MAN Family Wines

MAN Family Wines ∙ Harvest Report 2024

“The MAN vineyards – which are more than 95% dry-farmed – looked absolutely fantastic throughout the growing season, with full rich green canopies.

Although it was not a particularly cold winter, it was long, with the rains starting in April and fairly constant throughout the winter months into mid September. Fortunately, the drying Southerly winds typical of the Agter-Paarl region kept disease pressure low.

Like in most areas, the yields were low this year, around 20% less than expected. The quality, though, was overall high. Dry-farmed vineyards produce smaller berries, and the lower yields this year made for loose, healthy bunches. The actual picking season was well-paced and unhurried.

At this stage – with ferments just finishing – the white wines look good with low alcohols and good aromas. Reds are uniformly of good quality with
it being a standout vintage for Bordeaux varieties, with deep colours and soft tannins.”
– Riaan Möller, winemaker

The weather is warming up in the Northern Hemisphere. In the next few weeks, we’ll be swopping Shiraz with Sauvignon Blanc!

The MAN Sauvignon Blanc expertly adds a dash of Semillon to the blend. This balances out the characteristically high acidity of Sauvignon Blanc, adding a note of complexity to the final wine.

Throwing it back to the Summer of Chenin Festival at the newly opened Lievland Cafe, where MAN Family Wines perfectly paired with good vibes and great company.
Chenin Blanc Association

There’s something truly delightful about discovering MAN Family wines on the winelist, just like we did at The Fat Fish in George, South Africa, a few days ago. 🎣🍷🇿🇦
Immersing ourselves in the vibrant coastal atmosphere, we sipped on a glass of MAN Cab and savoured the tantalizing aromas of their fragrant Burmese seafood curry.
It’s moments like these that remind us of the perfect harmony between great wine and delicious cuisine.

MAN Chenin Blanc wins GOLD 🏆 at the Trophy Wine Show, South Africa’s most prestigious wine competition.

The influential panelists for the 2023 competition included Jancis Robinson MW OBE, wine author Anne Krebiehl MW, Cathy van Zyl MW (vice-chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine) and award-winning sommelier Benjamin Roffet of France.

With almost 700 entries, Jancis Robinson describes the Trophy Wine Show as “possibly the toughest competition in the world."

🇮🇳 Did you know that our wines are available in India? stocks our full range and it is available in-store and online 🇮🇳
Ask for imported wines under 2k 🍷

“Bang for your buck” is how Decanter summed up the fantastic value of South African Chenin Blanc. Scoring a whopping 93 points, the MAN Chenin Blanc is a prime example of this trending varietal.

Happy times at the rugby match with Chenin Blanc, MAN’s champion wine!

Harvest means everyone gets their hands dirty 🙌
Suné from our marketing team on quality control duty 🍇

Making honest wines begins with exceptional vineyards.

Most of our grapes are dry-farmed from the Agter-Paarl region. With dry-farming root systems grow deeper in search of water and nutrients. As soil contact increase, the vines produce grapes with intense flavour.

The Agter-Paarl vineyards are shifting focus from energy creation (through photosynthesis) to energy consumption, resulting in the eventual ripening of grapes. 

Harvest 2023 is just around the corner!

Veganuary? This rustic galette, with its savoury toppings of black olives and vegan feta cheese is a perfect match to this aromatic Syrah.

This medium body Syrah is equal parts juicy, plush and smooth. The wine is made from unirrigated bush-vine vineyards, which produce smaller grape bunches with concentrated flavours and aromas.

Recipe in bio.

We've only just opened our eyes to 2023, but the vineyard and cellar team at MAN are steadily working to prepare for the incoming harvest.
By now we are dotting our i's and crossing our t's – cleaning cellar equipment, ordering harvest t-shirts, and most importantly, WAITING for the perfect moment to bring in our very first grapes!

Going into 2023 like 🍾

From our family to yours 🍷
Here's wishing all who celebrate a peaceful festive season. Enjoy the time off, reset, and crack open your favourite bottle from MAN Family Wines 🍷

Golden Hour in the Agter-Paarl region ☀️

Amongst our growers in the Agter-Paarl region we have some of the oldest Chenin Blanc vineyards in the country. Most of our Chenin vineyards are bushvines which are hand harvested, producing low yields with high concentration of fruit.

Honest value never goes out of fashion.

Tim Atkin’s eagerly anticipated South African Wine Report was just released and he rates the MAN Cabernet Sauvignon a whopping 90-points.
As Tim says, “the best South African wines have freshness, focus and palate length” and we think these words apply not just to rarified wines but also to the everyday value wines that South Africans enjoy.

Sales director, AJ Nel, spent the week in Namibia doing training at various restaurants and lodges that stock MAN.

Here he is at the Canyons Road House!

We added a touch of Semillon to our MAN Sauvignon Blanc. This adds complexity and texture to the otherwise bright, tropical fruit palate which is typical of Sauvignon Blanc.

Agter-Paarl is a famous wine-producing area in South Africa. Red wines from the Agter-Paarl area are rich, robust with a great intensity of fruit, whereas white wines are fruit driven and tropical.
Well-drained granite and sand soils, a relatively hot climate compared to other areas in the Western Cape, and a moderate to high rainfall, are all a direct influence to the premium quality grapes we source from this region.

Sheep can often be found bordering the vineyards from which we make our Syrah. This ultimately led to what inspired our MAN Skaapveld (sheep field in Afrikaans) Syrah 🐑

“Making honest wine begins with exceptional vineyards. Most of our grapes are dry-farmed, meaning that they’re grown without irrigation. With dry farming, root systems grow deeper in search of water and nutrients. As soil contact is increased, the vines produce grapes with intense flavour. We strive to make wines that are sustainably grown, true to varietal, well-balanced and of a consistently high quality” - Riaan Möller, Head Winemaker at MAN Wines

The weather is heating up in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that white wines are on the menu. MAN Chardonnay has a delicate balance of fruit flavours with a light touch of oak.

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Gambas al Ajilo or Garlic Shrimp with fresh bread to soak up the saucy goodness, paired with South African MAN Sauvignon Blanc.

Swipe to see the inspiration behind our MAN Warrelwind Sauvignon Blanc label.

‘Warrelwind' or whirl winds are a common sight in the Agter-Paarl. The small wind spirals move a cooling air through the vineyards and turn the windmills dotting the landscape.

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Beautiful, smoky and charred on the grill, these barbeque Chicken thighs paired with MAN Pinotage wine are too good to resist!

“We make wines that are true to varietal, well-balanced and most importantly. sustainably grown.” – Riaan Möller, head winemaker MAN Family Wines

Making honest wine begins with exceptional vineyards. Most of our grapes are dry-farmed, meaning that they’re grown without irrigation. With dry farming, root systems grow deeper in search of water and nutrients. As soil contact is increased, the vines produce grapes with intense flavour.