Under the heading “17 Impressive White Wines”, James Molesworth, the senior editor and South African wine expert of Wine Spectator magazine, raves about the consistency, diversity and value delivered by Cape Town Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Chenin blanc based wines. Eben Sadie’s delicious chenin-driven blend Palladuis is one of the applauded wines and his comments are,
Local Chenin blancs are finally coming into their own and it is definitely encouraging to see so many Chenins and Chenin-driven blends making a top listing such as this one in Wine Spectator. I think wine lovers are becoming more adventurous by trying lesser known varietals and eventually enjoying the complexity of flavours offered by a great Chenin blanc.
The wines are here listed together with the wine district or ward where they are produced.
SADIE FAMILY Palladius Swartland 2008
Wine Spectator
KEN FORRESTER Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch The FMC 2008
The Santam Classic Wine Trophy is unique in South Africa as it only awards a set number of medals and trophies each year to ensure legitimacy and credibility for winning wines. This is the 12th year that the competition has been running.
I was so excited to meet Charlotte Noon at the Steenberg Vineyards barrel tasting event last night as she is one of the organisers of this fantastic first time wine fest taking place in Kommetjie this coming Saturday. Some of my favourite winemakers will be represented there like Adi Badenhorst, Duncan Savage of Cape Point Vineyards, Abri Bruwer of Springfield, Boela Gerber of Groot Constantia Estate and Adam Mason of Klein Constantia Estate. Super-stars in wine for sure.
Old Cape Wine Festival 2010
Here is the press release:
The one-day festival will see the largest gathering of wine producers and enthusiasts in the Far South ever. Visitors will be treated to the ultimate tasting experience with the opportunity to sample over 100 of South Africa’s best known wines. Over 20 wine producers – including some of South Africa’s most reputable and award-winning labels – will be there. These include Lazanou, Diemersfontein, Springfield, Teddy Hall, De Wetshof, Badenhorst, Cape Point Vineyards, Groot Constantia and Klein Constantia.
Every corner of the Cape Winelands map will be represented, including Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Robertson, Wellington, Constantia and the West Coast. Every cultivar grown in the Western Cape is also expected to be showcased, so there is definitely something for everyone. All of the wines available for tasting will be on sale at special festival prices at the Old Cape Wine Shop, while stocks last.
Tickets will be on sale on the day at just R40 per person tasting. This includes a wine glass, unlimited wine tastings and sumptuous food tastings. There will also be live music, scenic surroundings to relax in and entertainment for kids. Visitors are welcome anytime between 10am and 5pm and additional parking will be made available on site. There is also a Free Range Coffee Shop and restaurant for those who would like to include a delicious meal. The Blue Water Café offers fresh free range food, stunning views and a great kids’ entertainment area, so booking is essential (021 783 2007).
Adi Badenhorst
Organiser of the Festival and owner of the Old Cape Wine Shop, Rael Abramowitz, said: “We are very excited about the amazing response we have had – both from the wine producers attending and from the many people who are very much looking forward to enjoying the wines, the food, the music and the atmosphere at the Old Cape Wine Festival. It’s great to be able to put on a wine festival of this size in the Far South. We have many local wine enthusiasts who can now enjoy a great day out locally. With Kommetjie only being a 35 minute drive from the City Bowl, we are also looking forward to welcoming our city neighbours who will no doubt relish this leisurely day out in the country.”
Date: Saturday 6th March 2010
Time: 10h00 till 17h00
Where: Imhoff Farm, Kommetjie Road, Kommetjie
For more information about the Festival, call 021 783 50 54 or visit www.ocws.co.za. For more information about the many other attractions at Imhoff Farm, visit http://www.imhofffarm.co.za
Kanonkop has released for sale, in limited quantities to negocients only, the black label Pinotage 2006. This wine is made from the oldest vines on the farm, possibly 60 year old bush vines and sells for R1,000.00 ($132) per bottle.
Kanonkop Estate
One of the premier Cape Town wine farms, Kanonkop bottled for the first time in 1973 and continues to gather awards - like three top International Wine and Spirit Competition 2009 placings. They were Winemaker of the Year for Abrie Beeslaar, Best Red Blend for the Paul Sauer and Best South African Producer overall.
Wade Bales Wine Society and Cyber Cellar are the sole suppliers. The philosophy behind this exclusivity is explained by the estate co-owner, Paul Krige:
This wine is a highlight in Kanonkop’s history since the release of our first label in 1973. The first allocation to our two negocients will be 600 bottles with the next tranche of 400 bottles released a few months later once the market has determined the value of the wines.
With two negocients controlling the supply and demand, they will be able to buy back stock from willing sellers to sell on to parties willing to pay a higher price. This secondary market which the South African wine industry needs more of so as to establish itself as a producer of really premium wines, will open up a totally new set of dynamics in the wine industry, as well as create an appreciation for, and collectably of fine local wines.
While many people do not intend to be unethical, I believe that wine writers, critic and judges should take to heart the influence they have over the wine drinking public. Just as court of law judges are true to their calling no matter what.
How can a wine judge, having been shown the height of hospitality by a particular winemaker in as far as being flown in a private jet to the winery and entertained there, remain impartial? If they believed it, would they be able to report that the wines are not up to standard?
It must be very difficult to do and would surely be construed as unmannerly behaviour.
If the wine turns out to be superlative and the critics write rave reviews, then would many people not doubt that outcome considering the lavish hospitality bestowed upon the writers/critics/judges?
As reported in the South African media and on Jordan Wine’s website, wine farms like Zevenwacht, Saxenburg and Jordan in Stellenbosch as well as De Grendel in the Tygerberg wine district, are under the threat of mineral prospecting on their lands.
Threatened dwarf chameleon found only on Jordan farmlands
Stop Mining the Cape Winelands
2010-02-25
African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation (AEMFC) has applied for prospecting rights for tin, zinc, lead, lithium, copper, manganese and silver on the farms Annex Langverwacht 245 (which includes Saxenburg, Jordan, Langverwacht and Zevenwacht Estates), Haasendal 222 and the remaining extent of Rosendal 249. The Department of Mineral Resources has provisionally accepted these prospecting rights.
AEMFC is state-owned and funded by the Central Energy Fund. It has been exempted by the Minister of Minerals and Energy from many provisions of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act in regard to prospecting rights, mining rights and mining permits. According to the Chamber of Mines these provisions normally require applicants to submit environmental management programmes and to consult with interested and affected parties.
To date, many of the landowners and most of the interested and affected parties have not been consulted nor received notification regarding the above prospecting rights and possible mining activities.
Meeting to be held at Zevenwacht at 10h00 on Saturday 27th February 2010:
A meeting of concerned residents as well as interested and affected parties has been called by Mr. Gary Jordan of Jordan Wine Estate, which will take place at the Conference Centre at Zevenwacht Estate at 10h00 on Saturday 27th February. All interested and affected parties are welcome to attend. None of the farmers and landowners affected as well as their employees in the surrounding area wish the prospecting and mining activities to go ahead. Not only are these farms all members of the Bottelary Renosterbos Conservancy, but they do not wish to see their vineyards and farmland being bulldozed or disturbed in any way. Mining activities would inevitably impact on tourism while the lowering of production and quality of wines from the wine estates in the area would result in the loss of farming jobs. Property values in the surrounding area would decrease.
For more information regarding the meeting, please contact 021 – 8813441 or follow our Facebook page, STOP Mining the Winelands. Were adding new information every day and appreciate any support from the public.
May Eliane de Lencquesaing formally owned Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtess de Lalande, in the Pauillac appellation of Bordeaux, France. Although, she acquired Glenelly Stellenbosch, in 2003, the formal opening of the estate has been delayed until the 2008 vintage wines, which were crafted solely from grapes grown on the estate, have been released for sale.
Glenelly Estate
An environmentally sensitive 600 ton cellar, created by Swiss, French and South African architects was completed last year. Some of it’s features are that fewer chemicals are used to clean tanks because water at high temperature does the job and under-floor cooling cuts energy costs. The cellar structure blends into the Simonsberg hills because of carefully coloured concrete thus minimising visual impact.
The winemaker is Luke O’Cuinneagain and Adie Badenhorst is the consultant, formally of neighbouring farm, Rustenberg. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, shiraz and chardonnay are the cultivars planted here.
de Lencquesaing is quoted in Decanter.com as saying,
I now intend to spend six months of the year in South Africa. I am very keen to ensure this is a truly South African estate, not to impose too much of my Bordeaux sensibilities on to the land.
I will be running the estate and continuing with the set up of numerous social structures for the employees from estate housing to child care to education and training courses.
One of the first South African wine festivals to feature sauvignon blanc of the Constantia Valley, regional and international producers, will celebrate the distinctive freshness of the “wild white” grape and it’s compatibility with food. The festival features four palate stimulating events which are supported by the participating producers – Constantia Uitsig, Klein Constantia, Groot Constantia, Steenberg Vineyards, Eagles Nest, Buitenverwachting and Constantia Glen. The program consists of:
Constantia Fresh 2010
INTERNATIONAL SAUVIGNON BLANC TASTING Date: Friday 26th February 2010
Time: 14h00 – 19h00
Cost: R1,500 per person
Venue: Buitenverwachting old cellar
Taste over 40 local and international wines from some of the best producers in the world, including wines from the Loire Valley in France and Marlborough in New Zealand. The tasting will be conducted by representatives from the regions and hosted by Master of Wine, Cathy van Zyl.
FINE DINING EXPERIENCE
Date: 26th February 2010
Time: 19h30
Cost: R1,500 per person
Venue: La Colombe Restaurant, Constantia Uitsig
Experience matured sauvignon blanc and classic red wines from Constantia Valley and the Loire Valley, matched perfectly with dishes from award-winning chef, Luke Dale-Roberts.
INTERNATIONAL FRESHNESS IN RED WINES TASTING
Date: Saturday 27th February 2010
Time: 11h00 – 13h30
Cost: R700 per person
Venue: Groot Constantia Production Cellar
This international tasting has the objective of exploring and showcasing the freshness found in red wines, including wines from the Constantia Valley, France and Australia.
SAUVIGNON BLANC AND FOOD PAIRING EXHIBITION
Date: Saturday 27th February 2010
Time: 15h00 – 20h00
Cost: R400 per person
Venue: Lawns of Buitenverwachting Wine Estate
30 Local and regional sauvignon blanc producers will showcase their wines alongside canapes from the top chefs of the Cape. The walk around tasting will be followed by a picnic with live entertainment rounding off the event. Expect to find producers’ wines from all of the main sauvignon blanc districts in South Africa – taste, sample and compare.
Tickets for the event can be obtained from the tasting room at Steenberg Vineyards or from Lida Van Heerden.
Rianie Strydom, winemaker and general manager at Haskell Vineyards, was nominated by Jancis Robinson, OBE and Master of Wine, to be the first South African woman winemaker to attend the Wine Entre Femme gathering in Napa Valley recently.
Rianie Strydom
More than two dozen local winemakers and vintners are involved in the Napa Valley based women’s wine group which was founded by Sharon Harris of Amici Cellars. Woman winemakers from around the world gathered with leading local vintners of Napa Valley for three days of workshops, tasting, seminars and networking which culminated in a trade and press tasting representative of 5o labels. This tasting was accurately termed “the most beautiful wine tasting in the world“ by Sharon Harris.
Rianie’s selection came as no surprise as she is highly regarded for her ten years of winemaking at Morgenhof Estate as well as a vintage at Bilton Wines. One of the awards which Rianie has garnered is best New World Wine in Decanter Magazine which was decided by Stephen Spurrier. Keeping it all in the family, Rianie is married to Louis Strydom, cellar master at Ernie Els Wines after having made his reputation at Rust en Vrede.
Multiple award winning Edinburgh restaurant, Atrium is owned by Andrew and Lisa Radford and the head chef is Neil Forbes. Recently, on a six course tasting menu two South African wines were included, which is fantastic recognition for the wine farms considering the huge choice of wines that Neil would have had.
6th January 2010
(4th Item on the menu)
Breast of Gressingham duck, fondant potato, roast butternut squash, thyme jus.
Hawequas, Mont du Toit 2006, Paarl
(6th Item on the menu)
Dark chocolate pithivier, coffee bean custard.
Noble Late Harvest, Kia-ors, Kanu, 2004, Stellenbosch
Mont du Toit is owned by Stephan du Toit, a Johannesburg based advocate and is in the Wellington ward of the Paarl wine district. Sadly, the
Atrium restaurant
Hawequas is for export only, which precludes us wine locals from enjoying it. It is a cabernet sauvignon blended with 5 other varieties in the 2006 wine.
Kia-ora, Noble Late Harvest 2004 is an outstanding, botrysised desert wine made from chenin blanc. The winery is the acclaimed Kanu in Stellenbosch.
One of the blogs I read regularly is that of Jamie Goode because of his interest in South African wines. In this post he noted the increase of South Africa’s biggest wine export destination, the UK. Jamie sumarised the report as follows:
South African wines acheived the largest increase in UK market share in 2009 (10.4% of market to 12.3%, off-trade by volume)
South African category grew by 24% in value and 23% in volume for the same period
South Africa’s market share is only 0.1% behind France which is in decline
Exports to the UK were up 14% by volume, maintaining the UK’s position as the leading export market for the South African wine industry accounting for 32% of total global exports
Success from South Africa’s top brands helped to drive the category: First Cape, Kumala, Arniston Bay and KWV all grew significantly
There was an uplift of 15% by value above 5 pounds, a 27% increase above 7 pounds and a 43% increase above 10 pounds
On the Wines of South Africa website, CEO Su Birch makes the observation that there had been a year on year global increase of 7% for South African packaged wine exports in 2009 compared with a drop of bulk sales of 18% . This is seen as positive trend and could an important stage in the evolution of the South African wine industry.
Wine corks
Strong growth in packaged South African wine exports last year were to Sweden (18%) and Canada (11%) as well as to Japan, Nigeria, Angola and China. The Netherlands, US and German markets had remained unchanged but Denmark had shown a decline of 5% which was partially offset by increased exports to Finland and Norway.
The results are out for this year’s Chenin Blanc Challenge and it’s no surprise to note that the 11 wines which were awarded 4 stars and above had wood treatment creating complex, layered, age-worthy wines.
As described in an earlier post on this blog, chenin blanc is the most planted and most versatile grape in South Africa and the wines range in price from super economical everyday wines priced at about R30.00 ($4) to R260.00 ($36) for the more elegant chenin styles.
Listed here are the four and five star winners. For the complete awards list, please visit Wine Mag.
Revealing the impressive list of award winning wines for 2009, Allan Mullins, Cape Wine Master and Woolworths (high end South African retailer) Wine Selector, had this to say:
It takes a special kind of passion for wine, and a determination to keep sourcing, selecting and blending to come up with exceptional ranges of premium wines at the right prices. All the fantastic awards we have won this year show that Woolworths is fortunate to be in partnership with excellent winemakers who are as excited about innovation and quality as we are.
Platter’s South African Wines 2010 – 5 Star – Superlative – A cape classic award
Of these wines nine are approved by Biodiversity in Wine initiative – BWI. This is a partnership between the South African Wine industry industry and the conservation sector having the goals to minimise the further loss of threatened natural habitat, and to contribute to sustainable wine production, through the adoption of biodiversity guidelines by the South African Wine industry. These wines carry the BWI label which depicts a sugar bird on a protea blossom.
Tasting notes on all of these wines are available on request – simply use the comments field to ask.
These wines are readily available at any Woolworths store throughout South Africa as well as on the website www.woolworths.co.za
In his blog, Jamie Goode, multiple award winning wine journalist and wine judge, raved about De Grendel Winifred 2008, a blend of viognier, semillon and chardonnay, scoring it 91 points out of a possible 100.
Jamie Goode
De Grendel is an historic farm in the Durbanville wine ward and has belonged to the Graaf family for three generations. It is currently owned by Sir David Graaf and Charles Hopkins, member of the Cape Winemakers Guild is the cellar master. The first vintage was in 2004 which was vinified at Graham Beck cellars and from 2006 the wines were made at the De Grendel farm.
Winifred 2008 sells for R80.00 ($11) from the farm.
It is hard to dispute that white blends are the strength of the Cape wine industry. Tim James discussed this in his recent blog post Ten Amazing Years for Cape Wine and made the following comment:
Surely one of the finest and most exciting achievements of contemporary South Wine is the establishment of the white blend ……..
WOSA is a not-for-profit industry organisation which promotes the exports of all South African wine in key international markets, mainly United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, Scandinavia and The Netherlands.
Besides increased marketing by South African wine exporters and producers, WOSA intends presenting barbecue (braai – means to bake) festivals in key export nations which have qualified to compete. Coming in the northern hemisphere spring, these are sure to attract plenty of attention and help to lure people out of hibernation. Leading European supermarket groups are eager to present SA wine promotions ahead of the World Cup. The estimated 450,000 visitors to our shores, will be as delighted as we are to be able to purchase premium wines for less than $15.
No that this sales boost is expected to make a difference to the industry in the future – the South African rand has strengthened against the US dollar by 30% which is a concern.
On another note, FIFA has an agreement with the historic winery, Nederburg, to make and market a limited, three edition range of wines for the tournament which will be cabernet sauvignon, a rose and a sauvignon blanc.
Tim Atkin British Master of Wine, columnist for The Observer amongst other publications, is also a wine judge and author. He is linked to South Africa and it’s wines by having visited here 12 times since 1991, is married to a South African and on his last visit alone tasted wines from as many as 96 producers.
Decanter wine magazine asked for his list of 25 favourite South African wines which are available for purchase in the Uk and here is what he came up with and his comments about each wine:
Duncan Savage thinks he hasn’t hit his full potential yet. Heaven help his rivals when he does. This ageworthy, barrell-fermented Sauvignon-Semillon is the Cape’s Domaine de Chevalier.
Ken Forrester, The FMC Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch 2008 (18.5)
Ken Forrester’s turbo-charged, barrel-fermented, bushvine-sourced FMC is rich, honeyed and toasty, with lashings of new oak and ripe tropical fruit.
The competition to make the Cape’s best Chardonnay gets more ferocious by the vintage, but Hamilton Russell is still (just) out in front. This is a superb Burgundian-style white, with oak, minerality and citrus fruit in near perfect harmony.
As at Vergelegen, the top white wine here just pips the red for complexity and broad appeal. This blend of Sauvignon with 15% Semillon is leesy and rich, with elegant oak, toast and remarkable freshness for such a big wine. Read more of Tim Atkin’s top 25 South African wines
Sideways, the little movie about 2 guys on a road trip through Santa Barbara wine country, emphasizes some of those special aspects of wine such as each harvest being different from the previous ones and grape varieties having unique qualities to impart to the wine.
Now comes Bottle Shock starring Alan Rickman, Chris Pine and Bill Pullman which tells the story of the wine competition on 24th May 1976 organised by British wine merchant Steven Spurrier. This became known as The Judgement of Paris in which French judges did blind tasting of top quality chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon wines from France and California. In both the red and white categories the American wines beat the French bring New World wines to attention of wine aficionados all over.
Bottle Shock movie
The Californian cabernet sauvignon wines tasted were:
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973
Ridge Vineyards – Monte Bello 1971
Heitz Wine Cellars – Martha’s Vineyard 1970
Clos Du Val Winery 1972
Mayacamas Vineyards 1971
Freemark Abbey Winery 1969
And the Bordeaux wines:
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1970
Chateau Montrose 1970
Chateau Haut-Brion 1970
Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1971
Californian chardonnay wines tasted:
Chateau Montelema 1973
Chalone Vineyard 1974
Spring Mountain Vineyard 1973
Freemark Abbey Winery 1972
Veedercrest Vineyards 1972
David Bruce Winery 1973
And the Burgundies:
Meursalt Charmes Roulot 1973
Beune Clos des Mouches Joseph Drauhen 1973
Batard-Montrachet Ramonet-Prudham 1973
Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles Domain Leflaive 1972
Steven Spurrier comments:
There is hardly a word that is true in the script and many, many inventions as far as I am concerned.
Don’t let that put you off - the story line is well thought out and enjoyable although there are the inevitable Hollywood moments. It focuses on heroic forces, the philosophy and passion of Napa Valley winemakers and is very human. As the telling of a pivotal event in modern wine history it is a must to see.
Jancis Robinson, OBE, Master of Wine and one of the world’s leading authorities on wine has revealed her eagerly awaited top white wines list for 2009. Unsuprisingly 9 are South African wines of origin.
