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Mkhize praises the
Stables Wine Estate's pioneering role in KZN
Nottingham Road - As The Stables Wine Estate celebrated the installation
of six massive wine producing tanks just in time for the 2009 harvest,
kwaZulu-Natal’s MEC for Finance and Economic Development Dr. Zweli
Mkhize lauded the expanding wine industry for it’s role in developing
tourism and agriculture in the province.
Mkhize was the key note speaker at a business breakfast held to coincide
with the installation of the six new 5000 litre stainless steel tanks on
the day that tons of Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested and were to
be processed at the winery.
“We commend The Stables Wine Estate for the pioneering idea of
developing the wine industry in KZN,” said Mkhize, thanking the Gijima
European Union partnership and the Trade and Investment Corporation for
their ongoing support of The Stables Wine Estate.
He highlighted the priorities in developing the provinces tourism
offering, while at the same time attending to the declining contribution
that agriculture was making to the province’s GDP.
He also praised plans by The Stables Wine Estate to establish new
winegrowers on farms involved in recent land redistribution.
“The people of KZN need to work together, so they can look back and see
how they have grown the industry in KZN and be proud of their region.”
“KZN has always been known as the sugar cane producing region and the
Cape was responsible for wine. However The Stables Wine Estate has
clearly shown us that anything is possible and all you need is one
person with courage to develop such a concept,” Mkhize added.
At the function Judy van Niekerk reiterated her determination to make
kwaZulu-Natal the “Champagne region” of South Africa. “Our climate is so
well suited to the production of the cultivars that are needed for the
production of fine method champagne wines,” she said.
“These are high value wines that can make a real contribution to the
economy of this region,” she added.
“If kwaZulu-Natal had 10 000 hectares, which is only 10% of the Western
Cape’s production, of planted vines for example, the direct employment
generated in this case would be 70 000 permanent jobs and 30 000
seasonal jobs,” said Van Niekerk.
“That excludes all the employment that would come from tourism and the
peripheral industries like packaging and bottling,” she added.
Van Niekerk outlined plans to expand The Stables Wine Estate to include
expansion of their existing winery, a new restaurant and food and wine
school, a five star hotel at the Estate, an on-site crafters centre, as
well a method champagne centre in Durban and a retail outlet at the new
airport at La Mercy.
“The young wine industry has such a huge amount of potential for
development and empowerment,” said Van Niekerk, who is driving the
establishment of a training academy through the kwaZulu-Natal
Winegrowers Association to pass on skills to the next generation of
winemakers and growers in kwaZulu-Natal.
More information is available at
www.stableswine.co.za
ENDS |
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Winemaker Tiny van Niekerk of the Stables
Wine Estate (left), Dr. Charles Reeve, Attaché to the delegation of the
European Commission in South Africa and Ethekwini Deputy Major Logie
Naidoo (right) assist in positioning the last of the six tanks at The
Stables Wine Estate in Nottingham Road. |
Dave Macleod/ Gameplan
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