Today’s launch of the Curator’s Collection is the culmination of winemaker Arco Laarman’s 20th anniversary of working in the wine industry and five years leading the cellar at Glen Carlou. Naturally Glen Carlou welcomes any excuse for a celebration and to pop the corks on a few wines.
Arco decided to become a winemaker at the tender age of nine while touring the Cape Winelands with his folks. “It was especially the cellar tours, and the way the winemakers explained the magic process that I found irresistible,” he recalls. So, fresh out of high school, he joined Kaapzicht Estate, where his apprenticeship soon confirmed that he was indeed cut out to be a winemaker. While gaining valuable practical experience, he also enrolled for wine courses such as Wine Management at the Stellenbosch Business School.
To celebrate his milestone, Arco’s small batch range of wines ‘The Curator’s Collection’ is officially launched today. The range is available at the Glen Carlou Visitor Centre at the Tasting Room or Restaurant as well as to its Wine Club Members.
The range is evolving depending for example on different varieties and what Arco finds interesting or something he has an opportunity to explore. “It is a great way for me to experiment whether it is with different winemaking techniques or access to an interesting parcel of fruit” says Arco.
Some of the wines are a production of a little over 500 bottles, the exception being The Curator’s Collection Chenin Blanc which consists of 1500 bottles made from 30 year old bush vine Swartland Chenin Blanc and matured in old French oak barrels.
The current wines available in the range are:
2013 The Curator’s Collection Chenin Blanc
2010 the Curator’s Collection Malbec
2011 The Curators Collection Tannat
Later in the year, a Viognier and a Cabernet Franc will be released. Pricing ranges from R98 for the Chenin Blanc to R175 for the Tannat.
For more information on the range, contact Georgina Prout [email protected] or 083 556 9806 or Arco Laarman [email protected] or 083 546 1146