NEW WINE
Wines that save lives
Staff reporter
Posted Tue, 31 Oct 2006

Bonnievale Cellar supports the courageous efforts of global sea rescue institutions with the release of two new wines, the Southern Lights Sauvignon Blanc 2006 and Southern Lights Shiraz 2005.

‘We thought long and hard about the name. Ultimately ‘Southern Lights’ refers to a uniquely South African product. This is our way of paying tribute to all those involved in sea rescue. We offer the consumer a splendid product, at an affordable price, in support of a worthy cause. The Southern Lights brand honours the many stalwart lighthouses, which have guarded our treacherous Southern Cape coastline over the years,’ comments Bonnievale Cellar cellarmaster, Henk Wentzel.

Situated in the Robertson Wine Valley, the town of Bonnievale is 80km from Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of the South African coastline. The stormy waters here have claimed many ships and many lives over the centuries. Lighthouses were erected to warn seafarers of these dangerous conditions, and together with the tireless and courageous efforts of sea rescue organizations such as the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), many lives have been, and will continue to be, saved.

A percentage of the sales from the Southern Lights range will be donated to the sea rescue organization in each country where the wine is sold. This project will be launched in South Africa in support of the NSRI, in the United Kingdom in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and in the Netherlands in support of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappy (RNRM).

Bonnievale Cellar produces the Southern Lights Sauvignon Blanc 2006 and Shiraz 2005 from grapes grown in the Robertson Wine Valley. They are the first wines from this cellar to be produced under screw cap.

The Sauvignon Blanc 2006 is a crisp, well-balanced wine with fresh acidity and delicious fruit flavours — an excellent partner to seafood dishes and salads. R27, 50 per bottle from the cellar.

The Southern Lights Shiraz 2005 is a full-bodied red wine with spicy oak and toffee flavours, delicious with red meat and spicy foods. R32, 50 per bottle from the cellar.

For more information visit www.bonnievalecellar.co.za