Wineblog

by Elona Hesseling

A message used very frequently and incorporated by almost all industries, is that of going ‘green’. This year’s Earth Hour takes place on 31 March and even though you may think your one light or TV or aircon won’t make a difference, just remember that if Rome wasn’t built in a day, we can’t expect to save the earth in an hour … every little bit does help.

Organised by the WWF, this year’s theme is: “What are you willing to do to save the planet?” Anyone can upload their dares onto YouTube, using social media to spread the message. With the rising emphasis on environmentally friendly practices in all aspects of winemaking, from the vineyard to packaging and everything else in between, this is a question to be answered in the long run, in a sustainable way.

Chatting to Dave Pepler, well-know ornithologist, at the Woordfees’s Slenterfees at Neethlingshof on Sunday, he stressed the point that global warming is definitely a fact, and not fiction. Even the slightest change in temperature, climatic patterns and human behaviour can have catastrophic results for bird species (as well as other animals), and it is already happening all around us.

So, with Earth Hour in mind (and with the increasingly high cost of electricity) – what will you do to make a difference? As for me, besides the normal recycling, reusing and reducing approach, I will try to convince as many others as possible to jump on this ‘green’ bandwagon with me – after all, what have we got to lose?

by Elona Nel

A phenomenon that started with a batch of Pinotage made at Diemersfontein by Bertus Fourie about five years ago, has sky rocketed ever since. And although these mocha-chocca wines are a stead-fast cash cow for a lot of their makers, we have to tread carefully and responsibly to maintain the popularity and prevent it from back firing.

CJP Chemicals, the sole provider of Innerstave wood products in South Africa, hosted a panel discussion at the Royal Hotel in Riebeek Kasteel, where the much debated topic of coffee-style wines saw many different opinions being raised. Charl Theron started the somewhat controversial discussion by stressing that these coffee wines aren’t limited to the original Pinotage variety anymore – and it is important to let the consumers know that those are not cultivar specific flavours.

According to Jurie Germishuys from Boland Cellar, producers of the popular Cappupinoccinotage, it is a very important product and one that the market clearly enjoys and demands. They sell roughly 500 bottles per day, compared to the ‘normal’ Pinotage, also retailing at R45 a bottle that sells around 60 bottles a day. And although it is often seen as a less serious, “cheaper” product, the wood component still amounts to about R2,80 per litre to achieve the preferred level of coffee and chocolate flavours in the wine.

One of the problems, however, is that the wood sometimes overshadows the fruit flavours in the wines, explained Neethlingshof’s De Wet Viljoen, vice-chairman of the Pinotage Association. Even though he highlighted the fact that the Association supports all things Pinotage, the focus has to remain on the cultivar, with the goal to achieve a good balance of fruit.

Being faced with the question of why these style wines never make the Pinotage Top Ten, he explained that they don’t judge them differently, but that they rather focus on balance and the variety’s true fruit character – if it has well-integrated coffee or chocolate flavours as well, it will add to the complexity. “There are coffee-style wines and then there are coffee-wines; at the end of the day, Pinotage must come out top and not something completely different,” said De Wet.

With a lot of mixed feelings and opinions on the floor, ranging between traditionalists, conformists and extremists, it doesn’t seem likely that the whole industry will ever be on the same page with this regard. One interesting suggestion, however, was to differentiate and separate coffee-type wines into their own category, to promote them and protect pure Pinotage – who would like to join the Coffee Association?

By Elona Nel

Red meat with red wine? Not necessarily.

When it comes to selecting food and wine combinations, we sometimes tend to shut down our senses and follow the age-old rule of thumb, where white wine gets paired with white meats and fish, and red wine is glugged down with red meats. In celebration of the Stellenbosch Wine Festival, Neethlingshof presented a food and wine pairing evening with guru, Katinka van Niekerk, who successfully managed to assure this becomes my new hobby.

Neethlingshof winemaker De Wet Viljoen is a firm believer in producing and living sustainably and declares that to him an empty bottle means much more than a shiny sticker on it. We tasted six of his wines and had to pair them with six different courses, as well as a mixed cheese platter. All with Katinka’s help off course – the highly entertaining and sometimes downright naughty co-author of The Food and Wine Pairing Guide.

First up was a plate of three starters – Mussel Chowder, Caprice Salad and Smoked Salmon Trout with ginger cream. To choose from on the white wine side, was the Sauvignon Blanc 2011 with enticing tropical fruit, the very flavoursome and slightly creamy Unwooded Chardonnay 2010 and the 2011 Gewürztraminer with some sweetness at 7 g/l, and also the recent winner of its category at the South African Terroir Awards.

The three red wines included a Malbec 2010, with abundant ripe plum and chocolate flavours, The Owl Post Pinotage 2009 with an almost spicy aroma and the beautifully elegant Bordeaux style blend, The Caracal 2007, with smooth but prominent tannins and a soothing mintiness on the aftertaste.

Discovering an interesting world with Katinka where everything was very umami (besides from being our fifth tasting sense, it also means lekker), I was surprised at some of the combinations that really worked well – like the Smoked salmon being a perfect match for the Malbec and Pinotage. And although we were mostly unanimous on most of the combinations, there were some personal differences, as with anything in life.

On to the mains, it was a plate that traditionally screams for red wines – Lamb Curry, Oxtail and a Beef medallion. Although the red wines mostly did impress with these dishes, the Gewürztraminer went well with the curry. The big surprise here though, was pairing the flagship Bordeaux style blend with the sweetish South African curry, and although it doesn’t make much sense, it just works.

The exuberant Katinka van Niekerk.

Last up, but always a crowd pleaser, was the cheese platters. But, Katinka warned, in contrast with Neethlingshof’s Short Story range, this is a horror film. Cheese is creamy, mostly fat and salty – in short, a nightmare to try and pair with wine, although port would usually be a more suitable suitor.

However, no one has ever turned away from cheese or wine and if you really put your mind to it, some interesting combinations will surface. My favourite was the Provolone cheese, reminiscent of smoked snoek paté, paired with the crisp, yet creamy Chardonnay, but also being delicious with the slightly sweeter Gewürztraminer. And if you like to drink Sauvignon throughout the whole night? Have it with some Chevin goat’s milk cheese – the acidity cuts right through the creaminess and lifts the flavours in both.