Rooibos and Honeybush moves give small-scale farmers a leg up
Innovative use of products to replace traditional oak and other costly imported wood derivatives led to recent launch of no-sulphur-added red wine.
Hangoverless: Audacia’s Code-Breaker no-sulphur-added red wine is said to allow people who are sensitive to sulphur or sulphites often used in wine making to enjoy a glass without the normal side effects. It will be available in the near future at selected stores of a national retailer and at the Audacia Root44 market near Stellenbosch.
Picture: SUPPLIED.
The names Rooibos and Honeybush are as proudly South African as braaivleis, boerewors and the Springboks — and the plants are now being used to produce a healthier wine.
Low calorie, low alcohol wine – not to be confused with tea
Rooibos and Honeybush, long-time luvvies of the local tea-drinking scene, have been elevated to a different class altogether by news that they have achieved fame in the global world of Intellectual Property (IP) as well as a new super power. It is well-known that the tasty and healthy teas have a dedicated following in South Africa and beyond. And it is easy enough to believe that the patents granted to these two national treasures have caught the attention of the international IP community.
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SOUTH AFRICAN ROOIBOSIP INNOVATION TO BE PRESENTED AT WIPO CONGRESS IN GENEVA
The extensive trademarks and patents protecting two of South Africa’s unique botanical treasures, namely Rooibos and Honeybush, has caught the attention of the international community where the Minister of Home Affairs, the Honourable, Malusi Gigabahas been invited to deliver a keynote address at this year’s 56thGeneral Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
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Audacia 'Lower Kilojoules' Wine on kykNET Flits
Watch our award-winning winemaker, Michael van Niekerk, chat (in Afrikaans) about Audacia's revolutionary lower kilojoules red wine blend made with honeybush wood.
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Natural Wines, Natural Foods: Audacia in SA Country Life
Audacia joins fellow Stellenbosch producers in creating an innovation that goes back to making things as nature intended and with a local slant. Read Marion Whitehead's informative article by simply clicking on the link below.
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Audacia's Indigenous Wooded Wines: A means to set SA apart on the global wine stage
We launched our new Honeybush-wooded low alcohol and low-kilojoule wine with Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Opportunities, Western Cape Government on 23 February 2016. Read more in the front page article of The Newspaper below.
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Health-conscious drinkers to "See the Lite" with Audacia Natural Red
Read an in-depth report on our revolutionary new Honeybush-wooded low kilojoule wine which appeared in the March 2016 edition of The Newspaper below.
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Launch Video: Audacia Natural Red
Watch the launch video of our revolutionary low alcohol and low kilojoule red wine made with indigenous South African Honeybush (toasted wood chips) below!
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Audacia releases revolutionary ‘Honeybush Wooded’ low-kilojoule wine with landmark nutritional labeling
The first wine in the world to bear detailed nutritional labeling! Our landmark low alcohol/low kilojoule Audacia Natural Red is wooded with indigenous South African Honeybush (toasted wood chips). The Honeybush flavonoid, Hesperitin is the magic ingredient which helps to enhance flavour and maintain structure while keeping residual sugar content very low."
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An Audacious Innovation: Honeybush-wooded low kilojoule wine
ENCA's Tanya Nefdt reports that health-conscious people and kilojoule counters the world over may have found something unique to pair with their diet: Audacia's latest innovation: a low kilojoule and low alcohol wine made using indigenous Honeybush wood chips. February 2016.
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Healthier Lifestyle Rooibos Wine Taking The World By Storm: Longevity Magazine
Read this great piece on our Rooibos Wooded Wine innovation written by Longevity magazine's Khyerne Danu, who writes: "Thanks to founder Trevor Strydom, we can now drink indigenous, sustainable wine that is free of added sulphur and preservatives, as well as being low-alcohol and low carb."
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Bosberaad: Khuluma Magazine September 2015
Ingrid Graham gives you three reasons to 'go bos' this month and naturally, we're included!
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Good Taste August 2015: Easing into Green
Good Taste Magazine's Kim Maxwell, writes: Audacia's green offering sets them apart with a locally lekker hook that could have potential health benefits.
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Travelstart Blog
In case you missed it, catch us on Travelstart blogger, Rebecca Houston's list at no.12! "Drink a World First Rooibos Wood Matured Red Wine at Audacia Winery, Stellenbosch."
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Audacia's Rooibos Wooded wines on Al Jazeera
Our landmark innovation of using indigenous woods rich in antioxidants to preserve wine continues to make international headlines. Watch an insert which recently featured on the renowned news network here.
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Audacia - From vine to bottle
A great video made by the team from Skybound Productions showing our 2015 harvest in action and emphasizing that while we make big new worldwide, we're still a small, traditional boutique operation. Dynamite, as they say, comes in small packages!
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Famed Indigenous Plants used to make Wine.
CCTV's Travers Andrews reports on the breakthrough innovation of rooibos wooding of wine, beer and cider on Africa Live. First aired 14 March 2015.
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Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities Endorses Innovation.
Read an article which appeared in the Agri Mega publication in April 2015 which explains how our rooibos and honeybush wooded wines are being endorsed by Minister Alan Winde as an innovation with 'massive implications to the world market.'
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Popular with...Mechanics?
Audacia's Rooibos Wooded Wines is making news in all circles, including Popular Mechanics Magazine. Read their article on our innovation by clicking on the link below.
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Germany's DoppioTV features Audacia
German speakers will enjoy this clip on our Rooibos Wooded Wines put together by Armin Goebel and his team on our latest innovation.
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We'll drink to that!
Audacia's Rooibos Wooded Wines feature on the site, "Drinking in America" in March 2015. We're global news, from the US to the Ukraine!
Click here to view online.Click here to download the PDF.
A tasty sulphur free alternative for oenophiles
While we prefer not to use 'healthy' and 'wine' in the same sentence for obvious reasons, there's no denying that a sulphur-free alternative might be considered a 'healthier' option by some. America's Shape Magazine investigates the Audacia Rooibos Wooded Wines in an article published March 12th, 2015.
Click here to view online.Click here to download the PDF.
Audacia Winery aims to revolutionise the region's famous industry
Read an article which appeared on the Unites States' Fox News Channel website on March 9th, 2015, regarding Audacia's Rooibos Wooded Wine innovation.
Click here to view online.Click here to download the PDF.
Rooibos makes its mark
Read Norman McFarlane's excellent piece which graced the cover of The Bolander community newspaper on Wednesday, March 4th 2015, on Trevor Strydom's innovation of using endemic rooibos and honeybush in the winemaking process. A highly informative read.
Click here to download the PDF.
Audacia - Rooibos Wood Innovations
On February 28th 2015, Minister Alan Winde, The Western Cape MEC of Economic Opportunities officially endorsed our rooibos wooded wine innovation at a press conference at Audacia Wines, stating that he believed it would have 'massive implications to the world market.'
Watch a video made by Jessica Ricketts of Skybound Productions which summarises highlights from the event.
Rooibos revolution for Cape wine
On 26 February 2015, Business Day reported on Audacia Wines replacing traditional imported oak wood derivatives with indigenous rooibos wood to produce a wine with no added sulphites or other preservatives.
Click here to view online.Click here to download full article.
Rooibos wine targets health-conscious drinkers
Watch a video put together by news agency, Reuters, on Audacia director, Trevor Strydom's, innovation of using indigenous rooibos and honeybush woods in wine as a means of preserving and flavouring it, without the need for sulphur and other preservatives.
Click here to watch the video.
The Red Revolution
In February 2015, our rooibos and honeybush innovation featured in Sawubona, the SAA in-flight magazine.
Read this great article contextualising alcohol made with fynbos plant materials in terms of the rooibos and honeybush industries as a whole.
Going Bos
Read a fascinating interview conducted with Audacia's Trevor Strydom about his visionary outlook and general chuztpah which lead to the revolutionary innovation of using rooibos and honeybush plant materials to preserve and flavour wine.
The piece appeared in the January 2015 issue of MAN magazine.
Audacia's "Tea Wood' Wine
An excellent article by Wineland magazine's Elona Hesseling on our rooibos and honeybush wooded wines.:
Click here to download full article.
New generation of wines
Read an article on the use of rooibos and honeybush wood in the winemaking process (as pioneered by Audacia) published in The Citizen newspaper in November 2014:
Click here to download full news snippet.
Rooibos-Infused Wine Might Save You a Headache
Read American journalist Adam Sege's article on rooibos wooded wine which appeared on Vice's "Munchies" site in November 2014:
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ROOIBOS WOODED WINE – Learn More
Listen to an interview on Cape Talk 567 about the breakthrough innovation of using rooibos and honeybush wood in the making of wine and other alcoholic beverages.
AUDACIOUS EARTHWORM PLAN REAPS REWARDS
Read Wineland magazine's fascinating article about how viticultural innovations at Audacia have led to the making of award winning wines!
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THE ROOIBOS PHENOMENON
Overlay a map of the Olifants River wine region with that of the world’s only natural plantations of rooibos and the similarity is uncanny. The question arises: might there be other links between these vines and this unique plant renowned for its curative properties?
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Audacia winemaker wins double gold at SA Young Wine Show 2014
Audacia winemaker Michael van Niekerk has been awarded with two gold medals, as well as a silver medal and a bronze award by the judging panel of this year’s SA Young Wine Show. Presented annually by the South African National Wine Show Association (SANWSA) – the SA Young Wine show gives winemakers the opportunity to showcase the best wines of their current vintage.
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RED OR WHITE? THINK GREEN! AUDACIA MERLOT IN SAWUBONA MAGAZINE
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READ ABOUT AUDACIA MERLOT 2013 IN FOOD AND HOME ENTERTAINING MAGAZINE - JULY 2014
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A STAVE BET - GQ MAGAZINE - MAY 2014
Michael van Niekerk of Stellenbosch farm Audacia is doing what no other winemaker has done before – making wine using rooibos wood.
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MINDFUL DRINK - RIDGE MAGAZINE
Audacia Wines from Stellenbosch have launched a unique “No Sulphites or Preservatives Added” Merlot. The use of Rooibos and Honeybush wood in the wine-making process creates a light, graceful red wine alternative, free of traditional amounts of allergy-inducing preservatives.
Click here to download full article.
ONLINE REVIEWS
Since launching in March 2014, Audacia's "No Sulphites or Preservatives Added" Merlot 2013 has generated a decided buzz in wine circles. Below is a list of some of the online articles and reviews which have appeared on local and international websites and blogs:
http://www.winemag.co.za/audacia-merlot-2013-no-sulphites-or-preservatives-added/
http://www.dieburger.com/bylae/2014-03-28-audacia-se-wyn-met-rooiboshout-bendruk
http://www.ruidosonews.com/ruidoso-news/ci_25393986/world-wines-aging-wine-wood-instead-inside-wood
http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/03/south-african-winery-launches-rooibos-infused-merlot
http://www.sadecor.co.za/wordpress/audacias-wonder-wine/
http://realtime.rediff.com/news/Rooibos
Holland
http://www.slijtersvakblad.nl/Vaknieuws/6049/rooibos-in-plaats-van-sulfiet.html
China
http://www.v2gg.com/ent/nvmingxing/20140319/124340.html
‘NO SULPHITES OR PRESERVATIVES ADDED’ WINE MADE USING ROOIBOS WOOD.
Audacia Wines of Stellenbosch, South Africa’s viniferous capital, is set to launch a world first – a unique ‘No Sulphites or Preservatives Added’ red wine created using indigenous Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos) and Cyclopia genistoides (Honeybush) wood. The wine, a merlot from the farm’s 2013 harvest, is the first of an exciting range to be made according to this method – the technology of which is exclusive to Audacia, which also owns the patent.
Click here to download Press Release
Audacia winemaker takes gold and silver at Veritas 2013
Audacia winemaker Michael van Niekerk was the proud recipient of both a gold and silver medal at the prestigious Veritas Awards ceremony held on October 4th 2013. The annual Veritas Awards give recognition to local South African wines of exceptional quality. Their distinctive symbol of excellence is also recognized worldwide, serving as an authoritative guideline for wine connoisseurs. Van Niekerk received gold for the Audacia History Cabernet Franc 2010 and silver for the Audacia Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Click here to download Press Release