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After his Cape of Good Hope Altima 2012 Sauvignon Blanc from Elandskloof came top at Bartho Eksteen’s annual Sauvignon Blanc Celebration last month, Johann Rupert is asking his friends for Rennies, which should simplify the choice of Christmas present. For Johann used to be a notorious Sauvignon sceptic, preferring his Terra del Capo Pinot Grigio with a less acidic profile.
The situational variables at Vaughan Johnson’s Waterfront wine emporium have improved immeasurably since Millpark baker Vovo Telo opened their shop next door. Now wafts of freshly baked brioche float through the cellar to such an extent that it smells like a Champagne bar. VJ (below) is off to Burgundy tomorrow but before he left he was singing the praises of Lormarins Optima 2008, a Cabernet/Merlot blend he sells for R132 a bottle.
Things have gone from bad to worse in wine marketing. Back in the salad days of big budgets, wine hacks would have been invited to the Queens Plate horse race at Kenilworth tomorrow. Heck, the event is headlined L’Ormarins Queens Plate with sponsor L’Ormarins one of the toniest wine producers in Franschhoek. The eleven horses in the main event will be paraded past punters led by Pocket Power, a racing phenomenon born on Zandvliet wine estate in Robertson and now retired to the famous Constantia appellation. Yet Die Burger today headlines the Plate as an event of horses, pills and loads of beer.
Die Burger today
The amaretto panna cota with blueberries and almond was served at 1am this morning. But not to me, as cosmopolitan blogger Clare Mack had issued a bread and dessert fatwa against fat and as the Monkees sang, “I’m a believer…” So my displacement activity was a glass of Senza Nome Moscato d’Asti and a chat to Gareth Robertson who handles wine marketing for l’Ormarins. Gareth tells me a whole host of single vineyard wines have been made from Johann Rupert’s various vineyards scattered around the various appellations of the Cape Winelands: a Chardonnay from Kaaimansgat, a Shiraz from Riebeeks River – anglicizing Riebeeksrivier, following the lead of Oranjerivier Wine Cellars who now call themselves Orange River Wine Cellars – Pinotage from the Paardeberg and something from Darling.
Confirming that SA fine wine is becoming increasingly multi-appellation and for a five star tourist destination like Franschhoek, increasingly global. Which sets the scene for last night’s Italian evening brilliantly designed and flawlessly executed by Mont Rochelle GM Erwin Schnitzler who curated (he studied history of art) a dozen Italian vinos to match an eight-course Italian tour-de-force (or rather the Italian equivalent) dinner conmprised of such delectables as asparagus risotto with quail egg and parmesan foam, kingklip with capers and poached veal with truffled polenta plus a totally excellent Pecorino crackling served with one of the dishes.
Erwin Schnitzler
While the popular anorak diversion of musical riempiestoele focuses on winemakers swapping jobs, it’s fun for the whole team. Gareth Robertson, formerly GM at Waterford, has joined L’Ormarins and one of the benefits of working for Johann Rupert was clear on Thursday night as three of Johann’s team were necking Premier and Grand Cru Burgundy (Domain Dujac, if you must ask) at Carne with viticulturalist Rosa Kruger and Brian Cluver the other L’ Ormarins operatives. Another benefit, classy threads from the Alfred Dunhill shop on the Waterfront, was also self-evident (see below).
Gareth and Derek
Thursday was a day of hot air in Cape Wine. In Paarl, a press conference to wrap up the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show at which Aussie judge Brian Croser reported that over half the red wines submitted had residual sugar levels greater than 3g/l.
Which means winemakers are either targeting the sweeter palate profile of American wine drinkers or are trying to hold down alcohol levels by not fermenting completely dry or both. Over in Somerset West, Wine Cellars of SA held its congress at which Sanlam CEO Johan van Zyl supplied his own hot air. When principal of the University of Pretoria, he replaced all the roller towels in the loos with those ineffectual hand air-driers. Some wag added graffiti above the on button: “press here to listen to the principal.”
Tim du Plessis and Johan van Zyl
Feasting on leitão assado with the Honorary Consul, a cameraman from Al Jazeera and the Johannesburg bureau chief of the Portuguese equivalent of SAPA at the Troyeville Hotel sounds like a verse from one of those rollicking Dylan epics. Lilly, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts perhaps or Black Diamond Bay or even Changing of the Guards. Although the bit about “her ebony face is beyond communication” didn’t apply to the waitress. Or maybe the scene was the opening chapter from Emile Joubert’s much rumoured about Murder in the Winelands currently squatting under some publisher’s desk.
