Passion for tradition! Croydon annual grape stomping

As the sun sets against the majestic Helderberg Mountains, Croydon Vineyard Estate is preparing itself for a fun filled evening with some traditional grape stomping. This once-a-year event goes to the heart of winemaking whereby the residents stamp the grapes to produce the estates “soetvoete” or dessert wine as we would know it and loads of fun!

The preparations start with the cleaning of the fountain. Then the grapes are stripped from the stems and into the pond. The kids get the first run to start the fun. Then the bigger guns come in later. Every now and then a new group of owners will get a turn to ad there “sweet” stamp onto the grapes. As the evening progress the groups tend to walk slower. Wonder why.. maybe it’s all the talking and laughing or maybe.. who knows.. An event at Croydon Vineyard Estate without a nice relaxed dinner and some good wine will just not be a good one. While the stamping is in progress a delightful snack table is set up. This new addition to the estate runs far beyond just an evening like this. It includes a service whereby an owner or a client can come in and order a snack lunch or a drink or a coffee when they visit the estate.

Back to the event.. after a while of pure traditional fun the dinner is served. A calmness falls over the estate as owners and visitors mix over a glass of wine with winemakers Beyers Truter and Corius Visser. Time to share in the delights of living in this lifestyle estate and realise you bought into an age old tradition of winemaking on your doorstep and it’s yours to enjoy! And so yet another great event is engraved in the history books of this wine estate. The secret to a fun filled lifestyle of wine and quality living is now in your reach. Homeowners agree it is events like this that give an estate character and this one is yet again going to set the estate apart from other estates.

For more information on the estate and events at the estate speak to the on-site resident Seeff agent. Article and photos by Gerhard (Seeff agent: 076 590 7758)

A hot day at Croydon

and more pics

2010 kicks off! Some news from Seeff Properties

So 2010 has started, kids are in school, everybody is back at work by now and only the memories of a summer holiday lingering in the back of our minds. For some this is the time where life returns to our daily routine. For Croydon Vineyard Estate this means a new harvest to attend to.

If you want to live and enjoy this lifestyle the secret is to wake up and take an early walk through the farm and see how the day unfolds. Listen to the birds and watch the sun rise over the Helderberg Mountains. This is also the time that you will see the normal activity of the winery kicking into top gear. Staff arrive, the winemaker is in the cellar already hard at work to prepare the cellar for the new harvest. Barrels are visible outside as a sign that the cellar is almost ready for the harvest. Croydon Vineyard Estate had a very good season in 2009 with good blends being produced. In a short message from the winemaker, Corius, the feeling is that the 2010 harvest is again a very good one. We had some good rain and now we had some very hot dry days. This is what is needed to push up the sugar level in the grapes before harvest start! Grapes are tested every day to make sure they harvest each section on the right day.

On the building side it looks like this might be the year where we will see a number of houses going up. It is clear that Croydon Vineyard Estate is a popular place to invest and build at the moment. The feedback from clients searching for a place to build will easily admit that the estate does have a lot of activity compared to other estates. This is dew to good value for money when we look at stands and also the lifestyle a potential buyer will get here. The estate is well established and with a market being more active this estate has placed itself amongst the popular options for buyers to choose from. The end of 2009 showed good sales of stands and houses and the start of 2010 has already produced a number of sales with more in the pipeline. If you drive in the estate with the resident Seeff agent it becomes very clear that we have good activity and now is the time to buy with a general rise in the property market.

So what makes this estate different than others? Few pointers..
Live on a working wine farm.
Enjoy your allocation of wine from the farm and even make your own wine.
Affordable large stands for sale.
Own builder and own architect
True Cape Farm style houses.
Easy access to main routes, airport, beaches, schools and shopping.
Use of fully fledged gym and pool.

But from living in the estate myself it will be the lifestyle that will be the biggest factor. The sense of space and freedom. Five years down the line this estate will still have all the space and the lifestyle we dream about! Make a smart move and come and view this estate to get a taste of true winelands living!

Compiled by Resident Seeff Agent: Gerhard 076 590 7758

Some 2010 views of Croydon

Harvest 2010

This is what the Croydon Vineyard Estate is all about... A working wine farm with houses set amongst prime vineyards producing some of the top red blends Beyers Truter is renowned for!

Friday morning (05/02/2010) sees the start of a very busy day on the estate. The secret to living in this lifestyle is to be able to join and experience a harvest and the start of a new season in the heart of the winelands. The true essence of the estate has kicked in with the first grapes being picked, driven to the seller and then the process of winemaking can begin.

This process started a long time ago when the winemaker prepared the vineyards and now the harvest is ready! From the vineyards the grapes are transported to the cellar all on-site and then the grapes are stripped from the branch and leaves. Only the juice and skins will move onto the next face. While the grapes come in the staff is hard at work preparing the tanks. They are washed one more time and then the grape juice start to flow! The grapes will now go into the tank and be moved by hand on a regular basis to make sure air flow through the grapes helping with the fermentation process. This process will take place every 2 hours around the clock! In your bigger wine farms this is done with machinery but being a smaller boutique wine estate everything is done by hand.

In the back round the barrels are waiting and the bottles are ready for the new harvest to come in. This age old tradition is one that started 100’s of years ago and here on Croydon Vineyard Estate the tradition of true winemaking is still going strong under the watchful eye of Beyers Truter and Corius Visser.

The word from the on-site winemaker is that the grapes are looking very well. They have a full dark colour and the sugar levels are very good. These grapes are now in the hands of some of SA’s leading winemakers to produce top quality blends for and from the estate. Something that the homeowner living in this estate can share in!

You can become part of a culture of age old winemaking when you live on this signature working wine farm. For more information, cellar tour or property related questions please feel free to come and visit us or phone the resident Seeff agent.

Compiled and photos by Gerhard (Resident Seeff Agent) 076 590 7758

Harvest 2010