Friday the 12th of August was a cold, wet and stormy day,
but we drove to Robertson willingly to celebrate the induction of two new Cape Wine Masters
at Van Loveren wine estate on the banks of the Breede River
A warm welcome was awaiting all the guests in the very modern tasting hall at van Loveren
and who doesn't enjoy a good glass of a Van Loveren Cap Classique Rosé made from Pinot Noir,
and service from smiling staff
or the Brut, Chardonnay with 29% Pinot Noir, lovely crisp citrus and apple satisfaction with some savoury notes
Some savoury blinis to take away the chill
Always a favourite, blinis topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon and caviar
Zandvliet winemaker Jacques Cilliers, new Cape Wine Master Helena Melis and Spier winemaker Anton Swarts CWM
A jovial and welcoming Bennie Howard CWM who can organize such good events
and, on display, some of the top super premium wines from van Loveren and Zandvliet (which they now own)
to go with lunch
Finding our seats, chatting to people we know and meeting new friends
Bennie Howard and Jacques Cilliers begin proceedings
Jacques tells us about the different farms Van Loveren owns such as Isabeau and De Hoop,
where they have planted 62 hectares of new vines, which may begin to be harvested next year
In a two-year project, they planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz,
Pinotage, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Pinotage on Buitensorg
(see who is beavering away making notes at the table while John takes the photos!)
Then we had a guided tasting of some of the top wines
The 2018 Retief Reserve Cape White is a blend of Colombard, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay
grown on clay soil which really impressed us all. Crystal clear in the glass
Richness, crisp and complex with lovely loquat, lemon, lime aromas and long flavours, with good concentration;
this calls for food. This is museum stock, released for us on the day, the current vintage is 2021
The 2021 Christiena Chardonnay was initially shy on the nose, with hints of pine nuts, which repeated on the palate;
then wood appears and the classic lime, lemon, zesty flavours with vanilla and golden oak are on the end
One of the slides showing some of the new plantings
Zandvliet Kalkveld 2018 has elegance, good French oak in the background supporting rich ripe berry fruit and some spice
On the palate, sweet, unctuous and delicious concentration of berries, mulberries
and some umami licorice, textured with some chalky tannins
2019 Zandvliet Hill of Enon Shiraz has incense wood, spice and dark berry fruit,
rounded on the palate with sweet and sour fruit, ripe berries and sharp plums, and grippy chalky tannins, needs time
2017 Christina 9 Barrels Pinotage has hints of mint, shy dark fruit which then opens up on the nose
Initially quite light on the palate then, wham, lots of fruit appears
It needs time to gather itself together. Good French oak on the end
These wines were then served with lunch
Bennie Howard told us that this is the 39th ceremony to welcome and present their diplomas to new Cape Wine Masters
He reminisced about how Duimpie Bailey, Tony Mossop and he were the first three Cape Wine Masters in 1983
They wrote and passed their examinations in 1983, but were only awarded their diplomas on the 19th of July 1984
There are now 111 Cape Wine Masters
Van Loveren CEO Philip Retief said that both the Cape Wine Masters and van Loveren were reaching for the sky. After the closing down of the industry in March 2020, things looked bleak, it was a black swan event, difficult to predict. They then increased their overseas marketing and sales and had a good year and found that being actively involved was challenging and exciting. Yes, there is an industry surplus of wine. But exports are growing in packed wine, not bulk. Last December, boxed wines oversold bottles for the first time. Van Loveren wants to be commercially successful and invest in our people and then comes sustainable growth through innovation. They must face and defend against the threat from the beer and cider market. If everyone in South Africa drank one more glass of wine a month, there would be a shortage, so DRINK UP! Of the top ten brands in South Africa, nine of them are sweet wines, so don’t talk down to those consumers, they are supporting the market
Christiena Trousseau Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 has expensive oak, pencil shavings
and classic Cabernet fruit on the nose and palate and, while a little young, it paired very well with the food at lunch
Some port and brandy to taste after lunch. The Blaauwklippen 10 year old potstill brandy,
Van Loveren Christiena 10 year old brandy and Zandvliet Cape Vintage Port, made from Shiraz
The starter of vanilla poached pears, a crisp blue cheese bonbon,
Parma ham, basil pesto, balsamic vinegar and crisp noodles was delicious
It paired best with the Christiena Trousseau Cabernet which stood up to the blue cheese and balsamic so well
Bussell Retief presenting Lynne with a surprise birthday gift of a bottle of Van Loveren Brut Rosé Cap Classique
Jacques Steyn, CWM, Chairman of the Institute of Cape Wine Masters and CEO of Jordan Wine Estate, about to present the two new Cape Wine Masters with their certificates. He announced its Vision 2030 programme for broadening racial and cultural representation in its membership, enhancing the reputation of the wine industry and the image of its products and building a contemporary and aspirational African wine culture through this engagement by involving more black candidates in the prestigious CWM qualification. It is about creating a new culture in the South African wine landscape. It is about engendering an aspiration quality in all races. The International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) has just confirmed its pledge of £2 500 (R50 000) towards this programme. “The IWSC funding is a most welcome kick-start to the wine journey of our first two Vision 2030 candidates, and ICWM is looking for more sponsors to follow this example”, he said. Four candidates have been selected to enter the programme over the next two years. They are Lethabo Komana, a chef and events management consultant, and Xolani Mancotywa, a certified sommelier, qualified chef and culinary artist. Lerato Thwane and Heinrich Bothman have already been lined up as the candidates for 2023-2025. The Cape Wine Master Institute has received a grant of R50 000 and two new students will begin their Cape Wine Master journey
https://www.gov.za/issues/national-development-plan-2030
Helena Melis then received her CWM Diploma. Helena is originally from Poland,
and has been in the marketing of Duty Free products since 1985
She is currently Marketing Manager and Spirits, Wine and Confectionery Buyer at Big Five Duty Free,
based at OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg
Helena has a Master's degree in Economics and has passed WSET4. Her Cape Wine Master dissertation is on the Importance of Wine in Duty Free Markets, focusing on the unique marketing platform that Big Five Duty Free (BFDF) offers to local wine brands in terms of showcasing their products to foreign markets, the merchandising options to promote consumer purchasing in a diverse international marketplace and the promotional value of wine brand ambassadors in selling wines
Mark Philp also won the new CWM Dissertation Excellence Award 2022 for the best dissertation,
adding to the body of South African wine knowledge, sponsored by Kleine Zalze Wines
He wrote his dissertation on Carbon Neutrality in the Wine Industry. He is a director of the Selfords and Donford Motor Group of companies in the Cape. His dissertation aims to create greater awareness of the main factors contributing to the carbon dioxide generated by the wine industry in the processes of wine-making, packaging, distribution and in wine consumption and offers useful measures for neutralising, sequestering or eliminating such emissions to achieve that desirable net zero carbon footprint. We then drank a toast to both of them
Jacques Steyn with Mark Philp and Helena Melis with their diplomas
A jolly group of the Cape Winemakers who were present for the awards
The main course was beautifully cooked rib of beef
in a rich red wine sauce on a bed of al dente vegetables and mash
Mark was presented with the new CWM Dissertation Excellence Award 2022
for the best dissertation adding to the body of South African wine knowledge, sponsored by Kleine Zalze Wines
Dessert was a vanilla Panna Cotta topped with fresh fruit, just the right creamy consistency
Paired with the delicious Van Loveren Red Muscadel, full of rose hips, ripe figs and strawberry joy
The weather had taken a turn for a drench as we headed back to our accommodation
and then, as we left, we saw this lovely rainbow over the vineyards
All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right
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