JACOB’S QUEST WINES  IN NAMIBIA - 21 to 29 August 2010

I packed my bag (with my sharp-pointers shoes of course) and we were off to Windhoek, Namibia. Travelling with me was Dico Du Toit who kept on nagging me with my huge bag. “Man are you running away from home with that big bag or what ” he said giggling. And I thought to my self, “Jacob you are going to be with this guy in the car for over ten hours, God be with you.”

We spent our first night in Grunau which is a small town after Noordoewer and Al-Ais areas. We had  booked a motel there which is inside the filling station vicinity just next to the main road . We immediately unpacked and the first thing on our mind was, we need to organise some fire and do a braai. The time was ten o’ clock South African time and nine o’ clock Namibian time. It didn’t matter what time it was we just wanted some meat, boerewors and to celebrate our trip thus far. It was great.

The following morning we had to continue our journey and see the untouched natural habitat of Namibia. The scenery was just unbelievable and breathtaking. From far away some of the mountains looked like a masterpiece portrait on a canvas. I cannot explain the feeling but I just felt drawn to nature like never before.  On the road we passed  some towns such as Keetmanshoop, Mariental and Rehoboth. Then finally we were in Windhoek and my first impression was I was in South Africa. 

The infrastructure of the city is highly modernised like any other in the world. We slept at one of the guest houses and their staff was very friendly.

The interesting thing for me was seeing tourists from different countries, ethnicity and cultures having normal conversations even though they didn’t know each other. Some came from America, Germany, France, Italy , Netherlands and South Africa. And at that moment it dawned to me that what we are trying to campaign as a brand is that people from different cultures and backgrounds can accept each other and communicate like they’ve known each other for years, and exactly that was unfolding right in front of my eyes.

Meanwhile the objective of our trip was to introduce and promote the Jacob’s Quest wine brand in retail outlets, restaurants, bottle stores and hotels across Namibia. Thus the following day we were on the road again and visited the town of Swakopmund. Before you arrive at the town you feel like you are driving in a desert. On the side of the road there is only sand dunes and ahead, the tar road . Now, this is one thing that surprised me. As we drove to the far end of the town, and this surprised me,  I was literally standing next to the sea. I could only express this to Dico in my own language“go tsamaya kego bona”. Meaning to travel is to experience.

Taken by the scenery we remembered that we are not on a holiday, so we quickly drove-off to the town of Walvis Bay where we had  arranged business meetings. And all the people we introduced the Jacob’s Quest wine brand to, were excited, interested and wanted to do business with us. Honestly the response was unexpected, motivating and encouraging. This was worth all the hours that we travelled. Then after all that hard work, we took a detour to see the countries hailed sand dunes and Dico took beautiful pictures of me standing on the gigantic Dune 7. It was amazing and of course I was holding the JQ Cabernet Sauvignon “Rite of passage” in my hand. I had to bless the dunes with my quest. That night we stayed at one of the guest houses in Swakopmund and had a fantastic braai.

On Wednesday we travelled back to Windhoek because in the evening our appointed  agents in Namibia The Wine Shop/Bar organised a JQ wine tasting promotion. The venue was excellent providing one with a clear view of the inner city. The event was a success and I must say, there are beautiful women in Windhoek . And they all pledged their loyalty in drinking JQ wines.

On the 26th Thursday, 27th Friday and 28th Saturday it was the Wine and Décor extravaganza were we exhibited for the first time in Windhoek the Jacob’s Quest Wine Brand.  It was a SMACK DOWN. Almost everyone who attended the festival, whether male or female, commented positively about our wines and most importantly, bought it as well. Dico and I were quite overwhelmed with the locals support who kept on enquiry where can they buy our wines apart from the show. For me this indicated that we more or less have achieved our objectives about the market and the festival was a great platform for us to expose our brand.

With that being said the Windhoek Wine and Décor Extravaganza illustrated to us that Namibia loves the Jacob’s Quest Brand and personally that was a huge stamp of approval. The people are friendly, beautiful, love wine (JQ with no doubt) and definitely this will not be my last visit to the country.

Let the quest begin ... Jacob Peu

In what is the culmination of a few years of planning and dreaming for the team at Greenacres Fine Wines, the Jacob's Quest ™ 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon was bottled at the end of June 2010.

“ The Rite of Passage”

Aptly described on the label, “The Rite of Passage” refers to the important elements in the coming of age of our wines and our business. The separation of an adolescent from the mother and subsequent re-introduction to the community as an adult after observing the many rituals and ceremonies that form part of this rite of passage, perfectly describes the wine making process with all the emotion attached to nurturing a child through to adulthood.

As winemakers, we are taking a step into the more serious side of the wine business by releasing this single varietal wine, demonstrating growth and expansion in our business.

Our Brand, Jacob's Quest ™ is entering a new phase being recognized as a wine brand aiming to satisfy consumers having a more sophisticated palate than our traditional market of the past. Our target group are evolving and we have to match their expectation by delivering more sophisticated and traditional varietal wines.

Jacob Peu (co-founder) continues his Quest to introduce and expose the wine in it's entirety to the mainstream market by taking the novice wine consumer a step further into the wonderful world of wine.

You are invited to sit back and enjoy the quest with us by trying a bottle of the Jacobs Quest Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 “Rite of Passage”.

ABSA Wildsfees - Kirkwood 4-6 June 2010

Die fantastiese weer en ‘n rekord getal besoekers by die jaarlikse ABSA Wildsfees het gesorg vir ‘n wonderlike platform om die Jacob's Quest Wyne(JQ) in die Ooskaap bekend te stel.

The fantastic weather and the record number of visitor’s to the annual ABSA Wildsfees laid a fantastic platform to introduce the Jacob’s Quest Wines(JQ) to the Eastern Cape.