Matthee van Schalkwyk, head of production at Orange River Cellars, had a question for judges of the Country Cellars Orange River Winemaker of the Year Competition at the awards dinner, held at the Fanie Malan preparatory school in Upington, on Saturday night. Translated from a richly idiomatic Afrikaans he said “we won two gold medals at the Veritas Awards last weekend for our fortified wines (a white Muscadel and red Jerepigo) and got a couple of bronze medals for our whites (Colombard and Chenin). You judges also praise our red wines – yet they do nothing in competitions.”

The highlight of Upington's social calender attracts exotic guests such as Cape Town wine personality Emile Joubert

The answer was supplied in vocal form by tenors Chris Coetzer and Jaco Bressler after the main course. The answer is age. Of the 39 wines tasted in the finals, only one red was older than current vintage – a stunning 2005 Shiraz from Sanddraai vineyard at Groblershoop. The rest of the red single cultivar wines and blends were from the 2009 vintage and all had brilliant primary fruit to burn. But their appeal is essentially a one dimensional one – the complexity and subtleties earned by maturation are missing.

Chris Coetzer and Jaco Bressler

In the same way, the voices of 40-something Chris and teenager Jaco both have an impressive vocal range and tone but the shading years of performing experience brings to the vocal chords of Chris, was lacking in that of young Jaco. But give Jaco a few years more experience and the complexity in the voice of his mentor Chris will develop. In the same way, the Kakamas Shiraz 2009 and Keimoes Merlot 2009 left to mature in barrel and bottle, will surely be Veritas valedictorians a couple of years hence.

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