The country seclusion of this boutique winery intensifies the adventure and sense of discovery upon arrival at this charming rustic destination. The privacy which enshrouds this farm is indeed befitting of the humble De Meye team, who have quietly gone about making their distinctive wines over the past ten years. Celebrating a decade of winemaking at De Meye, the team felt the time was right to give the De Meye label a fresh new look whilst retaining the classical, traditional identity of the De Meye farm. The modern, clean and uncluttered label is a stylish combination of old and new and represents De Meye's approach to winemaking. The label design has been a joint effort between Philip Myburgh, Marcus Milner, De Meye marketing manager, Thildée de Jager and Debbie MacFarlane of Holy Cow Design. The new labels all have a cream background, with embossing and varnishing adding a luxurious textured feel to the packaging. The asymmetrical label design is popular and proving successful in the retail sector where it, as a differentiator on store shelves, is rendered prominent and highly visible. The Myburgh family crest has been down-sized with emphasis now being placed on the De Meye name. New to the label is the almost ethereal image of a bird on water, the bird symbolising De Meye's environmentally-friendly style of farming, where hundreds of beautiful white ducks roam the vineyards, keeping the snail population under control and the water image paying tribute to the Myburghs' pioneering forefathers who hailed from the De Meye River in Holland. De Meye has introduced a novel, environmentally-friendly, and highly affordable method by which to purchase wine, without the packaging frills and, by implication, costs surrounding this. Aptly named, satirically reflective of the global credit crunch, Recession Red, De Meye's red wine-on-tap, is available from their tasting room. Visitors pay a R5 deposit for a magnum bottle, fill it from the small tank in the tasting room for only R35, and cork the wine themselves. The empty magnum is later returned for recycling and a fresh magnum is filled with Recession Red for the same price. De Meye's flagship red, a regular 4-star Platter wine, is a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend, with Shiraz. Winemaker, Marcus Milner, chose the name Trutina, which means 'balance' in Latin. The wine displays a rich concentration of dark chocolate and ripe black berries with elegant, floral notes of rose petals and violets, well-balanced tannins and a lingering spicy finish. Trutina is best served with game, especially springbok or kudu, oxtail or a juicy beef or ostrich steak. It retails at approximately R99. De Meye Unwooded Chardonnay 2009 has been bottled in screw-cap for the first time. It displays tantalising aromas of fresh pears, pineapple and apricot which follow through onto the palate. The fruit and acidity are in perfect balance. It is best served with oysters, sushi, line-fish, light creamy pastas, chicken dishes or a fresh garden salad. This wine retails at approximately R48. De Meye Shiraz Rosé 2009, formerly called Blanc de Noir, has also been bottled in screw-cap for the first time. It displays seductive aromas of freshly-picked rose petals, strawberry and toffee apples. The palate, characterised by watermelon and strawberry, is crisp and dry with a long, clean finish. This wine is best served chilled as an accompaniment to sushi, smoked salmon, crayfish and Cape Malay or Thai dishes. It retails at approximately R40. For more information on De Meye Wines visit www.demeye.co.za or contact Philip Myburg at (021) 884-4131.