Clotilda and Emmanuel Sitelo are proud members of the Great Domaines team.
Great Domaines celebrated its fourth annual Burgundian feast on the 11th of November: La Paulée de Johannesbourg. “Inspired by the original La Paulée de Meursault, it is an opportunity for fanatical Burgundy lovers to meet and share great bottles from their cellars with each other. The pleasure derived from drinking a great wine is increased greatly by sharing it with like-minded people” says Wayne Visser, founder of Great Domaines.
La Paulée de Johannesbourg is also a philanthropic event. Great Domaines is dedicated to transformation in South Africa; starting with education. “We are privileged to be able to enjoy some of the greatest wines in the world and these are generally bought by people generous of spirit. La Paulée is an opportunity for privileged wine lovers, who are our friends, to make a difference through their donations” says Visser. “Responsible wine enjoyment is a symbol of civilised society and education is one of the pillars of civilisation. This is a cause well-worth supporting,” he adds.
Every year a number of Great Domaines’ producers generously contribute to the auction. This year the following Magnums were on auction: Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole 2014, Lafarge Volnay Premier Cru ‘Clos des Chênes’ 2002, Maison Deux Montille Meursault Premier Cru ‘Bouchères’ 2009, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Grand Cru Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet 2009, De Montille Corton Grand Cru ‘Clos de Roi’ 2007, Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia 2014, Henri Gouges Nuit-Saint-Georges Premier Cru ‘Clos des Porrets Saint Georges’ 2014, Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape la Réserve 2014, Vilmart & Cie Champagne Grand Cellier d’Or 2009 and Tempus Grenache 2015.
To date, the Great Domaines trust, founded and funded initially by Wayne Visser and Venetia Buissinne in their personal capacity, has contributed towards the education of six children. This year 2 new children, Celo and Memory, starting Grade R at Houghton Primary, will be sponsored by the trust.
“I would like to thank you, our generous sponsors, as the GD Education Trust has helped me to have a better start in my life. While I was at primary school I met good people who have positively influenced my life. Wayne Visser and Venetia Buissinne started me on the Trust” says Emmanuel, one of the original six children. “I appreciate that education is the key to success. I have completed a computer science course which earned me a trip overseas to the Boston museum, completed matric and passed both levels 1 and 2 of the Wine and Spirits Education Trust,” adds Emmanuel.
About the GD Trust
Great Domaines is dedicated to transformation in South Africa therefore in 2010 a GD education trust was formed. The trust’s vision is to raise funds to provide quality education for disadvantaged children and help them reach their full potential. We aim to obtain sufficient funding to grow our sponsor child base from the existing six children (together with the FPM Trust) by at least one child per year. The Paulée in France is also traditionally a philanthropic event therefore a number of Great Domaines’ producers generously contribute towards the auction. This year Great Domaines asked every guest attending Paulée to contribute R500 towards the trust to assist those who are less fortunate. To date, thanks to the generous donations of our producers and guests, we have collectively contributed towards changing the lives of six children. Emmanuel, the first beneficiary of Great Domaines’s education trust, having completed his matric, also has the title of WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) level 2.
About Great Domaines
Established in 2000, Great Domaines is a leading importer and distributor of fine European wines and the wines of one Lebanese winery, being Château Musar. It also distributes the wines for a handful of South African wineries.
The Great Domaines’ philosophy is to deal with the best producer in each fine wine region. Some of the rarest and most prestigious wines in the world are exclusively brought into South Africa direct from the estates – these include the likes of Burgundy’s Domaine de La Romanée-Conti, Champagne’s Pol Roger, Italy’s Sassicaia, Spain’s Vega Sicilia and now Bordeaux’s Petrus, among many others.
About La Paulée de Meursault
La Paulée de Meursault, a nearly century old event, is an extravagant luncheon celebrating the end of the grape harvest in Burgundy, France. Today it has become an international event part of ‘Les trois glorieuses’ which includes a Charity auction at the Hospice de Beaune.
For more information please contact: Christine Lundy (Public Relations)
Tel: 011 778 9375
Cell: 083 677 5400
