By Anlé Britz
South Africa has over the years made her name know internationally with producing some of the best wines in the world. The annual harvest in 2020 amounted to 1 342 109 tons (1 042.0 million litres), of which 86% was used for wine. That is a lot of wine bottles who each tell their own story, travel among once strangers to become forever friends or lovers.
Wine is a form of art itself, from prepping the land all the way to labelling the bottle – each step is a series works of art. So why should it stop there by being stalled in a boring dark cellar where access is limited – well it should not.
The owner of Ellerman House, Paul Harris, shared our sentiment and demanded a unique way to show off the best of South African wines from all over the country. With an amazing team of designers, architects, sculpturers and blacksmiths, the human-scale corkscrew was brought to life. Here the South African’s 350-year old heritage of winemaking is celebrated by, providing an environment for tasting and learning about local wines as intriguing and inspiring as the wine itself. Materials derived from the earth – wood, glass, granite, copper – contrast with hi-tech carbon fibre (derived from the earth’s most basic element, carbon) and silky smooth moulded silicone, while grounding and anchoring the whole.
The gallery incorporates an interactive multi-media wine library and brandy tasting lounge. There is also a Champagne cellar, stocked exclusively with rare and special vintages of Dom Pérignon to be enjoyed by a carefully curated chef’s special food delicacies. Every visit to this gem is one that will never leave your memory archive – be sure to make your booking now and secure your wine-ducation.
Book here: https://www.ellerman.co.za/
