Two South Africans walk into a bar...

... along with many restaurants, hotels and wine merchants across the UK. And all in just five short days with the Bancroft team! 

Part of the week's line-up on the banks of the Thames

Last month we were joined by two old friends, colleagues and drinking buddies, Kevin Grant of Ataraxia Wines (Hemel-en-Aarde) and Carl Schultz of Hartenberg Wine Estate (Stellenbosch), along with Kevin's wonderful wife Hanli. We were lucky enough to have their company for almost a whole week, meaning that we were able to fit in a lot of tastings and visits, both in London and the regions. Each day was jam-packed with activity; we weren't taking any chances, considering that the last time we saw Carl in the UK was 3 whole years ago! 

The elusive(!) Carl Schultz, teaching all things Hartenberg to the Bancroft Team 

The week's activities included Bancroft Staff Training (as pictured), many lunches and dinners, some braaibroodjies and of course a lot of absolutely brilliant wine! Both wineries showed their current and upcoming releases, which included the return of a revamped Ataraxia Serenity 2015 and the brand new (not yet labelled!) Hartenberg Rhone Blend 2014, plus some very special back-vintages of Carl's flagship Shiraz, Gravel Hill.   

Kevin Grant of Ataraxia sharing his (ever-brilliant!) insights and anecdotes

We would like to thank Carl, Kevin & Hanli for their time, their hard work and their wonderful company, and we hope that everyone we visited came away feeling as inspired and excited about South African wine as we do!

Ataraxia Chardonnay Top of the Class - Decanter Panel Tasting

We are delighted to announce that the Ataraxia Chardonnay 2015 leads the field in Decanter's rather impressive South African Chardonnay Panel Tasting, published yesterday in Decanter Magazine. Across a panel of three MWs, Kevin Grant's fabulous Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnay garnered a score of 96 points meaning that it is officially Outstanding!

Huge congratulations to Kevin Grant and the team at Ataraxia! The tasting very much encompassed the who's who of South African Chardonnay, so this is no mean feat. This wine is no stranger to great press scores, with previous vintages receiving high praise as well, but we are delighted to see the 2015 being recognised so decisively as a result of a blind tasting by an expert panel.