Raats Family Wines

Pretty stoked to add Raats to my lifestyle portfolio. Been running with the apprentice vinter over the past two summers, which led to a few meals including some of their wines, and now an objective to tie in our two far contrasting worlds with the common ground they share. Class wines. That I’ve been having plenty of. Much appreciated their support at the DGH Gratitude function I hosted last week too. Allowed me to share their craft with many involved in my journey.

RAATS JOINS WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE ATHLETE
Raats Family Wines have appointed XTERRA triathlete Dan Hugo as brand ambassador to promote their range of premium wines.

Hugo recently finished second in the XTERRA world championships in Hawaii and will compete in the South African leg of the global series in February 2012. Hugo spends six months a year in South Africa and the other half in the United States, while training for the gruelling XTERRA series. While in South Africa, he lives in Stellenbosch and enjoys the unique lifestyle of this town in the heart of the Cape winelands.
“I like experimenting with different lifestyle elements, especially good food and wine and first tried the Raats’ wines with assistant winemaker Gavin Slabbert. There are many similarities between Bruwer’s approach to winemaking and my life as a triathlete. We’re both operating in a niche environment – him as a Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc specialist and me as a multi-discipline athlete. That is one of the main reasons that the idea of being a Raats brand ambassador appealed to me as it is a small, intimate brand and I think I can add value to promoting the brand. I’ve always believed that the core of a man’s strength comes from new experiences – and this will definitely be one of those,” mentions Hugo.

Raats first met Hugo while he was doing a motivational speech at Somerset House, where his sons go to school and was immediately impressed with his attitude to life. “Dan sets an exceptional example both on and off the racing circuit. He is immensely humble about his achievements and remains hard-working and committed to following his passion. There are many parallels between his approach to his life as a XTERRA athlete and my winemaking philosophy and I realise that we could foster an organic collaboration. He strives to be the world’s best and although XTERRA is not a mainstream sport, it has not stopped his absolute dedication to the sport. In the same way, I follow a fairly unorthodox approach to winemaking, but still aims to create world-class wines. By being a brand ambassador for my wines, Dan will introduce it to a completely different audience, which is always a fantastic opportunity,” states Raats.

In the States, Hugo resides in Colorado and hopes to explore further markets for Raats Family Wines as they have an extensive American distribution network. “The fact that his wines are relatively widely available, means that I can introduce more people to the brand and they will be able to get hold of Raats wines fairly easily,” says Hugo.
For more information, visit www.raats.co.za.