BOSMAN FAMILY VINEYARDS RECOGNISED FOR EXCELLENCE IN ALL SPHERES
Bosman Family Vineyards was recently voted ‘Ethical Company of the Year at the Drinks Business Green Awards in London. The Drinks Business is the leading European drinks trade publication at the forefront of developments in the drinks industry, focusing on wine, spirits and beer.
This award comes on the back of two other prestigious awards this year:
Winery of the Year – Platter Guide
Viticulturist of the Year – Tim Atkin Report
The Bosman family and community have been farming together in the Bovlei of Wellington since 1810. Today Petrus Bosman and his brothers are the eighth generation at the helm, supported by employees who can trace their roots back over generations as well, creating a culture of dependence on each other and on the land where they live and work.
Petrus Bosman
In 2007, Bosman Family Vineyards released their first own-label wine; in 2008 the workers obtained a 26% share in the entire agribusiness; and in 2009 the farm became Fairtrade accredited, setting the business on a trajectory for mutual success and guided by their singular vision ‘Dedicated to better’.
“This award affirms our mission to become the leading ethical producer of premium wine,” says Bosman. The company annually exports 2.3million litres of Fairtrade wine to European retailers, and the social premiums derived from this fund a learning centre for 180 children, 3 buses to transport learners and workers, a clinic and numerous social upliftment programmes. This is the second time in eight years that the company has won this award, and they were twice voted runner-up.
These efforts gain extra significance when combined with their proven track record of excellent wines. Their long list of accolades bears scrutiny, but highlights of individual wine awards include:
2024 Investec Trophy Wine Show: Best Museum Class Cabernet for the 2013 vintage
The judges for the Drinks Business award cited this producer’s ‘inspiring’ and ‘transformative’ community work and were particularly impressed by their inclusive business ownership model where individuals are empowered through shared ownership and sustainable opportunities for advancement that promise prosperity for future generations.
Bosman Family Vineyards is thrilled to have been selected for the Platter Guide Editor’s Choice: Winery of the Year Award for 2024.
This award recognises a winegrowing team who, based on performance in the current edition, as well as track record, are ambassadors par excellence for South African wine.
“My grandfather, also Petrus, used to remind me: ‘just do something a little bit better every day, and that will lead to success,” says Petrus Bosman, CEO of Bosman Family Vineyards. “That is the philosophy we live by on the farm.”
Our extended farm family has been living and working on this farm for over 200 years. To still be here and thriving has taken a determined dedication to better from all of us, not only in the community but on the land where we live and work.
We believe that our inclusive approach, matched with the balancing of tradition and innovation, has allowed us to thrive. “This award is for all of us, every single worker in the vineyards, the cellar, the teachers in the crèche, the nurse in the clinic, the technologists in the laboratory, the accountants in the office, the security at the gate … we’re all in this together.”
Head winemaker Corlea Fourie accepted the award on the farm’s behalf: “I am immensely proud to receive this award because it speaks of the combined effort on all fronts. A healthy community can grow healthy grapes in healthy soils, which in turn produce excellent wines that keep the momentum of this symbiotic relationship moving forward.”
Corlea’s winemaking philosophy is simple: “To make wine that authentically expresses its provenance we need to think deeply yet act with care-filled restraint.”
This award gained extra shine with the Platter 5 stars awarded to the Bosman Optenhorst Chenin Blanc 2022. This single vineyard, Old Vine wine has been a standout ever since the first vintage was made in 2007 and perhaps sums up best Corlea’s philosophy and the farm’s approach. This vineyard, planted in 1952, was destined to be taken out because its yield was low. But Corlea and Petrus decided to vinify it separately just once and see what it could do. They were astounded by its beautiful and unique depth of flavour and complexity. Since then, the vineyard has been farmed regeneratively and the wine is fermented naturally in the cellar, aged only in neutral vessels so that the wine can express itself in all her glory. This ‘grande dame’ has become a legend, and this latest achievement simply cements her place in the cellar hall of fame.
DEDICATED TO BETTER
This award was for more than just our 5 star wines but also for our ‘track record’ and ‘ambassador’ quality. So here is a little more about our big story:
“While we believe in the value of tradition, we understand that through change, rather than continuity and conformity, our legacy will continue long after us,” Petrus Bosman.
A. GROWING COMMUNITY
To date, the Bosman Adama land transformation transaction in 2008 is the largest land reform deal in the South African wine industry, where the workers own a 26% share of our agribusiness.
Since then, this Fairtrade accredited business has grown significantly, providing job opportunities and a better standard of living to 450 employees and their families in our 3250-strong farm community.
Our generation, Generation 8, is committed to ploughing 2% of branded sales into improving the lives of our community. This is where our funds are directed:
98 children (ages 1-6) attend our crèche, nurtured by 9 qualified teachers who receive continuous training.
Our Aftercare tracks the needs of 92 children and provides support and stimulation.
Psychometrictesting helps our high school learners make good choices for their futures.
Learners receive personal assistance in applying for tertiaryeducation.
Funds are channelled into education, transport (3 busses) and sport to create opportunities for development.
Adults are given opportunities for advancement from literacy classes and vocational skills to management coaching.
4 out of 4 of our winemakers are women. And women make up 50.21% of our workforce and 34.86% of management.
B. FARMING
At Bosman Wines, we believe that our natural environment is integral to the sustainability of our community, and that the responsibility for pro-active conservation rests with each one of us. From the propagation of grape vines in our nursery, to the growing of grapes on our land, and ultimately to the making of Bosman wines in our cellar, we consciously employ practices at every level that will conserve our resources, reduce waste, facilitate growth, promote regeneration, and ultimately reduce our carbon footprint.
Using sheep instead of herbicides for weed control in winter months.
Instead of applying chemical fertilisers, we brew compost tea which enriches the soil with Carbon. Microbes need Carbon to digest Nitrogen, and plants need Nitrogen to photosynthesize and produce healthy, robust grapes. In the year since we started applying the tea, the level of organic Carbon in the soil has grown by 220%.
We have created eco corridors which allow beneficial insects and plants the ability to multiply and migrate.
We practice water stewardship by converting our vine nurseries from overhead sprinklers to drip irrigation saving 215 000m³ litres pa.
Cover crops are planted between the vineyards to sequester Carbon, enhance biodiversity, diminish water evaporation, prevent erosion and fix Nitrogen in the soil.
Uniquely, as both a vine grafting nursery and a wine producer, we are involved in the entire process from vine to wine.
Our Plant Improvement Facility ensures we provide healthy plant material for clear varietal character, not only for our own use but as the most progressive nursery and plant improvement facility in Southern Africa. 135 new wine grape varieties or clones were selected over the last 7 years.
Solarpanels supply 50% of our electricity need at 450 kVA/h.
A dronesprays hard-to-reach high-lying vineyards, decreasing reliance on diesel-guzzling tractors that erode and compact the soil.
Vineyards are irrigated by gravityflow.
All lights in our cellars and warehouses have been changed to LED.
Plant waste is chipped and applied as mulch to our vineyards to decrease evaporation.
No harmful insecticides are used on crops. Instead, natural predators combat pests such as mealie bug and thrips.
In 2021 we became an accredited Carbon Hero through the Confronting Climate Change initiative. This in-depth, exhaustive report measured our carbon footprint and gave us a baseline from which to work.
Our farm in the Upper-Hemel-en-Aarde has been awarded WWF Championship status since 2021 and last year Bosman Hermanus was named Best of Wine Tourism & Ambassador Awards 2023 in the category: ‘Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, a competition run by Great Wine Capitals Global Network.
The mood on the farm is upbeat since the award. Everyone gets it: We did it together, and so now we’re even more dedicated to better!
Come and visit our farms in Wellington and Hermanus and see for yourself!
BOSMAN HERMANUS WINS INTERNATIONAL WINE TOURISM AWARD 2023!
Great news for wine tourists! Bosman Hermanus, in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, has just been selected as the winner in the Best of Wine Tourism & Ambassador Awards 2023 in the category: ‘Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, a competition run by Great Wine Capitals Global Network.
Great Wine Capitals Global Network
An international organisation, the Great Wine Capitals Global Networkaims to heighten the wine experience for everyone who visits its regions and cities and support its members to make the most of their extraordinary culture, heritage and geographical virtue. Wesgro administered some of its activities locally and played an integral role in adjudicating the competition that received a whopping 119 entries in seven categories.
Bosman Adama owns several wine farms near Wellington, while their farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde was acquired in 2001 to grow grapes that thrive in a cool climate. Bosman Hermanus’s farm comprises 170 hectares, but only 50 are under vine. Another 15 hectares are used for farming fynbos species commercially, while the remaining 100-odd hectares are under conservation management.
WWF Conservation Champion
As a WWF Conservation Champion, great effort is taken to farm sustainably on Bosman Hermanus, and their tourist offering echoes that philosophy. While clearing water-hungry aliens is an ongoing project, these trees are chipped and dispersed as mulch in the vineyards. Cover crops are also sown between the vineyard rows to fix nitrogen and aerate the soil. These are mown flat in spring to add to the mulch cover.
The Frame House
The tasting room, called Frame House, is a light wood and iron structure designed to make a minimal impact on the environment. The modern interior encourages the visitor to look out and enjoy views of the fynbos and lush vineyards while enjoying wines that reflect this pristine terroir paired with locally sourced artisanal food. Hiking trails and sustainability-driven workshops further enhance the messages of biodiversity and conservation.
“At Bosman Hermanus, we believe that conserving our natural environment is integral to the sustainability of our community and that the responsibility for proactive care rests with each one of us,” says Brand Manager Carla Bosman. “As vine growers for generations, we have a heritage of sustainability. But we also have a responsibility to future generations, and that’s where innovation comes in. We are constantly looking at new ways to make our farm more sustainable and to encourage our visitors to do the same.“Our land and the people on it are linked. We rely on each other to survive, yet we need to regenerate to thrive. We need to find new ways of conserving what we have and progress and improve on all fronts. That is our passion.”
Carla Bosman
Wine Tourism Award
This wine tourism award comes hot on the heels of the week-long Cape Wine International Conference. The conference saw wine writers, retailers, sommeliers and wine business owners worldwide flocking to the Western Cape to experience all aspects of the industry and sample our wines.
The theme for Cape Wine was ‘Sustainability 360’, and so Bosman Adama participated in several seminars and hosted farm visits arranged around this topic. “This award gives us another valuable platform to spread the news of our sustainability initiatives and encourages us to continue to find new ways to reduce our carbon footprint and regenerate our soils.”
ABOUT BOSMAN WINES
THE BOSMAN FAMILY HAVE BEEN VINE GROWERS IN WELLINGTON FOR 8 GENERATIONS, THEIR PROUD HERITAGE FORMING THE BEDROCK FROM WHICH INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY ARE A NATURAL PROGRESSION.
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