New Beginnings & Skipper's wines are going places

We're thrilled to announce that we've launched a new label and presented both brands at an exclusively invited wine tasting event.

During July the Skipper’s label was re-introduced as a tribute to the brothers featuring on the maiden vintage in 1998. This is on request of our importer in Japan who actively supports New Beginnings since its inception. 

New Beginnings are also exported to Germany since 1999, and to Poland since 2010. Wines from both labels remain popular with local and foreign clients. 

NBW 3-tier label vision

Skipper’s brothers logo – mid-level: blends. A tribute to the brothers featuring on the 1^st label in 1998.

Modern family logo – mid-level: single varietals. Will  revert to colour logo.

Renaissance sun logo – premium tier: Created in 2012 using 1999 label as base. Not yet launched.

On 25th August Philani Shongwe, a Cape Winemakers Guild protege, poured both brands at the Directorate of International Relations & Cooperation Heads Of Mission & Ministerial wine tasting event at their conference in Pretoria to 400 delegates. He says "The Expo was phenomenal with the superb setting and delicious food from the stalls... Those who tasted liked the Skippers classic red & white blends, followed by the Chenin Blanc and Pinotage." 
Here are brief wine notes on the seven wines that Philani poured. * indicates screwcap.

Family Collection

Chardonnay 2013: W.O. Klein Karoo *

Unoaked. Sur lie. 50% wild fermented. Green hu with fresh complexity of citrus, lime, quince & white pear on nose. Interlayed with a creamy buttery soft secondary flavour that erupts fresh and crisp with length on palate.

Chenin Blanc 2013: W.O. Paarl *

Fresh lime, Granny Smith apple & granadilla on nose and pallet. Tropical fruits, pineapple in after taste. On lees for 4 months.

Pinotage Rosé 2010: W.O. Paarl *

Cherry blush colour. Spicy, fruity, strawberry and cranberry with brisk, dry acidity.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2010: W.O. Stellenbosch

Cranberry, blueberry & cassis aromas combine with cigar box and hint of mint. A wine with structure and complexity. 12 months fermentation in French barrels.

Pinotage 2012: W.O. Darling

Ruby red colour with purple tinge. Intense nose of strawberries & cherries, enhanced by cinnamon & cloves. Soft tannins, concentrated pallet of ripe red fruit, plums, supported by spices & pepper.

Skipper’s Collection

Classic Dry White 2013: W.O. Darling *

50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir. Intense nose of ripe orange peel enhanced by ripe berries. Well rounded, medium bodied, crisp acidity, same on nose. Long  lingering finish.

Classic Dry Red 2010: W.O. Darling *

Inky concentration with an unparalleled richness in mouth. 45% Pinotage, 21% Shiraz, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cinsault.

Now it's your turn to enjoy these wonderful wines. Contact us at fmsmarketing@fms-wine-marketing.co.za 

Branded Cork Wine Charms for your party!

Now you can face the party season or any big function with confidence, knowing that everyone will have something to talk about. Natural branded corks are a great conversation opener, making it fun to identify your own glass.

Natural recycled corks taken from the cellars that FMS markets are used to create these quirky and unique wine charms. As a green product range it gives you as a host that extra wow factor.

Each used branded cork is linked with a silver chain onto a tiny silver clip which attaches to the stem of the wine glass. Six different branded corks are presented in a clear cellophane resealable bag.

It is the perfect gift for the festive party season, or as a memento at a large corporate function or wedding, creating special memories and great topics of conversation. A fun and exciting way to discover new wineries.

•         Create great topics of conversation
•         Natural corks are recycled from cellar doors
•         No more confusion in searching for your glass
•         A green product range
•         The perfect gift for an entertainer
•         A must-have for your own function
•         Fun way to identify your own glass
•         Great conversation opener
•         Perfect memento gift at weddings & functions
•         Fun way to discover new wineries
•       Extra wow factor at your function

               Order yours now and be the envy of your friends and colleagues. Be sure that your function will be talked about for weeks afterwards. If you want a specific theme, tell us which category of brands you would like featured. Even send us the corks of your choice.

            Chin! 

Private Label Project

In 2012 FMS created its Private Label Project and now in 2014 we refined it according to our clients’ demands.

We are now able to provide a Private Label with only 204 bottles per wine from 16 wines, 6 regions, 8 cellars (Wine of Origin South Africa). Moreover, these are from cellars that FMS is working with since 2007, thus we can provide you wines at amazing price / quality ratios because of their support and our total volume. We have tasted all of these wines and the quality is superb.

This Private Label Project consists in supplying you with the exact wine you require from South Africa to launch your own brand. FMS sources all the main varietals from regions suited to each varietal, even Pinot Noir, including most single varietals and numerous blends. We will send samples once we have your brief, and guide you on the label design. FMS uses a digital label printer that provides labels within 1 week to exact specifications. FMS will manage the labeling task, getting approval from SAWIS and controlling labelling stock.

Minimum order quantity: 204 bottles (34 x 6 x 750ml) per wine

Pack: 6 x 750ml

Closure: screwcap  / natural cork

Bottle type: Burgundy / Claret

Advice on label size:

1. Both front and back labels must be single units, not 2 part labels. This is to facilitate manual machines.
2. Maximum height of label (front and back) must be 90 mm
3. Maximum width of label (front and back) must be 105 mm
4. The above is due to the different curves of a Burgundy or Claret / Bordeaux bottle.
5. FMS template: Front label:  103mm H x 65mm W; Back Label: 70mm H x 70mm W. This can be changed.

Process:

1.      Once you have confirmed your order we will verify the stock before designing the label.
2.    The PDF of each label will be sent to SAWIS for approval before confirming the order for the labels with the printer.
3.    You need to send us the print-ready PDF’s if you use your own design. This must still be approved by SAWIS.
4.    Even when ordering several wines at once, we’ll label them one wine at a time according to your schedule, but still only charge you a once-off print processing fee for the whole batch.
5.    Final label printing will be done against your firm order after label approval by SAWIS. This SAWIS approval letter will be forwarded to you.
6.    Project turnaround time is ± 3 weeks, which includes SAWIS approval and digital printing of labels.
7.    Link for the SAWIS (SA Wine Information Systems) label requirements which you need to comply with: www.sawis.co.za/labelling_requirements_for_SA_wine_2013.pdf

Have a look on our website 

www.fms-wine-marketing.co.za/trading_services.php for a summary,

& on Global Wine & Spirits

http://www.globalwinespirits.com/Private-Label 204-btls-14-wines,-6-regions,-8-cellars/WineSA/EUR for € prices, 

& on  http://www.globalwinespirits.com/Private-Label 204-btls-14-wines,-6-regions,-8-cellars/WineSA/USD for US Dollar prices.

Most wines chosen are limited in quantity, except for those from Darling (4 wines). The other wines are mostly excess stock, so if it’s sold we’ll search for other similar wines when you’re ready to order. We are also able to source excellent sparkling wines and Cap Classique (Méthode Champenoise) sparkling wines in small volumes.

With the minimum order being only 204 bottles per wine, FMS is successfully creating Private Label Wines for our clients for different target markets in various countries.

Champagne BARON-FUENTÉ… & stopper

Now everyone loves Champagne! Not so? Or at least the luxury image and lifestyle associated with Champagne. Let’s toast to that… Chin! À votre santé!

Thanks to a very good friend of mine, Thierry BOUGIT, export director of a famous cellar in Alsace, I end my first busy day at ProWein 2012 in Düsseldorf toasting our reunion copiously. Seven years earlier we shared Crémant d’Alsace at their cave in Barr. Well, to be honest, as these get-togethers go, many toasts were called for. And every time when Thierry sees a friend passing by, he invites them

Pour avoir un verre de vin avec nous.

And being on the French Pavilion, Thierry knows a lot of people… So we end up chatting merrily until the lights fade and the guys gently direct us through quiet halls, opening a shutter door to let us out.

Here it’s dark and raining. I’ve got my full-length raincoat on and my red luggage case on wheels in my hand. You see, I’ve arrived very early this morning from Frankfurt with Lufthansa and went straight to the expo. Thierry, always the organizer and superb host, arranged a lift with a friend to his hotel. Thereafter we’ll all go for dinner at their favourite restaurant in the old town. Only then he’s going to take me to my hotel on the outskirts of the city to book in... He finally drops me off minutes before midnight after a raucous night on the town with a group of lively Frenchies.

Needless to say two days later with the show over, Thierry loads me with gifts of French wines and my favourite, Champagne BARON-FUENTÉ Grande Réserve Brut. This is going to be my special gift to my host in Warsaw. Now not having been to Europe since 2005 I’m unfamiliar with the new rules and put my treasured bottle in my hand luggage when checking in automatically at Düsseldorf airport. At customs I take off and take out whatever I think is necessary, happy that I’m early for the flight.

The official looks at my hand luggage and the scanner with the Champagne image, showing it to his colleagues and laughs merrily.

You’re going home after the expo?

he says in accented English. Fellow passengers stop to watch the show.

Yes, uhm... no, I’m visiting a client. That’s for him.

Ah, sorry monsieur, you can’t take fluids inside the cabin. Champagne! I can’t take this from you. You must go check it in.

Thank you very much.

I murmur in gratitude, hurrying back to the Lufthansa check-in counters.

The lady listens sympathetically to my story and responds with:

To check in a second bag will cost fifty Euros monsieur. Or else you can take it out and leave it here.

Thank you, but I can’t open the bag. The keys are in my case which is already checked in.

I’m starting to sweat now. She continues:

How much did you pay?

It was a gift, I have no idea.

Well it should be around ten to twenty Euros, maybe more. You really want to pay fifty Euros?

she asks politely. Seeing I’ve reached the end of negotiations I fumble in my pockets for my carefully conserved Euro notes. Her face filling with compassion she says softly:

No it’s fine monsieur, we’ll take the bag.

I freeze, staring at her in disbelief.

Really?!

She just smiles sweetly, printing out the ticket, attaching it to the bag. Ecstatic, I thank her profusely, and almost run back to the friendly officials at customs.

Come December 2013 an English gentleman from London is in the office to collect his winesave® can. Seeing the BARON-FUENTÉ Champagne stopper on the desk, he points to it.

I like that; can it seal normal wine bottles as well?

I’m sure it does.

testing it on an empty bottle. So why don’t you get yours too? Look on http://www.linkedin.com/company/fms-food-&-beverages-sa/baron-fuent-champagne-stopper-22642663/product?trk=biz_product

Hmm… perfect! Get me six please.

And definitely tell us if you want the real thing...

Well, you’ll have to make do with the Champagne and the painting. That’s by Luis DE LA FUENTÉ circa 1950.

No more wasting your precious wine!

Now you can literally recapture the moment because you’re able to save those unique characteristics of your favourite wine perfectly – for up to three months!

FMS imports and distributes winesave® exclusively in Southern Africa directly to cellar doors, hotels, restaurants, wine specialist shops, but private individuals may also order a single can. winesave® is an easy-application 100% argon gas can for keeping opened wine perfectly. Each large can contains at least 100 x 1-second applications. Exclusive agencies in African countries are also available.

Winesave protects opened wine by laying a 100% pure, inert and odourless gas called argon (which is 2½ times heavier than air) across the wine's surface in the bottle, thereby protecting its complex characteristics of colour and taste - winesave® simply work. The science which validates this claim is simple: argon is both inert and heavier than air, sealing wine off from oxygen. What is unique about winesave® is the packaging – it’s so simple to use, almost like a deodorant. winesave® LINKS:- www.youtube.com/recapture_the_ moment_winesave www.youtube.com/how_to_use_winesave www.linkedin.com/winesave www.fms-wine-marketing.co.za/news www.facebook.com/winesaveZA www.decanter.com/winesave

What the experts say of winesave®:- All the top critics in the wine industry support winesave, i.a. Robert Parker Jnr., Jancis Robinson, and Philippe GUIGAL. Moreover, it is used and approved in more than 40 countries such as Australia, the USA, the UK, France, and Germany. All our current clients are happy with winesave® and re-order it regularly.

… there is a new and extremely simple product available that seems to be more effective than its predecessors for keeping wine fresh in an opened bottle. I have found it pretty good at preserving even delicate old red burgundy over a week.

Jancis Robinson OBE, Master of Wine, wine correspondent of the Financial Times.

At last an effective wine saver that really works! It just happens to be called "winesave ". I have been carrying out some tests with grand crus etc and because it is Argon and sits atop the wine I have had no problems with wines stored up to 10 days.

Greg Melick, Vigneron and International Wine Judge

I tried it on the most fragile wine in my portfolio – one that is always undrinkable the day after opening. I had a third of a bottle left over at 5pm, winesaved it then looked at it three or four days later and it was perfect. I want all my sales reps using it.

David Burkitt, Vintage & Vine

We have been using winesave® for a few months now and think it is great.

Mark Best, Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide's 2010 Chef of the Year Three-hatted Marque Restaurant

winesave® has absolutely revolutionized the way we serve wine in this restaurant. And it has totally eliminated waste for us. Wonderful.

Michelle Lynch, Lento, South Yarra, Australia.

Thank you for introducing us here at Village Roadshow to your wonderful product. With over 20 wines by the glass in our 9 locations wastage was one of our biggest issues… no longer since the introduction of winesave®. It has changed our world for the better!

Fab Nicolao, Director, Food & Beverage, Village Roadshow Cinemas, Australia

Distribution is by Globeflight couriers with delivery within two to five days. Please contact us at info@fms-wine-marketing.co.za to get yours and to ask for more information.

New Beginnings Wines at Prowein 2012, Düsseldorf, Germany from Sunday 4 March to Tuesday 6 March

Well, not quite New Beginnings wines itself, but at least you can meet with me, Anton Blignault, at the South African pavilion to discuss the new labels, new vintages….


To actually taste the exciting New Beginnings range we will need to send you a few bottles from Cape Town. Or you will have to order a case or three from our importers closest to you - in Japan (Masuda Inc. in Hyogo and Osaka), in Germany (Wein aus Südafrika in Frankfurt), and in Poland (Wine Shops Sp. z o.o. in Warsaw). The whole range is certified as sustainable and has achieved 3-star ratings in Platter’s South African Wines 2012, a “step up” from 2011, and this is just the beginning…


For the moment, we are proudly showing off our newly designed labels. It is phased in as we cross over to new vintages and introduce new cultivars, such as the much appreciated Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Shiraz 2009, and Pinotage Rosé 2010.


Please contact me in advance at fmsmarketing@yebo.co.za to set up a meeting at Prowein (I will attend as a trade visitor), and have a look on www.fms-wine-marketing.co.za for detailed information on each wine (via a link to Global Wine & Spirits), plus a full compliment of brands to extend your South African porfolio.


All the best,
Anton Blignault

FMS "Serving wine successfully for 11 years"
FMS is a producer, wine négociant and international trading house focusing on the export of wines at producer list price, from entry level to high-end. Thanks to our professional approach, all our clients choose FMS rather than dealing with the cellar. 4 sales in 4 months to 4 new clients thanks to GWS!

FMS Marketing
FMS Food & Beverages SA
Web: www.fms-wine-marketing.co.za
Blog: http://www.fms-sa.blogspot.com
E-mail: fms@yebo.co.za
Tel: + 27 21 426 5037
Fax: +27 21 413 0825
PO Box 51869
8002 Waterfront
CAPE TOWN SA

People are motivated by passion
& encouraged by empathy.

BIZOE scores again

Bizoe Wines’ first red release, the Estalét Syrah 2008, has followed the instant success of their maiden white blend Henriëtta 2008. Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth rewarded winemaker & owner Rikus Neethling’s Estalét Syrah 2008 an outstanding 91 points.

Neethling, who made 266 cases of the Syrah from Breedekloof fruit, is thrilled by the success of both his wines, “This is absolutely fantastic for me to get two big awards with both my first vintage wines.”

The Henriëtta 2008 received a Gold medal at the International Wine Challenge in London in 2009.

Winemaker's Note

The Syrah spent 15 months in new and second fill French and American barrels from five different coopers. The wine spent a further 3 months in bottle prior to being released.

Wine Specator's Notes

BIZOE SYRAH WESTERN CAPE ESTALÉT 2008 - Score: 91

Gorgeous plum and blackberry fruit aromas and flavors are held together by lilting notes of violet, black tea and anise. The long, iron-tinged finish really sails on nicely, with well-integrated, mouthwatering acidity. Drink now through 2011. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 266 cases made. (Dec15, 2010)

BIZOE HENRIETTA 2010 and BIZOE ESTALÉT SYRAH 2009 are available from February 2011. View www.fms-wine-marketing.co.za for more information.