The Tollman family, owners of Bouchard Finlayson, has long been great supporters of the arts in South Africa and sponsored this national competition for the sixth consecutive year, with a first prize of R20 000, second prize of R10 000, and 2 merit prizes of R5 000 each.
Neeske Alexander walked away with the 1st prize, followed by Karen Grove in 2nd place and Natasha Brown and Terrence Howahowa each receiving a Merit prize. The theme this year was ‘Harmony’ and artists were invited to submit their work in a tondo (round) format with a maximum 60cms diameter to be displayed on a wine barrel head. A total of 53 works by 46 artists were selected as finalists from 227 works submitted by 179 artists.
An exciting variety of media was entered this year, including the winner’s watercolour and Karen Grove’s two works of reverse acrylic on perspex. The two Merit winners respectively entered a work of oil on glass, and the other, a tapestry and weaving piece. Terrence Howahowa, along with three other finalists, are residents of Zwelihle township in Hermanus where they form part of the Living Tapestry Project.
The winning works, as well as those by the finalists are for sale and currently on display in the Bouchard Finlayson wine cellar as the ‘Tollman Bouchard Finlayson Barrel Head Exhibition’.
About Bouchard Finlayson
Established in 1989 in the temperate Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on 125 hectares (312 acres) of Walker Bay's prime viticultural land, Bouchard Finlayson is a boutique vineyard and winery, dedicated to the quality production, including but not limited to, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Ever since releasing their first vintages, the name Bouchard Finlayson has been internationally synonymous with excellence. Today, owned by the Red Carnation Hotels’ Tollman family and under the leadership of Victoria Tollman, winemaker Chris Albrecht and a world class team who have a shared vision of excellence, 25 hectares (62 acres) of the estate are currently under vine. Fifty percent of the vineyards is devoted to the varietal for which Founder, Peter Finlayson is most acclaimed - Pinot Noir. Committed to protecting our environment, Bouchard Finlayson is a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Conservation Champion.
Situated on the R320 near Hermanus, Bouchard Finlayson vineyard and winery is open for tastings and sales Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00 and on Saturdays from 10h00 to 13h00. For further information, call +27.283123515; emailinfo@bouchardfinlayson.co.za; or visit www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za.