Wineblog

deur Elona Nel

Hierdie Fairtrade trofeë is deur Pick n Pay daargestel, met die doel om dié inisiatief te beklemtoon en produsente te motiveer om deel daarvan te word. In terme van markwaarde, vertel Michelangelo-direkteur Lorraine Immelman dat daar in 2010 ongeveer 4 miljoen plakkers verkoop is – “’n bewys dat dit ʼn belangrike bemarkingsvoordeel aan kelders gee en wel wyn verkoop”.

Shiraz was vanjaar vir die derde opeenvolgende jaar die mees populêre rooiwynkategorie, met veral die 2009-oesjaar wat beïndruk het. Die jonger oesjare wys volgens die beoordelaars nie genoeg variëteitskarakter nie, maar hierdie kategorie het nietemin twee Grand D’Or medaljes verower. Cabernet Sauvignon het egter geen ontvang nie, ten spyte daarvan dat dit die tweede hoogste inskrywingsgetal by rooiwyn gelok het. Volgens beoordelaars was Cabernet se 2009- en 2010-oesjare goed en gekonsentreerd, maar was die 2008 soms “te groen en dun”.

Die rooi versnitte het gemengde gevoelens uitgelok, met die Bordeaux-styl wat volgens beoordelaars nie merkwaardig was nie, terwyl die Kaapse-versnitte meer belowende wyne gelewer het. Pinotage het weer eens goed vertoon en het vyf Grand D’Or medaljes ontvang uit die 100 inskrywings. Chardonnay het sommige “groener” voorbeelde opgelewer, met Sauvignon Blanc wat ʼn rekordgetal inskrywings ontvang het. Hoewel sommige Chenin Blancs te veel hout vertoon het, was daar egter ʼn goeie verskeidenheid style.

Volgens tegniese direkteur en beoordelaar, Sue van Wyk, het die soetwyne en gefortifiseerde wyne ook baie goed gevaar – hulle is as uniek en mooi beskryf, met vele Grand D’Or en goue medaljes wat aan wyne in hierdie kategorieë toegeken is.

Die 2011 trofee-wenners:

CCL Label Grand Prix: Journey’s End Chardonnay 2010
Grotto Top Produsent: Journey’s End
RX South Africa Mees Innoverende Wyn op Skou: Blaauwklippen Before & After
Organiese Trofee: Laibach Woolworths Merlot 2010
Good Taste Garagiste: Dispore Kamma Syrah 2008
Sue van Wyk Pinotage Trofee: Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2010
Tonelería Magrenan Brandewyn: Van Ryn’s 20 Year Collector’s Reserve
Golden Oldie: Rietvallei Muscadel 1980
Dessertwyn: KWV Likeurwyn 1937
Beste Internasionale Inskrywing: Viña Concha y Toro SA Marques de Casa Concha Merlot 2009
Beste Fairtrade Rooiwyn: Stellenrust Timeless Red Blend 2008
Beste Fairtrade Witwyn: Bosman Family Vineyards Sur Lie Chenin Blanc 2011.

by Elona Nel

Blaauwklippen hit the (rusty) nail on its head with the launch of two new products, a brandy and an aperitif, at the CooksPlayground in the heart of Cape Town. Home to South Africa’s Giggling Gourmet celebrity chef, Jenny Morris, this state-of-the-art cooking theatre was our very own playground for the day.

Blaauwklippen cellar master Rolf Zeitvogel presents their new aperitif, Before & After.

One of the inventive welcoming drinks, a Rusty Tack (their take on a rusty nail), was a mixture of Kir Royal with Blaauwklippen Cap Classique and the very versatile new Before & After aperitif. This is a blend of red noble late harvest and eight year old potstill brandy and is the brainchild of cellar master Rolf Zeitvogel. It started as Christmas presents to his friends and family as a “Christmas Liquor” one year, but soon developed into a very popular product, used throughout the year for sipping or cooking.

The other, perhaps more serious new product, is an eight year old Estate Brandy, distilled in an old copper potstill and matured in French oak barrels, it is not too sweet, with complex whiffs of wood spices, vanilla and dried fruit.

Taking a very different approach, our group of wine industry personalities and media weren’t just there to eat, drink and be merry – we helped prepare the starters of the mouth-watering three-course meal. Divided into groups and with our own – and might I add very patient – mentors, we tackled the four different starters: Vietnamese spring rolls with Before & After dipping sauce, pork fillet with brandy honey mustard sauce, apple & brandy tarte tatin and prawns flambéed with brandy.

Cooking up a storm: Dusan Jelic, Carla van der Merwe, Greg Landman and Riette Rust.

Being on the Tarte Team, we had our fair share of giggles and frights, as our caramelising apples regularly shot up in flames – giving very real meaning to the phrase flambée … and a lot of respect to the guys and girls on Masterchef!

Sitting down to a scrumptious three-course meal has never been this rewarding and to add more cherries to the already brimming cake, we were some of the first to taste two new reserve wines from Blaauwklippen – the smoky, peppery and complex 2009 Shiraz with an abundant array of spices, as well as the 2009 Zinfandel with hints of plums and blueberries, well-integrated with tea-leaf and dried spice aromas. Definitely something to shout, rather than giggle about.

For generations the ‘cool’ line to say as a wine maker was “Nah, I didn’t do much – the wine is merely reflecting its terroir and vintage”. Yesterday was, however, one of those days that repeatedly emphasised the role of human intervention in the basic scientific process that is winemaking.

We tasted wines from Croatia – the varietal’s origin – Italy and California, as well as a 1997 from Blaauwklippen. Comments varied from “as dry as Beaufort West” to “too alcoholic” (no prizes for guessing that this referred to the Californian wine) and Rolf explained that the variety is known for uneven ripening on the bunches.

Blaauwklippen’s  latest viticultural trick to curb this unwanted trait, is to remove the bottom half of bunches before veraison. Luckily this doesn’t reduce the yield to unviable figures, since Zin can produce as much as 19 tonnes per hectare without green harvesting!

In response to all these unusual challenges that Rolf needs to bear with, someone asked “Why do you still bother to produce it?”. And Rolf’s answer? “Because it is my passion.”

That’s my point: Californian wines don’t attain alcohols of 16.5% just because of terroir – it is a market-driven trait that is eventually controlled by the winemaker.

This isn’t just a New World occurrence either. Last night Grand Domaines’ Derek Kiplin presented a tasting of fine Burgundies and his rule when choosing a wine also values the producer more than the vineyard.

“Producer, village, vineyard and then vintage – in that order,” explained the Joburg negociant. He said that some of the top vineyards in Burgundy are owned by more than 40 producers “and the wine from the same vineyard can be anything from mind-blowing to something that you would rather dismiss in the sink”.

The role of the human touch in wine making should not be underestimated.

My wine of the day was the 2007 Meursault “Santenots” Premier Cru, Domaine d’Angerville. The crisp chalkiness and bright, lean acidity definitely had to do with the limestone content of the soil – or if you want, the terroir – but the balance and seamless wood integration? That can be accredited to the wine maker.