What I Drank Last Night
Good Booze. Good Food. Good Company.
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6 hours 45 min agoMay 18, 2012
07:07
Chateau Libertas 1940
Chateau Libertas might be a “paragon of value and drinkability” according to Platter’s 2012 but the truth of the matter is that this 80-year-old Distell-owned brand has been running out of puff. “Supermarkets started it using it as a loss-leader and discounting it heavily. We got stuck in Obikwa and Tall Horse territory,” says marketing [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 17, 2012
08:48
First Sighting Shiraz 2008
Judging the Shiraz category at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show last week, I despaired at how many examples seemed overblown with big alcohols (14.5% and up) as well as significant residual sugar. Strandveld in Elim might be attracting attention for its white wines but its Shiraz is not to be overlooked – last night [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
08:44
Nederburg The Winemaster’s Reserve Riesling 2011
My guilty pleasure at the moment is Nederburg The Winemaster’s Reserve Riesling 2011 (Aroma Drop Inn price: R39.99 a bottle). From Paarl vineyards, it was tank fermented in three batches, each with a different yeast. Plenty of lime and just enough terpene character to add interest. Sweet on entry and thick textured, there’s also a [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 16, 2012
11:18
Concours Mondial 2012 results
Judging for the 2012 Concours Mondial was held over 4 to 6 May in Portugal and have now been announced. Top performing South African wines were as follows: Great Gold Medal Winners (equivalent to a score of 92.5 to 100 on the 100-point scale) Cloof Wine Estate The Very Sexy Shiraz 2009 Cirrus Syrah [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 15, 2012
15:25
Hospices de Beaune Cuvée Hugues et Louis-Bétalt Beaune 1971
Quick lunch with my sweetheart wife at Magica Roma, Pinelands to mark the passing of another year. Could there be a more perfect accompaniment to grilled calamari with chilli and garlic than a glass of Cederberg Sauvignon Blanc 2011? No need for a squeeze of lemon with the citrus flavour and bright acidity of the [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 14, 2012
05:39
Luddite Shiraz 2007
On Friday, a vertical tasting of Luddite Shiraz followed by lunch in the courtyard at the Old Biscuit Mill complex in Woodstock. The Luddites originally consisted of bands of English workers who broke weaving machines that threatened their craft in the early 19th century and Niels and Penny Verburg who make Luddite wine have adopted [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 11, 2012
07:30
Medal count for Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2012
Judging at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show was completed yesterday. There were a total of 1 023 entries from 224 producers (compared to 1 070 entries from 225 producers in 2011). It was reported that 42 gold medals (25 in 2011), 178 silver (116 in 2011) and 390 bronze (430 in 2011)were awarded. Of [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
06:47
KWV Hanepoot Jerepigo 1969
On Wednesday, the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show judges’ farewell dinner at the Grande Roche hotel. The menu as follows: Duo of Franschhoek salmon trout with caviar and dill crème-fraîche Jordan The Real McCoy Riesling – Just Riesling Trophy for Best Riesling at OMTWS 2011 Fish croustillant and avocado salsa with sweetcorn velouté Chamonix Reserve [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 9, 2012
07:17
Fergie gets into wine and some nice Savvy
After judging 136 examples of Shiraz at the Old Mutual Troph6y Wine Show yesterday, some light relief via TheDrinksBusiness.com that Fergie of hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas is to launch her own wine brand. As the website points out, she’s not the first popular entertainment figure to dabble in wine (read more). Later [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 6, 2012
23:02
Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 1973
The beginning of judging for Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2012 and the customary Sunday afternoon old wines tasting followed by as informal a supper as the luxury Grande Roche hotel in Paarl can manage. My top white wine was Backsberg Chardonnay 1985, which won Sydney Back the title of 1986 Diners Club Winemaker of [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
10:31
Ernie Els 2003
After the disappointment of Capaia 2003 (see previous post), I wanted to prove that wines made to have greater weight and substance can succeed, the trick as always being if the winemaker achieves balance, too. Whatever else you might say about the flagship red from Ernie Els, you’d be hard-pressed to describe it as delicate [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
10:15
Capaia 2003 vs. Capaia 2007
Capaia is the Philadelphia property owned by top German wine merchant Alexander Baron van Essen and his wife Inrid. The winery burst on the scene when the maiden 2003 flagship Bordeaux-style red blend made by Tibor Gál of Ornellaia fame rated 5 Stars in the now defunct Wine magazine and 4½ Stars in the 2005 [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
May 5, 2012
17:40
Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Semillon 2011
Yesterday Fleur du Cap hosted a terroir tasting of tank samples of various components from diverse wine growing regions. Each sample was reassuringly close to what you might expect from the respective growing areas and so, for instance, the Sauvignon Blanc from Elgin was delicate and pretty, that from Stellenbosch rich and weighty, that from [...]
Categories: Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
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