How does a tiny woman bring in 30 kg of bottled wine from South Africa? Simple answer – Reni Hildenbrand hand carried it!
And how does Reni get the ‘big guns’ to assist her? Simple answer, she invites the Assistant South African Ambassador (Deon Seals) and the South African First Secretary (George Mello) to her vineyard’s wine tasting, which was held in the Mantra.
Adding to the weight up top was the Chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce (Graham McDonald), Pasit Foobunma (Thailand, assisting Reni Hildenbrand), and Allan Riddell (an advisor to the South African trade missions).
The get together had two main purposes, firstly to re-introduce some different varieties of Hildenbrand wines to Thailand and secondly to allow people to sample Reni’s gold medal Extra-Virgin Olive oil.
The initial release of the Hildenbrand label a few years ago was dogged by supply problems and some optimistic pricing, but Reni assured everyone that now was time to put the wines on the local Thai market again.
The wines on offer included:
Rose: Shiraz Rose 2014.
White wine: Chenin Blanc Unwooded 2015, Chenin Blanc Barrel Fermented 2013, Crouchen Blanc 2015, Chardonnay Barrique 2013, and Semillon Barrel Fermented 2013.Red wine: Malbec 2014, Shiraz 2014, Cabernet Sauvignon Barrique 2012, and The Duo Red Cuvee 2012.
At this moment only the Malbec and Shiraz (both 2012) are freely available, with full stocks of the range currently on the water.
An interesting evening, with wines well worth experimentation.
