Wineblog

by Elona Nel

Let’s admit that although sometimes limiting, the weather, time and place do play an inevitable role in choosing a wine. A crisp Sauvignon in front of the fireplace? A rich and oaky Bordeaux-blend at the beach? Maybe not.

While on holiday this December in the notoriously hot ex-Portuguese colony of Mozambique, the choice was also rather simple, especially with the shameful South African winelist on offer. An ice-cold Vinho Verde.

The Casal Garcia, which became our house wine, has an alcohol level of only 10%, with a slight fizz. This Portuguese wine has subtle fruit, a fresh and dry acidity, with a creamy aftertaste – it is the perfect antidote for sizzling beach weather.

On home soil Mooiplaas unwooded Chenin Blanc and Nuy Colombar would have fitted the bill, or perhaps even Thelema’s dry-style Muscadel.

With wine sales constantly competing – and might I add losing – its market share and sales volume to beer, ciders and other alcoholic drink-o-pops, it might be time for toned down, lighter and lighter styled wines to take their rightful, cool place in the marketplace. They might not be Veritas stunners, but isn’t there a time and a place for everything?

By Edo Heyns

A tasting of 200 top wines requires strategy. Rather than masterfully spitting out every last drop and tasting every single wine, but still leaving tipsy, I prefer to choose the wines I want to taste beforehand – and perhaps even sip the best ones …

This was exactly the case at the annual Veritas Tasting of the gold (158) and double gold (42) wines in Cape Town last night. My strategy for this event was to taste the unusual oddities first and then go for the ones that were recommended along the way. Fortunately less visitors than previous years meant that picky tasting could be done with little or no queuing.

Any rosé that wins a gold at Veritas, deserves to be mentioned and tasted. The De Grendel 2011 was the only one that managed this feat and deservedly so – the wine is fresh, upfront and generously fruity. It’s not only a pink that stands out in a line-up, but could easily substitute a serious white wine,  particularly with food.

And speaking of food-wines, Jordan’s The Outlier – a double gold winning wooded Sauvignon Blanc – impresses more every time I taste it. Two wooded Sauvignons – Nederburg 2 Centuries and Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection – won gold, suggesting that some big guns are having a go at this underrated style.

Riesling is seemingly also starting its long awaited renaissance, with Howard Booysen’s HB Weisser Riesling 2010 and Hartenberg’s 2009 both winning golds.

When it comes to rarity, few wines can compare with the magnificent KWV museum diehards. The biggest fuss was about KWV’s 1930 Muscadel LBV, but my personal favourite was rather their 1973 Hanepoot Jerepiko. Sadly, neither of these are still available at the KWV Emporium.

Interestingly, one of the wines that attracted the most attention was the Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2010, which won a gold, along with wines from significantly cooler origins. Cellarmaster Magnus Kriel explained that the grapes came from a lower yielding vineyard and that he applied some “cellar tricks”. The latter doesn’t take anything away from the fact that it’s a beautiful bargain at R35. And it’s still available at the cellardoor.

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…