LETTER FROM DP BURGER

Dear Friends of Glenwood,

Please join us in celebrating our 10th vintage of winemaking and 25th year of farming and building GlenWood up from scratch.

DP, Bob Maginley and Alastair at the twin GlenWood anniversary celebrations and tastings of our new releases.

In terms of winemaking, we have achieved much in this short period including numerous prestigious awards, building a capable/loyal workforce, and learning the terroir of our unique valley. The 2012 Platter Guide rates 75% of our current wines 4 stars or better, and 25% at 3 stars of which we are very proud. It will surely not be long before we get our first 5 star wine!

In terms of farming, we are currently replanting the first hectare of Sauvignon Blanc which was originally planted in 1986, and whose yield had diminished beyond what is economically viable. This is a fairly typical lifespan for vines in South Africa, especially Sauvignon Blanc, where the dreaded leafroll virus shortens the lifespan of today's vineyards.

We are at present launching GlenWood as Franschhoek's Classic Boutique Winery, believing that this phrase best encapsulates what we are about and how we differentiate ourselves in a highly competitive marketplace. As a boutique winery, we are small, personal, flexible, authentic, family-run, hands-on and are located in an exceptionally beautiful location. These attributes, together with our credo of simple, natural quality accurately convey who we are and how we do business. 

The South African wine industry has traditionally exported a large percentage of its production to Western European countries which, as we all know, are facing uncertain economic times. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the volume of bottled wine exports to those markets, although an increase in bulk wine, forcing local producers to develop new markets, notably the USA and the East. In our case, we are delighted to be partnering with Vintages International (Hong Kong) Limited, owned by Ms Wendy Chow, to exploit the fast-growing markets in that region.

Deon Arnolds & Niklaas Hektoor topping the GlenWood Shiraz vines, one of the current activities at this time of year.

Against the background of two consecutive years of reducing harvest tonnages, early indications are that the 2012 harvest should be slightly better than last year. This obviously assumes no calamities over the next couple of months, and is notwithstanding the unseasonably high rainfall we have experienced this summer which has necessitated intensive spraying and other vineyard management practices.

With Christmas and the holiday season bearing down on us, and as we prepare for the 2012 harvest, please feel free to visit us if you are in the vicinity of Franschhoek. It would be a pleasure to re-establish contact and to share with you our current wine releases.

Please accept our best wishes to you and your family over the festive season and we wish you a prosperous and safe 2012.

Kind regards,

FRANSCHHOEK'S CLASSIC BOUTIQUE WINERY Against the backdrop of an ever-increasing number of winefarms in Franschhoek and South Africa,  we have felt the need to more clearly project the image of who we are and how we do business. Our chosen descriptive phrase, Franschhoek's Classic Boutique Winery, implies: Franschhoek - this is our home and our community; with only minor exceptions, all our wines are made from Franschhoek grapes; the farm and winery are located close to the Huguenot  Monument, and we are deeply involved in numerous business and civic activities within our valley. Classic  - we make wine in the traditional, authentic way, with minimal interference in natural processes, and we have invested in re-establishing indigenous fynbos to return the farm to its original state. Boutique - we are a family-run business, small in terms of wine volumes and in terms of the number of people working with us. As a boutique, we pride ourselves on being able to offer a personalised service to our guests to enrich their experience when visiting GlenWood. Winery - quality wine is our business, covering all aspects from farming the vineyards to vinification in the cellar, to marketing and distributing the products to the end consumer. Together with the above, we use our credo simple, natural, quality to guide our thinking in terms of making all business decisions.
EXPORT AGENT OF THE YEAR: 2011 WINELANDS BV... At the end of each year we nominate one of our export agents as our Agent Of The Year. Criteria we use include the existence of a true partnering relationship, agreed focus on customer service as the key driver in how we both do business, and compatibility of our respective values. Winelands BV directors Gert-Jan Rozier, Bart van Dijk & DP at the La Provence Restaurant gourmet evening, Driebergen, Holland. Winelands BV is a small importer of premium quality South African wines, based in Lunteren, Netherlands, and has been one of our export agents for four years. They have demonstrated during this time that they are fully committed to building the GlenWood brand by delivering outstanding service to clients in the Netherlands. They are a most worthy winner of this year's award. “Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever” (Aristophanes)	JOHN PLATTER 2012 AWARDS We are once again delighted with the star awards given to the current Glenwood range of wines.  These are: 4½ Stars - 2008 Syrah Vigneron's Selection, 2008 Shiraz 4 Stars - 2010 Chardonnay Vigneron’s Selection, 2011 Unwooded Chardonnay, 2008 Merlot, 2009 Semillon Vigneron's Selection 3 Stars - 2010 Shiraz/Merlot, 2011 Sauvignon Blanc We look forward to our first 5 star wine award in the coming seasons.
OUR PEOPLE As we continue to grow and build the GlenWood brand, we have recruited Cornel Paulse and Justin Jacobs to support DP in the farming and winemaking areas respectively. Cornel was born and raised in Franschhoek, is married with three children, and is a distinguished leader in the local community. He has taken responsibility for managing all our farming operations. Justin Jacobs, Kari Viljoen and Cornel Paulse Justin is the son of Nicky, our Maintenance Manager, and was also born and raised in Franschhoek. He has achieved outstanding results in his initial training courses and is currently enrolled in the Junior Cellar Worker Training Programme. He has been appointed as our Assistant Winemaker. Our bookkeeping and administration is now under the watchful eye of Kari Viljoen. Kari was born in Norway but married a South African and now lives with her family in Paarl, close to Franschhoek.

E-mail: info@glenwoodvineyards.co.za
T: +27 (021) 876 2044
F: +27 (021) 876 3338
Web Site: www.glenwoodvineyards.co.za