Wineblog

The Stellenbosch and Constantia lah-di-dahs often don’t bother too much entering for it, while in Vredendal and Worcester it is regarded as the event of the year. It’s known for its massive and numerous trophies that carry imposing names like Genl Smuts and often date back long before their recipients. This is the oldest, biggest and yet least understood wine show in the industry.

Yup, the Young Wine Show is one of a kind. No other wine producing country has a competition on the same scale and a current vintage approach. And where the more glamorous bottled product shows like Veritas and the Old Mutual Wine Show have a measurable, direct commercial value, the YWS has a more complex, unique role.

It often takes an outsider’s view to understand something that locals have become used to and even take for granted. KWV’s Aussie import, Richard Rowe, was full of praise for the show, following his first year of participation. He said that it is the perfect way for wineries to realise where they are standing among their peers, a measure of the standard of products – by varietal, style and region.  

This is going to be the third year that I write and compile WineLand’s annual Young Wine Show Feature and I can fully concur with Richard’s sentiments. Although the fact that most of the wines entered won’t be available on the shelves exactly as they were evaluated in the competition, has obvious commercial drawbacks, it also has distinct advantages.

A gold at the YWS won’t result in bling stickers and wines flying off the shelves, but it offers wineries the opportunity to experiment with smaller batches, without the risk and investment of bottling and putting it on the shelves.

I recently went to the Breedekloof and Worcester Regional Young Wine Show and often heard comments like, “Ja, but they recently ordered a bunch of small tanks specifically for the YWS.” Ja … but so what! If they (whoever ‘they’ are), improve their total production by identifying special tricks and techniques through experimental wines, good for “them”!

The YWS has always been of particular importance for co-operative cellars – and with very good reason. The big buyers take note when a cellar performs, and prices are very often determined accordingly. There are even cases where bonuses and salary increases are directly influenced by the outcome of the YWS.

All of this leads to motivation. Motivation to invest in cellar equipment, go the extra mile in the vineyard and eventually make distinguished wines.

Micro-cellars are increasingly proving their worth in the larger production setup. Namaqua’s Chateau Cellar and KWV’s are good examples of this.

Judging is mostly done by winemakers, which adds a measured-by-your-peers-appeal to the measured-against-your-peers-factor. This could possibly result in a fairly technical evaluation, compared to tasting in line with the market trends.

Whether this is good or bad, is another lengthy debate – but for the YWS, I think it serves its purpose. Aren’t winemakers supposed to be in touch with consumer’s needs in any case? Let’s hope so!

The 2010 vintage is unlikely to go down as a Cape stand-out. And this applies for volume and quality. Today is the vintage’s judgement day and in a few hours time, the outcome of hours of hard labour, substantial investment and winemakers’ decisions will be revealed.

 Holding thumbs…   

By guest writer, Elona Nel

We all live for fashion, one way or another. Whether it be the clothes you wear, the places you go, the decor of your home, your savvy sports-car or the wine you drink. Chateaux Petrus, Dom Perignon and  Grange, have become the Gucci, Prada and Louis Vitton of the vino-world. And when a certain bottle is glamorised with some shiny, gold stickers, it is generally considered a good investment.

So when set with the task to buy wine, these ‘golden globes’ have made it a lot easier to choose – because most of the time we just trust the senses of others more than our own. Let’s be honest, when faced with a shelve sporting brands from anywhere remotely suitable to plant vines and names becoming more and more exotic, it can be a rather intimidating task to find what you are looking for.

Wine judges have a very difficult and important task at hand – to taste hundreds of wines in a short period of time and carry the blood, sweat and tears of hundreds of winemakers and cellar workers on their shoulders, by trying to successfully separate the cream of the crop. Years of training and practicing will put you at the best of your game, but the results are often still subject to a variety of influential factors, which ultimately results in human error – proving the results not all that reliable. The order in which the wines are lined up, the perfume (or lack thereof) of the person sitting next to you and even the mood you find yourself in, will all have a visible effect on how you score a wine.

An award winning wine may not even be everybody’s cup of tea – especially if you are actually looking for something to have at a braai tonight. Your average wine drinker, when faced with infinite possibilities, will probably go for an old faithful – brands you know and trust. Villiera and Fairview are two of my personal favourites. And why not buy what you like? The proof is in the pudding. Because it doesn’t really matter how much bling the bottle has, it is the wine that you are after and you have to learn to trust your own taste!

On a cold winter’s evening after a food and wine bonanza, a heap of empty bottles the sign of a successful night. As the last five standing, we found ourselves huddled around the fire, sipping wine and discussing everything from fashion to wine politics. The perfectly designed labelled bottles have been replaced by tank samples of unknown red wine and no-one seemed to mind that no catchy brand name, clever label or gold sticker was to be seen anywhere – because at the end of the day, it is just a bottle of wine shared between some friends.

Ek is amptelik ‘n sucker vir die eiendomsmark. Daar is niks vir my so interessant soos om ryk-ryk te speel en eiendomsagente te bel as ek ‘n Pam Golding of Seeff bordjie sien by wat lyk na ‘n goeie Sunday drive-kopie nie – of dit nou in Kampsbaai of Kuilsrivier is.

Net so sal ek nie sommer verby die eiendomsaasvoëls se kantore stap sonder om te stop vir ‘n paar minute se window shopping nie. Dit was ook die geval toe ek Saterdagmiddag verby Coetzenburg Eiendomme in Stellenbosch gestap het. Die dorp was vol Algeriërs – wat die Eikestad gekies het as basis voor die sokkerwedstryd teen Engeland – terwyl daar ook heelwat Duitsers, Nederlanders en nou en dan ‘n verlore Pommie die meeste gemaak het van die wintersonnetjie.

Mens sou verwag dat Coetzenburg Eiendomme sal skep terwyl die ingevoerde pap dik is deur die ponde en euros wat die rondte doen te teiken in sy vensteraanbiedinge. Maar tot my groot verbasing was al die advertensies, wat in straat vertoon is, gemik op Suid-Afrikaners – in Afrikaans!

Ook by die sokker self (ek het saam met Spier die wedstryd tussen Uruguay en Frankryk gaan kyk) was die Taal so algemeen soos by enige Nuweland-toets – tesame met Suid-Afrikaanse Ingels.

En wat is die relevansie hiervan vir ‘n wynblog? Daar is ‘n les te leer oor die waarde van die  veelbesproke plaaslike mark. As Coetzenburg Eiendomme dit goeddink om ten spyte van die groot buitelandse teenwoordigheid, steeds die Suid-Afrikaanse mark te teiken, hoekom is die wynbedryf se aanslag juis andersom? Selfs Fifa slaan dan munt uit die locals – Rand-munte, nie dollars of ponde nie.

By ‘n onlangse Kaapse Wynmakers Gilde proe by Jordan, het Simonsig se Johan Malan (die gilde se voorsitter) vertel dat sowat 15% van die KWG se totale verkope vir die buiteland bestem is. Ons praat hier van ‘n veiling wat ten spyte van minder gunstige marktoestande jaarliks groei. Groei met plaaslike geld, plaaslike verbruik in die hoogste prysklas.

In teenstelling hiermee, toon Sawis se syfers – wat natuurlik dui op volumes en nie waarde nie – al vir ‘n geruime tyd dat die plaaslike mark of sak of onveranderd bly.

Is dit oor die plaaslike mark sy piek bereik het of oor daar niemand is wat namens die bedryf die moeite doen om uit te vind nie? En soos dinge nou voortsloer, gaan hierdie nie gou verander nie… Want niemand het skynbaar die tyd, geld of sokkerballe om die generiese bemarkingvraagstuk aan te pak nie.