It is trade tastings like this that we have missed so much in the time of Covid
John Collins usually holds his annual tasting at this popular Belgian restaurant in the V&A Waterfront
and it was here again this year
The tasting tables were well spaced out and people attending were well spaced apart
The list of wine farms and producers that John represents is a fine one
And, of course, should you need a refresher, there is always good Belgian and local beer on offer at Den Anker
They produced some of the best canapés we have enjoyed at any event that we have attended this year (not that there have been many), but they were generous and circulated frequently. These were warm Bitterballen on a mustard sauce at the back of the board and small triangles of deep fried battered cheese. Divine
Huge tempura battered peeled prawns (YUM!) and squares of sirloin steak topped with a tarragon butter
Pretending to be serious were cellarmaster Sjaak Nelson and marketing manager Marcha Cook on the Jordan Stand. Jordan wines are always consistently good and enjoyable. However, we have to mention how good The Cold Fact 2021 Sauvignon Blanc is - classic blackcurrant leaf with fig; crisp and layered on the palate. The Nine Yards Chardonnay is superb and will reward keeping for a while. The Black Magic 2018 Merlot has raspberry leaves on the nose, then ripe cherries. It is soft on the palate, juicy and long with minerality and dark chocolate oak on the end. Just what we want from a Merlot. The Prospector Shiraz 2020; rose petals, spice and dark berries on the nose, full and spicy on the palate, with layers of fullness and fruit and lovely chalky tannins on the end. And one of our wines of the night was the 2017 Cobbler’s Hill, a classic Bordeaux blend with a hint of violets from the Petit Verdot. Layers and layers of fruit on the nose and the palate, silky and juicy, so satisfying and near perfect. Lynne gave it 19/20
Sisters Jenna and Emma Bruwer from Springfield, showing the wines from their family farm in Robertson. Jenna handles sales and marketing, while Emma is a winemaker. We had such an intense and super tasting with Emma when we were there recently; that report will be published a little later, at the end of our stories about our road trip. The special Springfield Sauvignons Blancs, Chardonnays and Pinot Noir are what we regularly buy and drink. Their new 2021 Albarinho is also very good, as are the other red wines, two cabernets and the Bordeaux blend, the 2015 Work of Time. Good to see that they now have the new vintage of Thunderchild 2020, a wine created as part of a worthy community project, all proceeds going to the Robertson Childrens’ Home
A happy looking John Collins. Lock down and wine buying prohibition have been very, very tough for wine negociants
We are so pleased to see him back, doing good business in the trade
Wine shop owners Louise and Mark Herd whose shop, Sunset Beach Wines, is in Table View
Not an easy period for them either
On the Bruce Jack stand were horticulturalist Jason Snell and winemaker Thornton Pillay. There were a lot of wines to taste. Four collections - the Lifestyle Collection, The Reserve Collection, The Heritage Collection and Bruce Jack Estate Wines. Of special mention was the Boer Maak 'n Plan 2018 Chenin Blanc from 24 year old vines; lovely, classic, deep Chenin nose, it has that leesy character, exciting on the palate, full and crisp, with yellow stone fruit, limes, melon and long flavours. We also really liked the 2017 Moveable Feast, a very unusual blend of Malbec, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Touriga National and Tannat. Notes of Armani perfume with cherries on the nose. All the different grapes appear on the palate, so it’s quite exciting initially. It is so soft and succulent to drink, quite delicious
Johan & Sofie Kruger with their Kruger Family Wines. We began with what was, for us, the best white wine of the day, the Sans Chêne (without wood) 2019 Chardonnay. Perfumed and full of ripe citrus fruit on the nose. Nutty, creamy on the palate, with good weight and lots of character with crisp, ripe citrus. There seems to be a trend developing again for very heavily wooded Chardonnays done in new oak barrels. We stay away from those; it is so unnecessary and this wine proves it. The 2020 Old Vines Palomino from Piekenierskloof was very interesting. Johan’s description of beeswax, brown toast and lemongrass flavours is absolutely right and it is good to see this once popular grape being used so well again. And we really enjoyed the Cap Classique Brut Rosé 2019, which is of the palest pink possible. The grapes come from the Hemel en Aarde and have that good splash of raspberry in a dry, summery bubbly
A toast to their partnership with John Collins
Winemaker Reynie Oosthuizen of Tamboerskloof/Kleinood in Stellenbosch is also the viticulturist of this very high wine farm. The Tamboerskloof Syrah 2019 has spice and wood on the fruity nose; layers of dark berry fruit, chalky tannins and wood and spice on the end. The 2013/15 John Spicer Tamboerskloof Syrah is similar but is several levels up. More, much more, fruit and concentration, chalky grippy tannins, good acid balance, dark wood and length. In another league, but also much pricier. One to put away if you have the income
On the Diemersfontein table, Lynne only had time to taste two wines. The Carpe Diem 2020 Malbec is quite dry, with layers of berries and dark plums, with licorice wood and chalky tannins. The 2019 Merlot impressed with ripe fruit, good chalky tannins, soft and sweet cherry flavours; a lovely wine which we will buy
Having a long chat about the state of the industry and life in the time of Covid with John C
It was a very good display of some excellent wines from distinguished wine farms and winemakers
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