Love and legacy, poured - Nuy releases Toekie ‘My Hartedief’ Red Muscadel 2025

The name of this muscadel honours an extraordinary and very special love story: for seven years, Oom (Uncle) Toekie Burger (1929–2024) rode on horseback to visit his beloved Elna before they finally married. She called him her “hartedief” – a term of endearment now immortalised on the award winning Nuy Winery’s brand-new Toekie ‘My Hartedief’ Red Muscadel 2025.

This new release from the cellar in the Nuy Valley is the latest addition to its popular Legacy Range and pays tribute to an iconic man and a much-loved figure at the cellar, as well as the community’s history. Oom Toekie was the longest surviving and actively involved founding member of Nuy Winery (1 November 1963) and, in earlier years, also served as chair of Nuy’s board.

He worked the land on the family farm, De Nuy – where he was born – well into his late eighties, where they farmed with grapes, lucerne, bees and cattle. He often entertained the community with personal tales and treated them to his own delicious fresh honey.

According to the Nuy team, Oom Toekie was not merely a man who experienced heritage – he embodied it. It was only fitting that this legend’s ride for love be immortalised by the cellar he helped to found.

Nuy Winery and the story of the sugarbird

Nuy’s Toekie ‘My Hartedief’ Red Muscadel 2025 was bottled last year to celebrate the Nuy tasting room’s tenth anniversary (established 2015), and only a limited number of bottles of this rare wine are available to purchase.

The bottle also features the distinctive sugarbird you’ll find on the labels of Nuy’s three wine ranges. The look and feel of these ranges, namely Inspiration, Mastery and Legacy, was refreshed last year and a small sugarbird was added to the labels in the process.

Hundreds of sugarbirds live and thrive in the gardens around Nuy Winery, and with this addition the Nuy team not only pays tribute to this little bird but also reflects the harmony between the winemaking process and nature.

Oom Toekie in your glass

The Toekie My Hartedief Red Muscadel 2025 pairs well with cheeseboards and can be served, among other occasions, as a dessert wine after a meal, at cocktail hour, during celebrations or on winter evenings by the fireplace.

This muscadel boasts gorgeous flavours of blueberries, mulberries and strawberry jam. On the nose, expect notes of rooibos, raisins and a distinct muscat-spice, while the palate is full and bright with a promise of a mouthwatering experience. You can serve this muscadel slightly chilled and in a smaller glass.

Nuy’s Toekie My Hartedief Red Muscadel 2025 is available online at www.nuywinery.co.za  at R195 per 750 ml bottle. Interested buyers can also purchase it at Nuy Winery’s popular Nuy On The Hill destination between Worcester and Robertson.

Let’s raise a glass to Oom Toekie, his beloved Elna, and to a story that began in the saddle and, ultimately, found its way into a glass.