Manley Wine Estate announces new German ownership

Wednesday, 6 January, 2021
Manley Wine Estate
Exciting changes await the Tulbagh wine estate...

Manley Wine Estate boasts with the brand new owner, Markus Ehehalt, a long-term former Bosch engineer from Stuttgart in Germany. The estate was purchased from the previous owner, David Ovenden, a London-based South African, by Markus in August 2020. 

Markus and his business associates and marketing team, amongst others, Elias Kuhl Mihopulos, are eagerly planning major property renovations and business structure changes to elevate Manley Wine Lodge and Private Cellar to a brand new standard. 

Not only are many modifications taking place around the farm and property buildings, but inside the wine cellar the newly appointed winemaker Joshua van Blommestein is also refining the wine range and quality, and Manley will soon be launching their first rosé wine produced exclusively under this great and very passionate new working team.

Markus describes himself as an educated wine enthusiast and has received recognized wine training in Germany. His love for the Cape Winelands and beautiful Tulbagh valley was the pivot in his decision to procure this well established and renowned wine estate.

“Elias and I are good friends and share a mutual interest in wine. I grew up in a wine area in South-West Germany (Baden-Württemberg) where my grandfather was the cooper in our village, and I was always helping in his workshop as a child. I did an assistant sommelier course and used the time during the COVID-19 lockdown to work at a winery. I learned a lot about the processes from the vineyards to the bottle and spent more than four months during the lockdown at the Karl Haidle VDP winery just outside Stuttgart under the mentorship of their winemaker, Moritz Haidle. Next to this I did an internship at a cooperage and built my first two barrels with Swabian oak,” explains Markus.

Elias is also a young entrepreneur that received inspiration from both his parents and his university days where he did many different entrepreneurial courses. A former visit to South Africa with Markus made him fall in love with the country and its wineries and inspired him to become an associate in this new business endeavor with Markus where he can contribute his creative assets and entrepreneurial spirit.

Winemaker Joshua van Blommestein, who shares a mutual love for red wine and the beautiful Tulbagh region, is also very eager about the upcoming changes on the farm and adds that he is looking forward to creating new vintages and putting Manley Private Cellar back on the map with all the other well-known Western Cape wineries.

 

About Manley Wine Estate

Manley Wine Estate is a boutique wine farm and private cellar with bed and breakfast accommodation. The estate is located in the beautiful countryside of the Tulbagh Valley in the Cape Winelands.

The estate was established by David Manley Jordan who purchased the farm in June 1996, and decided to build his own cellar and gradually produced his own private wines. Today Manley Private Cellar is a registered, multi award-winning wine estate, mainly producing single varietal premium red wines.

In 2020 Manley Wine Estate and Private Cellar was acquired by Markus Ehehalt, a German engineer with a great enthusiasm for wine and love for the Tulbagh area. Markus received formal education in Germany to dive deeper into the sophisticated world of wine.  His vision is to re-establish Manley Wine Estate into a prestigious boutique winery and guest lodge, a small haven in the countryside of Tulbagh.  

Contact Manley Wine Estate and Private Cellar

Tel: +27 (0)23 007 0009 (bookings) | +27 (0)66 213 3854 (cellar)

Email: office@manleywinelodge.co.za 

Website: www.manleywinelodge.co.za 

Address: Main Winterhoek Road, Tulbagh, Western Cape, 6820, South Africa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManleyWineEstate

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manleywineestate

TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Profile/manleywinelodge 

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Markus Ehehalt left and Elias Kuhl right
Markus Ehehalt left and Elias Kuhl right









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