Benguela Cove Wines launches New English Vineyard
Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate – situated in Walker Bay, Hermanus, at the start of the Hermanus Wine Route – is transporting its expertise 6,000 miles to create the newest vineyard in England at Mannings Heath Golf Club and Wine Estate, just an hour by train from London.
Penny Streeter – the Zimbabwe-born entrepreneur and owner of Benguela Cove wines – bought the site at West Sussex in England in 2016 to develop the UK’s first golf and wine estate. Cellar master Johann Fourie, formerly of KWV, is managing the planting of 38,000 vines within the 500-acre parkland site in England’s South East sparkling wine region.
The English venue is now a showcase for the owner’s wines from Benguela Cove, a leading producer and wine destination in the Walker Bay region.
The Mannings Heath Golf Course and Wine Estate is a division of The Benguela Collection, a wine producer and hospitality group that Penny Streeter set up with the acquisition in 2013 of the Benguela Cove vineyard. The group now includes four restaurants and a hotel on the Garden Route.
“We are developing an international brand based on the South African wine farm experience – with wine tastings and pairings and themed events – through acquisition and new investment in vineyards, restaurants and hotels,” Penny Streeter says, who was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the UK for ‘services to enterprise’ in 2006.
“The new wine destination in England complements and promotes our South African offering: we already have golf club members at Mannings Heath booking wine tours to Benguela Cove and other SA vineyards.”
Vineyard
Johann Fourie was appointed in 2016 as cellar master for Benguela Cove wines in South Africa and at Mannings Heath, to manage the selection of vineyard sites, grow the grapes, plan the wineries and oversee winemaking. He was the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year in 2015.
He says, “The limiting factor in UK viticulture is lack of heat: the location at Mannings Heath was selected for its steep slope, sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly winds.
We have no such issues at Benguela Cove, where the vineyard position is ideal; at the edge of the southern coast, the south-easterly sea breeze is chilled by the Benguela Current flowing up from Antarctica, to cool the grapes at night, irrigated by above-average rainfall.”
Benguela Cove produces a range of award-winning wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Mourvèdre grapes.
The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes will be ready to make sparkling wine in 2020, with the first bottles available in 2023.
Visit Mannings Heath for wine tastings and food pairings, with chocolate and cheese – as well as lunch, teas and dinner. There are conference and banqueting facilities for corporate events, parties, weddings and other celebrations.
For a FREE wine tasting simply show your South African ID book or Passport when you visit. (Offer limited to one tasting per person, ends September 1st, 2017.)
Mannings Heath Golf Club & Wine Estate, Hammerpond Road, Horsham, RH13, West Sussex – Tel: 01403 210 228 – www.manningsheath.com
