OCTOBER notes and news
As summertime starts to fade into fall, here in North Carolina, quite the opposite is taking place in the Southern hemisphere. The Western Cape mountain ranges are coming to life with thousands of different flowers, grasses and plants (fynbos) breathing in the spring air for the first time this year.
A great time to visit South Africa, as there's plenty happening right now. At the winery, the vines are budding and preparing for summer, and the onset of harvest in January, only a mere 3 months of months away. I'll post some images of the springtime vines on our nest newsletter.
Back to reality, and here in 'NC' we've been working tirelessly, growing our brand and awareness, one customer at a time. This month we've signed up 10 new customers ranging from high-end restaurants to wine bars and retailers, in all areas of the state.
We keep our website updated with all locations that sell our wines. Click on the links below to discover our retail and restaurant customers.
http://www.ricketybridgewineryusa.com/restaurants/
or
http://www.ricketybridgewineryusa.com/us-stockists/
These lists are updated once a month.
October is also a busy month concerning local activity here in High Point. We are busy preparing our building for the arrival of SWAIM Furniture, who are for the final time, renting out our space to showcase their latest furniture range. Fall Furniture Market takes place from 14th to 18th October.
I will be conducting an educational wine dinner at Asheville Wine Market on October 5th at 7:00pm. Booking is essential for this limited seating event. Contact 828.253.0060 to book your place.
We are also taking bookings for Christmas and New year's Eve private parties! Please call the same number for details. Our event space consists of several beautifully decorated rooms, a tasting table and bar, plus an enclosed outdoor patio space with fire pit and Edison lighting.
We have a busy month ahead with lots of public tastings, so hopefully we will meet you again, at one of these:
OCTOBER PUBLIC TASTINGS AND DINNERS
1st, Vintner Wine Market, Charlotte, with Charles, 4:30pm-7:00pm
5th, Asheville Wine Market, Wine Dinner, with Andy, 7:00pm-9:00pm
6th, Asheville Wine Market, Asheville, with Andy, 4:00pm-7:00pm
7th, Arthur's Wine Shop, Charlotte, with Charles, 1:00pm-3:30pm
12th-16th, High Point Furniture Market Events
18th, Craft & Vine, Oak Ridge, with Annabel and Andy, 7:00pm-9:00pm
19th, VIN Master, Charlotte, with Charles, 6:30-8:30pm
20th, Wine 101, Raleigh, with Annabel,
21st, Triad Wine Shop, Greensboro, with Annabel, 4:00pm-6:00pm
21st, Porsche Club of America visit to RBW Inc.
More events will be added, so please be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram (links below)
NEWS SNIPPETS
We were very excited to see our Foundation Stone Rose 2017 featured in the latest edition of Sawubona (see Right), the official magazine of South African Airways. Great publicity for a truly delicious wine.
We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our new vintage 2016 Pinotage. The varietal continues to be our most popular red wine, and it truly is 'South Africa in a bottle!' Pinotage will arrive mid-October , along with the new vintage 2017 Sauvignon Blanc.
From October 1st, Bistro B and Wine Bar in Kernersville is featuring 4 Rickety Bridge wines by the glass, on special offer. A great time to visit this cool bistro and try our wines too.
We teamed up with NASCAR legend Bobby Labonte and Brown Truck Brewery to support the High Point Classic Cycling race. Our wines were served exclusively in the VIP section.
We are excited to be the exclusive wines at Fixins' (Right) American Craft Eatery in high Point, NC. Check out several of our wines available along with some amazing food creations.
High Point based new wine bar WIFI Wines opened at the end of September, and is serving up our wines and J.De Telmont Champagnes. The store is located on Main Street, downtown.
October will see several of our wines featured with the new 'fall menu' at REEL Seafood Grill. Special prices and great food pairings await your taste buds!
Michelle Gibson, owner of Cork & Cow Wine (pictured Right) visited our Champagne partners J.De Telmont earler in September, and had a blast, sampling several vintages and touring the premises. Thanks to our friends at J.De Telmont for making Michelle's experience a memorable one.
During September at the winery we celebrated the Franschhoek Uncorked Festival, and Heritage Day (24th Sept). Two great ways to kick off the new season.
Another visitor to RBW Inc. last month was esteemed South African musician Jonathan Butler. A native of Cape Town, Jonathan has enjoyed worldwide recognition as a jazz musician and for his charitable work. This month he will be celebrating his birthday with friends, at our winery. We aim to share images of the occasion.
September tastings and Wine Dinners
Many thanks to everyone that came to our many tastings around the state, and to our wine pairing dinners at Grape and Barley, and Vidalia, during the month of September, and thanks to all of the venues.
We had a great time meeting new people and seeing many familiar faces at all events, and we greatly appreciate your patronage.
by Andrew Woolgar
Pictured Right is our beautiful Cape Dutch manor house at Rickety Bridge. Celebrating 'Franschhoek Uncorked' in September 2017