Growing grapes in the Cape CBD

Jean Vincent Ridon of Signal Hill Wines and his team of winemakers have won the bid to be the CBD's first working winery that forms part of the unique retail and lifestyle component of the mixed-use Mandela Rhodes Place.

French winemaker Jean Vincent Ridon started producing wines in South Africa in 1997 and he will relocate Signal Hill from its current premises in time for the 2006 harvest.

The winery will see the full production process taking place on-site which will include de-stemming, crushing, fermentation, barrelling, bottling and packaging.

The winery will also produce Tutuka wines on-site. Tutuka is the only fully black empowered operation in the wine industry and is produced by Ridon's associate winemaker, the Burgundy-trained Laurence Buthelezi.

Ridon says: "The vineyard was the first step in our vision of regenerating what was, in the past, a city of vineyards. The winery's new address at Mandela Rhodes Place is ideal because it ties in with the age-old wine ethos of having your product close to your
market.

"We foresee that the harvest of Clos d'Oranje will become an annual public event where the process of winemaking, from the harvest to the grape crushing, will be the pretext for a harvest party."

Japie Hugo, Eurocape's head of business development, says: "The Winery is the first of many operator announcements which will be made in the coming months. Signal Hill winery represents the unique type of tenant that we want to showcase - specialist, niche and a leader in its industry. The winery will act as a catalyst for the myriad of lifestyle
opportunities offered within Mandela Rhodes Place, providing residents and visitors with a wide variety of entertainment and leisure options.

"By bringing city dwellers, quality retail and lifestyle elements back to the city, Eurocape aims to show the strength of their commitment to reviving Cape Town's Old Town."

Mandela Rhodes Place is firmly regarded as a catalyst in inner-city rejuvenation and is one of the largest mixed-use developments in Cape Town since the 1970s. The development, set for completion at the end of 2006, successfully merges residential and retail components. Mandela Rhodes Place comprises 180 luxurious apartments and, in addition to the first city winery, a range of restaurants, bars, food halls and
delicatessens.

Through the development of Mandela Rhodes Place - which comprises well over 100 000 square metres of new buildings and refurbished mixed-use property in the heart of the city - Eurocape aims to achieve the city's vision of providing residents and visitors with a host of entertainment and round-the-clock leisure activities and creating a lifestyle
experience alongside that of the most advanced cities in the world.