You are reading our first quarterly newsletter that plans to keep you up to date on what is happening at De Meye. The newsletter is a combined effort by the two of us, Philip Myburgh and Marcus Milner. We argued over a glass about whose name it should go in, but then decided (it might have been over the second glass) that what we do is so inextricably linked that we should go with a team effort. Cape Wine 2004 Like so many other winemakers we will also be showing our wines at Cape Wine 2004, to be held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre from 30 March to 2 April. Please pay us a visit at what is the biggest exhibition of South African wine ever to be held in this country. Yes, of course we will be dwarfed by the more than 300 other exhibitors, but we are relishing the opportunity of being able to talk to so many members of the media, the trade and the public, local and foreign, to get feedback on how they respond to our wines. Along with a number of other wineries we have also donated some wine – Trutina in our case – for a charity auction to be held as part of Cape Wine 2004 under the auspices of Wines of South Africa (WOSA). The bulk of the money raised will go to DOPSTOP, established in 1995, to promote the responsible consumption of alcohol and assist in eradicating alcohol abuse, and the balance to the Gospel Choir, formed in 1996 by 35 singers from the Nkquebela Township in Robertson. Both truly worthy causes, we thought. Little River You may remember that our Little River 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2001 Shiraz both received Best Value awards from WINE magazine and are listed in the magazine's new Best Value Guide for 2004. The 2001 Little River Blend has been selected by the Diners Club International Wine Society for its Value Selection. We are telling you this because we don't expect stocks of these vintages to last beyond the middle of the year. So, if you do have value-conscious customers with a penchant for red wines, stock up know. Going places The number of top restaurants where De Meye is served, is increasing all the time, not only in South Africa, but also in Botswana. Amongst the latest: Montego Bay on the Square in Sandton (Trutina) and Madison's in Brooklyn, Pretoria (our Cabernet and Chardonnay as exclusive house wines, highlighted by a display of De Meye wines at the entrance to the restaurant. And in Botswana, where the range has been available for some time, its popularity is rapidly growing, helped by a recent wine tasting at a Gaborone Sun Hotel led by Marcus. Apart from now being served on the terrace of the hotel you will also find our wines in Birdies at the Gaborone Golf Club and in the popular new lunch-time restaurant Upstairs at Clementine's. Even to the Bombay Club! You know the Bombay Club, no? That famous eatery in Washington DC where the world's leading power brokers assemble? If not, please sit up and take notice, for this finest of restaurants, which counts presidents and prime ministers amongst its regulars, now serves De Meye Chardonnay by the glass as its favourite wine of this cultivar. And so popular is the wine with its distinguished patrons that when the previous vintage sold out, the management asked for several cases to be flown out to the States to tide them over until the next shipment by sea arrived! In the vineyards We are moving to the end of the harvesting season, a most unusual one. As you may know from other vintners, it has been a difficult year. It started late and has been moving in fits and starts, with sometimes intervals of two weeks. This presented us with quite a number of challenges in the cellar, all happily overcome. However, the grapes harvested are of excellent quality, with an amazing concentration of fruit flavours. If everything goes well in the cellar – and there is no reason why it shouldn't - 2004 is going to be a memorable vintage. Cheers, Philip Myburgh (Viticulturist) and Marcus Milner (Winemaker)De MeyeTel: +27 (0) 21 884-4131Email: demeye@cybertrade.co.zaIssued by: René Taylor, De Kock Communications (DKC)Tel: +27 (0) 21 422-2690Email: rene@dkc.co.za