It was the perfect setting when Kruger Untamed recently launched its Satara Plains Camp to the media and a group of special guests.
The balmy weather, soothed by the Pinotage Association’s top 10 wines, exquisite food and the acoustic music of Craig Hinds, formed the perfect ingredients for the event. The lounge area, set under the canopy of a majestic tree, was transformed with a stage and wine-tasting serving table, and surrounded by a boma campfire setting with additional intimate lounge areas.
Canapés were served while winemakers Abrie Beeslaar, Beyers Truter and Etienne Louw proudly served the wines from the Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition. The aim of the annual competition is to identify 10 Pinotage wines that will serve as benchmark for the development of distinctive South African Pinotage, and illustrate the uniqueness of Pinotage in the local and international wine world.
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Pinotage will be celebrating 100 years of existence in 2025, and Truter said the evening was a combination of food and the smell and heat of Africa served with the finest wines.
Beeslaar, who has won Best Winemaker in the World four times, will be leaving Kanonkop Wines at the end of the year after 23 years to focus on his own Beeslaar Wines. He explained that Pinotage grapes need to grow in specific soil types to produce good wine. “Pinotage is like a woman’s tongue and a lion’s heart,” he remarked and explained that once you’ve had a few glasses, you talk forever and can fight off everything.
Louw, a qualified engineer turned winemaker, represented Altydgedacht Wines. As a member of the judging panel, he explained the blind tasting selection process that starts with 90 wines judged in a three-day period.
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Hinds, the well-known founder member of Watershed and now a solo artist, entertained the guests with his soulful renditions of favourites like “Indigo Girl” and “Letters”. “I’ve never performed in such a perfect place before,” he said.
Lysta Stander, co-owner of the Chiefs Tented Camp and owner of Tshokwane River Camp and the newly opened Satara Plains Camp, said the event was a dream come true. The camps are only operational during the winter months, and Satara Plains is off-terrain in October. “The exceptional acoustic performance by Craig combined with the winemakers’ informative tasting, paired with our top chef’s finest cuisine, was something we will remember forever.”
