After 22 years of operating at Delvera in the Simonsberg region outside Stellenbosch, specialist fine wine retailer Vineyard Connection has set up shop in the bustling Devon Junction at the foot of Devon Valley. Owners Johan Rademan and Lara Philp, who founded their wine business in Salt River in 1995, said the move brings their classically eclectic fine wine offering closer to the growing Stellenbosch community, and the vibrant commercial developments in the area, anchored by the Woodmill.

Johan says he and Lara had bought the Devon Junction property eight years ago as an investment, and when their tenants departed, the decision was made to bring Vineyard Connection into this space.

“Not only are we now closer to the commercial action of the ever-expanding town of Stellenbosch, but the new property allows us to have our warehouse and wine shop under one roof.

“Aesthetically, we loved the old building, originally a butchery, which was built about 70 years ago and we set about renovating and creating the wine shop and our logistics warehouse.

“The services that Vineyard Connection has provided for the past 25 years, include retail wine sales, the wine club and worldwide deliveries.

“We really loved our position on Delvera Farm, where we started as tenants of the legendary Delheim patriarch Spatz Sperling.”

Over the last two decades, Johan, Lara, and their wine and freight teams, have built a reputation for service excellence and built exceptional relationships with their customers, wine producers and the community.

passionate and knowledgeable

“As a specialist fine wine retailer – as well as having close to 30 years’ experience selling wine – we know all too well that you can’t be everything to everybody,” says Lara. “We know what wines we enjoy, and we know what wines will appeal to the kind of customer who walks through our doors. Vineyard Connection works with the smaller top-end producers, many of whom don’t have tasting facilities, and are therefore happy to tap into our understanding and enthusiasm for their fantastic wines, entrusting us to trade them.”

This reputation as passionate and knowledgeable wine retailers, has driven Vineyard Connections’ relationships with winemakers and farms, ensuring that they are of the first retailers to taste and receive exclusive new releases, most of which are allocated and in very limited supply, farms such as Sadie, Mullineux, Alheit and Savage to name just a few.

“While we will always ensure to stock the classic wines with provenance, wines such as Kanonkop, Thelema, and Rust en Vrede, our interest and fascination with the diverse and ever-changing offering of Cape wines, ensures that we are always on the look-out for exciting new producers of different wine styles and varied cultivars. Fortunately, with the dynamic state of the South African wine industry, there is always something new and interesting around the corner for us to get enthusiastic about by ensuring we put it onto the Vineyard Connection shelf.”

Their love of wine is complemented by the continual updated wine knowledge. Lyzette, the Wine Sales Manager, has been in the industry for over 9 years, and is an encyclopedia when it comes to wines. With her degree in winemaking from Elsenburg and her passion, she makes sure that the shelves are stocked with real gems and sought-after wines.

“Our walk-in clients are guided through the various styles of wine with exceptional knowledge from Lyzette and our wine team on the floor.” says Lara. “It is not just about having the relevant knowledge on the styles and appealing elements of the wines themselves, but also having an understanding of the producers’ philosophy and inspiration for making these wines.”

logistical excellence

Besides The Wineshop, Vineyard Connection has built a reputation for service and logistical excellence, with customers having the advantage of receiving free delivery in the Western Cape with deliveries anywhere in South Africa and the world. “Our freight division is an integral part to our business, from delivering samples for winemakers around the world, ensuring the tourist can get their favourite wine from each farm delivered to their door, or to filling pallets of wine to ship to private clients abroad. Helene, our Wine Freight Manager and her team, do an amazing job ensuring smooth deliveries around the world.

“We also find that with the large number of new wines available, not everyone knows what to purchase for daily enjoyment or for that special occasion,” says Lyzette. “Our wine club is geared for people who don’t have the time or knowledge of what is out there. We pack their specific pack according to their taste, delivering a monthly or bi-monthly case, to their door.”

old vine story

Being at the coal-face of customer interaction, Lyzette says that at Vineyard Connection it is interesting to see what appeals to wine buyers these days.

“It has changed so much since we started out because the producers in this industry continue to be forever adventurous, pioneering, producing excellent and exciting wines,” she says. “Currently, Certified Old Vine Project wines receive a lot of international attention. Tourists are drawn to the Old Vine Project seal as they associate the respective wines with quality, complexity and a special story lurking in those old South African vineyards. Chenin Blanc is a particularly exciting variety in this category, and the old vine story has ignited an interest in Chenin in general.”

“There is a lot of interest in wines fermented and aged in concrete or amphorae, with many of the young independent producers offering fresh, accessible and vibrant wines in this category.”

And don’t discount the classics, a fine selection of which are also to be found in the Vineyard Connection store.

“Overgaauw Tria Corda 2019, for example, is a richly historic producer still making brilliant wine,” says Lara. “Keets, De Trafford, Kanonkop, Kaapzicht, Glenelly, Rust en Vrede . . . classic never goes out of fashion.” And neither will exceptional fine wine retailers, Vineyard Connection being a case in point.