hunter gatherer vintner

Sabreur!

2012-02-23T12:11:00.002+02:00

"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes,I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. Itrifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it if I am; otherwise I never touchit - unless I'm thirsty." Madame Bollinger, one of the Grande Dames ofFrench champagne (1884-1977).

Exactly, why wait for special occasions to enjoy the mostenthralling of beverages. And why care when only Champagnefrom Champagne can be called Champagne when we have our very own MéthodeChampagnois in Cap Classique (MCC)?

If you go according to the price of Champagnealone, they are simply not that muchbetter than ours and in fact some Champagnehouses clearly exploit their protected provenance by overcharging for vinordinaire. Of course great Champagneis non-parallel Monsieur.

Besides tasting the stars, there are a number of things thatmake MCC special. During sur lie (in-bottle maturation on spent yeast cellsknown as lees) charged ions accumulate, which then deliver aphrodisiac-likequalities when quaffed. Now if this makes you pucker up for a kiss but nobody (suitable)is within range, temptation will rise with the release of pheromones around thelips when you pucker up for a sip from a flute.

That giddy and glazed feeling is also amplified by howquickly the alcohol gets into your bloodstream because the CO2 (carbon dioxide)in the wine accelerates absorption - especially on an empty stomach. Be carefulof who you’re standing next to at the office party and designate the driver early.

In the absence of somebody to kiss, you might just betempted by some Sabrage. Make sure the bottle is well chilled in the fridge (7-8°C)as you also want the neck chilled (or once chilled in a bucket, give it acouple of minutes up side down).

Remove the foil to reveal the cork (bouchon) and wire basket(muselet). Carefully remove the muselet, leaving the bouchon intact. Next, findone of the two seams along the side of the bottle nearest the glass lip justbelow the mouth.

With your arm extended, hold the bottle firmly (seam up) byplacing the thumb inside the punt at the base of the bottle with the neck about30° from horizontal. Make sure no one is in your line of fire, then reach for yourSaber.

Now, calmly lay the Saber flat along the seam of the bottle withthe back edge (either side works as well) ready to slide firmly at the glassring at the top. The movement does not have to be done with great speed orfirmness as the snapping of the glass is aided by the internal pressure of thebottle, so that the cork and glass ring fly off with one stroke of the sword.

If your Saber is not at hand you can substitute with alarger chef’s knife or even a solid metal egg flip, some even use a teaspoon. The internal pressure alsoensures that no glass falls into the bottle. Congratulations you are now a Sabreur!

Some producers like Pongracz and Villiera also produce a375ml MCC which might be a bit small for Sabrage but they can be handy forpicnics, breakfast, brunch, lunch, sundowners, dinner and a nightcap. They alsofit into handbags for the movies or theatre.

you tune sabrage

Jonathan Snashall

*Dosage – proprietary mix of grape concentrate, base wine,maybe even a touch of brandy, used to top up bubbly when they are disgorged(crown cap removed, sediment ejected and corked).

Italian Job

2012-02-21T12:58:00.001+02:00

So you’ve got the Mini Cooper with the beefed up suspension, now you need ahit list – Signori Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Primitivo, capice? Italianwine varieties are putting out contracts in the Capeand it’s no surprise that Italian owners are making some of the best hits.

Take Morgenster for example, owner Giulio Bertrand made winemaker HenryKotze an offer he could not refuse so he now makes such a delicious Sangiovese calledTosca you would think his life depended on it – it’s in the Super Tuscan* stylewith a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Constania winery Steenberg are among the SA pioneers of Nebbiolo, the grapebehind Italy’spowerful Barolo wines, classically described as having tar (intensity) androses on the nose after some bottle age. Steenberg’s style is more modern withsour cherry notes but with typical tannic, food-friendly structure.

Morgenster also do Nabucco, a Nebbiolo-based blend and a dry Sangiovese Rosewith tangy cherry notes called Caruso in keeping with their operatic theme.These wines have a classic savoury edge which makes them easy to pair with nutrimentoincluding the Rose with fare un picnic – Prizzi’s Honour style.

There is a growing school of thought in the Capethat – like in much of the old world – blending is the way to go. Hannibal, a Super Tuscan stylefrom Bouchard Finlayson recently garnered a rare 5 star in the 2012 Platterwine guide for the 2010 vintage. This wine is Sangiovese-dominant but also hassome Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Mourvedré, Barbera and Shiraz in the extended famiglia.

Nederburg have also gone the blend route with their Ingenuity Red which alsomanaged a high five for their 07 vintage in the 2011 Platter guide. Here cellarmaster Razvan Macici has done a perfetto blend of Sangiovese, Barberaand Nebbiolo.

Alberto and Valerie Bottega own Da Capo vineyards on wind-swept Sir Lowry’sPass where their Idiom Wines include Nebbiolo, Barbera, Sangiovese and Primitivo(Zinfandel). These are modern in style,showing more opulenza and maturo with prices and packaging to match.

Durbanville producer Altydgedacht have been refining Piedmontese variety Barberafor some time now as the SA pioneer of the variety while boutique-sizednewcomer Hofstraat received 4,5 stars from Platter for their ripe, black cherrystyle 2009 vintage.

Paarl cheese and wine producer Fairview– famous for their play on goats in their marketing campaign – produce theGoatfather, a blend of French varieties with Barbera, and Primitivo for adark-toned, white pepper-nuanced experience. Share with those you trustsays Signor Back.

If your preferred Italian flavour is organic, BEE, ethical and oxymoronic,lookout out for a Sangiovese from Tukulu, a venture between JSE-listed Distell,a Gauteng-based consortium of black entrepreneurs and the farm’s workers. Thisone is rustico with cherry and liquorice notes and also good with food.

If you are on the hunt for buon mercato look out for Merwida Barbera, DuToitskloof Nebbiolo and Koelenhof Sangiovese as these represent particularlygood value from former co-operatives.

There are not many to track down on the white front. Pinot Grigio has risen to popularity in the UK and elsewhere. Here Anthonij Rupert’s is bene noto butDurbanville’s De Grendel 2011 has more assetto. Nederburg 2011 is the highest rated Pinot Grigio in the 2012 Platter Guide followed by the 2010 Township Winery vintage from Dido.

Graham Knox is behind the Matriarch Project (working-class women from Philippi, Nyanga and Gugulethu) who, with business activist Kate Jambela, British groups Virgin Wines and Wine Fusion, created the Township Winery in Philippi.

Ripasso is a wine making technique used by the Italians to enrich mustswhere young wines are fermented on the post-ferment skins of dried grape styleslike Amarone. Franschhoek’s Chamonix has usedthis technique to great effect on their Pinotage to produce a rich yetaccessible style.

Also see my post about Glen Carlou's 2009 Zinfandel

*When Tuscans first started blendinginternational with indigenous varieties they fell foul of Italian bureaucracy whichsaw these top quality wines fall into the ordinary vino da tavaloclassification and became known as Super Tuscans

HGVing

2011-12-18T00:48:00.002+02:00

Have gone HGVing in Yarra / Mornington until further notice, spotted this at Melbourne Airport.

Parlez-vous Sefrican? Methode Stellenoise?

and this Chinese BC wine glass at Melbourne's National Gallery Victoria.

And this one from the Zhou Dynasty

WOW

2011-12-02T08:33:00.001+02:00

Last night I went to the Taj in Cape Town to taste some Nederburg wines, excited at the prospect of tasting some Ingenuity white and red which are indeed impressive, creative blends. Then I tried II Centuries 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and was promptly blown away. It also revived the old cliche about the Cape's ability to produce wines which straddle the Old and New world displaying (restrained) new world fruit richness with old world savouriness.

Its a brilliant example of the unique place the Cape occupies in the wine world. Only 2000 bottles were made and sell at R400, a snip compared to what you would pay for Cru Classe Bordeaux of similar quality.

If you dont find any, try the II Centuries 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, while it doesn't quite recalibrate as much as the Cab, its also a very sexy, seductive wine and don't forget the Ingenuity and the Riesling and the Chenin and the Eminence and ....

John Platter 2012 goes to the web

2011-11-09T09:45:00.001+02:00

Following the earlier announcement of the platter 5 star wines for 2012 the media launch for the book last night revealed Boekenhoutskloof as winery of the year, Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2010 as red wine of the year and Badsberg Badslese 2009 as white wine of the year while the superquaffer went to Wolftrap White 2010.

It was also the launch of the web-based version www.wineonaplatter.com, with the iphone App in conjunction with www.wine-oh.info in the next few weeks, and a version for Android smartphones, a mobi site and an e-book to follow.

The booklet continues to grow with some 1000 new wines to over 7000 from more than 900 producers. RRP for the book is R159.95 and can be ordered online from www.kalahari.com and www.sawinesonline.co.uk

speculation about the colour no passes to 2013

2011 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10

2011-11-06T15:56:00.000+02:00

While Sauvignon’s affinity for oak is debatable, itsaffinity for controversy in the Cape is not. Ifprevious results have been about making frenemies and narrowly defining itsstyles, Friday’s results seemed to be about making friends - and embracingWOSA’s ‘diversity is in our nature’ strap line.

Sauvignon Blanc has travelled some distance in the last 5 - nevermind 10 - years, yet the results reveal more than the variety's Cape evolution. Neworganiser SBIG (Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group, secretary Pieter de Waal mustbe commended) found a new sponsor in FNB, assembled a new panel* under previouschair Christian Eedes and came up with probably the widest cross-section ofregions, styles and price points the competition has ever seen. (although someusual regions where missing).

It suggests that the panel was given a brief that differedfrom previous years and / or it’s a reflection of the 2011 vintage which wasmore about textures than aromatics, playing into the hands of the warmerregions. However, with the exception of [what]? WoolworthsSauvignon Blanc from Breedekloof’s Bergsig, all non-coastal producers bought infruit from cooler areas in varying amounts up to 100% in Overhex’s Soulo 2011.

Front l to r: JP Quickelberge (Clos Malverne), Alex Nel (David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner), Lizelle Gerber (Boschendal), Richard Duckitt

(Franschhoek Cellar), Jandre Human (Overhex), De Wet Lategan (Bergsig)

Back l to r: Thys Louw (Diemersdal), Pieter Badenhorst (Fleur du Cap), Morné Vrey (Delaire), Gideon Theron (Lutzville Vineyards)

The top 10 in ascending price:

Lutzville CoolClimate 2010                R26.99
Woolworths [WHAT]? 2011 by Bergsig Estate      R39.95
Franschhoek Cellar Statue deFemme 2011         R40
Wade Bales Winemaker SelectionThys Louw 2011     R49
Overhex Soulo 2011                   R65
Clos Malverne2011                   R76
Boschendal Reserve Collection2011             R90
Delaire Coastal Cuvee 2011                R95
Fleur du Cap Unfiltered LimitedRelease 2011         R95
David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner2011             R165

While there is no perfect wine competition – which is partof its appeal – and there is no pleasing everybody, should SBIG be asking themselves ifthey should create 2 categories – regional and multi-regional, or simply leave itto the other competitions? I know what the terroirists will say.

SBIG indentified 5 major styles – something the CheninAssociation should be doing – and paired an example of each with an item of food as follows: tropical & yellow fruit (granadilla jelly); green & herbaceous (red pepper);blackcurrant & elderberries (goats cheese espuma); wooded & barrel fermented (pear pieces with rice wine vinegar) and flint &mineral (oyster jelly) at various walk-around stations tohighlight the respective styles (these wines presented blind) at Cellars Hohenort’s beautiful Greenhouse.

At the end of the walk-about, the top twenty (now sighted)wines where then grouped in style categories to be very well paired withdelicious canapés (thanks Jorg Pfutzner and Peter Tempelhoff): tropical & yellow fruit (Poached Gurnard, cucumber, spring onion, passion fruit sauce. ChickenBallottine, pineapple & peach compote, baguette crouton); green& herbaceous (Vegetable& Prawn Vietnamese Springroll, Jalapeno Ponzu vinaigrette);blackcurrant & elderberries (Goats cheese & beetroot, green apple chutney); wooded& barrel fermented (QuailRoulade, lavash, onion puree, Spiced Pear Gastrique) and flint &mineral (Smoked YellowtailTartare, Lime, Coriander, Avo Mousse) in a line up to blow away any Sauvignon sceptics.

* Panel Members

Christian Eedes (chair)

Angela Lloyd

James Pietersen

Louie Nel

Pieter de Waal

Total number of wines entered: 169

Wines achieving 4 stars and above: 27 (16% of entries)

4 STAR AND ABOVE WINES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Backsberg John Martin Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Bergsig [WHAT]? Woolworths Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Bonnievale Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Boschendal Reserve Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Clos Malverne Sauvignon Blanc 2011

De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Delaire Coastal Cuvée 2011

Delaire Coastal Cuvée 2010

Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Sauvignon Blanc Limited Release 2011

Franschhoek Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2011

David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010

KWV Cathedral Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2011

La Motte Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Lomond Sugarbush Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Lutzville Cool Climate Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Neethlingshof Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Phizante Kraal Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Quoin Rock The Nicobar 2009

Rietvallei Classic Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Soulo Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Wade Bales Thys Louw Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Tokara Zondernaam Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Uitkyk Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2011

BLICZIN!

2011-11-02T09:35:00.000+02:00

Sound the clarion call, ignite the fires, release thepigeons, or just get tweeting - Glen Carlou Zinfandel 09 is an absolute beauty.

If it’s not one of the Cape’sbest reds, it’s certainly the best Zinfandel. This wine exudes class, charm andplenty of classic Zin plus some Barolo-like intensity. But wait that’s not all – It’s not only got BLIC – balance,length, intensity and complexity – it’s got the S for savoury version too.

Youcan expect to find red berries, tea leaf, clove, cedar wood and violets on thenose. The palate is at once juicy and tangy yet dense with fine tannins and velvetytextures. It’s shows great tension between the tannin and acids, making it veryfood friendly and certainly easy to drink without.

Its got everything for Sin freaks to get evangelical. The sad news is that the 09 vintage is their last followingthe grubbing up of the vineyard. The good news is they have some stock of the09 – and its only R130 a bottle.

Model Cap Classique

2011-10-13T13:39:00.002+02:00

Bubbles Ferreira has pulled off another Cap Classique coup with the unveiling this week of Graham Beck Brut Zero (zero dosage), the low-cal version for size zero models - and seasoned wine drinkers who find technically dry wines increasingly sweet. While I am not a fan of the word because you can't taste minerals in wine, this wine does display what is generally termed as minerality (maybe think stone/fruit pips) and a delicious nutty/fino sherry like savouriness to arrive at an umami tsunami bubbly.

This wine has only 2, 4g/lt of sugar balanced by only 5,5g/lt of acid - lower than found in its fully-dressed siblings. Alcohol calories also low at 12%. There is no sugar to paper over cracks - not that there were any - and the bubbles amplify the wine's attributes four-fold, so viticulture and winemaking has to be expert and precise.

Richness comes from 72 months sur lie while a portion of the chardonnay was lightly oaked. (13% Pinot Noir). Meanwhile Harpers reports that sales of lighter style wines are up 61% in the UK off-trade but I doubt this is merely a case of serendipity.

Bubbles teamed up with long-standing Franschhoek mate and world-rated chef Margo Janse (le quartier francais) to produce a sublime pairing with a slightly smoked oyster with cucumber, granadilla and chourizo.

However, the wine and dish of the day was edged by the main of guineafowl paired with 1993 Blanc de Blanc which must be a strong contender for the best bubbly Pieter has ever made. It made me reconsider one of my favourite acronyms BLIC (balance, length, intensity and complexity) but F for fresh just doesn't seem to fit. F-BLIC? BLIFC?

But this was was fresh with a capital F, despite 10 years sur lie and 8 years on the cork. Pieter said he wished he had made more notes on the production but they were helter-skelter early days before the cellar even had a roof - biodynamics would probably attribute the moon. It was exceptionally well paired with the perfectly cooked and delicate guineafowl.

The second course of mushroom, sorrel and celeriac (again lots of umami) was paired with 08 Vintage Brut Rose and I experimented with the Cuvee Clive 05, their Grande Marques, expecting the marmite notes (5 years sur lie) to pair well with the shrooms yet they negated the yeastyness while the rose fruit was accentuated by the shrooms, contrasting rather than complementary flavours making the match. With both Bubbles and Margo apparently at the height of their powers, it was certainly a day to remember.

Platter's 2012 Five Stars

2011-10-11T11:09:00.000+02:00

Ammo for cork dork combat
1. One similarity with Veritas is the increase in awards for reds, but only one 5 star for KWV who stole the Veritas show with single biggest haul ever by a winery and last got a Platter fiver in 1986!
2. Does Vinimark own John Platter or visa versa?
3. Boekenhoutskloof, Mullineux Family Wines and Nederburg each got 3 x 5 stars.
4. Newton Johnson’s Domaine Pinot Noir 2010 is the third consecutive vintage to rate 5 Stars.
5. Some will be cheering that no Pinotage pulled off the high five.
6. Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2010 is the fifth consecutive year to rate 5 stars.
7. Three wines do the double of 5 Stars in Platter’s and double gold at Veritas 2011, Graham Beck Chalkboard #3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Nederburg Eminence 2010 and Strandveld Sauvignon Blanc 2010.
8.Spier, triumphant at Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show could not muster a high five here.
9. At a total of 45 x 5 stars its 13 less than 2011 off 10 less nominations.
10.Grenache Blanc, this time KWV, gets another high five.
11.Like Veritas, Chard under-performed - only 2 x 5 stars and one is a CWG reserve from Jordan
12. Usual suspects missing - Kanonkop, Vergelegen, Cape Point, Hamilton Russel, Le Riche, Woolworths, De Trafford, Paul Cluver, Chamonix.
13. Plenty of first-time five star recipients, including Badsberg Wine Cellar, Colmant Cap Classique & Champagne, Diemersfontein Wines, Glenelly Cellars, Miles Mossop Wines, Mont Destin and Oak Valley Wines, lets hope the latter's Sauvignon Blanc gets one soon.
14. Established producers returning to five-star form after a gap of several years are La Motte, which last bagged the maximum rating in the 1995 edition.
15.The best-performing category is Red Blends, with seven wines getting a fiver
16.Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz got 5 x 5 stars each but only 3 double golds for Sauv Blanc and 2 for Shiraz at Veritas (of course not everybody enters both).
17. Nederburg Ingenuity White 2010 is the fourth consecutive vintage to get high five.
18. Graham Becks other high five is for Pheasants Run Sauv Blanc 2011, Gold at Veritas.

19. Fable Jackal Bird, formerly Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards, now owned by ex-Screaming Eagle MD, Charles Banks. Is this the most imperious bird to be found in Tulbagh?
20. Can Richard Rowe and his young team ever make KWV sexy?

The List

Méthode Cap Classique

Colmant Brut Chardonnay NV

Topiary Wines Blanc de Blancs Brut 2009

Sauvignon Blanc

Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Hermanuspietersfontein Sauvignon Blanc No 5 2010

Kleine Zalze Wines Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Steenberg Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve The Magus 2010

Strandveld Wines Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Bordeaux-style White Blends

Flagstone CWG Auction Reserve Happy Hour 2009

Tokara Director’s Reserve White 2010

Chenin Blanc

Beaumont Hope Marguerite 2010

Diemersfontein Carpe Diem Chenin Blanc 2010

Vins d’Orrance Kama Chenin Blanc 2010

Mediterranean White Blends

Fable Jackal Bird 2010

Mullineux White Blend 2010

Nederburg Ingenuity White 2010

Grenache Blanc

KWV The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2010

Chardonnay

De Wetshof ‘The Site’ Chardonnay 2009

Jordan CWG Auction Reserve Chardonnay 2010

Pinot Noir

Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2010

Newton Johnson Domaine Pinot Noir 2010

Oak Valley Pinot Noir 2009

Red Blends

Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal 2010

La Motte Pierneef Shiraz-Viognier 2009

Sadie Columella 2009

Shiraz

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2009

Fairview The Beacon Shiraz 2009

Mont Destin Destiny Shiraz 2007

Mullineux Syrah 2009

Saxenburg Shiraz Select 2007

Bordeaux-style Red Blends

De Toren Fusion V 2009

Glenelly Lady May 2009

Meerlust Rubicon 2007

Miles Mossop Wines Max 2008

Cabernet Sauvignon

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Graham Beck Chalkboard Series #3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Stark-Condé Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Cabernet Franc

Warwick Cabernet Franc 2008

Port styles

Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2009

De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve port 2009

Natural Sweet

Badsberg Badslese 2009

Noble Late Harvest

Boekenhoutskloof Noble Late Harvest 2008

Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2010

Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur Noble Late Harvest 2010

Nederburg Private Bin Eminence Noble Late Harvest 2010

Vin de Paille

Mullineux Straw Wine 2010

The Veritas Bring-Your-Own-Bling Good Value Selection

2011-10-11T03:29:00.000+02:00

Veritas – BYOB good value selection.All prices ex cellar, inc VAT.

Big Five
WellingtonWines Chenin Blanc 2011 R27.00
Bonnievale Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2011 R33.00
De Grendel 2011 Rose (cab sauv/Pinotage) R50.00
Calitzdorp Touriga Nacional 2010 R32.00
Nuy White Muscadel 2007 R36.00

Chenin Blanc – Gold

Nuy Chenin Blanc 2011 R28.00

Windmeul Chenin Blanc 2011 R29.00

Under Oaks Ltd Release 2011 R44.00

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc 2010 R46.00

Cape Weaver (Riebeek Cellars) Chenin Blanc 2010 TBC – butout of Riebeek sure to be less than R50 while going for £8.29 at Laithwaites inthe UK.

Durbanville Hills Bastion Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz 2009 R67.00

Colombar - Gold

Nuy Colombar 2011 R28.00

Sauvignon Blanc – Gold

Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2011 R35.00

White Blend - Gold

Bon Courage Hillside White 2011R31.00

JordanChameleon Sauv Blanc/Chard R46.50

Weiser Riesling - Gold

Hartenberg Weiser Riesling 2009 R57.00

Whites - Double Gold

Fleur du Cap Chardonnay Unfiltered 2010 R95.00

Strandveld Sauvignon Blanc 2010 R95.00

MCC – Double Gold

Bon Courage Blanc de Blanc Jacques Bruére 2006 R115.00 (less10% on 12)

MCC – Gold

Bon Courage Blanc de Blanc Jacques Bruére 2007 R115.00 (less10% on 12)

Red Blends – Gold

Durbanville Hills Bastion Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz 2009 R67.00

Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold

Spencer Bay Winemakers ReserveCabernet Sauvignon 2008 R75.00

Merlot – Double Gold

Anura Merlot Reserve 2008 R90.00

Pinotage – Double Gold

Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2010 R85.00 (approx)

Pinotage - Gold

Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2009 R80.00

Shiraz– Gold

Windmeul Shiraz Reserve 2009 R85.00 (approx)

Muscadel – Double Gold

Alvi’s Drift Muscat De Frontignan (fortified to 15% abv) 2010R79.53 (375ml)

Veritas - it was the KWV show

2011-10-09T09:13:00.001+02:00

Veritas 2011 was dominated by KWV with 5 double golds and 9 golds - can chief winemaker Richard Rowe make KWV sexy? It would be the makeover of the century and he may just pull it off with his young team. No other cellar has won so many golds in a single year.

The2011 legends are David Biggs, Maureen Joubert, Peter Veldsman, DrKobus Conradie, Bernhard Lüttich, Allan Mullins, and Hans Rabie.

Strong showing of Cabernets among the golds - 5 Double Golds and 12 Golds. Muratie the only Pinot Noir to get any gold and De Grendel 2011 the only Rosé; four colombars good enough for gold!; Buitenverwachting DG for (wooded) Gewürztraminer 2010; chufffed with DG Delaire 2010 Chenin Blanc (which I helped make); Anura 08 reserve the only DG Merlot; Only one DG for Chard for Fleur du Cap unfiltered 2010. Surprise package in Shiraz category - Rickety Bridge 09 got DG, Hidden Valley Land's End 08 the only other DG.

One of KWV's many DGs was for Petit Verdot 09 from the Mentor's range. Their Sauvignon (09)also DG, only others - Strandveld 10 and Jordan Outlier 09 (wooded). Strong performances from Boplaas with three DGs and following received two - Bon Courage, Delaire, Flagstone, Kanonkop, Nederburg, Nuy and Woolworths. Gold for straw wine from Rustenberg. Two bubblies in DG - Bon Courage BdB Jacques Bruere 06 and Boschendal Grande Cuvee Brut 07.

Good to see one of my long-standing favourites Uitkyk get DG for 01 Cab Sauv in museum class.

Double Golds

Alvi's Drift Muscat de Frontignan 2010
Anura Merlot Reserve 2008
Babylon's Peak Shiraz/Carignan 2009
Bon Courage Blanc de Blanc Jacques Bruére 2006
Bon Courage Red Muscadel 2011
Boplaas Cape Tawny Port N/V
Boplaas Cape Vintage 2009
Boplaas Tawny Port Reserve 1997
Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2007
Buitenverwachting Gewürztraminer 2010
Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Delaire Cape Vintage 2009
Delaire Chenin Blanc 2010
Flagstone Music Room Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Flagstone Writer's Block Pinotage 2009
Fleur du Cap Chardonnay Unfiltered 2010
Flight of the Fish Eagle N/V
Graham Beck Chalk Board Series #3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve 2009
Hidden Valley Land's End Syrah 2008
Jordan The Outlier Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Kanonkop Pinotage 2008
Kanonkop Pinotage 2006
KWV 15 Jr N/V
KWV Cape Classic Tawny Port N/V
KWV Muscadel LBV 1930
KWV The Mentors Petit Verdot 2009
KWV The Mentors Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur NLH 2003
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence 2010
Nuy Rooi Muskadel 1989
Nuy Wit Muskadel 2007
Rickety Bridge Shiraz 2009
Rudera Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Saronsberg Full Circle 2008
Strandveld Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Tokara Director's Reserve 2007
Uitkyk Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Van Ryn's 12yr Old Distillers Reserve N/V
Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2010
Woolworths Classic Chenin Blanc (Spier) (O/D) 2010
Woolworths The Hutton Cabernet Sauvignon (Spier) 2008

My Bring-Your-Own-Bling (BYOB) good value selection.All prices inc VAT, prices ex-cellar.

Chenin Blanc – Gold

WellingtonWines Chenin Blanc 2011 R27.00

Nuy Chenin Blanc 2011 R28.00

Windmeul Chenin Blanc 2011 R29.00

Under Oaks Ltd Release 2011 R44.00

Knorhoek Chenin Blanc 2010 R46.00

Cape Weaver (Riebeek Cellars) Chenin Blanc 2010 TBC – butout of Riebeek sure to be less than R50 while going for £8.29 at Laithwaites inthe UK.

Colombar - Gold

Nuy Colombar 2011 R28.00

Sauvignon Blanc – Gold

Bonnievale Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2011 R33.00

Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2011 R35.00

White Blend - Gold

Bon Courage Hillside White 2011R31.00

JordanChameleon Sauv Blanc/Chard R46.50

Weiser Riesling - Gold

Hartenberg Weiser Riesling 2009 R57.00

Whites - Double Gold

Fleur du Cap Chardonnay Unfiltered 2010 R95.00

Strandveld Sauvignon Blanc 2010 R95.00

Rose – Gold

De Grendel 2011 (cab sauv/Pinotage) R50.00

MCC – Double Gold

Bon Courage Blanc de Blanc Jacques Bruére 2006 R115.00 (less10% on 12)

MCC – Gold

Bon Courage Blanc de Blanc Jacques Bruére 2007 R115.00 (less10% on 12)

Red Blends – Gold

Durbanville Hills Bastion Cabernet Sauvignon / Shiraz 2009 R67.00

Touriga Nacional – Gold

Calitzdorp Touriga Nacional 2010 R32.00!!!!

Cabernet Sauvignon – Gold

Spencer Bay Winemakers ReserveCabernet Sauvignon 2008 R75.00

Merlot – Double Gold

Anura Merlot Reserve 2008 R90.00

Pinotage – Double Gold

Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2010 R85.00 (approx)

Pinotage - Gold

Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2009 R80.00

Shiraz– Gold

Windmeul Shiraz Reserve 2009 R85.00 (approx)

Muscadel – Double Gold

Nuy White Muscadel 2007 R36.00

Alvi’s Drift Muscat De Frontignan (fortified to 15% abv) 2010R79.53 (375ml)

GOLD AWARDS / GOUD TOEKENNINGS
Badsberg SLH 2010
Bellingham The Maverick Viognier 2005
Bellingham The Old Orchards Chenin Blanc 2010
Bellpost Shiraz 2008
Bergsig Cape LBV 2001
Beyerskloof Faith 2008
Bilton Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Boland Merlot 2001
Boland Reserve No1 Merlot 2009
Boland Reserve No1 Pinotage 2009
Boland Wit Muskadel 1996
Bon Courage Andre's Fame Colombar (O/D) 2011
Bon Courage Hillside White (O/D) 2011
Bon Courage Inkara Shiraz Limited Release 2009
Bon Courage Jacques Bruére Blanc de Blancs 2007
Bon Courage White Muscadel 2011
Bonnievale Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2008
Boschendal Chenin Blanc 2011
Calitzdorp Touriga Naçional 2010
Cape Weaver Chenin Blanc (O/D) 2010
Cathedral Cellar Triptych 2009
Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Cederberg Chenin Blanc 2011
Cederberg Shiraz 2008
Commando N/V
Creation Merlot 2009
Danie de Wet Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2011
Dawid Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner Sauvignon Blanc 2011
De Grendel 2009
De Grendel Rosé 2011
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2009
De Krans Vintage Reserve Port 2001
De Krans White Muscadel Jerepigo 2011
De Wet Cellar Hanepoot Jerepiko 2010
De Wetshof Estate Finesse Chardonnay 2010
Desiderius 2003
Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2010
Dombeya Boulder Rood Shiraz 2008
Driehoek Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Du Preez Hendrik Lodewyk N/V
Durbanville Hills Bastion Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2009
Durbanville Hills Luipaardsberg Merlot 2009
Durbanville Hills Rhinofields Pinotage 2009
Durbanville Hills Rhinofields Sauvignon Blanc Outer Valley 2009
Ernie Els Big Easy 2010
Ernie Els Signature 2007
Flagstone Treaty Tree Reserve Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon 2010
Flagstone Word of Mouth Viognier 2011
Fleur du Cap Cabernet Sauvignon Unfiltered 2009
Freedom Walk 1335-88 Cabernet Sauvignon/Pinotage 2006
Graceland Strawberry Fields Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2007
Graham Beck Bowed Head Chenin Blanc 2010
Graham Beck Bowed Head Chenin Blanc 2009
Graham Beck Pheasants' Run Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Groote Post Shiraz 2009
Guardian Peak Frontier Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz/Merlot 2010
Guardian Peak Lapa Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Hartenberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Hartenberg Weisser Riesling 2009
HB Weisser Riesling (S/S) 2010
Hidden Valley Hiddem Secret 2008
Hidden Valley Hidden Gems 2008
Imoya N/V
Jordan Chameleon Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay 2010
Joseph Barry Muscat Pot Still Brandy N/V
Kanonkop Pinotage 2007
Klein Roosboom Merlot 2009
Klipdrift Gold N/V
Knorhoek Chenin Blanc 2010
Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc 2010
KWV 10 Jr N/V
KWV 20 Jr N/V
KWV Hanepoot Jerepigo 1973
KWV Reserve Collection Chardonnay 2010
KWV The Mentors Canvas 2009
KWV The Mentors Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon 2009
La Bri Syrah 2008
La Motte Millennium 2009
La Motte Shiraz 2009
Laborie Alambic N/V
Ladismith 8yr Pot Still Brandy N/V
Longridge Cabernet Franc 2007
Longridge Chenin Blanc (O/D) 2010
Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Monis Full Cream Sherry N/V
Montpellier Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Mountain Ridge Shiraz Reserve 2009
Muratie George Paul Canitz Pinot Noir 2009
Muratie Shiraz 2008
Nederburg 2 Centuries Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Nederburg Manor House Shiraz 2009
Nederburg Private Bin D253 Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay 2010
Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur NLH 2001
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence 2008
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence NLH 2003
Nederburg Private Bin R181 Merlot 2006
Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Chenin Blanc Bush Vine 2010
Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve NLH 2010
Neethlingshof Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Nuy Chenin Blanc 2011
Nuy Colombar 2011
Nuy Colombar (S/S) 2011
Nuy Rooi Muskadel 2011
Nuy Rooi Muskadel 1998
Nuy Wit Muskadel 1993
Nuy Wit Muskadel 2005
Ondine Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Orange River Cellars White Muscadel 2010
Ormonde Vernon Basson 2007
Oude Meester Souverein 18yr Old N/V
Pongracz N/V
Raka Figurehead 2008
Rhebokskloof Shiraz 2009
Rooiberg Red Muscadel 2009
Rust en Vrede Merlot 2010
Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2009
Rustenberg Straw Wine 2009
Savanha Naledi Merlot 2009
Simonsig Frans Malan Cape Blend 2008
Simonsig Pinotage Redhill 2008
Simonsvlei Hercules Paragon Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Slanghoek Red Jerepigo 2011
Slanghoek Red Muscadel 2011
Spencer Bay Winemakers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Spier Brut 2007
Stellenbosch Ridge 2009
Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Shiraz 2008
Swartland Hanepoot Superieur 1982
Tokara Five Year Old Potstill Brandy N/V
Tokara Reserve Collection Sauvignon Blanc NLH 2010
Towerkop Towersoet Hanepoot 2009
Uitkyk Estate Brandy Grand Reserve 10yrs N/V
Under Oaks Limited Release Chenin Blanc 2011
Van Loveren Neil's Pick Colombar (O/D) 2011
Van Ryn's 10yr Old Vintage N/V
Van Ryn's 15yr Old Fine Cask Reserve N/V
Van Ryn's 20yr Old Collectors Reserve N/V
Waverley Hills Shiraz 2009
Wellington Wines Chenin Blanc 2011
Wellington Wines La Cave Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Wellington Wines La Cave Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Weltevrede Philip Jonker Brut The Ring 2007
Whalehaven Merlot 2008
Windmeul Chenin Blanc 2011
Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2009
Windmeul Shiraz Reserve 2009
Woolworths Classic Chenin Blanc (Spier) 2009
Woolworths Limestone Hill Chardonnay (De Wetshof) 2010
Woolworths The Hutton Cabernet Sauvignon (Spier) 2009
Woolworths True to Terroir Lonely Blue Gum Sauvignon Blanc (Spier) 2011
Zevenwacht Merlot 2008
Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Edition 2009
Zonnebloem Chenin Blanc Limited Edition 2011
Zonnebloem Sauvignon Blanc Limited Edition 2011
Zorgvliet Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

CWG closes auction season on a high

2011-10-03T17:01:00.000+02:00

Records tumbled at the 27th Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild auction held in the Stellenbosch winelands over the weekend, with a record turnover of R5 286 700, a new record price for red wine and overseas sales doubling.

Duncan Savage with the 6 auction dwarves

More highlights include top prices for Grenache and (in SA anyway) for dry whites older than current vintage like Cluver's 09 Chardonnay. Although comparing Nederburg with CWG raises the apples v oranges debate lets have a look anyway. Nederburg achieved an average price of R1 985 per 12 bottle case, CWG achieved an average price of R1 789 per 6 bottle case. Nederburg turnover of R6,1m was off 6182 (x6) cases while CWG achieved R5,3m from 2955 (x6) cases.

The highest price per case, a new Auction record of R6 000, was paid by a Belgian buyer for the Boekenhoutskloof Syrah Auction Reserve 2009.

"We got the balance right between the ratio of white and the red wines on offer this year and the great diversity of wines ensured keen bidding and interest from the floor right until the end. There was something for everyone with good value on offer as buyers snatched up wines at competitive prices on the one hand, with the more sought-after collector's items fetching exceptionally good prices on the other," said Louis Strydom, Chairman of the Cape Winemakers Guild.

The auction, conducted by Henré Hablutzel of Hofmeyr Mills Auctioneers for the 14th consecutive year, attracted 122 buyers this year including 19 from overseas with a total of 2 955 cases sold at an average price of R1 789 per case equivalent of 6 X 750ml bottles. The lineup of 56 wines included 38 red wines, 13 white wines, 2 Méthode Cap Classiques, a dessert wine, a port and a potstill brandy.

Alan Pick of The Butcher Shop and Grill triumphed for the 10th consecutive year as the biggest spender at R1,3 million. The bulk of the wines, over 70%, was bought by local buyers with a record R1,5 million spent by overseas bidders headed by the United Kingdom with R586 400 this year. Overseas bids came from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Namibia, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Netherlands and Canada.

In addition to the record breaking red wine, other top selling wines included Kanonkop CWG Pinotage 2009 with an average price per case of R3 843, Hartenberg Estate Auction Shiraz 2009 selling at R3 264, Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2008 at R3 237, Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir 2009 at R3 212, Neil Ellis Rodanos 2007 at R3 125 and the Saronsberg Die Erf Grenache 2010 averaging at R2 677.

Amongst the white wines, top selling wines were the Jordan Chardonnay Auction Reserve 2010 with an average price per case of R2 285, Paul Cluver The Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2009 at R2 100, the Cape Point Vineyards Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2010 at R1 822.

In addition to the main auction, a total of R132 600 was raised on the day in aid of the Cape Winemaker's Guild Protégé Programme, a mentorship initiative for young, upcoming winemakers. Every year a very special charity item is auctioned off to raise funds. This year's item, a one-of-a-kind 18-litre 2009 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Reserve comprising a blend of top wines from members of the Guild, was purchased by Zdenek Lang of the Czech Republic for R25 000. This was the third consecutive year that the charity item was bought by Lang, who has donated it back to the Guild for resale at the 2012 charity auction.

Patriotism and Pragmatism Prevails at 2011 Nederburg Auction

2011-09-18T11:40:00.001+02:00

With producers across the board feeling the pain ofrecession, Distell MD Jan Scanell is hopeful that yesterday's buoyant biddingat the Nederburg Auction – which saw sales pass R6m – is an early harbinger ofa much needed recovery. This achievement more noteworthy by the fact that itwas off 19% less wine which also resulted in no unsold lots.

The rugby before not the Echezeaux buyer

Guest speaker and Washington DC blogger David White ( http://terroirist.com ) spoke of the imminentdemise of gatekeepers and über critics like Robert Parker Jr and the rise of peerand consumer review in social media and on sites like www.cellartracker.com

David White

In keeping with this theme, Distell marketing head CarinaGous made mention of their social media activities as among the things thatthey did differently for this year’s successful auction including a niftybarcode SMS’d to attendees for scanning at the gate – proving not allgatekeepers are redundant quite yet.

Delicious food by Dish Food and Zest Catering in the form ofcanapés and themed stations of starter size portions was a hit as was jazz bandBreakfast Included.

The charity section of the auction raised some R180 000 onthe day and over R3m in the last 20 years. Beneficiaries include the AnnaFoundation and the Goedgedacht and Pebbles Project Trusts. Highlights included R31000 for a single bottle of DRC’s 1966 Echezeaux from Nigerian Obi Josephat Ndibe whoalso pushed Monis 1948 Port to R68 000 per six during the main auction - a new record for a single six bottle case.

Bigger buyers include Spar and Checkers but you will alsofind some of the wines at Makro and Pick n Pay. UKretailers were notable by their absence but Germany’s Metro Cash & Carrywere 3^rd biggest buyer on the day.

Speaker David White confided in me that he was anxious aboutpeople watching the bokke rather than his speech so I was unsurprised by theSMS late on Friday that organisers would be broadcasting the game on theauction hall’s big screens. It was a hit.

ABSA top 10 Pinotage 2011 - Return of the usual suspects

2011-08-26T10:16:00.000+02:00

Top usual suspects Beyerskloof and Kanonkop return while Rijk's and Faiview repeat last years achievement.

The Pinotage Association's winemaking guidelines appear to have been followed across the board with the possible exception of Top 20 finalist Altydgedacht 2010, the only wine below 14% alc while Top 10 Laibach and Diemersdal showed some welcome reprieve from the showy blockbuster styles.

KWV has entered top 10 territory for the first time with Mentors 09 while outstanding value for money at R35 a bottle must surely go to Meerkat 09 from Schalk Burger & Sons, making this critter as cheap as chips.

The full list;

Beyerskloof Reserve 2008

Diemersdal Reserve 2010

Fairview Primo 2009

Kanonkop Pinotage 2006

KWV The Mentor’s Pinotage 2009

Laibach 2010

Naledi 2009 (Spier)

Rijk’s Private Cellar 2007

Schalk Burger & Sons Meerkat 2009

Windmeul Reserve 2010. (to be released late Oct, price not yet available)

The ten runners-up:
Altydgedacht 2010
Cathedral Cellar 2009
Kanonkop 2009
La Cave 2009
L'Avenir 2009
Lyngrove Platinum 2009
Simonsig Redhill 2008
Spier 21 Gables 2009
Spier Private Collection 2008

Jonathan Snashall

Auction Season - a preview

2011-08-12T16:58:00.011+02:00

Driving to the CWG tasting I found myself wondering just how much the new selection criteria was a posturing exercise and if it would translate into better wines. The answer is an unequivocal yes – for the posturing exercise, no just kidding – the wines were delicious showing more balance and purity than I have seen before from the Guild.

Another preconceived notion I nearly quashed was that the whites would be way better than the reds but the gap has closed. Some of the alcohols were a bit hot but oaking more restrained and the fact that many of them were 09 - which many have lauded as best ever for the Cape – also must have helped close the gap. Some of the reds still showed unwanted residual sugar.

Over in Paarl, Nederburg have also re-jigged their selection criteria - including, for example, sommeliers in the selection panel – and have achieved similar results although the new CWG technical criteria may have excluded one or two Nederburg Auction wines.

Hopefully it all translates into healthy prices at the auctions but if not organisers can point to tough economic times. On that note, the rich creaminess of Graham Beck 2005 bubbly was sumptuous enough to keep those thoughts at bay as was the toastyness of the Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel 05 at the Nederburg tasting.

True to my Sauvignon Blanc bias, my stand out CWG white (not all tasted) was Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2010 which displayed passion and grapefruit intensity this writer has yet witnessed in SA – and it was 100% oaked 50% new. Part of the secret besides Duncan’s deft hand is a paltry 2t/ha from extreme vineyards.

Others I enjoyed a touch more than most include Teddy Hall’s Chenin 2010 for its Loire-like notes with new world fruit exuberance, and Paul Cluver Wagon Trail Chardonnay 09 which is nothing like a spaghetti Western.

With the reds (again not all tasted), Dewaldt Heyn’s Grenache (Saronsburg 10) was a very pleasant surprise for it was a deviation from his usual showy style with lovely juicy, spicy fruit from per ha yield lower than savage Duncan to arrive at something reminiscent of Chateaux Rayas.

Also to please and surprise – De Trafford’s Touriga Nacional 09 – from Malgas, displaying both the Cape’s awesome potential and how far we have yet to go to work out which varieties go best where.

Another surprise was how the Merlot’s showed including Hartenberg and to lesser extent Overgaauw, both with some Cabernet and Hartenberg with Malbec. Although 2010, the Paul Cluver Pinot Noir managed to pip the 09s from Vriesenhof and Bouchard. I am also predicting good prices for Waterford 09, a very polished wine as is the Haskell 09 Expatriate (cab/shiraz).

And I just have to mention the Boplaas Port 06 – liquid Christmas cake, just more fruity!

At Nederburg the overall message is similar – a very strong line up of whites with the reds not far behind. The exception here is a few which I would regard as faulty including an oxidised Chenin and a few reds with hints of Brettanomyces. Some argue that if its light enough it adds to complexity.

Having said that I think that Carina Gous’ identifying tighter selection of wine as one of the reasons for last years success still applies.

While I am tempted yet again to plumb for a Sauvie as my best white of the day – Diemersdal Eight Rows 09 (a touch reduced to start) – I am going for the Mulderbosch Chardonnay 06 for its shear balance, elegance, integration etc, a truly delicious wine of long overdue restraint.

Other Sauvies I enjoyed include the Nederburg 2009 (Bin D234), and the D252 (with some Semillon), and the Graham Beck Pheasants Run 09.

On the Chenin front the Rex Equus (Paardeberg) for its balance and intensity (with a touch of botrytis?). With Chardonnay, the freshness (2003) of the Nederburg Bin D270, the Jordan Nine Yards 2006, and for briefly transporting me to Burgundy, Uva Mira 09 which will be worth watching to see if the reserve price of R1200 per six is achieved - I hope so.

The stand out reds on the day included the Nederburg Bin R172 Pinotage 2001 - Razvan's debut - displaying its Pinot Noir heritage in dark sour cherry and Umami venison notes. I was pleased an old favourite Le Bonheur Prima 01 showed so beautifully, of course I also love Sakkie’s Sauvignon Blanc in any vintage.

The Hartenberg McKenzie 03 was a master class in the modern opulent style with much polish and poise and the Le Riche 06 for… well being classic Le Riche. The stand out Shiraz was from La Motte 05, and I enjoyed the curry leaf notes of the Diemersfontein Malbec 05.

From the older vintages the Fleur du Cap Cabernet Sauvignon 1971 was like a Barolo in that it displayed lovely tar & roses and the Monis Marsala 1983 still showing acidity to keep all those rich nutty and toffee notes together. And yes the Edelkeurs were good, esp the 06 for freshness. Also look out for 05 Eminence and Bredell's Cape Vintage 1994.

I hope that the prices of the wines are a reflection of their quality rather than vagaries like double dip recession. Stay tuned. Nederburg is on 16, 17 September and CWG on 1 October. Don’t forget both offer a separate charity auction with less onerous registration procedures.

Jonathan Snashall

Nederburg Auction Link

CWG Auction Link

New CWG selection criteria

Teaching your Grandmother to Suck Stones

2011-08-05T18:23:00.004+02:00

Passing down the wisdom of (perceived) minerality in wine is becoming increasingly suspect - even for died in the wool terroirists. No lesser being than Rhône-ranger Chapoutier has declared that ‘petrol’ characteristics are a winemaking fault saying they are a result of hard pressing of decomposed veins within the grape.

Comparing the debate over petrol aromas in Riesling to the issue of spoilage yeast Brettanomyces, Chapoutier said it is absurd that ‘historical defects in wine should be accepted as part of the character of the wine’ and that the vital aspect of Riesling vinification is the gentlest of pressings, often taking 12 hours, so as to avoid breakdown of the vascular structure within the grape. The Chapoutier family also make Riesling in Alsace and Victoria, Australia.

Scientists are challenging the notion that terroir can be detected in a wine. As part of a study into vineyard soils, the Geological Society of America concluded that the French ‘gout de terroir’ - translated literally as 'taste of the soil' – probably isn't caused by minerals found in the vineyard. 'If wine lovers are going to talk about a mineral taste in wine, they should acknowledge that we don't at present know its cause”, says geologist Alex Maltman.

And they say the concentration of minerals in wine is below the threshold of human taste and smell. "I am not saying that chemistry and geology have no effect on the wine. It may have effects that we don't understand. But whatever 'minerality' in wine is, it is not the taste of vineyard minerals," said Maltman.

The argument that minerality is a product of mysticism, stones and established commercial interest is supported by the absence of hard scientific evidence. Renowned vineous academic Dr Seguin’s research found that the best terroirs covered extremely diverse soils, while the common themes are that none of the soils are very fertile, none suffered mineral deficiencies, and that these soils regulated water supply to the vines in such a way that it was nearly always just moderately sufficient.

The nod toward climate is that the greatest expression of terroir occurs when grape ripening is relatively slow, therefore late in the season, i.e. cooler climates.

While economists and statisticians are regarded with some scepticism for interpreting data for a pre-determined result, The Economic Journal found that terroir plays no part in the production of great wines. Two European academics – including a Frenchman whose whereabouts is now probably in question – collected data on environmental conditions and wine making techniques across the vineyards of Haut-Medoc, a classic example for terroirists, and concluded that wine making technologies, not terroir, determine the quality of wine.

The French claim that there is no good substitute for terroir looks at best highly exaggerated the professors said, at worst, terroir has no influence and the right combination of weather, vines, technology and chemistry are sufficient.

The irony – as all grandmothers now – is that soil minerals, in the right combination and concentration, are the only minerals that count.

Jonathan Snashall

Ode to Pinot III

2011-06-28T12:17:00.002+02:00

Without doubt the centre of the Cape wine universe, Stellenbosch boasts a myriad of producers, varieties and styles but only a handful are dedicated to the most fickle red variety of them all – Pinot Noir.

Those who can be singled out for particular dedication to the grape include Meerlust, Muratie, Vriesenhof and relative newcomer Pepin Conde, all of whom are beginning to master – if it’s possible - the heart break grape.

All have been fine tuning things according to her capricious demands including relocating vineyards (I want a view please), planting of modern clones (only the best gear will do), and experimenting with fermentation techniques and oaking (The best spa treatments please).

It was first planted on the slopes of Stellenbosch’s Simonsberg in 1927 while 2011 marks the 40^th Anniversary of the Stellenbosch Wine Route and the 10^th of its Wine Festival (28-31 July 2011).

Muratie's at once historic and hedonistic cellar

Muratie – site of the first plantings - have re-located their modern clone vineyard lower down the valley after discovering that higher is not always cooler and have found that gentler extraction is more suited to the new site. This wine (‘09) showed good purity of fruit and was the most structured of the four with firm tannins – for Pinot that is. Oaking here is 30% new from Burgundian coopers. (R150 per bottle ex farm). Winemaker Francois Conradie has been the impact player but he plans on making it a longer tenure.

On the other side of town, Vriesenhof are establishing Burgundy-like higher density vineyards with modern clones. Until their new plantings come on stream they are increasing intensity through higher extraction during fermentation including rack & return (délestage) and punch downs (pigeage). Oaking here is also around 30% new. This wine (‘08) was the more traditional of the flight in that it displayed some attractive earthy - and delicious curry leaf notes - rather than straight up fruit (R215 per bottle ex farm).

Meerlust have relocated some of their Pinot vineyard to higher Southern and False Bay-facing slopes and like Muratie are opting for more gentler extraction during fermentation. Here the difference is greater amount of new oak and the fruit (’09) is clearly up for it, displaying lovely texture – the signature of good Pinot – and perfumed intensity on the nose. (R200 per bottle ex farm). Winemaker Chris Williams says using some older BK5 clone with the modern clones adds to the wine’s texture.

Pepin Conde (Stark-Conde) is made from Elgin fruit at their Stellenbosch cellar where you can buy the 2010. Using only pigeage, Jose Conde has gone for greater extraction of the fermentation cap followed by mostly 3rd and 4th fill and about 10% new French oak. After working with growers for some 7 years, the fruit is from a very low-yielding site on the Palmiet River facing the Koegelberg Nature reserve. Judicious oaking of Elgin fruit has allowed for bright cherry and raspberry fruit expression (R95 per bottle ex farm).

Now Pinotphiles are accustomed to higher prices for the sexiest variety and although not always vindicated, bear in mind that all these wines are from low yielding vines – as low as 2t/ha – and that good Pinot is far trickier to grow and make than say Cabernet Sauvignon for example. There is also a premium for its rarity.

Cape Pinot has improved greatly in terms of quantity and quality in recent years and it was not easy to pick a favourite. All of them displayed, in varying degrees, typical cherry aromas – although Vriesenhof was more in the savoury and earthy style - but as the older vintage probably had the most character. The Muratie for its black cherry aromas and mid-palate crunch, Pepin Conde is the good value all-rounder and Meerlust for poise, integration and intensity. Although one or two had hefty alcohols none were over-extracted or unbalanced.

Starting at either Muratie or Meerlust all of them are off the R44 with the exception of Stark Conde in Jonkershoek which makes for a good mid point and lunch stop at Post Card Café, a favourite among locals.

Jonathan Snashall
www.huntergatherervinter.blogspot.com

Link to Ode to Pinot II

Link to Ode to Pinot

What's up WOSA?

2011-06-22T12:05:00.007+02:00

Independent South African commentators have been strident in their criticism of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), South Africa’s generic wine marketing agency, directing an overdose of vitriol in particular at CEO Su Birth and Communications Manager Andre Morgenthal.

There is a reasonable argument that the criticism is no longer constructive and has become damaging. It is also broadcasting a potentially divisive image to wine buyers and influencers in major export markets.

Many questions arise, including the challenges wine marketers face on the international stage. Not least – as noted by Neal Martin of the Wine Advocate – are the perceptions created in customers’ minds from decades of negative publicity surrounding apartheid, crime and corruption, not to mention scandals like illegal wine additives.

Martin, who was recently in South Africa to judge for the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, feels that memories of negative events still linger and are bound up in the mental processes that precede the decision to buy.

“You need to be a bit more positive about your own wines and have a bit more confidence in them, because in the end that is what people want to hear about. You need to sell personalities, people buy stories,” says Martin.

These are the perceptions WOSA and its exporting members must face – that’s after they have overcome a global recession, a strong Rand, global oversupply, retailer and producer consolidation and a highly competitive and dynamic export market.

Despite this, WOSA’s achievements are considerable, not the least of which is the diversification of risk over the past decade by helping the industry reduce dependency on traditional markets like the UK and Netherlands.

WOSA has done pioneering and widely acclaimed work through the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) and the sustainability seal – a world first. The Cape now boasts more land devoted to conservation than to vineyard and where they meet specific environmental and employee guidelines, producers may use – following an independent audit – the sustainability seal. By 2010, 60% of producers had qualified to use the seal.

WOSA has made possible the funding of the Wine and Agricultural Industry Ethical Trade Association (WIETA) via the Common Customs Tariff (CCT) rebate afforded to a percentage of South African wine exported to Europe and the United Kingdom. Many of the UK retailers benefiting from this rebate have agreed that this saving be returned to South Africa to fund various developmental initiatives in the wine industry for 2011.

WOSA is also the architect of the ‘Variety is in our Nature’ positioning, which is supported, for example, by DNA, a booklet for marketers on how they could present Brand Wine South Africa.

Other achievements include the training of wine stewards for the Soccer World Cup in 2010; the Sommelier World Cup; and Cape Wine Braai Masters, a compilation of winemakers’ barbecue recipes that has been picked up by a publisher for a commercial version and from the sales of which WOSA will receive royalties.

WOSA innovations include themed wine workshops held in importing countries and more recently the tasting pods at the London Wine Trade Fair so well received by respected commentators like Tim Atkin MW and Jamie Goode.

CEO Su Birch has garnered two international awards: 2005 Lanson Woman In Wine Trophy, and in 2009 the Drinks Business Woman of the Year Award, and in May 2011 she was listed in Off Licence News as one of the top 75 most influential people in wine. WOSA won the Drinks Business Award for the Best Consumer Campaign for the Great Wine Trail in 2008.

The primary role for WOSA is to build up a positive image for South African wine. It is not a sales organisation and has no sales staff. Its job is to put a positive light on South African wine at all times, no matter what is happening in the trading cycle.

As a non-profit organisation, WOSA must also function with one of the smallest and least-government-subsidised budgets among its competitors including Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and California while the likes of Germany and Spain have far larger budgets than the New World countries. Meanwhile the EU has made generous allocations for marketing member countries’ wines in Asia and the USA, among the fastest growing markets.

Like WOSA, most of the generic wine marketing organisations are run by boards so, for example, no one individual makes material decisions about strategy and budget allocation. Of course such organisations will contain diverse members with diverse interests so conflict is inevitable and countries like Australia have discovered just how damaging this can be in the absence of compromise and cooperation.

Meanwhile, retail discounters have gained significant share during the recession and even in the UK the traditional supermarket groups have lost share to the discounters. As a result these groups are putting huge pressures on suppliers as they endeavour to regain or retain market share without a dramatic loss of margin.

Volumes into the UK declined quite sharply in 2010 as producers were no longer able to supply wine at the price points and promotions demanded by the supermarkets that dominate the trade.

Like the rest of us, WOSA does make mistakes and cannot keep all its members happy all the time. For example, Birch says that although they are faced with some apathy from producers, internal communications could be improved upon.

2010/11 sees some exciting prospects for WOSA including exploring new markets in Africa and Asia. WOSA is working with the Department of Trade and Industry in China, Japan, India, South Korea and Singapore and facilitated the first generic tasting in Angola this year. Other markets earmarked for growth include Nigeria, Norway, Russia and Japan.

Werksaamheid is what is needed. Small prize for anyone who can translate that into one English word (cooperation does not count) and a much bigger one if you can make it happen.

You can also follow the debate on wine.co.za here and on Times Live here

Ode to Pinot II

2011-06-06T17:47:00.084+02:00

Lunching with Pinotphile winemaker Peter Finlayson at Bouchard Finlayson is always going to be special, and when you throw in a vertical of Galpin Peak from the last decade it gets particularly vertiginous. Combine that with Kitchen Cowboy Pete Goffe-Wood who did anything but shoot from the hip in his careful food pairing and you have a truly special Sunday.

Well that was the departure point but on arrival we were welcomed by a saxophonist. On our approach, his elevated position up on the Manor House stoep reminded me of the opening scene of Peter Sellers' The Party when an outpost trumpeter is repeatedly shot – but keeps on waning. Regrettably I had left my rifle at home otherwise it would have been interesting to see if he had the same gees.

Can you see him?

Now, nobody has been making Pinot in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley for longer than Peter and with modern Burgundy clones, a Nuits St George cooper, and Burgundy-like high density vineyards (low-yield per vine), his ambitions are clear.

With vine density of 9000 vines per hectare, competition leads to concentrated fruit including - for a thinned skin variety - relatively thicker skins where much of the colour, flavour and aroma arise. And the tannins, for these wines are as much about fine texture as anything else.

The key to living so close to your neighbour - vines are about 1m apart - lies in the water regulation provided by the high clay content shale soils, just like the marl (clay/limestone mixture) of classic Cote d'Or vinyards like St Denis.

Some of the vinification techniques are also Burgundian like use of stalks to add some savoury tannic framework to the wines in less tannic years, while the finesse and perfume on the 05 was reminiscent of a Volnay.

Peter’s use of oak is judicious to say the least, underpinning rather than overwhelming the fruit, providing for example a graphite note depending on the age of the wine. Another thread throughout the flight was maintaining classic Pinot tension despite moves to a riper style.

Autumnal valley scene. Bokkeveld soil of stony gravel and fine clay shale

Then there was purity of fruit. Intense yet classic cherries and rasberries - often with some spice - sprinkled throughout with sweet-fruited palate and a long finish. These wine also offer longevity, showing remarkable freshness throughout the flight.

Forget just how much cooler the valley is than other regions, Peter has removed any doubt that we can elegantly compete with the best of New Zealand, Chile, Oregon, Australia and ja even Burgundy, well maybe not the Grand Crus but who does? It’s a short, scenic, low-cost trip to Burgundy, the holy grail of wine to Pinotphiles worldover.

Jonathan Snashall

link to Ode to Pinot 1

OM Trophy Wine Show

2011-06-01T14:57:00.017+02:00

The temptation to whinge about the imperfection of wine tasting and competitions is great - and tired, so I wont. Besides life would be boring without them.

Producer of the year - Spier (just pipped Thelema)

International Judges' Trophy (inaugural) - Paul Cluver 09 Chardonnay. Probably the trophy of the show when you consider the judges: Neil Martin - Wine Advocate; Debra Meiburg MW - tipped to enter Decanter's powerful list in the next few years (Hong Kong-based); Thierry Desseauve - former editor of La Revue du Vin de France.

Trophy Winners

KWV Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

Hillcrest Quarry Merlot 2008

Meerlust Pinot Noir 2009

Rijk’s Pinotage 2007

Thelema Shiraz 2007

KWV The Mentors Orchestra 2009 (Bdx blend)

Ormonde Theodore Eksteen 2008 (shiraz-based blend)

Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2009 (oaked)

Jordan Riesling 2009

Hartenberg Weisser Riesling 1999 (museum class)

Delaire Coastal Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Lomond Sugarbush Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (museum class)

Cape Point Vineyards Semillon 2006

Spier Creative Block 2 2010 (best white blend Sauvignon Blanc Semillon wooded)

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Special White Blend 2010 (other white blend wooded)

Nederburg Private Bin Eminence Noble Late Harvest Muscadel 2008

KWV White Jerepigo 1933 (museum class)

Nuy White Muskadel 2005

No Trophy for Bubbly (surely Bond knows better?), Chenin Blanc (Chenin newcomer Delaire was top scorer for the '10 with yours truly assisting), Port, Cab Franc, Viogner etc. Only 17 trophies and a mere 25 Gold Medals - down on last year’s total of 25 trophies & 32 Golds, probably through stricter selection rather than a fall in quality. A dramatic increase in Silver and Bronze medals - with numbers of winning wines increasing by around 30% in each category - points towards a widening of quality.

Gold Medals

Hillcrest Quarry Merlot 2009

Lomond Syrah 2008

Spier Private Collection Shiraz 2008

Chamonix Reserve Chardonnay 2009

Buitenverwachting Husseys Vlei Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Tokara Zondernaam Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Sutherland Viognier Roussanne 2009 (Thelema, Elgin fruit)

So not even Gold for Chenin or Bubbly!

''In the most closely contested race since the inaugural event in 2002, Spier edged ahead of Thelema Mountain Vineyards to take the Fairbairn Capital Trophy for the Top Producer at the 2011 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. While Thelema had exactly the same Trophy, Gold and Silver medal count as Spier in its five highest scoring wines, it had a lower medal-to-entry ratio over its total number of submissions. In the end this proved to be the tie-breaker for the narrowest margin in the show's history.'' (winemag)

A new award has been created this year – the Old Mutual International Judges' Trophy. This is awarded to the wine which, in the opinion of the three international judges at this year's show, was the very best wine at the trophy judging. In theory, this wine will represent the best of the trophy line-up from an international perspective. This year's winner was the Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2009.

Some anomalies include John Platter (reviewed by Meryl Weaver) who awarded the Hillcrest Quarry Merlot 08 a mere 3,5 stars although she would have tasted it about a year ago.

Jonathan Snashall

Big in Gugulethu

2011-05-29T13:26:00.006+02:00

This weekend saw the opening of the first Gugulethu Wine Festival and politicians never miss a chance to impress. Introduced by festival co-founder and Gugs celebrity businessman Mzoli Ngcawuzele, DA leader Helen Zille did a good job of opening the sold-out event, switching languages as she charmed the eager crowd.

Banner outside Pistos Place shebeen

According to Hot Salsa Media’s Sharon Cooper, Nederburg and headline sponsor Tops at Spar were the main shapeshifters. Cooper arranged the event along with the team from the Soweto Wine Festival.

Telling Helen about my Dad's efforts as DA councillor on KZN South Coast

While some of the Cape’s top growths were in attendance, the party atmosphere made any serious cork dork pretentions rather challenging - another welcome change. However my stand-out producer on the night was Elgin’s Paul Cluver – all their wines were simply delicious including a smouldering Pinot Noir.


Mzoli's girls showing their brand

. The so-called VIP area was as big and almost as full as the main tent, boasting brandy cocktails, DJ and spit -braaied lamb. We were having some difficulty securing a stukkie before Mzoli (owner of Gug’s braai restaurant of the same name) parted the crowd, picked up a leg before depositing it on our table to be inhaled in about 46 seconds.

For a purely novel experience, the highlight came later. Befriended by Zelda we were easily swayed to seek out Pistos Place, a shebeen where we partied like we may have had we believed in Rapture. It was heaven.

Georgie, Anel, Zelda, Kim

Anel from Spit or Swallow trying to make up her mind at Pistos Place

If you missed it, diarise for next year

Klein Constantia Sold

2011-05-27T06:11:00.012+02:00

South African 1^st growth Klein Constantia has been sold to American-Czech billionaire Zdenek Bakala and UK banker Charles Harman. “We are privileged to be custodians of one of the most historic properties in the Cape, and regard the preservation of this heritage as a serious responsibility.” said Bakala.

The new owners are enthusiastic about the continued development of Klein Constantia as one of South Africa’s top wineries. Lowell Jooste will be staying on as managing director and Adam Mason as wine maker with no planned changes to the team or operations.

With the late Ross Gower as wine maker, the Jooste family re-created the legendary Vin de Constance - recognised as one of the great wines of the 18^th and 19^th centuries - and went on to virtually own the natural sweet wine category in South Africa. They also became well known for world-class Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux blends and varieties.

According to Forbes, Bakala owns 30% stake in miner New World Resources. He also owns 11% of Ukrainian iron ore producer Ferrexpo after bailing out Ukrainian billionaire Kostyantin Zhevago, who faced a margin call in the fall of 2008; got stock at 28% discount to what stock had been trading at. Started out in finance in the 1990s: launched the Prague office of Credit Suisse First Boston in 1991 and three years later founded Patria Finance, one of the largest investment banking boutiques in the Czech Republic. Took control of coal company OKD in leveraged buyout in 2004; now part of NWR. "The forgotten old economy assets have given us a better return than sexy assets. We like tangibles." Dartmouth MBA grad started a foundation to give Czech students scholarships to study abroad.

KC Proprietary feeling

The duo are alleged to have paid around R160m for the feeling believed to include a substantial overdraft. But then Forbes etsimates his wealth at $1.2bn. Lets hope the only digging they do on the property is for a new cellar and vineyard plantings.

Update on Bakala via his PR:

Zdeněk Bakala is a Czech businessman and financier who co-founded BXR, a

diversified investment group with a global portfolio of assets valued at approximately

six billion dollars.

Born in Opava in the Silesian region of Czechoslovakia in 1961, but decided to

leave his communist-ruled homeland after being denied the chance to study at a

school of his choosing, and while on a trip to what was then Yugoslavia in 1980 he

crossed into Austria, sought asylum and thereafter made his way to America.

He graduated with a degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley,

and then gained an MBA at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at

Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. In 1989 he took a job at the Drexel Burnham

Lambert investment bank in New York, and then moved to Bank of America.

In 1990 he joined Credit Suisse First Boston in London, where he was in charge of the

Czechoslovakia desk. In 1991 he returned to Czechoslovakia to open the Prague

office of CSFB, and was managing director of the bank’s operations in

Czechoslovakia and, after 1993, the Czech Republic.

In 1994 Mr. Bakala established Patria Finance, the Czech Republic’s first independent full-service investment bank, which in 2001 was acquired by the Belgian bank, KBC. Mr. Bakala remained Chief Executive Officer of Patria until early 2002 and served as its Chairman until May 2002.

As an investment banker with CSFB and Patria, Mr. Bakala played a key role in

Czechoslovakia’s privatization programme and the formation of a viable capital market during the country’s transition to an open, free market economy.

He advised the Czechoslovak government on the landmark strategic sale of Skoda Auto to Germany’s Volkswagen Group, he was an advisor during the privatization of SPT Telecom, the Czech Republic’s telecommunications provider, and later served on the board of its successor, Česky Telecom.

Mr. Bakala advised the Czech government on the creation of Česká rafinérská, a vehicle that grouped together the country’s oil refining assets ahead of investments from Conoco, Agip and Shell. He was actively engaged in the privatization and restructuring of many Czech and Slovak companies, including, for example, Becherovka, the famous Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) drinks producer that was acquired by Pernod Ricard of France, the Slovak white goods maker Tatramat (acquired by Whirlpool) and BAZ Bratislava (acquired by the Volkswagen Group). While at CSFB, Mr. Bakala launched the first Czechoslovak government bond.

Under his leadership Patria Finance developed an asset management business, built a large M&A practice and pioneered the provision of corporate finance products and services to Czech companies during the 1990s, including the first corporate bond.

Mr. Bakala was a member of the preparatory committee that worked on the establishment of the Prague Stock Exchange and was a member of the board of the Exchange from day one; from 2005 to 2010 he was a member of its supervisory board.

In 2004 he led what was then Central Europe’s largest ever leveraged buy out when

the predecessor to BXR acquired the Karbon Invest group, a Czech mining and

resources trading concern centred around OKD, a coal mining company that has its

roots in the iron and coal business founded by the Rothschild family in the 19th

century.

BXR undertook a textbook restructuring of Karbon Invest’s 56 companies to

create several stand-alone businesses, including Advanced World Transport, a rail

and logistics company, Green Gas International, a clean energy company, RPG Real

Estate, which manages one of the largest residential property portfolios in Central

Europe, and New World Resources (NWR), Central Europe’s leading hard coal and

coke producer.

Mr. Bakala and BXR took NWR public in 2008 via an Initial Public

Offering on the London, Prague and Warsaw stock exchanges. The flotation of NWR

valued the company at approximately £3.5 billion – the largest IPO on the London

market that year, and to date the largest transaction of its kind in the Central

European region. Mr. Bakala is vice-chairman of NWR plc.

In 2006 Mr. Bakala acquired a majority interest in, and so rescued, the Czech

Republic’s highly regarded current affairs and news-analysis weekly magazine,

Respekt, and in 2008 he and BXR acquired Economia, the leading publisher of

business newspapers and magazines in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Today, BXR is a truly global investment group with holdings in the Americas, Europe

and Asia. BXR has interests in coal, iron ore, transport and logistics, financial

services, commercial and residential property, green energy, furniture, healthcare,

publishing, retail and others. www.bxrgroup.com

Mr. Bakala is a keen cyclist, and in 2011 he concluded the acquisition of a majority

shareholding in Team Quick Step, an international professional cycle racing team that

is based in Belgium.

Mr. Bakala’s philanthropy includes support for the Vaclav Havel Library in Prague, the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague, the PORG School in Ostrava, and the Zdeněk Bakala Foundation, which provides scholarships to Czech students studying abroad. He has endowed a professorship at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration and has given generously to the Hilton Head preparatory school in South Carolina.

His latest project is assisting the establishment of The Aspen Institute in Prague. He is married to Michaela, the former Miss Czechoslovakia 1991 and a successful businesswoman in her own right, currently leading LBM, a major luxury goods and lifestyle group in Central Europe. Zdeněk and Michaela have three children: Anabel, Aron and Aram. From his first marriage Mr. Bakala has a son, Franklyn. Mr. Bakala holds US and Czech citizenship, and lives just outside Geneva, Switzerland.

Charles Harman is Chief Executive Officer of BXR, a diversified industrial group co-founded by Zdenek Bakala. He previously spent twenty six years as an investment banker, most recently as Head of UK Investment Banking at J.P.Morgan.

Charles was born in the UK and educated at Eton College and Oxford University. While at Oxford he had his first experience of Africa, paddling a small boat 1,200 miles down the River Niger with three friends following the route of the early nineteenth century Scottish explorer Mungo Park.

Charles joined Credit Suisse First Boston in 1984 and subsequently spent three years working for CSFB in its Tokyo office. He returned to London in 1990 to become part of the bank's team focusing on the newly opened markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

In1995 he left to join MC Securities, a start up bank focused on the Central European countries, and was appointed CEO of MC Securities in 1996. From 1997-2001 he was a Managing Director and Head of Emerging Europe investment banking at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He joined Cazenove, which subsequently became part of a joint venture with J.P.Morgan, in 2001 and was appointed Head of Corporate Finance of J.P.Morgan Cazenove in 2008 and Head of UK Investment Banking for J.P.Morgan a year later.

Charles lives in London and also has a home in Cape Town which he visits regularly. He first visited Cape Town in 1991 and has been a passionate enthusiast of the Western Cape ever since. He is a keen tennis player and cyclist, who has competed in the Cape Argus cycle race every year since 2005. He has been married to Charlotte Harman, an art historian, since 1987 and they have two sons (Alexander and Will) and a daughter (Alice)."

Pongracz goes Petite

2011-05-26T09:41:00.003+02:00

Pongracz has launched 375ml bottles of Brut and Brut Rose. The well known shape of the bottle is retained and dare I say they look rather cute.

Yes thanks

Reasons to love them:
1. They mature faster than 750ml if you have the patience and discipline to keep them for a couple of years,
2. Handy for romantic picnics,
3. Handy for he says she says,
4. Handy for weekdays Monday - Friday,
5. Handy for weekends,
6. Handy as a gift,
7. Handy for breakfast, brunch, lunch, sundowners, dinner, nightcap,
8. Fits into handbags, can sneak them into the movies or theatre,
9. You can store 24 in the same space as 12 x 750ml
10. They are the real deal bottle-fermented babies.

Should retail around R50/bottle

Jonathan Snashall

Ode to Pinot

2011-05-10T10:45:00.008+02:00

Pinot Noir is both minx and manure, a supreme psychological manipulator, she will cagoule you with haunting aromas and silky textures. Once she touches your lips you are Samson with short back and sides and qualify for a complimentary life membership to Pinot Noir Anonymous (PNAS, or bínáis).

Or not, for some of her synonyms include widow-maker and heart-breaker. Her schizo side can reveal an acidic, shallow vixen sans backbone or colour. But she will beguile you and you will forever seek her once she indulges you with her ethereal, ancient charms.

But why? After some bottle age, the Pinot X-factor emerges, that something that makes you want to go back to the glass again and again to pin down those elusive characters. That ever so faint whiff of forest floor, farmyard or mushroomy aromas that - with some red or black berry notes - appeals to higher and base instincts, hijacking at once both the primordial amygdala and the evolved frontal cortex. You are now truly under her spell, you pass orgasm and go directly to post-coital bliss.

bit shy

Pinot Noir is a fragile, thin skinned variety but commercially is known to have a far tougher skin. With PNAS members driving prices up worldwide, the best examples are often Burgundian, where prices can be so stratospheric that families can make a living from a few rows of vines – literally.

And prices - like the terroir* in Burgundy – can vary dramatically from one vineyard and even one row to the next. Combined with the vagaries of Burgundy’s more continental weather and convoluted AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) rules it all makes for prime exploitation of prices and markets.

It’s the Champagne syndrome – giddiness and glaze all rolled into one. Just as you get nasty, yet over-priced examples of Champagne because only Champagne from Champagne may be called Champagne, so to you may pay a not inconsiderable sum of money for a Burgundy - expecting Ella Fitzgerald but ending up with PJ Powers. #nothappy.

Also – despite some 700 years of practice in Burgundy – nobody really knows quite how to keep Pinot on her best behaviour although quality in the Old world has increased since the 90’s, not least from technology and a warmer climate.

But her skittishness is in her genes. As one of the oldest cultivated vines in existence she suffers extreme genetic instability (as do other Vitis Viniferas). The dysfunctional Pinot family (Noir, Blanc and Gris) are - down to their DNA - the same grape but prone to constant genetic mutation. Not scared yet?

It also means that Pinot can adapt well to local conditions and new world wine makers who have stepped out of Burgundy’s shadow are making some delicious Pinot. Trial and error have enabled growers worldwide to workout which clones best suit their particular site.

This is where they start to sound like über models on a runway. The most productive clones, which have large-berried bunches, are described as Pinot Droit for the vine’s upright growth, while Pinot Fin, Pinot Tordu or Pinot Classique grow much less regularly but have smaller berries with thicker skin. The latter normally leads to more flavours, colour and aromas in wine.

But you still have to treat her right. Her sensitive traits make her vulnerable to pests and disease. Her precocious nature makes for early budding which is prone to frost and poor fruit set or coulure – not very haute. Pinot is also more prone to rot and viruses.

She is also particular about where she lives, her preferred terroir* is limestone soil in a cool climate. Then Pinot is far more difficult to vinify than her other famous Burgundian sibling Chardonnay, requiring constant monitoring and fine tuning of technique depending on vintage circumstances.

Pinot Noir’s other home is Champagne – where else? Here she is required to go au naturale, whole bunch pressed to strip her of any colour but she manages to display her characteristic red berry aromas and lushness of palate.

Another of her hidden charms is Resveratrol – the phenolic compound found in red wine with proven health benefits – for the heart of course - and is 3 to 4 times higher in Pinot Noir than most other red varieties. This fortification of the heart is just the medicine required to deal with her capricious nature.

Pinot Noir can range from deeply coloured, tannic, oak-aged mouthfuls worthy of cellaring – no whips or chains please – to acidic dark rosés that should be drunk, drunk. The best are intense, vibrant, fruity wines with elegant structure (fine tannin, lively acidity) and subtle oak influence.

I made an exciting discovery in Jonkershoek last weekend – I found a Pinot Noir at Stark-Conde for under R100 that knocks the broeks off many a villages level Pinot. It’s the 2010 Pepin Conde made by Jose Conde from Elgin fruit. It was bottled recently so if you have the discipline try give it some time for improved oak integration, just make sure you get some its fantastic value for money.

*Terroir – the total natural environment, for e.g. how the combination of soil, topography and climate influences wine quality and style. See http://huntergatherervintner.blogspot.com/2010/08/saignee-spinning-cones-and-terroirists.html

Jonathan Snashall
vitis@mweb.co.za

Ossobuco in Bianco

2011-04-27T17:44:00.002+02:00

As far as I can remember, winter in the Cape arrives around Easter weekend - regardless of where it falls in any particular year - and there is snow on the mountains of Franschhoek.

All of a sardine you are craving rich stews & casseroles as the instinct to fatten up is activated. This recipe omits the more traditional tomatoes and includes anchovies - one of my favourite secret ingredients – and white wine rather than red.

Veal shin is preferred but beef shin works fine, just a bit more glutinous. The Gremolata garnish is the best and almost as inspirational as the rich savouriness of the dish.

8 pieces of veal shin, thickly sliced for bone marrow and some height on the plate.

75g plain flour; salt & pepper; 120g butter; 2 Tbsp butter, 2 peeled and finely chopped small red onions, 4-5 trimmed celery stalks for extra Umami, 2 peeled and chopped garlic cloves, 10 anchovies rinsed if salted, ideally red in colour, 375ml dry white wine preferably unoaked.

Preheat oven to 150°C. Put the flour in a plastic shopping bag with some salt and cracked pepper to dust the shin rather than yourself and the rest of the kitchen.

If you don’t have a casserole that can handle hob and oven, first brown the veal in a pot relay fashion. Melt all the butter and half the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot/casserole and brown the Ossobuco. Remove and pour away the fat. Add the remaining butter and gently fry the onion and celery until soft but not brown – lid on for a bit helps. Then add the garlic and anchovies, once they melt away pour in the wine, bring to the boil and reduce.

Put the Ossobuco back into the casserole, ideally in one layer with the narrower section of the bones in each piece at the bottom to keep the marrow in place. Cover with wax paper and the lid and casserole for at least 2 hours.

While it’s in the oven make the most aromatic and zesty Gremolata. Mix finely grated zest of 2 lemons, 1 peeled & finely chopped garlic clove, and 3 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley and sprinkle over the cooked Ossobuco.

If you want to push the boat out serve it with Risotto Milanese.

1 litre chicken stock – if you’re using instant dilute more than instructions recommend as they can be salty. S&P, 150g butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 finely chopped red onion, 300g risotto (fino cooks quicker),1 Tbsp saffron, 75ml extra dry vermouth or dry white wine, 150g Parmesan.

Melt 75g of the butter and all the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot and gently fry the onion until soft. Add the rice stirring to coat before adding 1-2 ladlefuls of hot stock to cover the rice, simmer and stir until it starts getting sticky. Add the saffron. Continue stirring and adding more stock as required until al dente.

Add the remaining butter in small pieces while stirring vigorously off the heat, then the vermouth – which cuts the starch beautifully – and finally the parmesan with a few light stirs so it does not go stringy.

While robust, this is a lighter style Ossobuco so maybe avoid full bodied, heavily oaked reds. Besides a Pinot or Zinfandel try a rich, oaked Chardonnay. Its an enormously satisfying meal and definitely one of my top 5 winter meals. Buon Appetito!

Jonathan Snashall

CWG spice things up

2011-04-18T09:10:00.001+02:00

Providing they can jump through some laboratory hoops to prove their wine's health and technical fitness, CWG members can decide if they will put a wine on auction or not.

“Winemakers were more inclined to submit very good, but safe wines in order to secure selection in blind tastings, but this inevitably led to a narrowing down of the stylistic qualities of our Auction wines,” said CWG chair Loius Strydom.

CWG members believe it will boost creativity and achieve greater diversity of wines crafted exclusively for this Auction and prompt members to experiment with terroir, cultivar and wine styles.

One is left wondering if the Pinot Noir Peter Finlayson had on last year's auction would have passed the lab tests or if any local labs can do volatile phenol analysis.

Recognised as South Africa’s leading auction of rare wines open to the liquor and restaurant trade as well as the general public, the Guild Auction will remain unique in offering small quantities of wine, specially crafted to showcase the potential of South African wines to the trade and private buyer.

The 27^thNedbank CWG Auction will be held at the Spier Conference Centre in the Stellenbosch Winelands on Saturday, 1 October 2011.

Wine enthusiasts will be able taste the 2011 Auction lineup at Auction Showcases in Cape Town on Thursday, 11 August, and Johannesburg on Thursday, 1 September. With the shift in focus to more unique offerings, pre-auction tastings are more important than ever for potential bidders to identify the rare and unusual that please their palates prior to the auction.

umami overdose

2011-04-01T13:16:00.002+02:00

Time has come to dust off some favourite winter recipes. This one is up there for sure. It somehow achieves richness and lightness - the holy grail. It does require 12-24hr marinade in wine and herbs but it makes all the difference and the mash is heavenly. This is one of the first times I experienced layers of Umami, a really special dish. If you are using instant (salt-rich) stock use about double the dilution/half the strength as you are also adding anchovies - one of my fave secret ingredients.

I last served it with 09 Glen Carlou Pinot Noir and it was a beaut.

Braised beef short ribs in red wine and horseradish and goat's cheese mash.

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium stick celery chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp thyme,
1 tbsp cracked black peppercorns
zest of 1 orange
750 ml good quality dry red wine
8 meaty single-rib portions of beef short ribs sawed crosswise by your butcher, about 200g each or about an index finger length and rectangular in shape.
900 ml veal or beef stock
24 pitted black olives – taste them first to check for bitterness
4 tinned anchovies, chopped
good knob of butter.

dreamy mash

6 medium potatoes
200 ml double cream
150 g rindless goats' cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp prepared horseradish
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp coriander, chopped

1. First prepare the ribs. In a large casserole dish, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and fry, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are softened.

2. Mix in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, peppercorns and orange zest. Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Place the ribs in a large bowl and add the cooled wine mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least overnight, preferably 24 hours.

4. Remove the ribs and reserve. Strain the marinade into a large casserole dish. Bring the marinade to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced by a quarter, 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the short ribs in a large casserole dish. Add the reduced marinade and the veal stock. Bring to a boil over high heat.

6. Cover and bake in the oven until the beef is very tender and pulling from the bones, 2½-3 hours. Remove and reserve the ribs.

7. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a wooden spoon. If not reduce by cooking briskly until the sauce does coat a wooden spoon.

8. Mix in the olives and chopped anchovy along with a good knob of butter.

9. Towards the end of the beef's baking time, prepare the mashed potatoes. Place the mashed potatoes in the bowl of food mixer with the paddle attachment and beat.

10. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat together the butter, goats' cheese and cream to boiling point and slowly pour over the potatoes, with the paddle running.

11. Add in the horseradish and season with freshly ground pepper. Beat until light and whipped.

12. Spoon mashed potato onto warm serving plates, add a portion of the ribs and sauce to each serving, garnish with chopped coriander and serve at once.

Snobs or Jargonistas

2011-03-16T18:09:00.017+02:00

So the wine trade cops a fair amount of flack for being snobbish, exclusive and convoluted. Is it justified and how much can it be dumbed down? Do wine drinkers in any significant numbers want to swan around in a world of homogenised wine?

Wine enjoyment is linked to the brain’s pleasure centres which in turn are linked to memory and emotion so it’s not surprising wine can evoke strong emotions in people, and the need to share your experience - or light up a cigarette.

While describing a wine can quickly sound poncy and pretentious every trade has its jargon and wine is no different. Try describing any other food or beverage in words and one quickly realises that this tendency is not confined to wine.

Once you know it, jargon speeds up communication, before knowing it you can feel lost and intimidated. The anti-wine speak lobby merely devise fresh jargon which is almost always gone before the next vintage. Thankfully you don’t need to know any jargon to enjoy a wine. “I like it” will do.

Most wine drinkers start out with basic or entry level wines often at the sweeter end of the spectrum – hardly the stuff to inspire vocabulary growth and more likely to be drunk for effect rather than enjoyment which in time becomes opposite.

One view I have heard of wine is that it’s going the same way as beer – not the burping and farting but rather around 6 brands will dominate the market. While easier to make a decision, imagine how boring and difficult to find something different? What a depressing thought. Or maybe 7 brands for Monday to Sunday. Mmmm

However, wine has already been homogenised. Of literally tens of thousands of Vitis Viniferas wine varieties the market is dominated by some 18 red and 15 white varieties, principally Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. These are the coca-colas of the wine world but also produce among the finest and most expensive wines on the planet in Bordeaux and Burgundy respectively.

They are also the most versatile varieties and have adapted to a myriad of sites and climates around the world. Chardonnay in particular is the gypsy of the wine world as it readily reflects how it was made in the cellar while making provenance irrelevant.

The other homogenising forces at play are the retailers. Retailer consolidation and buying power has seen producers consolidate sales and production. This conversion has been painful. UK retailers all but destroyed the Australian wine trade and robbed France of significant UK market share while conditioning consumers to drink highly commercial wine.

While we are hurtling toward an ever reducing number of increasingly larger companies – particularly in the new world – so too we have a large number of very small companies but are their days numbered? I think not because they will be sustained by the need for variety, by internet sales and by global trends like local is lekka which in turn could see the return of indigenous varieties…….

Catch of the Day (SASSI-friendly)*

2011-03-07T09:25:00.002+02:00

One of my favourite European food memories is discovering a Sardine braai on the quay of a small Portuguese fishing harbour.

Over the weekend I discovered some frozen Portuguese Sardines at a Fishmonger opposite the Spar on Lion’s Square off Main Rd, Somerset West. Obviously fresh is best but as I was not about to hop on the plane to Lisbon I decided to try them.

They smelled surprisingly fresh on defrosting and delivered the very same fantastic aroma on the braai after being drizzled with olive oil and a good sprinkling of Maldon sea salt.

My braai broodjie grid did the job but I did think of the Weber when the umbrella fell over in the wind catching the grid handle and pulling the grid to the ground.

We stuck to the Mediterranean theme with some freshly made Ratatouille.

So I lost the grid patterning on the Sardines after my grid became airborne but all was forgotten when I tasted the fish. While I have yet to exactly emulate any vivid first time food memories - dont think I ever will - the flavours and aromas were very similar to what I remember, just the texture could have been a little firmer.

If we had some Vinho Verde our weekend on the Med would have been complete but am still loving the incredible value of Checkers Bin 317 Sauvignon Blanc (from Philidelphia fruit).

*And Sardines are on SASSI's (Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) green list i.e. best choice. Tick.

Jonathan Snashall

Franschhoek Day Trippers getting caught on Simondium Rd

2011-03-04T12:01:00.003+02:00

Kitchen heat continues to rise on Drakenstein Valley's Simondium Rd (from just after the Klapmuts intersection off the N1) en route to Franschhoek.

Glen Carlou recently extended their kitchen and head chef (and soon to be on honeymoon!) Hennie van der Merwe has been joined by Beau du Toit whose experience includes working with Chef Bertus Basson at Overture (Eat Out top 10) as well as David Thompson’s NAHM at the Haikin in London – the only one star Michelin Thai restaurant in the world.

Glen Carlou's Zen Garden of local flora

Glen Carlou now offer Tapas on a Friday evening and dinner on Thursday evening with their usual lunch time offering. Tapas with a Paarl twist include Kudu meatballs with aubergine or Basil Pesto Arancini with tomato salad.

Glen Carlou's Pinot Noir is drinking very well at the minute but if you want something with more structure try American sister estate Hess Collection Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 04 or if you really want to push the boat out try Eight Songs Shiraz 2000 from Australian sister estate Peter Lehmann.

The wine also list includes some seriously delicious Eden valley Riesling from Peter Lehmann including the 2002 reserve and the 03 Margaret Semillon.

Further down the road Babylonstoren has opened Babel with a strong focus on fresh produce from their own veggie patch. Well it's actually 8 acres of fruit, veggies and herbs including a walled bee garden, a mulberry orchard and cactus maze all inspired by The Company (Dutch East India) Garden established in Cape Town during the 18th century.

The food is served raw, steamed or grilled and they also offer breakfast in a range of surprise settings around the farm, depending on the weather and the occasion.

A little further down the road American-owned Noble Hill Wines offer Cosecha (Spanish for harvest), a Latin-inspired restaurant serving Spanish, Mediterranean and Mexican food. They also grow their own veggies including a wide range of chillies.

The breakfast menu includes classics like Heuvos Rancheros and if you have a need for the hair of a dog you can have your ranch eggs with a shot of Tequila - don't you want to be a cowboy?

Bocaditos (small plates) include Prawn Wrap, Ostrich Skewers with chimmichuri sauce and very moreish Chorizo dates - Medjool dates wrapped in streaky bacon in a paprika tomato sauce.

At the end of the road - but not least - you can try Cotage Fromage Country Bistro and Deli on the Vrede & Lust Estate for one of the best cheese platters going with own-bakery breads and a deli stocked with local and specialty cheeses, olives and cured meats all washed down with a particularly good dry Rose.

The R5000 Cook Book

2011-02-28T13:09:00.004+02:00

The world's über cook book comes not from an überchef but from one of the world's übergeeks (with endorsements from überchefs), Microsoft's former chief technology officer and master of the forced upgrade Nathan Myhrvold.

Weighing in at an encyclopaedic 22kg, Modernist Cuisine - The Art and Science of Cooking is probably the world's ultimate cookbook, spanning six volumes and covering 1,500 different recipes with forewords from Heston Blumenthal, of Fat Duck fame, and El Bulli's Ferran Adria.

How does a billionaire scientest do this? By spending millions of dollars of course - and by completing culinary training with renowned chef Anne Willan at the Ecole De La Varenne. And with 72 of the world's best chefs advising him, and the 1,500 recipes include contributions from them, plus others developed in his multimillion-dollar Seattle food lab.

With mainstream media having to be more polite the blogosphere delivered some pearls not least ''Escoffier would crap his pants.” wrote Scott Heimendinger at http://seattlefoodgeek.com/ while Ferran Adria settled for ''this book will change the way we understand the kitchen''.

Click on this link to go to Modernist Cuisine

Doos Wyn

2011-02-28T08:38:00.000+02:00

Chateau de Cardboard, Happy Box, Pap Sak, Bonteheuwel Briefcase, call it want you want box wine can easily pack a punch above – albeit it previously low - expectations. But the quality of boxed wine has improved in recent years.

According to www.winetimes.co.za these are the best boxes in the ring today:

White Box Wine Results

Drostdy-hof – Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Windmeul – Mill White
Carnival – Dry White
Robertson – Extra Light Sauvignon Blanc
Du Toitskloof – Chenin

Red Box Wine Results

Du Toitskloof – Pinotage / Merlot / Ruby Cabernet
Dorstdy-hof – Cabernet Sauvignon
Bon Vino – Red
Robertson – Shiraz
Carnival – Classic Red

Other than using the empty bag as an inflatable pillow, buoyancy aid or party balloon – among the best features is just how convenient and easy they are to use and abuse. Instant resealing of the wine does mean they keep for longer than open bottles but not indefinitely as some oxygen bubbles into the wine with each pour but should stay fresh for around 3 weeks.

Another plus is the wine cannot be corked i.e. have a musty, mouldy aroma that some corks – and now fewer and fewer - inflict on bottled wine sealed with cork.

Although there is no opening ceremony, the romance and sentimentality associated with the pop of the cork is learned behaviour. Think of Pavlov’s dogs who salivated on hearing a bell after it was associated with food or of spirit drinkers (and wine drinkers now) who salivate at the crack of a screw cap. Is it that far fetched to imagine wine drinkers salivating at the popping of perforated cardboard? Maybe not very sexy but does it matter 7 days per week?

They're green and eco-friendly too; 3lt boxes contain the equivalent of four wine bottles, but with much less packaging and waste. While the bag is not easily recycled the box is and the real carbon saving is in the transport.

Australia followed by Scandinavian countries are among the biggest users of bag in box while recent growth in the American market has been inspired by consumers seeking value without necessarily compromising in quality and increased carbon rating of food and beverages.

Rust & Vrede - Yin & Yang

2011-02-18T15:18:00.002+02:00

It must have been really easy for the Eat Out judges to award Rust & Vrede as top restuarant if yesterday was anything to go by. On this occasion - a tasting of selected vintages going back to '79 to reveal their style evolution followed by lunch paired with their current releases - the cheese course nearly pipped the pigeon as my pairing of the day but I settled on a tie.

The Tête de Moine cheese served with Hazel’s Curried Peach, Samoosa Wafers and Basil Gel was paired with Tinta Barocca 2000 port. It again revealed the skill and experience of both chef David Biggs and sommelier Neil Grant. One of the features of this cheese - just like the port - is that it evolves with increased exposure to air (pictures ex google)and can show nutty wine-like aromas when matured.

When sliced with a Girolle (above left) it dramatically increases the surface area of the cheese and you end up with a beautiful rosette. Each time you have another silky mouthful you experience something subtly different - as was the case with the port - so this was many cheese courses in one! The tea leaf notes on the port with the curried peach was a good example of complex subtleties found here. Unfortunately the port is only sold at the restuarant (only one barrel produced).

Then the pigeon, ok so some people left a little uneasy with this one - bit like with wabbit. But as with wabbit once you taste it - as I did as a young pellet gun-toting boy - you are immediately enamoured. Pigeon and Fig, Goat’s Milk and Pistachio Cream and a Pickled Beetroot Puree was served with two reds - the R&V Shiraz 08 and the R&V Estate 07. The savouriness of the blend (cab, shir, mer) appeared the better match with the gaminess of the pigeon and goat's milk rather than the berry fruit of the Shiraz but the fig made it a very close finish.

Site of the original cellar

Of the current relases wine of the day was probably the R&V 1694 Classifiation 2007. 1694 was the year R&V was founded and this wine really did wow. It offers power and elegance off a core of dense but plush tannins and great intensity and length. The sting is the price - R1200 ex cellar door but it was a fab match with the intensity of the lamb loin and shoulder and is definately one for cellaring. The 06 garnered 93 points from Wine Spectator.

Of the retrospective wines, it was a close call between 2 very different wines and a good example of how far R&V have travelled. The first is the '79 Cabernet Sauvignon which revealed surprising vibrancy and complexity and one of the signatures of excellent mature reds - violets. Later in the flight we had a R&V Estate 2004, a blend of Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot. This was a richer, opulent, thoroughly modern (Parkerised?) wine showing venison and aniseed aromas with a touch of sweetness on entry followed by plush tannins and juicy mouthfeel. But the violets swung it for the '79.

Rust & Vrede is also rated in the S. Pellegrino top 100 restuarants in the world.

Geek Philosophy
Tête de Moine means 'monk's head'. This Swiss gourmet cheese was originally invented by the monks of Belleray Abbey in the Bernese Jura, and the brothers taught the local farmers how to make it.

Unlike most other mountain gourmet cheeses which tend to be very large, it is made in small drums. The rind may be smooth and slightly greasy, or rough and brown in color. The paste is firm and creamy to straw-yellow in color, darkening as it ages.

There may be small holes or horizontal fissures in the paste. Older Tête de Moine cheeses smell strongly of roasted nuts with wine-like aromas. The flavour is sweet and tangy, with musty wood mold and nuts.

Glen Carlou opens new kitchen, launches new menu

2011-02-18T08:43:00.001+02:00

The wineland's eclipsing bigger brother Cape Town on the culinary scene continued unabated yesterday with Glen Carlou's opening of their new kitchen and chef Hennie van der Merwe's delightful new menu.

Hennie with some of his Restuarant@Glen Carlou team

Hennie has been touching the stars throughout his career and it’s a matter of time before he bags a few of his own. After graduating from the Culinary Academy in 2003, he made the ideal start to his career, working with Michelin star chef and Raymond Blanc protégé Phil Alcock at Cellars-Hohenort.

Hennie has never looked back, going onto work in bars and restaurants around the world including sailing the world as Sous Chef on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2.

Besides equipping him to start his own Bistro and catering company in Swellendam, his high-pressure maritime experience stood him in fine stead for Glen Carlou’s first (domestic-scale) kitchen. Originally designed for outside caterers to reheat and serve food, it did not stop Hennie from performing a culinary juggling act that quickly had its regular following.

duo of tartlets

PR manager and Hess Family Estates stalwart Georgie Prout was quick to spot an opportunity and began lobbying Donald Hess for a larger kitchen. The renovation was completed in just 6 of the proposed 12 weeks unleashing a new taller Hennie and an innovative menu focusing on the use of fresh local ingredients. Meanwhile favourable reviews and bums on seats continue to rise.

Trio of - Kudu carpaccio, steak tartar with poached quail egg and rooibos smoked springbok loin.

Hennie is soon to be joined by Beau du Toit whose experience includes working with chef Bertus Basson at Overture as well as David Thompson’s NAHM at the Haikin in London – the only one star Michelin Thai restaurant in the world.

Ironically the restaurant’s name was originally inspired by the Zen garden below the outside deck, but Zen was not good karma as customers expected an Asian experience.

Franschhoek pan-fried trout

The winelands now boasts no fewer than 5 of Eat Out’s top ten restaurants and 7 of Rossouw’s 13 three star restaurants are also winelands-based. JP Rossouw’s erratum of including Glen Carlou as 3 star in his 2011 guide may well have revealed his psychic abilities.

Yesterday’s highlights included Confit Duck Leg with their 2007 Gravel Quarry Cabernet Sauvignon. I expected their Pinot Noir but this was a masterstroke - this site-specific wine delivers dense, dark berry fruit with a subtle earthy/mineral note which was a great match for the rich duck meat which had turned a vibrant pink during the long slow cooking.

confit duck leg

Restaurant @ Glen Carlou will soon be open for tapas and dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. They will also be open for breakfast over the weekends and the restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch including a lighter dining menu.

REECE-ling; needs an introduction and a second warning.

2011-02-15T18:37:00.015+02:00

A legion of wine writers are perplexed, a world of consumers are pleased and perplexed (sorry dads this is not about your daughter's first date). Wine writers continue to foretell about the Riesling Revolution and Riesling consumers continue to be amazed at the power and elegance they find at price points that are fantastic value for money.

Maybe this is why it’s such a slow-burn revolution - the converted don’t want to spread the word too wide as demand might just push up the prices to reasonable levels. Not to be confused with Cape or Paarl Riesling (actually Crouchen Blanc) German a.k.a Rhine a.k.a Weisser Riesling is arguably THE classic variety (and is also planted in the Cape). Now before you cough up your Chardonnay lets consider:

Against Germany used to produce a lot of insipid sweet wine - remember Liebfraumilch - bottled in the same elegant flute shape used to bottle Riesling. Allied to this is the varying sweetness levels found in the wine but not necessarily on the label. Then how do you pronounce it? Restaurateurs know that people are weary of ordering wines they don’t know how to pronounce.

Riesling has very little - if any - affinity for oak. (this also qualifies it for the 'for' section). But there are plenty of consumers who believe they like Chardonnay while it’s really the oak. While heavily oaked wines are now less fashionable, oak is also used in other whites like Chenin, Semillon and Viogner.

Riesling will never be as widely grown as Chardonnay because its terroir's white equivalent of Pinot Noir (another one for 'for'). It is a cool climate variety with fastidious and sometimes temperamental habits and an affinity for slate soils.

For
No other whites age as well as Riesling and one can say that without necessarily including the much more expensive botrytized (noble rot) and ice wine Rieslings . Thanks to racy natural acidity and extract these wines don’t need the fortification of alcohol - another plus - to go the distance.

Wherever its produced, Riesling is also notable for its intense aromas, variously described as floral, steely, honeyed, limes, green apple and various mineral-type aromas. In warmer climates it can show grapefruit, peach and pear.

Riesling can combine lightness of touch (lower alcohols) high extract (small berries, compact bunches) and intensity of flavour to achieve the holy grail of fine wine - power and elegance.

While Rieslings are not easy to mistake for other white varieties its also one of those varieties that most accurately reflect a sense of place, or provenance - another holy grail of fine wine (marketing?).

Riesling can also make fine wine at many different sweetness levels largely due to its high natural acidity ranging from austere and steely through refreshing off-dry to intensely sweet with botrytis. And like many great wines, the best drink well young but age beautifully too.

Riesling goes brilliantly with food including Asian dishes and is probably one of the most versatile wines to match with food, complimenting flavours and aromas rather than drowning them in oak or alcohol.

Although highly regarded EU and UK wine writers like Jancis Robinson have been calling Riesling the greatest white grape for some time know, its North American consumers who have become the foot soldiers or pioneering palates of the Riesling Revolution afters decades of demand for anything but Riesling.

The rising quality of the Finger Lakes region of New York state, the ice wines of (Canada’s) Ontario Niagara Peninsula to rival those of Germany, and Washington state where Chateau Ste. Michelle sets American records by producing 500 000 cases annually are all evidence of another tea party and America’s fastest growing white variety.

Meanwhile Germany’s exports of heavily commercial blends have fallen and thanks partly to climate change and to a highly ambitious generation of winemakers the quality of German Riesling has risen sharply along with the ability to fully ripen Riesling grapes.

Locally good examples include, Klein Constantia, Paul Cluver, Harteburg, Groote Post and Howard Booysen. Sadly Buitenverwachting (appropriately named?) ripped theirs out so 09 is their last vintage.

Glen Carlou stocks Riesling from Australian sister estate Peter Lehmann, winner of 5 best Riesling in the world at London's International Wine and Spirit Competition, distributed locally by Reciprocal Wine Trading

Cape Town-based importers Wine Cellar stock classic Mosel and Alsacian Riesling and some Australian.

Cathy Marston and Neil Pendock are currently taking entries on behalf of South Africa's Just Riesling Association in a competition to come up with a Riesling-inspired slogan. The winning entrant gets a mixed case of SA Rieslings.
link to Pendock
link to Marston

Jonathan Snashall

End of Leafroll?

2011-01-27T13:33:00.005+02:00

It seems an end is in site for South Africa's other big virus problem. By 2013 - assuming the Mayan calender does not come to pass - some producers including Stellenzicht will be planting leafroll virus resistant vines. However this has not occured through technology (but dont tell Thabo & Manto) but rather through good old fashioned foot slog and natural selection (no beetroot juice involved either).

Not yet Autumn

By observing infected vineyards over two seasons, consulting viticulturalist Eben Archer identified naturally resistant vines in heavily infected blocks and has propagated these for replanting of vineyards. Although these came up clean in local tests - and in the USA and France - Archer will only let time reveal if he has been successful.

The Shiraz, Pinot Gris & Pinot Noir identified by Archer will be made available through the national clonal selection scheme for commercial grafting. We can expect the first harvest in 2016.

Meanwhile others are thriving with the virus. 'Leafroll virus gives us marginality' says Hamilton Russell Vineyard's (HRV) Anthony referring to how many great vineyards of the world including Burgundy thrive on a viticultural knife-edge where natural cause and circmstance limit both vigour and yield and grapes only just reach ripeness. These wines often have great balance, length, intensity and complexity.


Anthony sets up stall

While uneconomical for most, Anthony also lives with very low yield. Viticulturist Johan Montgomery and winemaker Hannes Storm - now approaching 10 vintages at this SA icon - are ruthless in their crop thinning reducing strong canes to two bunches, moderate to one and weak to none!

Anthony also believes their clay rich soils are a major contributor to their Burgundian style wines. Restraint is another feature and I also enjoyed the moderate alcohols that are increasingly difficult to find.

Geek Philosophy
One of the biggest challenges in controlling leaf role virus is that it is spread by a wood louse known as mealy bug. Besides wintering underground mealy bugs live in symbiosis with ants which are virtually impossible to control so new plantings are quickly re-infected.

Best braai improv of the summer

2011-01-22T11:08:00.006+02:00

So I felt like some Tandoori chicken on Friday night but did not start the marinating on Thursday and since I haven’t yet mastered time travel I decided to try a short cut. (you do need a small flying saucer tho or a kettle braai will do).

While the coals are cooling, mix some dried ground ginger, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric (or saffron if its pay-day), fresh chilli and garlic (don’t be shy if you want added richness), paprika and garam masala into some double cream yoghurt (no need to feel guilty – in yoghurt it means about 5-7% fat) and some tomato puree (I was also inspired by butter chicken) and ja I know duplication of ingredients.

it kinda looked liked this but....

looked more like this by the time I took a pic

Heat a roasting tray over the coals, season the chicken, place in the roasting tray and brown (with the kettle lid on, vent open), drain the fat, put the chicken directly over the coals and soften some sliced cherry/baby toms in the tray, then add the yoghurt mixture and reduce – again lid on for smokiness. Once you have reduced the ‘marinade’ and the chicken is just about done mix together and cook for another couple of minutes.

This was a revelation – rich, smoky, spicy, creamy, aromatic – am falling out of love with Bukhara – once I crack Palak Paneer its over. Our usual yardstick 'is it a plate licker' became 'is it a tray licker?' (with your fingers of course).

We matched it with unoaked but rich bush vine Chenin and all was good in the world. Saturday morning was a different story but was consoled by some Mexican eggs, now there is another post-worthy dish.

5 best health foods

2011-01-20T12:53:00.001+02:00

Pat yourself on the back if you guessed more than 2 of them AND mixed news for chololate lovers - it has to be dark.

1) SEAWEED
There are approximately 90 minerals identified in modern nutrition and ALL of them are represented in seaweed. Gram for gram, they are higher in vitamins and minerals than every other food on the plant containing 20-200% more minerals than land-based vegetables. Seaweed holds high levels of Vitamins C, D, K and B and has more Vitamin A than carrots.

Seaweed is also very rich in protein and strengthens the kidneys and nervous system. When eaten consistently, sea vegetables calm hyperactivity, reduce stress and are excellent for the thyroid gland. People complain about the taste and the general rule of thumb with seaweed is this: the worse it tastes for you, the more you need it. Dulse, Kelp and Nori are excellent types. And you dont need a licence.

2) CACAO
Chocolate originates from a bean called “Cacao”, and is one of the most complex food substances on earth. According to Healing with Natural Foods author Paul Pitchford Cacao has over 300 chemically identifiable compounds. Energetics of Food author Eric Gagne claims raw chocolate has 700 naturally occurring chemicals and almost everyone agrees Cacao is one of the best anti-oxidant foods on the planet.

This is beneficial because antioxidants fight “free radical cells” which cause inflammation and disease in our bodies. Cacao also contains 10x more magnesium and chromium than any other food in the world. Magnesium is the most important mineral for our health activating over 350 processes, according to Pitchford. If you cant find raw and organic chocolate try dark (at least 75%).

3) QUINOA
Quinoa (KEEN-WA) is an ancient whole grain, and has been consumed by people for more than 8,000 years. Quinoa has the highest nutritional profile of all grains. It contains high levels of dietary fiber and B Vitamins and has all 8 essential amino acids. Whole grains are some of the best sources for nutritional support, providing long-lasting energy (as a result of the body absorbing them slowly unlike simple carbs).

Quinoa is high in zinc, potassium, calcium and Vitamin E and is known to strengthen the kidney and heart. After all, this is the food on which the Aztec empire was built.

4) KALE
It is well-known that leafy green vegetables are extremely nutritious and packed with a wide array of vitamins. Energetically speaking, leafy greens contain a high concentration of chlorophyll, the “life-blood” of our planet where Kale is king. Green leafy vegetables have a high concentration of Vitamins A, C and K, folate, potassium, magnesuim, iron, lutein, and phytochemicals.

Kale goes a step further and is also an incredible source of calcium, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium. For a green, Kale is unusually high in fiber and in many ways is a true superfood, and certainly one of the most nutritious foods on the planet.

5) BERRIES
According to raw food extraordinaire David Wolfe, berries are the most natural food for human consumption and a cleanser of the human body. Berries are a wonderful source of Vitamins C, E, calcium and folic acid and are rich in phytochemicals.

Berries are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, which has been linked to lowered cholesterol levels. Some forms have even shown to have anti-cancer properties in laboratory settings The goji berry, popular in Chinese medicine, is one of the most potent anti-oxidant foods available.

Kale burger with side of Quino and Seaweed garnish anyone?

Home cured Parma-style ham

2011-01-16T17:12:00.010+02:00

If ever you doubted pork being fashionable consider that Miss Piggy is to play the role of a French Vogue editor in the next Muppet movie ‘The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time’. Although bacon is surely it’s most popular type, one of pork’s strength is it’s versatility - just ask Kermit.

Pork Pageant

And if it weren’t so expensive, pukka Parma ham would be more popular than bacon me thinks. This meat – from slowly air-dried salted legs of ham – seemingly melts in your mouth with a sweet salty tang and an unctuous, velvety texture.

Among the best are the long-matured hams of Parma and Friuli in Italy or Huelva and Salamanca in Spain. A leg of five-star Bellota Cinco Jotas ham made from acorn-fed, black-foot pigs in the mountains above Jabugo in Andalucia and cured for three years sells for up to R8000 — sliced, off the bone it costs as much as R1800 a kilo.

These hams are very simply cured — lightly salted, for no more than a few days, and then hung. If only it were so simple. For starters, this could be a rare case of where Italian beaurocracy is an aid rather than a hindrance.

There are strict rules governing the angle of the cut, the water content, the fat and blood levels for a ham that has been famous ever since the second century BC, when the Roman politician Cato described the process in a treatise on agriculture, saying that it produced long-lasting, delicious meat.

Firstly, trim the back legs of free- range, stress-free (multo importante) pork to the familiar lute shape, the great curve of the rump surrounding the shiny round knob of the femur. Mix a kilo of sea salt with a bit of ground pepper, rosemary, garlic, nutmeg and fennel seed. Gently rub the mixture into the exposed meat and around the bone head to draw moisture out of the ham.

Now the tricky part for home curing – you need to hang the ham at 3 degrees in 80 or 85 % humidity. Re-salt after three days and after two weeks wash off the salt and hang in drier air.

The important thing is the initial two weeks of maturation — temperature and humidity must be right, and there should be no draughts. After, allow air movement on warm dry days. If you start in the winter, as is traditional, then in the spring as the weather gets warmer, the ham needs a damper atmosphere, and then in summer you begin the drying.

After seven or eight months suet is wiped over the exposed meat to seal it, and then the hams become dormant (bacterial activity ends). They are hung in a dry cellar to age for as long as three years.

Parma and Wine

If you cant bear the wait, watch out for wine producer Oak Valley’s first release of parma-style ham from acorn-fed free range pigs.Some believe Parma’s typical nuttiness is from the acorn diet while others are sceptical as acorns are not available all year round.

Another possible source is from lactones (think coconut) found in fresh pork which are also reminiscent of peach and apricot. Lactones are also found in oak, particularly American and aging in toasted oak barrels gives wines and brandies a number of such notes.

Fino sherry is a great match with aged dried ham as both contain lactones while Parma is often matched with melon. However, I have found dried figs a much more exciting match particularly with dry sherry.

Meanwhile, foodies are going into kermit-like ecstasies over culatello (literally translating as 'little arse'). This is the pear-shaped piece from the heart of the ham, brined, air-cured, and considered by some as the height of porcine decadence.

Hello Kermit

Jonathan Snashall

World's Oldest Winery is in.....

2011-01-12T18:28:00.000+02:00

Archaeologists have unearthed the oldest wine-making facility ever found, using biochemical techniques to identify a dry red vintage made about 6,000 years ago in what is now southern Armenia, researchers reported this week in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

"This is the world's oldest known installation to make wine," said Gregory Areshian, of the University of California, Los Angeles, who helped lead the study. The rich, red wines produced there are Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons, he said.

The press and vat!

Carbon dating showed a desiccated grape vine found near a wine press was grown around 4000 BC, his team reported. This makes it 1,000 years older than any other wine-making facility yet discovered, claim the Armenian, American and Irish research team.

The wine press would have held a few gallons of juice and crushed grapes, probably working with the time-honoured technique of barefoot stomping, Mr Areshian said. The press itself is a shallow clay basin about 3ft in diameter, surrounded by grape seeds and dried-out grape vines.

Chemical traces point to grape juice and, given the lack of refrigeration, the juice would certainly have been fermented into wine, Mr Areshian said. "We also know that still, in the villages in the vicinity, the culture of wine is very old and traditional," he said.

The researchers also found the world's oldest leather shoe, about 5,500 years old, at the same cave complex last year, known as Areni-1, located in the Little Caucasus Mountains near Armenia's southern border with Iran.

References Maggie Fox

Olde World Country Feeling on your Stoep

2011-01-03T13:24:00.003+02:00

Knorhoek Country Guesthouse is only 10 minutes from Stellenbosch yet you feel you are much deeper than that – and I don’t just mean the honesty bar.

Simonsberg mountains and mature trees provide the setting. And habitat for varied and abundant birdlife - not to mention the best possible white noise substitute for city slickers – with Piet-my-vrou calls punctuating the gentle clip of the leaves in the breeze while the owls here do give a hoot.

The view from our room (Pics by Georgie Prout)

This hidden gem was owned by Dutch East India Company employee Martin Melck, and was referred to as ‘de plaats waar de leeuwen knorren’ (the place where the lions roar). Melck gave the property to his daughter as a wedding gift and it has been in the Van Niekerk family ever since. Tourists – often American with long musical instrument boxes – still ask about the lions.

Thorn tree full moon

Although the Cape Mountain lion became extinct in the late 1700's, a touch of the wild remains with leopard and caracal sightings in the higher reaches of the surrounding mountains - providing inspiration for the use of the leopard on the estate's wine labels.

They are also members of Biodiversity Wine Initiative (BWI) whose vision is to protect and conserve the unique natural heritage within the Cape Winelands while producing classic Cape Cabernet Sauvignon and other noble varieties.

My first experience on the estate was at Towerbosch Aardskombuis where I enjoyed some seriously comfy comfort food in a gay-Boer-chic setting. Chefs Westley Muller and Carmen van der Merwe are very cunning – I kept feeling like I was at my Nan’s for Sunday roast, just with more interesting wine and conversation.

Over at the guest house, Liesl follows the same formula - fresh ingredients simply prepared - providing for a most enjoyable meal while capturing that home-from-home feeling.

Liesl - born on the farm - cooked for us at the guesthouse.

before

after

Back in the room, I just loved the Victorian claw bath and the mozzie net, with the lavish flower arrangement adding to the sumptious colonial feel of the place.

bubbles are obligatory


also keeps the bogeyman out.

Near perfect, pity about the lack of mini-bar in the room but it was kinda exciting dashing down to the dining room fridge in the middle of the night in my dressing gown. If you can’t get to your Nan’s for Sunday roast, or the game farm is too far - go there - I left doing the Knorhoek Leeu Loop.

Jonathan Snashall

Links
Leeu loop with Robbie Wessels

For winemaker-led wine tours
Knorhoek

Rawbones at Mzoli's

2010-12-10T10:34:00.012+02:00

What!? No International TV news crews? In the wake of the Dewani hit I would have thought 90 white dudettes & dudes descending on Mzoli’s was newsworthy but guess good news doesn’t travel that far. Or maybe they just read ‘ Rawbones at Mzoli’s’ and thought ‘duh, nothing new there.’

But there was, Oak Valley owner Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen (ARV) launched their 2^nd label ‘Rawbones'. And we partied hard, it was pure Africa time, music as loud as it would be at midnight, and you quickly forgot/didn’t care what day of the week - that university feeling - maybe weekend (if you not there by 9AM on the weekend you just don’t get in!) - who cares you feel young and bullet proof again, anything is possible!

Mzoli's Medievel kitchen, if you can't stand the heat...

ARV is also a gourmet meat producer, tending a herd of Wagyu cattle, grass-fed free range Simmentaler cattle and acorn-fed free range pigs - wonder if any will end up at Mzoli's? How would you like your nyama done Sir?

Mzoli's - veggies include pork and chicken all fab with Rawbone's
Butcher's Block Merlot Cab Franc

So some people spoke (or tried to - you need rock concert rigs to douse the din) including ARV, Ian Manley, Mariette Du Toit-Helmbold (Cape Town Tourism, sharp fall in bookings post Dewani) but when Mzoli spoke you could hear a tjop drop, yup no doubting his township benelovent-godfather status. Stand by for Mzoli's Wine Fest in Gugs next year.

Mzoli and ARV

Ok time to place some OV bets again. (see also missed by a salami skin link ) These wines are going to take next years Good Value awards by storm. The Butcher's Block maiden 2008 vintage is a blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc, it has a softer, more feminine side to it than the premium range Oak Valley Blend.

The wine was oaked for 18 months with 20% spending time in new oak barrels and the remainder in second and third fill barrels. It’s a voluptuous wine, with ripe red fruit flavours: think plums and red cherries and a touch of savouriness. Tannins are delicate and in all this satiny soft wine certainly over delivers on price at R55.

The Wishbone White offers the same cool climate flavours for which the regular Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc is renowned with an appealing fruitiness and clean flavours of gooseberry and some apple all for just R45.


Order queue at Mzoli's pass - what's a sous chef?

Dont mess with the bouncers at Mzoli's

Rawbones Pack

Winemaker Pieter Visser dishing out samples township style

Jonathan Snashall

Stellenzicht launches no added sulphite wines

2010-12-08T15:40:00.003+02:00

Stellenzicht has launched two wines without any added sulphites, a 2008 Petit Verdot, and a 2009 Chardonnay. Although Stellenzicht winemaker Guy Webber has been experimenting with low-sulphite wines for several vintages, these will be the first to be released into the local market.

Sulphur-free wines are not yet possible as yeasts produce small amounts during fermentation. Guy said the two new wines would help to grow a very small category of wines with no added sulphites available to local consumers. To be classified as a low-sulphite wine, the sulphite count must not exceed 10 parts per million. "This is quite a challenge, as sulphites are also generated during fermentation. One therefore has to take extreme care to reduce sulphur contact with the grapes to the minimum, and this starts in the vineyard with the avoidance of sulphur-based fungicides and insecticides." Guy said although the wines were intended primarily for people who are sulphur-sensitive they did also serve to extend the taste spectrum for consumers. "This new Chardonnay tastes different, in the same way a wooded Chardonnay tastes different from an unwooded one. It is fresh and complex on the nose with nuances of ripe pineapple, pawpaw and gooseberry. On the palate it is different from what one would expect from a white wine - its freshness at the end belies the rich, buttery complexity with which it starts off and makes it for me a most exciting wine." At this stage, Guy does not intend adding more low-sulphite wines to the Stellenzicht line-up. "There is inherently nothing wrong with sulphur - it is a natural, environmentally-friendly substance that has been used extensively in the wine industry as a preservative since classical times. Sulphur turns into sulphites which preserve the wine. It is an antiseptic as well as an anti-oxidant." According to Guy the risk of bacterial spoilage determines every action in the making low-sulphite wines. "You have to start with healthy grapes of excellent quality that must be delivered to the cellar without delay. It is also important to select yeast cultures for fermentation that generate little sulphur. To achieve microbial stability, the wine needs to undergo malolactic fermentation. We avoid contact with oxygen as far as possible, and finally, we move the wine as little as we can - the Chardonnay goes virtually straight from the tank into the bottle." In the case of the Petit Verdot, Guy gave the wine the maximum exposure to tannins by keeping it on the skins for almost a year. After drawing off the skins, the wine remained in the barrel for another year before bottling early in 2010. He said the concentrated fruit flavours on the nose of this intensely deep-coloured wine "are balanced on the palate by an abundance of ripe tannins and a crisp acidity". Particular care was taken to avoid oxygen contact during bottling. "We used high-quality composite corks that allow zero oxygen penetration and before filling, staff wearing sterilised gloves dropped pellets of dry ice into each bottle to fill it with carbon dioxide and expel the oxygen." "In addition to sulphites there are a number of inherent preservatives in wine, such as tannins, the acids and the alcohol itself. If it is sealed in hermetically, there is no reason why a low-sulphite wine should not last as long as sulphite-treated ones," Guy said. "As the wines were not cold-stabilised it is possible that small tartrate crystals will in time form in the bottles of white wine and a fine sediment in the red." Very small quantities of the two wines were produced: 1 700 bottles in the case of the Petit Verdot and 2 000 in the case of the Chardonnay. Some of this will be offered selectively to the local market while some will be going overseas. The Petit Verdot is expected to sell for about R115 per bottle and the Chardonnay for about R89. for more see Hope for Wine Allergy Sufferers Jonathan Snashall

the world's hottest chilli is from....

2010-12-07T08:55:00.001+02:00

The UK's Cumbria!? Chilli farmer Gerald Fowler crossed three of the hottest varieties to scorch the Scoville scale. His Naga Viper rates an astonishing 1,359,000 which is a measure of the active ingredient capsaicin. The most popular chilli, Jalapeno, measures a paltry 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

Hottie of the year Gerald Fowler

“When chillies are grown over here I think they fight back against the harsh climate and produce even more heat,” said Mr Fowler, 52, who runs the Chilli Pepper Company in Cark-in-Cartmel “It’s painful to eat. It numbs your tongue, then burns all the way down. It can last an hour, and you just don’t want to talk to anyone or do anything. But it makes you feel great.”

Does Nando's know about this? Chilled loo paper to go please.

Ref. The Times

Modern Wineries of South Africa

2010-12-05T13:52:00.002+02:00

Ok are you trying to buy a Xmas pressie for one or more of the following people:
1. Wino
2. Photographer
3. Architect
4. South African (proudly)
5. Artist
6. Wine writer
7. Decorator
8. Make Gautengelers envious (again)
9. Planning on building a winery
10. Has everything else already
11. Not another John Platter please

Last Friday night Quivertree Publications launched Modern Wineries of South Africa at Mandela Rhodes Place. Craig Fraser's photography is achingly beautiful and although I have not yet read the copy (by multi-talented Hugh Fraser) I have no hesitation enthusing about this book.

While it would grace any coffee table - or any other place books gather - you immediately feel uncomfortable calling it a coffeee table book for its much bigger and better than that. I took it to bed with me on Friday night.

Features of the photography include innovative angles and use of winter light and finding new views of wineries and landscapes. In fact so other worldly there are times when you don’t even recognise the Cape nor some of the wineries or views.

It was most therapeutic and really pleased my senses not too mention patriotism and you are left amazed how much the Cape winelands has progressed in the last 15 years matching the 58 five stars in 2011 John Platter.

Retail Price R475 at participating wineries like Glen Carlou.

Link to Quiver Tree

Jonathan Snashall

Supertaster? Or Superdrinker? Take the test Superfreak.

2010-12-03T10:31:00.008+02:00

So you don't like NASA superfood-endorsed raw Brocolli - nor coffee, dark choclate, or grapefruit juice? You could be a supertaster.* But don't fret if you are not as George dubya Bush (he doesnt like Brocolli) probaly was and who would want to join that group? Nor - it seems - is there one version of delicious.

About 25% of the population are supertasters with a much higher density of tastebuds but much of wine assessement is via the nose where you also find supersniffers (although this not always to your benefit either). If you love food more than most you may be a superstaster. Around 25% are non-tasters and the rest are somewhere in between - lets call it the muffin curve.

Women are much more likely to be supertasters than men (35 per cent of women vs 15 per cent of men) and more Asians are supertasters than the rest of the world. Caucasian males have the lowest rate of supertasters of any known group, and are generally also found taking extra lessons learning the cha cha.

Supertasters are more sensitive to bitter tastes and fattiness in food, often disliking such food. But everybody - even some vegeterians - loves a braai tjoppie. Supertasters tend to find highly fatty and sugary foods less palatable than non-tasters so tend to weigh less and have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

The degree to which you experience wine’s bitterness, astringency and acidity is correlated with your taster status. Non-tasters have significantly lower intensity ratings for the bitterness, astringency and acidity of red wines than do tasters and supertasters. Maybe these researchers can also work out why some people look like their mothers never stopped dressing them?

How about a resturant that tests reactions to an amuse-bouche before each meal and adjusting the dishes that follow to maximise customer satisfaction? "If a quarter of the population have a strong reaction to some tastes and another quarter have no reaction, it makes no sense for everyone to be given the same dish. There's the potential to go out to dinner and leave not just having had a good meal, but knowing far more about your own taste." says Charles Spence, of Oxford University's Department of Experimental Psychology.

"Most people know of the link between smell and taste, but we've found taste is far more multisensory, including sight. If you put red colouring in white wine, for example, even wine experts perceive the flavour differently. In fact, the more expert they are, the more they are fooled. They drink the white wine and talk about the buttery, straw-like flavours and when you give them the same wine with red food colouring, they describe the tobacco and chocolate-like flavours."says Spence

Then there's hearing. Heston Blumenthal's famous "sounds of the sea" dish (where diners eat a fish pie while listening to the seaside through an iPod) served at the Fat Duck in Bray, came about from collaborative experiments with Spence. "What you hear at the time of eating can hugely alter your perception of what you taste," he says, adding that experiments have shown that foods like carrots begin to taste unpleasant if you take the crunchy sound away.

Fat Duck's street sign - looks like Carol Boyes was involved.

While its more common knowledge that hormones can affect perception of taste (pregnant women and food cravings) mood can have an impact too, says Lucy Donaldson, a senior lecturer in physiology and pharmacology at the University of Bristol. "Anxiety and depression can make things taste of cardboard. That's not just the effect of the anxiety not allowing you to concentrate on eating. The brain actually activates what happens on the tongue," she says.

Julie Mennella of Philadelphia's Monell Chemical Senses Centre gave expectant mothers either carrot juice or tomato juice during their pregnancy, and tested the infants' preferences after birth. The babies whose mother drank tomato juice didn't like the carrot juice and vice versa, showing that taste preferences develop in the womb. "At birth, the baby will already 'know' what people in his or her culture eat, and have a preference for these foods," says Virginia Utermohlen, associate professor at the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, New York.

Utermohlen believes you can become conditioned to foods after birth. "In our culture, for instance, we are conditioned to view bugs as 'dirty' and not food, but in other cultures bugs are eaten happily. You can also be aversively conditioned to a given food if you get sick after eating it, whether it was the food that made you sick or not. I became – and still am – disgusted by a certain kind of tomato sauce with parmesan cheese that I once liked, because I was very sick after, though due to something different."

However, we become less sensitive - on average - as we get older, says Utermohlen. "In particular, the transition from childhood to adolescence increases the ability to tolerate food. Similarly, as we get past 40 there is a decline in taste and smell sensitivity, which may allow tolerance of more foods. Maybe we need new legislation prohibiting wine judges above a certain age? However, the decline doesn't occur at the same pace for everyone. In one study, chefs on average showed less decline than others so maybe winemakers and wine judges are safe for now.

Neil Martin, director of the Human Olfaction Laboratory at Middlesex University, believes you can retrain your taste. "If you like sugar in tea or coffee and you eliminate the sugar immediately, you'll find it horrid. But if you do it over a period of weeks – say, by a quarter of a teaspoon a week, by the end you will probably find the amount you originally had far too sweet. It never ceases to surprise people."

Geek Philosophy

There are three main ways to test if one is a super taster – count taste buds or consume two products.

Supertasters have more fungiform papillae type taste buds, which makes them a little more sensitive when tasting. These taste buds can be counted by swabbing your tongue with a cotton ball with blue food coloring. The fungiform papillae will not turn blue, but instead remain pink. From there, take a piece of paper with a hole cut out of it and count how many pink spots you see in that hole. Supertasters will have more than 30 papillae in that area. BBC Science and Nature shows a good example of this demonstration.

Another easy test to conduct is a Saccharin Test. Take one packet of saccharin (artificial sweetner) and combine it with two-thirds of a cup of water, and then taste it. For some, there will be a dominate sweet taste, indicating that they are an undertaster, while others will notice a dominate bitter taste, indicating they are a supertaster. Those who find balance between sweet and bitter are regular tasters.

The easiest but least home-friendly test is to get some propylthiouracil (PROP), a prescription-only thyroid medication drug. In this test, widely used by taste researchers, people are made to taste PROP and if they find it repulsively bitter, they're deemed a supertaster (or undertasters if tasteless).

Superdrinker - easy, keep your empties for a week and see if you can count them on one hand when you sober.

* 1st coined by Psychologist Linda Bartoshuk and her colleagues in the 1990s. In their research, they noticed that some people seemed to have a much higher taste response than others. But don't be fooled by the label. We're not talking about a superior palate . Far from it, Bartoshuk found that supertasters – which make up around 25 per cent of the population – carry a double copy of a gene which makes them super-sensitive to bitter tastes.

References - Kate Hilpern

Rust and Vrede's David Higgs is Eat Out Chef of the Year

2010-11-29T07:23:00.005+02:00

And Rust and Vrede is No 1 Restuarant, followed by The Tasting Room and Jordan.

Rust and Vrede's David Higgs

The most significant shift on the podium is David Higgs’s Rust en Vrede Restaurant, which went from last year's third place to being named Eat Out's Restaurant of the year where certified Sommelier Neil Grant does a fine job matching food and wine. Not too many of those in SA - apparently around a half dozen of the realsters.

R & V's Sommelier Neil Grant

Other noticeable moves are The Tasting Room, which moved from last year's joint 10th place to 2nd place, and Overture, who made it to 9th on the list.

Strong rebounds include Aubergine, which received the Top 10 accolade in 2007, Bosman's, last featured on 2005's list, and Hartford House in first return since 2008.

Brand-new restaurants to make the grade are George Jardine's Jordan Restaurant and Marthinus Ferreira's Johannesburg restaurant DW Eleven-13.

3. Jordan Restaurant
4. Bosman's
5. DW Eleven-13
6. Terroir
7. Aubergine
8. Roots
9. Overture
10. Hartford House

30th Diners Club Winemaker of the Year announced

2010-11-28T08:51:00.002+02:00

The 2010 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year is Mr Sauvignon aka Bartho Eksteen from Hermanus winery Hermanuspietersfontein (only to be attempted while sober) while RJ Botha from Durbanville's Nitida Cellars is their Young Winemaker of the Year. Bartho has been Sauvignon-mad throughout his career so this award was always a matter of time....

RJ Botha, Ebrahim Matthews and Bartho Eksteen aka Mr Sauvignon

Winemakers had to submit Sauvignon blanc wines while the young winemakers were judged on their unfortified dry red cultivar or blended wines.

Diners Club celebrated the 30th year of the Winemaker of the Year competition and the tenth for young winemaker award.

Speaking at the formal dinner award ceremony in the Winelands on 27 November, Diners Club managing director Ebrahim Matthews said over the years these awards had become a benchmark for the industry and were regarded as one of South Africa’s most prestigious wine competitions. “For three decades Diners Club has been selecting and rewarding the finest of South African winemakers, encouraging them to dig deeper and raise the standard of South African wines to a level where they would be recognised on an international stage. We believe that they have achieved this and more,” Matthews said.

Eat Out Mag will tonight announce its Top chefs and restaurants - stand by.

the new feel good story of the day

2010-11-26T16:50:00.001+02:00

The first woman protégé of the Cape Winemakers Guild, Praisy Dlamini, has just completed her 3-year internship honing her winemaking skills under the mentorship of members of the Guild, and has secured her first full-time position as assistant winemaker.

Rocking with Praisy

Praisy, who trained under the mentorship of Philip Costandius at Lourensford Wine Estate, David Finlayson at Edgebaston and Pieter Ferreira at Graham Beck Wines, will start her winemaking career as assistant winemaker across a diverse portfolio of wines at Distell.

“Winemaking is not always an easy journey but having one-on-one interaction with the Guild members who are all masters of their craft, made me realise that passion is contagious and through hard work and dedication I have achieved confidence in my abilities and earned the respect of my peers,” says Praisy.

“There are many opportunities heading my way and the future looks rather bright so I'm grateful that I will now get a chance to put all that I have learnt into practise,” she added.

Praisy, originally from KwaDlangezwa in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, was chosen as the first woman to join the Guild’s Protégé Programme in January 2008 after graduating from Elsenburg Agricultural College with a diploma in Viticulture and Oenology.

The Protégé Programme, launched in 2006, cultivates and nurtures promising graduates to become winemakers of excellence. The programme is financed by the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust through funds raised by Guild members and an annual donation by the Nedbank Foundation.

Final year students who attend the University of Stellenbosch and Elsenburg Agricultural College studying Viticulture and Oenology can apply for the programme and are selected by a specialist panel. During the three-year internship, Guild members are responsible for mentoring their protégés for a minimum of 6 months and providing them with essential hands-on skills and experience.

missed by a salami skin

2010-11-26T16:01:00.000+02:00

So I confess, even had I got some decent odds, I would have lost my bet (see http://huntergatherervintner.blogspot.com/2010/11/elderflower-discovered-in-oak-valley.html ) that Oak Valley 09 Sauvignon would have got 5 stars in 2011 edition of John Platter Wine Guide - it got 4,5 and highly recommended. No cigar, but a glass has consoled me - greatly.

feel good story of the day

2010-11-26T08:21:00.004+02:00

Zelda Petrus, a former cleaner at Steenberg Vineyards who now has responsibility for the winery’s front-of house cellar door sales, will soon be flying to California to learn more about wine sales and marketing in Napa Valley. This will be the first flight the Retreat-born widow and mother of one will be taking.

Deputy mayor Clarence Johnson and Zelda Petrus

Her week-long trip will expose her to some of the region’s top cellars and sales and marketing specialists, made possible by the Great Wine Capitals, a network of the world’s leading wine-producing countries who share international best practice in the name of advancing standards in wine tourism across the world.

Says Petrus: “After my husband died, I was very depressed and saw work as an opportunity to meet people and to learn new skills. I have been very lucky in that Steenberg was prepared to give me a chance and recognised my potential. This really is a dream come true for me. Now, I am hoping I can extend my skills still further and one day, become a wine educator.”

Steenberg Vineyards in the Constantia Valley was South Africa’s top performer in the recent Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Awards, winning in two of the competition’s seven categories, including architecture, parks and gardens, and wine tourism services.

As the best local exponent of wine tourism, Steenberg Vineyards was entitled to nominate a member of its staff to visit one of the wine-producing countries within the network. In addition to Cape Town/Cape Winelands, the other members are Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), Florence (Italy), Mainz (Germany), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal), San Francisco-Napa (United States) and New Zealand’s Christchurch.

Says Cape Winelands deputy mayor Clarence Johnson, who is also the immediate past president of the network: “To experience firsthand how things are done somewhere else can be a powerful way of learning. It can be enriching and inspiring and create the capacity to teach others on the ground.”

He said Petrus had been chosen for her expertise as well as for her wonderful warmth and hospitality. “She is an eloquent example of the typical South African ability to transcend barriers. She began at Steenberg in 2001, initially as a cleaner in the tasting area. Keen and curious, she paid close attention and began to learn about wine and by 2004 was conducting tastings herself.

She was mentored by her colleagues at work but also taught herself and enrolled for a Cape Wine Academy course to learn more and here she is today, Steenberg’s front-of-house representative in the tasting room: for many the gateway to the Steenberg cellar door experience.”

Hope for Wine Allergy Sufferers

2010-11-22T08:56:00.006+02:00

Around 8% of world population suffer from wine-related allergies but only about 1% of allergies relate to sulphur. Symptoms of wine allergy can range from headaches and stuffy nose to skin rash and a tight chest. But what triggers the remaining 7% of wine allergies remain a mystery. Or maybe not.

The Journal of Proteome Research reveals a new study showing that glycoproteins (proteins with a carbohydrate molecule attached) might be the cause of wine allergies finding that as many as 28 of the glycoproteins found in an Italian chardonnay had a similar cellular structure to known allergens, including the proteins that cause reactions to ragweed, latex and some fruit including banana and kiwi.

Molecular biologist Giuseppe Palmisano and his team are hoping that their work on the glycoproteins — many of which were identified for the first time — will help lead to the development of a glycoprotein-free wine.

However, we ALL know the feeling

Sulphur is natural and one of the planets most important and abundant elements. Copper Sulphate (mixed with lime to make so-called Bordeaux mixture) is a permitted vineyard fungicide in some organic certifications.

There is no such thing as sulphur (SO2) free wine as yeasts produce nominal amounts during fermentation, and you, as you sit and ponder my writing are also producing SO2 which has got nothing to do with how you may be disliking this drivel and nor would you necessarily have been afflicted by Sodom and Gomorra’s brimstone.

You can add SO2 to wine (roughly up to half of the usual permitted maximum) and – if the grapes are organically grown – you can label your wine organic. That’s for here and the EU – if you added more than would be produced by the yeast (around 10-15mg/lt) in the US or Canada you can only claim wine from organically grown grapes.

There have been attempts to produce wines without any addition of SO2 but they are prone to oxidation and the off-flavours generated by yeast and bacteria and will not mature without spoiling. They need very careful handling and where possible for example UV light treatment.

However, there is no substitute for SO2 as testified by a reward for anybody finding one remaining unclaimed. SO2 reacts in the best possible way - at it acts as a preservative and disinfectant – and is easily metabolised by 99% of earthlings.

Less than 1% of wines produced from organically grown grapes are made and labelled as ‘organic wine’ due to concerns that the wine risks rapid bacterial spoilage. (Jancis Robinson).

Jonathan Snashall

World's Hottest Brandewijn

2010-11-22T07:41:00.000+02:00

Van Ryn’s distillery close to Stellenbosch has just earned its third consecutive Best Brandy trophy at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge in London. This time, the honours for producing the world’s best brandy went to the 15 Year Old Fine Cask Reserve.

Said Neil Mathieson, competition category chairman for cognac, armagnac and brandy entries: “Awarding the Best Brandy Trophy was a very hard choice this year, given the excellence of the products submitted and the very high marks they achieved. In the end the decision to award the trophy to Van Ryn's 15 Year Old was made in recognition of its great length, subtlety and depth of flavour.”

Mathieson, who is a world authority on international brandies and other grape-based spirits, and the founder and managing director of Eaux de Vie, a specialist spirits importer, based in the UK, believes South African brandies are becoming the standard-bearer for quality aged brandied produced outside the AOC regions of France.

Noble Rotter

2010-11-20T08:47:00.002+02:00

The sun sure is shining on Fleur de Cap - hot on the heals of 5 stars and white wine of the year (2009 noble late harvest aka noble rot) in 2011 ed of John Platter comes the news that they have been named South African Producer of the year at London’s 2010 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) after winning two Best in Class Gold medals for the highly acclaimed Noble Late Harvest 2008 and 2009 vintages. What next? A new botanical genus in their name? Fleur de Sol?


If you go looking for it remember to ask for the Bergkelder Selection bottling.

Nedbank Green Awards

2010-11-19T10:00:00.004+02:00

Courtesy of Wine Magazine

Reyneke, South Africa’s first biodynamic vineyard and winery, and Graham Beck Wines were the big winners at the Nedbank Green Wine Awards held in Cape Town today.

The awards – held in association with Wine magazine - promote environmentally friendly wines and are given in two categories – for the Best Organic Wine as well as the Best Environmental Practice Award.

Following international trends, more South African consumers are trying organic wines for both health reasons and because it makes sense to support wineries that farm sustainably for the benefit of future generations and vineyard productivity.

Johan Reyneke

The Reyneke Woolworths Chenin Blanc 2009 was voted the Best Organic Wine. It also won in the best white wine category, while the Reyneke Reserve Red 2007 was tops in the best red wine category. The best natural sweet award went to the Stellar Heaven on Earth Natural Sweet.

The Best Environmental Practice Award went to Graham Beck Wines, while the runner up was Paul Cluver.

The Reyneke label was created in 1998 when Johan Reyneke took over the farming activities from his mother and produced the first wines on the family farm, Uitzicht near Stellenbosch. Reyneke has gone one step beyond organic, and farms and produces his wines in accordance with biodynamic principles: “The intention is to interfere as little as possible, to allow nature to be the real maker of the wine and to truly produce terroir specific wines of the highest quality,” he says.

Stellar Winery, South Africa's largest producer of fine organic wines, processes just over 4 500 tons of organic grapes for the South African and export markets. It was the first organic winemaking operation in the world to gain the coveted Fairtrade certification and the first cellar in Africa to produce commercially viable no-sulphur-added wines. Stellar has subsequently become the largest producer of these wines in the world and is the number one organic wine brand in the UK.

Graham Beck Wines has been acknowledged for restoring and preserving large areas of all three major vegetation types found in the Cape Floral Kingdom - fynbos, renosterveld and succulent karoo on its Robertson estate. Their conservation management plan has earned them Champion status with the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative. Today 4.4 ha of land is allocated to conservation for every1ha farmed. Although their Franschhoek property faces different challenges, a complete environmental plan is already underway to produce wine with a minimum impact on the environment.

Paul Cluver Wines is a founder of the world’s first Wine and Biodiversity Route, situated around the Groenland Mountain. This 2 000+ hectare estate forms part of the UNESCO world heritage site, the Kogelberg Biosphere. Half of the estate has been set aside for conservation in perpetuity. It is also the initiator and mentor of Thandi Wines - SA's first black economic empowerment wine brand and the world's first Fairtrade wine brand.

Organic viticulture can be defined as grape growing that shuns man-made pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or fertilisers. Winners for the Best Organic Wine were made from 2010 or earlier vintages, or blends of various vintages. Wines were accompanied by a valid certification, such as that issued by the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), an internationally recognised organic accreditation body.

Judges for the best organic wines were Christian Eedes (chair), Miguel Chan (Southern Sun sommelier), Allan Mullins (Cape Wine Master), Ginette De Fleuriot (Cape Wine Master) and Rianie Strydom (Haskell Vineyards winemaker).

The Nedbank Green Wine Awards Best Environmental Practice Award was open to all farms with the minimum requirement for entry being a 70 percent rating from the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW), the voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established in 1998. Organic certification is also accepted for entry into this category, but must be accompanied by several government authorisation documents such as water use authorisations and plough permits.

The judges for the Best Environmental Practice Award were Inge Kotze (project coordinator of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative), Lourens van Schoor (head of Enviroscientific, auditing body for the IPW), Tom McLaughlin (good business journey Specialist at Woolworths) and Johan Reyneke (Reyneke bio-dynamic wines in Stellenbosch).

Nedbank’s sponsorship of the Green Wine Awards further supports its aim to be the leading “green” bank. Nedbank has a long history of involvement in the wine industry including its 14 year sponsorship of the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) and its involvement in the CWG Development Trust helping families of farm workers. The Nedbank Green Trust has been pivotal since 2004 in establishing the Biodiversity Wine Initiative, which is aimed at encouraging responsible land usage and farming within the wine industry.

“By sponsoring these pioneering awards we aim to increase awareness of organic, environmentally responsible options for consumers so that they can make more informed wine choices. These awards also recognise winemakers who are making a difference and encourage environmentally sustainable farming,” says Greg Garden, Group Brand Executive for Nedbank.

"The green initiative is about attaining balance in the natural world. With good quality wines the quest is also one of finding balance, and with ‘green’ wines in particular we strive to achieve more by doing less, or at least disrupting less," explained Wine's publishing editor, Cathryn Henderson.

NEWSFLASH - we are all organic. Feeling better?

2010-11-19T09:30:00.017+02:00

Organic is one of those very modern and ancient words that at once brings a vaguely warm and fuzzy feeling with a sprinkling of confusion, but what does organic actually mean? Will you easily become a vital octogenarian if not a dodgy vegetarian if you go organic?

You are already part of one definition as a carbon-based life form, although this could be a good time to check if your mate is also an earthling as I have recently come across growing numbers of Zoglodytes.

Like it or not, you will also become part of another definition - matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or the product of decay, or is composed of an organic compound, i.e. contains carbon.

The shortest and strictest definition of organic viticulture is that it excludes all industrially synthesized compounds such as fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides as well as anything that has been genetically modified. But more widely would also mean excluding any practice that is harmful to the environment or unsustainable.

Avondale's duckmobile and snail control squad

Now what about sulphur? Around 8% of world population suffer from wine-related allergies but only about 1% of allergies relate to sulphur. Symptoms of wine allergy can range from headaches and stuffy nose to skin rash and a tight chest. But what triggers the remaining 7% of wine allergies remain a mystery.

However, the Journal of Proteome Research reveals a new study showing that glycoproteins might be the cause of wine allergies finding that as many as 28 of the glycoproteins found in an Italian chardonnay had a similar cellular structure to known allergens, including the proteins that cause reactions to ragweed and latex.

Molecular biologist Giuseppe Palmisano and his team are hoping that their work on the glycoproteins — many of which were identified for the first time — will help lead to the development of a glycoprotein-free wine.

Reyneke Wines Biodynamic Vineyards

Less than 1% of wines produced from organically grown grapes are made and labelled as ‘organic wine’ due to concerns that the wine risks rapid bacterial spoilage. (Jancis Robinson).

Those organic producers charging a premium for their products recently learned a harsh lesson – in tough times people stop paying a premium for organic while the UK’s food standards authority (FSA) recently announced that organic food is no healthier than other produce after studying data collected over 50 years.

In the largest ever review (UK) into the science behind organic food, they found that it contained no more nutritional value than factory-farmed meat or fruit and vegetables grown using chemical fertilisers.

The findings challenge popular assumptions about the organic industry, worth £2 billion in the UK. Consumer groups said that shoppers may now think twice before buying organic.

Organic groups were incensed by the findings. The Soil Association accused the FSA of ignoring up-to-date evidence and pre-empting EU research for political reasons. Lord Melchett, its policy director, said that he had urged the FSA to delay its report. “They have jumped the gun,” he said.

The FSA researchers were led by a public health nutritionist, Dr Alan Dangour. They found that there was no significant benefit from drinking milk or eating meat, vegetables, fruit, poultry and eggs from organic sources, as opposed to the products of conventional farm systems.

Pro-organic groups criticised the findings of the year-long review. They said that the conclusions, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, failed to take into account the impact of pesticides and herbicides. Organic farming bans artificial chemical fertilisers and has stricter animal welfare rules than conventional farming.

For this writer organic is better and best practice. Sadly, I doubt organic will ever be mainstream, simply because there are too many people too feed – which is also a political problem - but I was totally enthralled with Johan Renyeke’s wines at yesterday’s Nedbank Green awards at Rueben’s (One & Only Hotel) where he and fellow winemaker Rudiger Gretschel walked off with best overall, best dry white and best red and Stellar for best natural sweet from organically grown grapes. Graham Beck received Best Environmental Practice Award. See Nedbank Green Awards Post.

Yes Rueben’s food was good, very good, silly question.

Stellar Organics

Star shower in 2011 John Platter.

2010-11-16T17:35:00.034+02:00

58 ja fifty eight 5 star wines in 2011 John Platter Guide (41 in 2010, 32 in '09). So 08 vintage not so bad after all or panel....oh and 2 MCCs! (Topiary & Villiera). First 5 star biodynamic wine from Reyneke! Klein Constantia received 3, Steenberg, Graham Beck, Kleine Zalze and De Krans all recieved 2 five stars. All the rest got 'not paying attention' or 'try harder next year' or 'must repeat the year' merde impossible!

Johan Reyneke

Winery of the Year - Nederburg (and five, 5 star wines).
Red of the Year - De Trafford Shiraz 08
White of the Year - Fleur de Cap Noble Late Harvest Bergkelder Selection 09
Dream Debut - Botanica (HGV award)
Super Quaffer of the year - Nederburg Lyric (off dry!)

Greener than the 04?

Five Stars
Cabernet Sauvignon
• Boekenhoutskloof 2008
• Delaire Graaf Reserve 2008
• Kanonkop 2007
• Klein Constantia 2008
• Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2007
• Le Riche CWG Auction Reserve 2007
Grenache
• Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection 2008
Pinot Noir
• Meerlust 2008
• Newton Johnson Domaine 2009
Pinotage
• Beyerskloof Diesel 2008
Shiraz
• Boschendal Cecil John Reserve 2008
• Eagles’ Nest 2008
• Haskell Pillars 2008 (hubby Louis also received for E.Els - very happy pilllow talk)
• Rijk’s Private Cellar 2005
• Saxenburg Select Limited Release 2006
Merlot
• Shannon Mount Bullet 2008 - this lone ranger 1st Merlot since 06 (or 03 Thelema Res)
Red Blends
• Ernie Els Signature 2007
• Graham Beck Ad Honorem 2007
• Hartenberg The Mackenzie Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot 2007
• Nederburg Ingenuity Red 2007
• Reyneke Reserve Red 2008 - 1st biodynamic to get 5 stars! lets see more next year.
• Spier Frans K. Smit 2006
• Vergelegen Red 2005

Nederburg's Razvan Macici and Tariro Masyiti need a smaller telescope now

Chardonnay
• Groot Constantia Gouverneurs 2009
• Julien Schaal 2009 (this winemaker from Alsace)
• Mulderbosch 2008
• Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2008
Chenin Blanc
• Botanica 2009 (Devon Valley from Clanwilliam fruit)
• StellenRust ‘45’ Barrel Fermented 2009
Grenache Blanc
• The Foundry 2009
Sauvignon Blanc
• Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run 2010 (only 2010 in the line-up)
• Klein Constantia Perdeblokke 2009
• Klein Zalze Family Reserve 2009
• The Berrio 2009
• Zevenwacht 360^o 2009

Klein Constantia's Adam Mason (used to get 'must attend class')

White Blends
• Cape Point Isleidh 2009 (Sauv/ Sem Bdx blend)
• Hermanuspietersfontein Die Bartho 2009 (Bdx blend)
• Lammershoek Roulette Blanc 2009 (chen, chard, viogner)
• Nederburg Ingenuity White 2009 (8 varieties)
• Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc-Chardonnay Private Bin D253 2009
• Rall White 2009 (chen, chard, viogner, verdelho)
• Sadie Family Palladius 2009 (08 white wine of the year)
• Steenberg Magna Carta 2009 (Bdx blend)
• Steenberg CWG Auction Reserve The Magus 2009
• Strandveld Adamastor 2009 (Bdx blend)
• Tokara Director’s Reserve White 2009
Methode Cap Classique
• Topiary Blanc de Blanc Brut 2008 (from chard)
• Villiera Monro Brut 2005
Dessert Wine, Unfortified
• Fairview La Beryl Blanc 2009
• Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2006
• Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2009
• Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur 2009
Port
• Boplaas Family Cape Vintage Reserve 2008
• De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2008
• De Krans Cape Tawny NV
• JP Bredell Cape Vintage Reserve 2007

David and Rita Trafford with Platter ed Philip van Zyl (centre)

Trending
Boekenhoutskloof Cab - 3 years in a row (yiar)
Newton Johnson Pinot - 2nd yiar
Neil Ellis Grenache - 2nd yiar
BK Diesel - 2nd yiar
Haskell Pillars - 2nd yiar
Speir Frans K Smit - 2nd yiar
Isliedh - 2nd yiar
Ingenuity white - 3 yiar
Rall white - 2nd yiar
Berrio - 2nd yiar but not strictly as white blend in '10
Steeneberg - 2nd yiar also not strictly as prvs in WW livery
Fleur de Cap NLH - 2nd yiar
Boplaas and De Krans - 2nd yiar
Topiary and Villiera - first bubblies for at least 5 years
Only one 2010, wines aging better?

Newbies include Delaire Graff Estate, Hermanuspietersfontein, Julien Schaal, Lammershoek Winery, Reyneke Wines, Shannon Vineyards, StellenRust, Strandveld Wines, Topiary Wines and Zevenwacht, and one newcomer to the guide, Botanica Wines.

Jonathan Snashall

Darling, my Liefie, my Zonnebloem

2010-11-16T10:50:00.010+02:00

Yesterday's launch of two limited range Zonnebloem wines at Rick's Cafe in Cape town was a lesson in cherry picking, smart wine making and food and wine pairing.


Red winemaker Bonny van Niekerk, white winemaker Elize Coetzee and viticulturalist Anneline Viljoen. How can a wine crafted by these three be anything but gorgeous?

The Ltd Ed Sauvignon Blanc 2010 is a cracker and like so many in Wine Mag's top 10 Sauv Blancs, 75% of the fruit is from Darling (balance Helderberg, both vineyards with ocean views). This is a good example of a thoroughly modern style, intensity on the nose but with tangy palate weight rather than the leaner, racier styles (despite RS of 1.47 and TA of 6.98).

And it was a great match with the intensely flavoured starter both being more complex in the company of the other. In an African interpretation of sushi, Tataki* of sesame crusted yellow fin tuna was encased in sweet corn and cous cous and the wine was totally up for the challenge - and the garlic - and took on a flinty earthy note to match – very delish. (* usually with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger, chef Steve van Graan's version also had de-seeded chilli and mirin).

However the main was a touch too sweet for me and - for a Ltd Ed - the Shiraz could have had a touch more tannin. The other argument of course is that it’s a thoroughly modern style, lots of fruit, vanilla and mocha, which also makes it very drinkable on its own (all Stellenbosch fruit).

But between the butternut and star anis jus served with the Peppadew crusted Springbok medallions and oyster mushroom ragout; the dish was just too sweet. It did not however make the wine acidic which is often the case with sweeter food. The wine remains very drinkable aided in no small way by the perception of sweetness from alcohol and vanilla (40% American oak) and was a much better match with the venison sans jus.

The dessert definitely made me review my vague dislike for rhubarb, one of the more fashionable veggies.* It was elegantly presented (disguised?) in a compote with strawberry and an Amarula sabayon with its signature tanginess subdued in the best possible way while again revealing the Sauvignon's versatility.

*Rhubarb Trivia

Rhubarb is botanically classified as a vegetable however, in the United States a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A reduction in taxes followed so who says Rhubarb farmers are slow?

Jonathan Snashall

A €105 000 truffle sends market atwitter

2010-11-15T08:56:00.011+02:00

A giant (900g) white truffle was sold off on Sunday to a Hong Kong-based wine critic for €105,000 (R1 000,000) at a lavish auction near the town of Alba in northern Italy.

The prized giant truffle aka the hunchback of fungi

Gourmets in Italy and beyond are licking their lips in anticipation of a bumper crop this year of the most prized culinary delicacy of all, the white truffle. The Piemonte region in northern Italy is reputed to grow the world's best white truffles – which connoisseurs describe as having aromas of garlic, hay, wet earth, honey, mushroom and spices - and aromas similar to pheromones that trigger a mating reflex in female pigs.

Earlier in the season the climatic conditions had been described as “textbook," according to Giacomo Oddero, president of the National Centre for Truffle Studies in Alba, the centre of the truffle trade. “The first indications are excellent and suggest that we'll remember this year for a long time to come."

The combination of mild weather and a bleak financial climate means the coming months will see lots of high-quality fungus at relatively low prices say experts. The price per gram for the truffle was €117 - lower than the €133 per gram paid at the same auction last year.

The buyer was Jeannie Cho Lee -- a South Korean wine critic living in Hong Kong -- who made her bid via a satellite link-up. Lee said on her Twitter account that she bought the truffle together with friends and will hold "a white truffle feast" after it arrives on Tuesday. "It is all for charity so it isn't logical prices," she said. Last year's truffle also went to a buyer from Hong Kong.

The record price paid for a white truffle was set in December 2007, when Macau casino owner Stanley Ho paid $330,000 (£210,000) for a specimen weighing 1.5kg. He followed it up the next year buying one for $200,000 (£128,000) that was slightly over one kilogramme and dug up in Molise, a region in Italy's south.

The truffles, which look like small, shrunken potatoes when they're dug out of the clayish, calcium-rich soil around oak, willow or poplar trees, are creamy-coloured inside. Attempts to grow them commercially have failed.

Despite its aromatic, highly pungent taste, the white truffle is also very delicate; this and its high cost ensures that it is used sparingly and served raw – usually shaved over steaming buttered pasta or salad - or pizza at Gordon Ramsey.

The fungi, which some think grow where lightning strucks, are harvested by experienced gatherers known in Piemonte as trifolau. For obvious reasons they keep quiet about the locations of their favourite truffle groves.

Serious disputes over the ownership of lucrative patches of truffle territory are not uncommon, and stories of rivals poisoning each other's truffle-hunting dogs abound. Pigs generally no longer used as they proved difficult to control once sniffing truffle aromas.

There are dozens of truffle species, at least eight of which grow in Italy. For people who can't afford the white variety, the more common but less flavourful black type is a common choice. This has also proved possible to farm and is better suited to cooking.

Maxime Meynard picks a boletus edulis (cep) mushroom

Meanwhile a team of researchers have visited French peasant Maxime Meynard's land as part of a project to help forestry workers create the perfect conditions for boletus, chanterelles, morels and other edible fungi. The researchers want to develop wild mushroom orchards — cultivating a food that has been eaten for thousands of years but never successfully farmed.

Many foodies consider boletus fried with garlic, parsley and shallots or cooked with goose fat in an omelette to be among the finest experiences known to Man and are prepared to pay for the pleasure. But the numbers sound pre-French revolution. Over 33,800 peasant farmers claim a welfare benefit for people whose income leaves them below the poverty line.

Many rely on wild mushrooms to supplement their income and participate with millions of others in the autumnal search through woodlands. Fights — sometimes involving knives and guns — often take place when pickers dispute the best patches. Finding the more magic mushrooms is also common and authorities often have to look for pickers who become lost in the forests.

It would all be much easier if everyone could be like Mr Meynard, who only has to drive down a lane to find as many wild mushrooms as he can pick. He bought his farm in the Dordogne in 1964 and had given up hope of earning a decent living from it when he spotted les cèpes. “I was able to fill the boot and the back seats of my car with them,” he told Sud Ouest, the regional daily newspaper.

Last year he and his wife Marie-Louise picked 520kg (1,150lb), which he sold in Dordogne’s markets for up to €30 (R285) per kg. His success brought fame — after the region’s television station featured him in a report — but also jealousy. Thieves stole his mushrooms, forcing him to put fences around the 1.7 hectare patch, and neighbours started a rumour that he was importing Romanian fungi and passing them off as French.

Jean Rondet, a forestry engineer who is one of the founders of Micosylva, a European project to study wild mushrooms, told The Times that Mr Meynard’s land had made a significant contribution to scientific understanding. By observing this and other mushroom patches researchers were close to establishing the ideal conditions for mushroom orchards.

They said that the fungi were best cultivated around chestnut trees that were between 25 and 100 years old and spaced about 10m (33ft) apart to allow rain through. The scientists said that they were also close to explaining other details of how to make forests suitable for wild mushroom growth.

Best wine match with Ceps and truffles - yup you guessed it - Pinot Noir, or try Brut cap classique sparkling wine.

Asiago e Adoro - Capeche?

2010-11-09T00:13:00.007+02:00

Cheese and wine maybe as old as the Flintstones but not – it seems - always a match made in heaven. Usually matched with fortified or sweet wines, cheese also serves to make more disagreeable dry wines ‘makliker om in jou lyf te kry’ (easier to get into your body) as my viticulture lecturer used to say.

The problems include the diversity of cheese, the coating of dairy fat that dulls your palate, and too many tight entertainment budgets marrying Chateaux de Cardboard with gaudy yellow Gouda.

The classics include Port and Stilton, Champagne and Chevre (goats), Sauternes (noble late harvest) and Gorgonzola, where alcohol, acidity and sweetness respectively compete - but not always respectfully - with dairy's richness for a share of palate.

Adoro winemaker Ian Naudé has crafted the ideal compromise, a natural sweet Mourvèdre that’s neither too sweet nor alcoholic with a frisky acidity and light framework of tannin which showed remarkable versatility with a range of cheeses last night at Cape Town’s L’Aperitivo restaurant.

Adoro Mourvedre natural sweet red

The most voted-for match was the Gorgonzola which initially shortened the wine’s finish - actually no mean feat when you consider Gorgonzola stops most wines in their tracks - and the wine quickly bounced back on the second sip with its acidity livening things up again.

My favourite match was with Asiago, an Italian semi-soft cheese aged for 12 – 14 months with DOP (protected origin) status i.e. if your Asiago is not Asiago be prepared for a visit from the cheese mafia, capeche? The wine gained additional poise, and the X factor – in this case an ephemeral quality difficult to pin down.

Asiago

The wines versatility was the outstanding feature, pairing well across 6 diff cheeses from Gouda to Gorgonzola – the Gouda seemed nuttier, the Camembert seemed to make the wine more elegant, the Asiago made for a complex, haunting match, the Taleggio was the only minor disappointment (touch of bitterness) while the Gruyere was easily in the top three – at first buttery then, after the wine, mushrooms and a hint of leather aromas while the wine showed red cherries on the palate ie juicy and crunchy.

The wine will retail at around R110 per 500ml bottle. The ideal balance here appears to be 13,5% alc, 8g/lt total acidity and 55g/lt residual sugar for maximum cheese versatility and some smart wine making.

Jonathan Snashall

the good, not so bad and the beautiful

2010-11-05T10:03:00.011+02:00

Its unofficial, the recession is over but dipstick research does not always give an accurate picture. My once favourite quick and easy check on how the economy is doing was to look at new car sales figures. My new favourite check – attend Cape Legend’s Night of a Thousand Glasses (or a Thousand Knives as one of the hacks said – that economy is really bad).

Simple enough – well simpler than building a new car – assemble 100 guests in a spectacular setting (the Roundhouse in Camps Bay in this instance), commission an outstanding chef (PJ Vadas) and his team to assemble 10 delicious courses matched with 10 Cape Legends wines - all to the music of the sexiest classical music quartet on the planet. (there is nothing outside the Cape right?)

The first course was matched with one of the most under-rated Sauvignon’s in the Cape (and one of the most consistent) Le Bonheur Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (and a contender for best value) with Tuna Carpaccio, pickled melon and fennel. If you ran out of time to shower before the event this match was so fresh and zesty all your woes would be forgotten.

One of the few slip ups was the roasted bone marrow and oxtail marmalade with toasted sourdough and parsley salad as the overt sweetness of marmalade made the wine – Plaisir de Merle Grand Plaisir 2007 - appear acidic which quickly receded after the course finished.

Although a close finish, my favourite match of the evening was Stellenzicht Rhapsody 2006 (a 50/50 Shiraz/Pinotage blend) and Venison and Cacao Terrine with pickled cranberries – the wine displayed bright cherries and lively integrated acidity with this carefully crafted dish.

It certainly was an outstanding evening with a very well conceived menu - full of twists, surprises and turns including refresher courses like the 5th of Stellenzicht Semillon Reserve 2008 and crayfish salad with smoked tomato vinaigrette. The Tarte Tatin finale was entirely fitting and delicious - especially when you consider they made 100 individual servings but enough Chinese torture, if you are interested the full menu appears below.

Jonathan Snashall

Link to Cape Legends

watch Sterling EQ

Link to Roundhouse

“Night Of A Thousand Glasses”

Thursday 4^th November 2010

FIRST COURSE

TUNA CARPACCIO WITH PICKELED MELON AND FENNEL

LE BONHEUR SAUVIGNON BLANC 2010

SECOND COURSE

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM BALLOTINE WITH nasturtium PURÉE

LOMOND SNOWBUSH 2009

THIRD COURSE

ROASTED BONE MARROW AND OXTAIL MARMALADE WITH TOASTED SOURDOUGH AND PARSLEY SALAD

PLAISIR DE MERLE GRAND PLAISIR 2007

FOURTH COURSE

VENISON AND CACAO TERRINE WITH PICKLED CRANBERRIES

STELLENZICHT RHAPSODY 2006

FIFTH COURSE

CRAYFISH SALAD WITH A SMOKED TOMATO VINIGRETTE

STELLENZICHT SEMILLON RESERVE 2008

SIXTH COURSE

ALTO RED WINE RISOTTO WITH OCTOPUS AND SQUID

ALTO MPHS 2007

SEVENTH COURSE

Buffalo Ridge Ricotta Cannelloni with Pickled Beets, Pine Nuts and Balsamic Jelly

LOMOND SUGARBUSH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2006

EIGHTH COURSE

HAY SMOKED PORK BELLY WITH POMME PURÉE AND CHERRY JUS

LE BONHEUR PRIMA 1997

NINTH COURSE

GORGONZOLA, WALNUTS AND POACHED PEAR

ALLLESVERLOREN FINE OLD VINTAGE RESERVE 1997

TENTH COURSE

TARTE TATIN AND VANILLA ICE-CREAM

NEETHLINGSHOF THE MARIA 2010

Elderflower discovered in Oak Valley

2010-11-04T09:18:00.006+02:00

If there is any doubt Cape Sauvignons age well it was dispelled by a vertical tasting of Oak Valley’s striking Sauvignon Blancs. Another growing school of thought is that – in cooler regions anyway – they can benefit from at least a year or two of bottle maturation before revealing all their beauty.

Oak Valley Mountain Vineyards

All the wines displayed seamless palate integration that generally occurs best with natural acidity and balanced fruit. Another cool climate marker was the Elderflower aroma I found on the 06 although wind had reduced this vintage’s yield to a mere 1t/hectar. The common threads throughout were citrus – including grapefruit and lime – and steeliness or mineral character.

The first three (03-05) are under natural cork which, depending on which camp you are in, is either a blessing or a curse. The oldest vintage displayed the most freshness of the three which – vintage variation aside – suggests that the development was influenced by the closure (this is a very site-specific wine). It would have been a brilliant exercise if some of the same wine was under screw cap to compare their development.

However, some confounding influences occurred with the 09 displaying a richer palate with a touch of creaminess and subtle green pepper and grassy notes in a slight change in style which has wider consumer appeal (including with some judging panels?). Has the Cape grown up on greener style Sauvignon’s and is the change from the weight of history?

There is an argument that these wines appear under appreciated locally while it is more certain that this genuine cool-climate style is rare in the Cape. Serial JP 4,5 stars are not to be sniffed at and these wines display exceptional balance, length, intensity and character (with possible exception of 08) which has seen them garner a clutch of overseas accolades including Decanter regional trophy and runner up for the International Trophy and best in class at the London International Wine and Spirit Competition.

If I were a gambling man I would bet that the 09 is going to get 5 stars while the closed, currently austere ‘10 needs a couple of years in bottle but will be well worth the wait.

Meanwhile Oak Valley’s Pinot Noir 2008 has won a Gold Medal and the Regional Trophy in the over £10 class at the 2010 Decanter World Wine Awards in London while the 2009 Chardonnay received the Trophy for the best overall South African white wine at the 2010 International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London.

Elgin's Oak Valley Vineyards

Oat Cuisine

2010-10-30T11:20:00.005+02:00

Ok so you can’t have red wine for breakfast everyday in attempts to control cholesterol without the help of Statins* and their evil side effects. Occasionally one has to resort to alternatives like oats but - without serious disguise - Statins can seem quite charming in comparison, particularly if you can’t rid yourself of the image of a horse’s feeding bag.

My early attempts at disguising oats included double cream yoghurt but this – although only at a modest 7% total fat – was living in denial and one's sense of achievement in finishing a bowl of oats quickly faded.

I started making real progress when I tried raisins, cinnamon and low fat milk but it did not prove that attractive in summer and my daughter tells me the raisins are not terribly low-GI compliant.

For summer, Bircher’s muesli is the route to go and offers the convenience of keeping up to a week so it’s a rare case of healthy fast food made from slow food ingredients although I don’t recommend it while driving.

heavily disguised oats

Soak 2 cups of oats in the juice of 2 lemons and 1 cup of water overnight. In the a.m. grate in 2 crispy apples – the tanginess of Pink Lady seems to work very well - and if nobody is looking, at least a cup of Greek-style double cream yoghurt or if the cameras are on, Bulgarian low fat. Serve with a pouring of your favourite honey and watch your cholesterol fall. (which I bank and use for cheese binging on the weekend).

The greatest achievement of this recipe is that the lemon juice and apple seems to rid the oats of its' glutinous texture and the image of the feeding bag turns into a distant mirage.

High in fibre and protein, oats have been proven to lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and boost serotonin (believed, among other things, to help prevent depression). Porridge is digested slowly and helps to keep you full for longer, leading to just about every health expert proclaiming it to be the most desirable way to start your day – so don’t worry too much about the where raisins and sugar appear on GI-index.

Besides, trying out new recipes is good practice for the World Porridge Making Championships, held on 10.10.10 (if you were wondering why it felt auspicious) in Carrbridge in the Scottish Highlands of course, where Barry Gauld from the Kinlochewe Hotel near Achnasheen received a special mention with his West Coast Seafood Porridge. But before you spit the porridge, consider that oats are a grain just like rice.

Barry Gauld's recipe

Ingredients (serves three)

100g pinhead oatmeal, soaked overnight and washed
500g light white chicken stock
3 large Langoustine tails
3 large scallops (roe removed)
approx 100g flaked hot smoked salmon
2tbsp parsley butter
pinch of salt
pinch of paprika
little vegetable oil for frying

Method

1 Bring the chicken stock to the simmer and then add the drained oatmeal, stirring constantly.

2 After around 20 mins add the parsley butter. Taste and season as required.

3 Dust the scallops with the smoked paprika and salt.

4 Peel the langoustine tails.

5 Sauté the langoustine tails and scallops together on a high heat for a couple of minutes on each side.

6 Gently fold in the flaked smoked salmon.

7 Apportion the porridge into three bowls and decorate with a langoustine tail and a scallop.

Considering that shell fish is high cholesterol, this one is a bit like adding the double cream yoghurt but I doubt many will be having seafood oats on a daily basis so the health warning is unnecessary. Besides if you want to enter the main category at the world championship the only permitted ingredients are oatmeal, salt and water. Anything else and you end up in the speciality section. Who says the Scots are tight?

Seafood Porridge

The winner felt that his key ingedient is (Scottish) spring water so it seems - like beer - the fewer and more simple the ingredients, the more important the quality of the water, apparently one of the reasons why Guiness is so good in Dublin.

The Geek Stuff

The major cholesterol buster in oats is a soluble fiber known as beta-D-glucan.

Twelve years ago the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its final rule allowing a health claim to be made on the labels of foods containing soluble fiber from whole oats (oat bran, oat flour and rolled oats), noting that 3.00 grams of soluble fiber daily from these foods, in conjunction with a diet low in saturated fat may reduce the risk of heart disease. In order to qualify for the health claim, the whole oat-containing food must provide at least 0.75 grams of soluble fibber per serving.

*Statins - generic term for anti-cholesterol drugs

Jonathan Snashall

Enter next year's competition here

Wine Mag Top 10 Sauv Blanc '10

2010-10-20T19:41:00.018+02:00

When the wine industry started planting Sauvignon in earnest, (now 3^rd largest planting after Chenin & Colombar) some commentators may have questioned the trend as heat and light are sworn enemies of many of the varietal’s aromatic pre-cursors.

Another challenge – considering our soil, climate and topography diversity – is matching the right spot with the right rootstock scion and grape variety, never mind clone, which is a very slow trial-and-error process (without technology) where the Old World has a considerable head start, think Loire's Sancerre & Puilly Fume and New World's Marlborough - the exception that proves the rule.

Terroirists (see saignee, spinning cones and terroirists post link) are opposed to regional blending but surely it’s the answer until we have fully achieved the above? At first glance yesterdays top 10 are multi-regional but if there was a prize for region yesterday it would be Darling and/or Durbanville.

All of yesterday’s wines with one exception have strong maritime i.e. cold Altlantic influence including Anura (Klapmuts) who bought in fruit from Darling, the exception being Cedarburg, but they have altitude (over 1km) to protect Sauvignon's intense but flighty aromas.

Spotting Durbanville in a blind tasting used to be a no-brainer to experienced tasters and some would argue not very complex either. However – the argument for regional blends is Graham Beck’s Pheasants Run (both '09 and '10 in Top 10) for this wine is a blend of Darling and Durbanville fruit to yield a rich and complex drink. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the 09 it may well be eclipsed by the brooding 2010.

The other two exceptions to the Darling/Durbanville axis of deviously good fruit are Elim's Strandveld 2010 and First Sighting 2009, so that’s 7/10 of the wines from these regions. We did a quick wisk around of our favourite wines at our end of the table and yup, same trend and we preferred the 09’s.

The only 5 star - Anura - displayed character and intensity I have yet to taste on a SA Sauvie while some found its acidity a little too racy. It made me consider - as a confirmed Sauvie addict which I fueled with a vintage in Marlborough - that I no longer had to remain in the closet with my preference for its wines as the closet has gone missing in Darling/Durbanville.

Another realisation was that our Sauvigon’s have become much more complex over the last 5+ years and less dominated by the greener Sauvignon aromas, more so as they warmed-up from over chilling and I could still ‘dry’ taste them much later lying in bed unable to sleep.

Lastly – am getting tired – many of these Sauvignon’s show great aging potential – although not normally associated with the varietal (here) while 8/10 received 4.5 to 5 stars and no less than 27 received 4 stars - in more signs of coming of age?

The top 10 wines, in order of Star ratings, then price, are as follows:

5 Stars

Anura Unfiltered Reserve 2010

4 ½ Stars

Sauvignon.com 2010

First Sighting 2009
Cederberg 2010

De Grendel Koetshuis 2010

Strandveld 2010

Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run 2009

Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run 2010

4 Stars

Darling Cellars Bush Vine 2010

Groote Post Reserve 2009

Jonathan Snashall

For Wine Mag's article