Steenberg Catharina 2006, named for Catharina Ras, founder of Steenberg farm, blended from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, shiraz with some nebbiolo, sails down the throat like a catamaran in full flight. All about this wine is perfectly harmonious, finishing seamlessly with reminders of white pepper, mulberry and pomegranate.
Tags: cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, nebbiolo, shiraz
Announced last week by the South African Pinotage Association, are the best selling and best drinking wines for 2009, as judged by Duimpie Bayley, Francois Naude, Allan Cheesman, Wendy Burridge, Chris Roux, Gert Boerssen and Neil Pendock.
Interestingly enough, the competition attracted 139 entries, reflecting a growth of 190% in the number of entries received since the first competition in 1997 and including three entries from New Zealand.
King Pinotage producers, Kanonkop and Beyerskloof retained their places on the role of honour along with five first-time winners; Altydgedacht, Flagstone, Lyngrove, Onyx and Viljoensdrift.
Diemersfontein Pinotage wine
2009 Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition judges
In summing up, James Slabbert, Managing Executive of Absa Coprorate and Business Bank, had this to say:
We have seen the standards and quality of Pinotage raise dramatically in the last few years. Our involvement in the Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition was initially intended to help wine-makers improve the quality of the wine and to create benchmarks to which to aspire to. Today, wines that make it into the top ten have gone on to become benchmarks in the industry. The quality of the wine has improved to such an extent that being part of the Top 20 is now also being considered a significant achievement.
Definately wines to look out for when planning the next venison braai.
Tags: Pinotage
Thanks to everyone who entered our competition!
Here is the other Pointer on the opposite entrance wall to the tasting room which Lisa Nicholls cleverly identified. On the Platter’s South African Wines 2010, Dunstone Shiraz 2008 is one of the 5 star wines!
Dunstone winery, Wellington, Western Cape
Toast your knowledge of the Cape winelands for a free bottle of Buitenverwachting Miefort (delivery included).
Where is this?
Clue: It’s not the Greyhound Bus Depot………..
Mystery winery
Drop your answer, name and email address into the comments field and we will contact the first person who supplies the correct answer and see that you get your wine.
Cheers and good luck!
To explain, David Gilmour and Pink Floyd produced an album, Pink Floyd Live at Gdañsk, in the Gdansk Shipyard, Poland, to celebrate the strike led by Lech Walesa which brought down communism in Eastern Europe.
Also on the tour itinerary was a concert in Venice, Italy, where David Gilmour and Polly Samson happened upon a street musician playing wine glasses. He was invited to perform with the group and played his wine glasses with Pink Floyd something like the musician in this video.
Tags: pink floyd
Up to the minute London restaurant L’Anima will put it’s wine list to the public vote by means of Twitter tweets. According to Decanter online, the wines will be tasted and rated by Anthony Rose, Jamie Goode, Gal Zohar, Robert McIntosh, Dan Coward, Douglas Blyde and Denise Medrano with the three most contentious wines being put to the public vote.
L'Amina restaurant, London
Robert McIntosh, social media expert and consultant to the project, says,
I’m thrilled that a restaurant of the calibre of L’Anima recognises the potential of social media and is daring enough to try innovative projects to get their customers excited about wine in a new way
Not only is this a refreshingly democratic means to build a wine list compared to the shady practices of some wine producers who pay restaurants to stock their wines, it is also cutting-edge.
Tags: twitter
On the University of Stellenbosch Wine Evaluation Course 2007, I was lucky enough to win a bottle of Caldeon GP, Philip Mostert’s Dispore Kamma Syrah, but unlucky enough to find when we wanted to sample it, that it was corked.
Dispore Kamma
As luck would have it, a second chance came our way in the Hermanus wine emporium where we found the cabernet sauvignon 2006.
Presenting with a pleasing, characteristic cabernet sauvignon nose, the experience on the palate disappointed with sharp acids. Not a bad thing necessarily, going along with prominent tannins which will improve the wine with bottle age. The lush plum and sour cherry flavours will be more appreciated when this wine is say, six years old.
If only we had come away with a case to lay down which at R15.00 per bottle is a steal.
Tags: cabernet sauvignon, Hermanus
In the heart of theSwartland wine district, lies Darling, 55 kms north of Cape Town, known for a gorgeous spectacle of spring, wild flowers, superior wine producers, and famed first citizen, Evita Bezuidenhout. Happening from Friday 4th September to Sunday 6th September, will be Africa’s most unique cultural festival, Voorkamerfest (Living room festival).
Voorkamerfest, Darling
How this works is that visitors buy tickets for one of seven routes and get transported by local mini-bus taxis to three different homes, ranging from small township abodes to one of Darling’s grand Cape Dutch houses, where three different performances are presented. On this magical, mystery tour visitors never know who they will see performing until they arrive at the house and the home owners introduce the performers.
This year’s performers include saxophonist Dan Shout with The Onion Project and Tyrone Apollis’ Geroeste Music; Amanda Strydom’s Afrikaans cabaret; comedy theatre with Rafiek Mammon; Garry Naidoo’s Let’s Mix It 2.8GLX and The Fieke and Willie Show starring Riana Alfreds and Charles Tertiens. The Theatre Sports team headed by Megan Choritz will present on the spot improvisation and La Rosa Sapanish Dance Theatre’s Peter Agulhas will perform Solo Flamenco accompanied by musician and vocalist, Lorean Swartz. Writer, poet and photographer Philip De Vos will present his award-winning poetry and songs accompanied by classical painist Tertia Visser-Downie.
Amanda Strydom, Afrikaans caberet artist
International performers include, Willem Vermandere from Belgium and Thijsmoussefay and Room Eleven from the Netherlands.
Make time to stop by Cloof Wines and sample the intense, powerful, shiraz-based blends from the hardy bush vines. Or GrootePost, to try the acclaimed chardonnays which gave birth to my love of unwooded chardonnay.
Voorkamerfest takes place on Friday 4th September at 5pm, Saturday 5th September at 12pm and at 5pm and on Sunday 6th September at 12pm.
Tickets cost R99 per route with R1 from each ticket sold donated to the Darling Trust.
For info and bookings contact Tasha on 082-3217542 or 022-4923427.
bookings@voorkamerfest-darling.co.za
Judging by the photos on the website, the event is a rollicking, riotous affair and who knows, you may just bump into Evita Bezuidenhout.
Tags: chardonnay, Cloof Wines, Darling, Groote Post, Voorkamerfest, wild flowers
Shiraz & Art 2009
During the weekend of 19th & 20th September, the Riebeek Valley will be presenting a Shiraz and Art Weekend to celebrate wonderful wines and fabulous art exhibitions in the cellars, restaurants, shops and galleries of the valley. The sunny, Swartland wine district, north of Cape Town, is known for producing beefy reds, especially pinotage and shiraz, not to mention award winning olive oil, which will inspire menus at the eateries, and outdoor markets will tempt with home-grown, organic foods.
This festival prides itself on ensuring that there will be no traffic jams, no loo queues, no stressed-out waiting staff, nor parking available only kilometers away. It sounds laid back and delightful. What a great chance to discover the relatively unknown cellars and wines of the Swartland Wine Route.
For more details visit www.riebeekvalley.info
Tags: Riebeek Valley, shiraz, Swartland Wine Route
Not exactly your daily toot at R170.00 per bottle but a stunningly, magnificent Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 by Grande Provence, Franschhoek. The nose is anything but typical cab giving complex, minty and fruity aromas. The first sip will burst forth with a minty, berry flavours which remain as a long finish.
This wine has wonderfully integrated tannins and leaves the connoisseur anticipating the next marvellous sip. When you next have R200.00 floating about, forget the stock market – it’s in the doldrums – and rather elevate your spirit and taste buds to this new level of elegance.
