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Today, 06 July 2009

> Zim icon falls into ruin

> Zim targets farmer's wife

> Planet De Villiers

> Lions roar in Johannesburg

> Serena questions rankings

Yesterday, 05 July 2009

> Lions roar in Johannesburg

> Planet De Villiers

> United States of Africa?

> 'ANC, IFP should unite'

> Incest monster in SA?

A late summer sun casts a shimmer on the hot tar road as my car leaves the city behind; I'm driving towards the winelands, sort of. According to the directions I've been given, I'm supposed to take a turn to the left, though it looks like it'll land me in the heart of industria rather than one of those idyllic oak-shaded wineries for which the Cape is so famous.

I'm supposed to be attending a wine tasting, and there will be cheetahs there too. Ha, another PR gimmick, I find myself thinking as I drive back to the shop at the petrol station about a kilometre back, just to check their map.

No, I was right the first time round. The "winery" is indeed situated there, in the Okavango industrial area of Brackenfell, among factories and large trucks and not a vineyard in sight. Fat chance there'll be cheetahs, then.

Greeted with a glass of French champagne, all becomes clear as the bubbles get rid of the last vestiges of traffic fatigue and I am invited to wander through the great big doors of Coppoolse & Finlayson, beyond which lies an expanse of massive vats; cool, gleaming stainless steel containers housing thousands of litres of fermenting red and white wines.

Okay, so there aren't vineyards here, but that doesn't mean a thing. That's why there are trucks — to transport the grapes from the farms to the winery where the important work of turning them into quality wine, worthy of both export and the shopping baskets of wine lovers here in South Africa, takes place. And you don't need quaint Cape Dutch gables and country air to make great wines.

Rob Coppoolse and Walter Finlayson

Coppoolse & Finlayson was founded in 1991 by Rob Coppoolse, an engineer by profession but with an astute business sense. The Finlayson part of the partnership is none other than Walter Finlayson, whose Glen Carlou is surely one of this country's most esteemed labels.

Together, they've developed two ranges of wines, Sentinel and Kaya. Sentinel is in the upper quality range, a more "serious" wine than Kaya, which is positioned as being a more accessible, easy drinking label with a younger image, owing to its vibrant packaging and good pricing.

It seems their policy of good wines at a fair price has paid off — they've grown to become the largest South African wine exporter to the Netherlands and one of SA's largest wine exporters overall. Over and above these wines, Coppoolse & Finlayson are very active in the negociant field, producing a variety of "own label" and "joint label" wines for leading European supermarket chains.

Cheryl Carolus meets Kaya and "chaperone"

But we're here primarily to taste the Kaya wines and — aha! — also meet the wines' namesake, Kaya the cheetah. This certainly is a day of surprises.

The name is derived from the isiXhosa word "ikhaya" and means "home". According to Coppoolse, "it seemed well suited to a lifestyle that would respond to the African sunshine and the wines' southern origin." It was also, they believed, an apt name for a cheetah.

Coppoolse & Finlayson decided to team up with the Cheetah Outreach Programme, funding the purchase of a cheetah cub in the interests of conservation — though obviously, it all ties in very nicely with the branding of their Kaya wines. After an African-inspired lunch and fabulous fashion show courtesy of design house Thomas Red, we finally get to meet (and stroke) Kaya the cheetah, a cute little beast if ever there was one. Happy to be gently petted and purring loudly all the while, Kaya's sleek spotted image adorns the wines' labels and packaging, indeed a mutually beneficial match.

At the moment there are two wines in the Kaya range — Kaya Shaka (after the great Zulu king), a relaxed red blend from Cinsaut, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Kaya Nandi (the king's mother), an anywhere, anytime, most quaffable Chenin Blanc.

The winery has also launched the consumer-friendly Kaya Cheetah Packs, a carry pack of six 187 ml bottles of wine with an equal mix of red and white — ideal for the typically outdoorsy South African lifestyle. The feel-good thing is that every sip of Kaya will be helping the great conservation cause — a portion of the profits will go to the Cheetah Outreach Project.

If ever there was a good reason to kick back and enjoy the gorgeous South African summer sunshine with a few glasses of wine, this has to be it!

You can find the Kaya Cheetah Packs at selected Pick n Pay stores, though expect it soon at duty-free outlets and wine shops. If you can't find it, ask for it! Or phone Coppoolse & Finlayson at (021) 982 6175.