We’re all excited for the start of the Springbok rugby season — and just as excited here at Bizoe Wines! Our Rikus Neethling Sauvignon Blanc will be flying around the world with South African Airways over the next few weeks. If you’re travelling internationally or spending time in one of the South African airport lounges, be sure to fill your glass with a Rikus Neethling Sauvignon Blanc 2024.

Just this week, we completed the bottling of our Bizoe Estalet Syrah 2023. The rest of our wines are currently maturing in barrels, and things have quieted down in the cellar. Walking in on a cold winter’s morning, with the smell of wine and oak in the air — it’s something truly special. This time of year, it’s all about patience: letting the wine develop in the barrel. We regularly top up the barrels to prevent oxidation from evaporation and ensure everything matures perfectly.

As we move deeper into winter, attention shifts to the vineyard, where pruning will soon begin. Each year, I usually write a blog about this nurturing process — and how meaningful it is to see the first new shoots appear, full of promise for the next harvest. I won’t repeat that story this year, but I will say: it remains one of the most rewarding parts of the winemaking journey.

Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a harvest table-style dinner with Sydney from Zest Bistro. Dinner at Zest is always an intimate affair, with a warm fire setting the tone and Sydney’s incredible food on the table. Cosy dining, family-style, with great wine in your glass — if you’re looking for a quiet evening with fantastic food, Zest Bistro in Pretoria is the place to be.

Another first for me was Wine and Dine at KOI on 16th — a unique experience on the 16th floor of the Trilogy Capital Hotel in Menlyn Main. Watching the sunset over the Pretoria skyline, sipping on a glass of Rikus Neethling Grenache Rosé 2024, and moving through a five-course meal paired with some of the best Bizoe Wines — it was an evening to remember. For a romantic night out, I highly recommend booking a table at KOI on 16th.

Looking ahead, we’re getting ready for one of our favourite events: Vino de Camino in Prince Albert, happening the weekend of 16 August. Bizoe Wines will be stationed at The Rude Chef Restaurant on Main Road. If you’re in the area, come say hello — we’d love to see you there.

What an unexpected honor to be awarded 95 points by Wine Magazine Chenin blanc Report for our Rikus Neethling Chenin Blanc 2024! My motto with the Rikus Neethling Range has always been to offer good quality wine at a good price. Receiving this rating truly justifies that belief!

This is always a strange time of year, when things begin to quiet down in both the cellar and the vineyards. All the 2025 wines have now completed fermentation and are safely in barrel, maturing over the coming months—and, for some, years. We’ll be starting to look at bottling some of our reds in the next couple of months.

In the vineyard, our fertilisation has been completed as planned. The first rains of the winter season are falling, dams are filling up, and fireplaces are being lit. These are all signs that the vineyards are shedding their leaves and preparing for a few months of rest. Pruning will start at the end of June and continue into early September. I always look forward to pruning—it’s the moment when we begin shaping the next vintage. Everything always starts in the vineyard.

Last week we attended the annual Graaf Reinet Stoeptasting presented by The Karoo Wine Club. This has to be by now South Africa Premier Wine Event. The quality wine I have tasted over the weekend, is just amazing, mingling with wine lovers mainly from the Eastern Cape but also all around South Africa is making this event so much fun, for wineries and wine drinkers! I urge you to attend on Stoeptasting in your life time.

The Rikus Neethling Chenin Blanc 2024 is made from grapes sourced from the Blaauwklippen Valley in Stellenbosch. Harvesting the Chenin Blanc is always a balance between fruit profile, sugar levels, and acidity. I aim to extract as much fruit character from the grapes as possible, while still producing a wine with crisp acidity—perfect to enjoy with food or on its own on a warm summer day.

As I mentioned above, it’s all about offering excellent wine at a good price. And as the saying goes, “I’m so proud, I even put my name on it.”

Friends raising a glass of wine on 2024

The Journey of Semillon

My love for Semillon started way back in 2006 at Mountain Ridge Wines in Wolseley. It was my first vintage as assistant winemaker under the guidance of Francois Agenbag that we made Semillon in different styles. 

The Bizoe journey started in 2008 and the first grapes I sourced was Semillon. I wanted to bottle a single variety Semillon in 2008, took advice from the industry friends that it’s very difficult to sell Semillon as a single variety. My first wine I have made under Bizoe label in 2008 was a Semillon-Sauvignon blanc blend called Bizoe Henrietta. We opened a bottle of Henrietta 2008 just the other night, and it was amazing. 

The Bizoe Henrietta 2008 received recognition around the world, amazing scores from the likes of Jancis Robinson, International Wine Challenge, Wine Spectator Magazine, Robert Parker (Wine Advocate). Bizoe Henrietta 2010 being named in the Top100 Wines of the World by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in the US

In 2017 I travelled with Estalet to the Hunter Valley in Australia with the sole purpose to taste Semillon. With the help of Winsor Dobbin, whom I met through the wine industry we scheduled our travel plan to taste with some the winemakers in the Hunter Valley. I was amazed to find that some of their Semillon vines was close to 100 years old. Bruce Tyrell from Tyrell Wines mentioned to me that some of the first Semillon planting material in the Hunter Valley is from South Africa. 

After tasting the Hunter Semillon, I have decided to see if I can do a similar Semillon style wine in South Africa from the 2018 harvest. I sourced grapes from Morningstar in Darling and Robertsvlei Road, Franschhoek. 

What is the Hunter style? Hunter for me is wines that picked at a low ph and high natural acidity. The most important aspect for me it to give the wine time in the bottle to mature. Just the other day we have submitted our Bizoe Robertsvleipad Semillon 2018 to Tim Atkin MW. We are excited to announce the wine scored 92points in his South African Report for 2024.

I think it’s a repeat of all my previous blogs in August, what I am about to say, “What a privilege to work with vineyards and to shape their future by cutting old shoots away to make space for new life.”

Pruning season is in full steam now. Although we initial thought we are in for a dry winter. Winter arrived late and as I am typing I am listening to the rain coming down. Every person you bump into at school, in the shops start the conversation with, “Just wish we can get over the winter now.” Keep CALM spring is coming!

During this time of the year the cellar is sort of in hibernation as most of the wines is in barrel and maturing. The odd bottling does take place. It give me time to reflect on the past vintage and taste through the new wines in the cellar.

The past month we took part in the first “Vino de Camino” in Prince Albert. I was stationed at The Rude Chef. Henrietta the owner, and chef is obviously very proud to serve the Bizoe Henrietta on her list. We enjoyed a Karoo Lamb while dining there, please take this as a recommendation if you travel through Prince Albert. I recommend you try the Rikus Neethling Red Blend 2023 with the lamb dish.

September is going to be a fully packed month starting with the BenVino Spring Wine Festival. It’s the first time I will be there showing my wines. I am not sure what to expect but look forward to it and I am sure I will bump into some old friends in Benoni. Rikus Neethling Wines will also show our wines at Fijn Wijn in Pretoria.

My journey with Semillon started a few years ago with single cultivar bottling. We will share some good news about our Bizoe Robertsvleipad Semillon 2018 next week. Hint maybe it’s a good time to stock up now, it might be too late by the end of September. 

Let’s get September going and enjoy some wine. 

“Time flies when you’re having fun!” There’s so much to discuss since my last blog. Typically, once the harvest ends, it means I have to be on the road regularly to take our beautiful wines across the country.

First things first, the harvest is done, and I am extremely pleased with the quality of fruit we received this year. We also finished our malolactic fermentation for the year. On the downside, it has been one of the smallest harvests in the industry for some time. This is a topic that we won’t be able to cover in just one newsletter. Rainfall, heat waves, and wind have all played roles in shaping the 2024 harvest.

As I type this blog post, our Rikus Neethling Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is being bottled. Most of our grapes come from the Elgin Valley, with a touch of Stellenbosch blended into the wine, giving it beautiful grapefruit and litchi flavors, with hints of asparagus. Even though it’s winter, I can’t wait for a hot summer day to sip away on the Rikus Neethling Sauvignon Blanc 2024.

My travels this year have included the annual Graaf-Reinet stoep tasting. It’s always a fun-packed weekend in the heart of the Karoo, especially meeting up with friends and family in the wine industry after the harvest.

The annual trip to the UK is also completed. It was my first visit ever to our friends at Terroir Wines in Glasgow, the day after they beat the Stormers in the URC. Believe me, they were still smiling about the score and made sure I knew it. My only way out was to tell them I actually support the Bulls. Even after they beat the Bulls, my phone is still on silent.

I attended the Davy Wine Merchants Trade Tasting in London the following week. Being back in London is always a treat, meeting winemakers from across the world. This year, I had the privilege to share a table with Daniele Palassa from Palassa Wines in San Martino, Tuscany.

In the next few months, I’ll be on the road throughout South Africa and I look forward to sharing a glass of Bizoe Wines with all of you soon!

I think there should be more Malbec in South Africa! According to me Malbec has a South African personality. 

Argentinian Malbec has become so popular around the world that wine drinkers associate the Malbec grape with Argentina. I would like to argue the fact as there is so many similarities of Malbec and South Africa. If you think about the perfect food to match a bottle of Malbec, my first thought would be grilled meats – South Africa is known for its love of braai. In my opinion a perfect food match would be a medium-rare rib-eye cut cooked on “kameeldoring” and a side option would be as simple as fresh cut potatoes fries or as we in South Africa say “slap chips.”

In 2009 DNA test has determine that Malbec is a crossing of Magdalene Noir and Prunelard.  Malbec thick skinned black grape originate from Auxxerios in South France, mostly grown in Cahors France.  In 2003 I had the privilege to travel to Argentina with a friend that is also a winemaker today. Patrolling the streets of Buenos Aires in searching for great bottles of Malbec. 

Malbec known for its black cherry, Plum, Raspberry, Caccoa, Leather, Black Pepper, and Tabaco flavours. Malbec is also a vine that thrives in high altitude much like the South African people after winning the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Elections coming up in a few weeks the other characteristic of Malbec is that the grape has thick skin.

Bizoe Idioglossia Malbec 2019 is our current vintage that is available on our online store. Idioglossia translated from ancient Greek is a language invented by one child or by children who are in close contact, as twins. As we are blessed with twin boys and experienced it in their early development, there is no greater pleasure for me and Estalet to have named our Bizoe Malbec after our twins Andre and Retief.

Let’s get some Malbec in the glass as most of us will watch the final episode of Chasing the Sun 2 on Sunday night and let’s celebrate the uniqueness of South Africa and Malbec!

2024 has barely started and we have already celebrated another Valentines Day. I am sure some of you shared a bottle of Bizoe Wines for the first, second and numerous times with your partner.

Harvest is on the go, running in the cellar is the thing I love most about making wine. Receiving grapes, handle it with care, then make sure it will be enjoyed one day with the special one in your life. The harvest currently is producing good quality grapes that’s extremely concentrated and packed with flavours. We can all be looking forward for the 2024 season wines to be released in the future.

In the vineyards, we have people smiling and chatting away, the sound of clipping scissors in the background as the grapes is getting picked and transported to the cellar. There is just no better time in the Boland than harvest time. When the harvest is done, we will start to focus on the 2025 harvest, looking at post-harvest fertilisation and soil treatments. The vineyards will go into rest once the winter arrive and spring back into action when spring arrive.

Bizoe Henrietta 2020 and Bizoe Estalet Syrah 2019 will be our wines off choice during the month. On warm days nothing is better than to have than a chilled Bizoe Henrietta, and as the evening progress and cold evening arrives then a Bizoe Estalet Syrah is just the right wine to get warmed up from the inside again! 

Hope you all are having a fantastic February, and I am looking forward giving an update on the harvest in our next newsletter in March.

Can’t believe we are starting a new year already, 2024 is here! Not sure if its age but it feels like we are turning years now like days. About to start my 17th harvest with Bizoe Wines. Like they say, time flies when you are having fun.

Our year ended with some amazing news from British Wine Journalist Dr Jamie Goode. Jamie tasted the Bizoe Henrietta Semillon/Sauvignon blanc 2020 and rated it with a 93 points. 

Written by Jamie on www.wineanorak.com –  “12% alcohol. Sauvignon blanc and Semillon. This is vivid and well defined with a mineral, saline edge to quite intense citrus and pear fruit, as well as some spicy, smokey character. There’s some citrus peel here with good acidity and real weight to the palate, with has intense notes of guava and pear, finishing finely spiced. Intriguing and detailed, and hard to categorise. The Semillon is flourishing in this blend. 93/100

Hot, dry summer in the Cape at the moment, looks like we might have an earlier harvest than expected. After “veraison” easier seen in red grapes, when the colour of the grapes changes from green to red, sugar loading is taking place in the berry. During this period it’s important to manage the water supply of the vine. As much as we don’t want rain during the harvest to prevent rot on the grapes, I think a good batch of rain pre harvest will be amazing at the moment. 

The cellar is ready to welcome the 2024 grapes to arrive soon. After sampling some of the vineyards yesterday I think we are about 10/14 days away from bringing our first grapes. Gives us just enough time to make sure all the maintenance is done in the cellar.  

As in life lots of things changed when you turned 17, at Bizoe we are looking forward to an exciting year and yes, we have a new wine planned to celebrate our 17th vintage.