In 2014 life brought the Vissers from Northcliff, Johannesburg to the Lovane Boutique Wine Estate and Guesthouse. It was a well-established boutique winery, planted with 2.5 hectares of Hennie’s favourite red wine varieties, and a 4 star country-styled guesthouse.
Packing up a life in Johannesburg, with ten year old twins, one career as a pharmaceutical executive/owner, the other as a management consultant was a major adventure.
Hennie, a chartered accountant, had to quickly learn the skills around the science, and the mystery around the art of winemaking. Several of Stellenbosch’s winemakers and viticulturalists embraced the Vissers in their new world by providing coaching and mentoring.
It is reported that the current drought in the Western Cape decreased the year-on-year harvest totals in the Winelands in 2018 by 29%.
However, Lovane was blessed with a full harvest. They had to be creative, to process everything through the small cellar. As result, Hennie added to his port production, and tried his hand, with great guidance from friends, at Blanc De Noir. He made the ultimate romantic gesture by naming this pink cabernet sauvignon after his wife, “Theresa”.
On Wednesday, 20 June 2018 Lovane launched this easy drinking wine. It has an elegant oyster-shell colour due to the juice having had minimal skin contact on pressing. It is the perfect wine for lovers of white wine, who dabble in drinking smooth red wines.
