Editorial Notes
Spring is around the corner and that means sunshine and warmer, longer evenings, outdoor barbecues and relaxing with a glass of your favorite Rickety Bridge! If you're like me you can't wait to see the back of winter. Being from England myself I'm too used to cold dark and rainy days!
To coincide with the changing of the seasons we have taken delivery of several new vintages of our white wines here in the U.S, fresh from the winery and we'll be releasing them with our retailers and restaurant clients very soon.
A couple of weeks ago we hosted a Grand Opening for our clients at our premises in High Point. A great time was had by all. Our special guests included Daytona 24 hour winner Stephen Simpson and close friend of the Mandela family, Bob Brown. We hired Scrambled! / Josephine's from Greensboro to cater the event and they did a wonderful job recreating African food, and we hired Cheick Sissoko and his African drum band to provide some amazing entertainment.
Foreign cars Italia provided some Ferrari and Maserati super cars on display and Marshall Edwards graciously chauffeured VIP guests to the event.
Some rather more frightening news... at the winery in Franschhoek Valley there has been some close calls concerning wild fires flaring up on the mountains behind the manor house and tasting rooms. One fire was so close, the winery was forced to close for a day whilst fire fighters and volunteers battled to put out the blaze. Thankfully no-one was hurt and no property damage reported.
It has been great to see several groups and couples from North Carolina making the trip to Rickety Bridge in the last couple of months. We've been following their pictures and taking delight in their excitement of staying at the winery and visiting all the sights. One such couple was Stephanie and Bob Potter from Salisbury Wine Shop, who won our annual competition for retailers, with a week's stay 'on us'.
In addition to Jerry, in sales I am pleased to hire Charles Heeb who is taking over the Piedmont Triad, Raleigh and the foothills territory. Charles comes with a strong sales background and is excited to join the Rickety Bridge U.S team. More announcements coming soon..
Thanks to everyone who attended our wine dinner at Bistro B Tapas & Wine Bar in Kernersville, NC. It was great to see so many familiar and new faces and to work with Chef Tim who created some wonderful dishes to pair with our wines.
Finally a heart-felt thanks to you all for continuing to support our brand as we grow here in North Carolina, and I hope to see many of you again at a tasting or wine dinner soon.
PUBLIC TASTING APPEARANCES
Myself, Jerry and Charles will be conducting public events featuring our wines at the following venues in the remainder of March. Charles will be conducting all inland tastings and Jerry will cover all on the coast.
MARCH EVENTS
March 3rd The Wine Rack, Southport NC
March 8th Brewer's Kettle, Clemmons NC
March 9th Island Beverage, Carolina Beach, NC
March 10th
Uncorked Raleigh, NC
March 15th Cork & Cow, Alamance Crossing NC
March 16th Tidal Creek Co-op, Wilmington NC
March 18th Bloom! Gala Event, Spencer NC
March 18th Farmin' on Front, Wilmington NC
March 22nd Sour Barn, Wilmington NC
March 24th Arthur's Wine Shop, Charlotte NC
March 31st Wine & Wares, Jacksonville NC
These events support some talented local businesses and offer a great way to get to know how we make our wines, learn about our storied history as a winery in South Africa, and enjoy some wonderfully crafted food pairings. More events may be added so please be sure to check our Facebook page (Ricketybridgewineryusa)
APRIL AFRICAN WINE DINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
SWEET MEADOW CAFE, SALISBURY
In association with Salisbury Wine Shop
Tuesday night, April 11th
Please call Stephanie and Bob at the wine for more details and to make a reservation.
