.S. wine industry for whom, if you mentioned their first name, everyone would know exactly who you were speaking of. Zelma Long's lifetime achievements would overwhelm anyone, but for Zelma, it's just been a matter of intense curiosity, high standards and focus. I caught up with her earlier this week to chat over scones at Jimtown Cafe in Alexander Valley.
Zelma was one of the first women to receive a Masters Degree from UC Davis and went on to become head winemaker at Robert Mondavi and Simi Winery during the 1970's and 1980's. Today she is co-owner of Vilafonté Winery in South Africa and consultant to wineries in Mendocino, Washington state, Israel and France. She has always had wide-ranging interests which explains why she has been influential not only in winemaking, but also in viticulture, making 'winegrowing' a term we take for granted today. She also plunged into the business end in the 1990's, taking the reigns as CEO at Simi Winery and marketing at Chandon Estates, at the time both units of luxury firm Moet Hennessy. Zelma's curiosity has taken her to scores of wine regions in seven countries as consulting winemaker, working on a variety of grapes from cabernet in Napa Valley to Riesling in the Nahe Germany to chardonnay in Chianti.
Zelma has had a lifelong interest in other cultures beyond that of wine regions, travelling to Tibet four times in the 90's. She appreciates the arts ranging from Asian, Southwest Indian to contemporary South African genres. And she "doesn't dabble" in the arts. Her desire to learn is so keen that she is currently working on a PhD in the field of performance arts from UC Davis.
Her most recent accolades include the Culinary Institute of America's induction into the Vintners Hall of Fame earlier this year and UC Davis' American Society of Enology and Viticulture's 2009 Merit Award for excellence in education, technology, research and business. Her standard for excellence has had a wide-ranging, global impact when you consider all the people she has hired or who have worked under her over the years. Winemakers like Genevieve Janssens, head winemaker at Robert Mondavi, Peter Sisseck at Pingus - one of the most expensive wines in the world - in Ribera del Duero and Dr. Monika Christmann, head of enology at Geisenheim University in the Rheingau, now set the bar high for the next generation of international winemakers. Other renowned winemakers who have worked for Zelma include Paul Hobbs and David Ramey (most recently at Rudd Estate), both of whom worked for five years as assistant winemakers to Zelma at Simi, and Dawnine Dyer who was Chandon's winemaker for over 20 years.
One of the qualities you notice when you speak with Zelma is that she is focused on the goal in whatever she does. Potential limitations, like being one of the few women in a male-dominated wine industry in the 1970's through the 1990's, never seemed to register with her, although today she is gratified that she might have made it easier for all the women she hired subsequently. Some might think going for a PhD in performance arts without an undergraduate and masters degree in the field would be an obstacle, but not for Zelma. Why not go directly for the goal?Zelma keeps an active schedule, travelling around the world for her consultancies and winemaking at Vilafonté. She just returned from the Rhone, where she participated in the first Grenache Symposium and is now racing off to Bordeaux where she will make a presentation on Old World and New World wines at the Institute of Masters of Wine Symposium. Gathering perspective from her experiences and through her many activities, Zelma Long continues to lead an impactful life.
Vilafonté Winery in Stellenbosch South Africa receives visitors. Check the website for information. Vilafonté Wines are imported by Broadbent Selections in San Francisco.June 21, 7:51 AMNapa Valley Insider ExaminerAnnette Hanami
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
June 18, 2010
This is the ultimate FIFA World Cup fan picture - go Vuvuzela
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
June 9, 2010
A magnificent day in Stellenbosch Wine country
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 25, 2010
Warwick Wine Estate comes to Koko's in Margate KZN - 3rd June
_______________________________________________________________
Mike Ratcliffe
Phone: +27 (0) 21 88 444 10
Warwick: warwickwine.com
Vilafonte: vilafonte.com
Faraway: farawaywines.com
Follow me on Twitter
Review the Warwick Gourmet Picnic
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 18, 2010
Has South African wine finally arrived in the USA?
It would be fair to say that South African wine has made some reasonable progress in the United States despite Wines of South Africa.
The incredibly restricted USA budget allocation previously deemed appropriate by the misaligned board of Directors of Wines of South Africa has been wholly inadequate and it is due to the frugal cost of access to Rory Callahan and his New York based team that we have been able to maintain at least a semblance of a generic presence.
As the Directors of WOSA are chosen on the base of volume (instead of value), it would come as a surprise to many readers of this column that America would not have been given a greater focus from the 'powers that be'. With the South African 'big boys' chasing shareholder satisfaction by saturating the commodity-driven UK, Dutch and Scandinavian markets with volume, it would be a further surprise that more emphasis had not been given to the USA, the biggest wine market in the world. It is refreshing that a little recent shareholder activism from the currently disadvantaged and under-represented 'quality' driven smaller wine producers finally convinced the powerful apparatchik to rethink the concept of ignoring the USA and finally agree to dip their toes into the US water. It would appear that the collective South African generic initiative has taken a fairly significant step forward.
Nobody really knew what to expect when the small scattered army of South African winery exhibitors started streaming into the ground floor lobby of Tribeca Rooftops, the rehabilitated industrial venue chosen as the venue for 'The Great South African Wine Show' in New York City. It is clear that WOSA has really stepped up to the plate and the venue, the layout, the decoration and the atmosphere shouted positivity and would not have ever been confused for another country's generic presence. South African wine was standing proud and it was easy to feel patriotic and proud as a remarkable number of producers invested heavily in creating a presence for themselves here. A question mark of attendance hang heavily in the air and a collective sigh of relief could have been felt as the notoriously fickle US trade started streaming into the venue.
I have not seen official attendance, but I can say that the event was buzzing, a large sub-section of NYC (and from further afield) trade and media thronged the corridors and made the first part of the event a big success. The trade seminars hosted by Andre Shearer, Robin Back and Su Birch were also positively received and were straining to contain the enthusiastic attendees. The consumer seminar in the evening hosted by Zelma Long was also described as remarkable and amazing and played right into the American consumers desire for a little showbiz. The timing of the event could not have been better, just prior to the summer season and, perhaps more importantly, almost exactly a month before the kick-off of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa.
The consumer event in the evening was even more eagerly attended and the event felt more like a gigantic wine party than a sophisticated wine event, but underneath the buzz was a large contingent of excited consumers making every effort to learn as much as possible about the wonders of this exciting new wine producing countries. This is how to market wine in America - give them wine education 101 and camouflage it as entertainment. I don't think that we could have wished for a better buzz and it is exciting to see our generic marketing muscle showing it's versatility by flexing in a new market.
"There is a remarkable outcome when you withdraw marketing - nothing happens". Well the converse is true of marketing wine into the USA and it can be said that South Africa has taken the first step on what could become an exciting journey. This is the first step on a completely new journey of discovery in the USA, we are not perpetuating the past and the outcomes have the potential to catapult South African wine even further towards our global aspirations. We should applaud the South African wine industry for embracing and funding this challenge, cudo's to the WOSA board for allocating funds and specifically well done to the entire WOSA team for a job well done.
Now the challenge really starts as we attempt, in our own way to maintain and build momentum. If we do not follow up on this event it will be a travesty, an inexcusable waste of the energy that has been injected in New York and it should be incumbent on the producer shareholders of WOSA to ensure that funds continue to flow into the US market. We have taken a big step, but the next one might even be more challenging. Bravo South Africa.
The Author will be cheering for the US team at the World Cup if Bafana Bafana fail to reach the final.
Follow me on Twitter @mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 12, 2010
May 11, 2010
May 9, 2010
The iPad is an excellent tool for winetastings
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
The iPad is an excellent tool for winetastings
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 8, 2010
Re: Got my iPad ....
Dang!!...........I'm jealous u toss!Sent from my iPhone
On 07 May 2010, at 22:37, "Mike Ratcliffe" wrote:
>
>
>
> Mike Ratcliffe
> Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
> P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South Africa
>
> FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
>
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 7, 2010
Got my iPad ....
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
Got my iPad ....
Mike Ratcliffe
Warwick Estate & Vilafonte
P.O.Box 2 Elsenburg, 7607, South AfricaFOLLOW ME ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/mikeratcliffe
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
RSS | TOP
» What is RSS?