ABOUT THE WINE MAKER

THEUNIS VAN ZYL

Co-founder and Managing Director of Imbuko have been part of the wine industry for 20 years.Studied agriculture management at Elsenburg

RHEBOKSKLOOF ESTATE  : Assistant Winemaker 1994

SIMONSIG ESTATE  :           Farm Manager 1997 – 2001

                                           (Manages a 135ha of wine grapes)

DEETLEFS ESTATE  :           Production Manager 2001-2003     

                                           (Involved in production of estate wine, bottling and export of wines, block     

                                           selections of wine grapes)

IMBUKO WINES  :               CEO

Awards Won:

Du Plevaux Sauvignon Blanc:

Silver at the Micheal Angelo Wine Awards

Pinotage:

Bronze at Veritas Wine Awards

Pinotage Rosé:

Wine Enthusiast: Best Buy

World Wine Championships Award: Silver Medal

OSBLOED - ROSÉ

TASTING NOTES:

This Rosè is vinified from the unique Pinotage grape. Its intense ruby blush colour optimizes the excellent quality of this wine from the southern hemisphere.

This blush is crisp with fruity tones of fresh strawberries and ripe bananas, both on the nose and palate. The crispiness renders an excellent choice as a companion for enjoyable lengthy garden parties and evenings on sunny terrace.

VINTAGE REPORT:

SA wines do not exhibit the major vintage variations seen in cooler northern climes. There are, nevertheless, perceptible differences from year to year. Dry, hot summers are the norm but a variety of factors make generalizations difficult.

Started hot and fast, ended with rain and lower temperatures. High hopes for elegant, structured wines. Smaller red-grape berries resulted intense colour and fruit concentration.



OSBLOED RED BLEND

Bouquet:

Charming blackberry aromas bursting with juicy berry flavours with hints of exotic spice

Palate:

Juicy and mouth-watering with full-bodied weight. Aromas of black raspberries, coffee and smoke. Lovely!

Winemakers Notes:

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Pinotage & 10% Shiraz
Blended with a combination of wine from new, old and unwooded wines to bring you this well rounded wine, balancing the best of all 3 cultivars to create an enjoyable wine.

A WHIFF OF OS'S BLOOD

What's the recipe for a soft and pleasing, unique new wine range? Maybe unbelievable, but true: a typical Free State braai, Springbok legend Os du Randt and a little white hat …

That's how the refreshingly new wine range, "Osbloed", saw the light. And as with many stories, there's something quite spellbinding behind the story. Eion du Toit, vinophile and ethnographer (commercial anthroplogist), unveils a real raconteur's tale:

"For quite a while now, I've been thinking of developing a unique wine label for a soft and pleasing red wine. And then the idea hit me in a form I never expected!"

Du Toit was relaxing around the braai with friends in Bloemfontein. And suddenly, enter Os. The formidable du Randt, well known for having lots of fun, dons the hostess's little white hat. Soon he's the light of the party. And du Toit starts catching a whiff of Os's blood, only he doesn't know it yet.

The next day, on his way to the airport, it hit him like a classic Os tackle: Osbloed! Take a soft Cape blend, complement it with a label showing a white-hatted Os and you're in business. Right there, on the phone to Os. The gentle giant says sure, go ahead, man.

From then on the story developed at a blistering speed. Du Toit, who hails from Paarl, bounced the concept off one of his clients, the wine farmer Joachim Steyn. The result was TEN90 Wines, a distribution company created to develop the Osbloed concept. Next problem: winemaker? No problem. Steyn suggests Theunis van Zyl, winemaker and owner of Imbuko. Van Zyl sees the gap, and a week later the three wine fundis were blending and tasting, big time.

This then is the story behind the story. The Osbloed wine range promises to be something completely different. And, one is even tempted to say, it's always been in Os's blood anyway.