Friday, September 05, 2025

Morvino wine trade show

The Morvino Trade show was held at  the Double Tree hotel by Hilton on upper Eastside in Woodstock
It's a big venue and there was a lot of wine to taste

The Zevenwacht Chenin Blanc had won a Trophy and a score of 97. Delicious and crisp

Lynne speaking to Charles Lourens, Zevenwacht winemaker

Jolandie Fouche with her own Wolf and Woman wines
She is also the winemaker at Kloovenberg near Riebeek Kasteel
Her Swartland Chenin has lots of fruit and is full on the palate
We really liked her Piekenerskloof Grenache Blanc, it's full of varietal flavour, silky and rounded

Steyn Fullard, Weltevrede marketing manager
The Ring Cap Classique 2013 did not disappoint, it is, as always, elegant and classy,
a lovely prickle, crisp and full of good limes and lemon flavours with minerality and a fine mousse with length

Their three excellent Chardonnays, all show their individual Bonnievale terroir

The Philip Jonker range of Cap Classiques:  Enthios, The Ring and the Rosetta Brut Rosé

The Cape Wine Crafters Collection from Weltevrede

Monica and Henk van Niekerk with their three excellent Paul René Cap Classiques from Robertson

The Painted Wolf wines from Paarl

Made by Jeremy Borg. The Den Chenin Blanc is different, good fruit layered with minerality
The Viognier is lighter but good and true to the variety

Some small canapés of cream cheese and tomato

and others with olive paste

and herb tapenade

Michelle Stewart enjoying the tasting

Mooiplaas wines, shown by Nico Breytenbach and Bertus Basson, winemaker (not the chef!)

Their Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc always impress and are on many restaurant lists

The Get Wine team, At Wegner and his son with colleague Louis

Miles Mossop has always made exceptional and interesting wines, that go so well with food
His Saskia white blend goes round and round on the palate, concentrated and full of fruit and delight

Looking forward to seeing his wine for the Cape Winemakers Guild in October

Nico Grobler of La Brune in Elgin

His Cape Classique  Blanc de Blanc is the style we really prefer
It currently spends 2 years on the lees but more age is planned
Soft on the nose but full on zing from the bubbles on the palate

His other wines

Tayla Kymdell, Stark-Condé winemaker, with the Kara Tara wine range


Sarah du Plessis and Richard Kershaw MW on their busy stand
The industry knows that Richard will always produce excellence
His Clonal Selection Elgin Chardonnay is outstanding with many layers of flavour and enjoyment,
golden fruit on nose and palate with a hint of lime followed by good wood support
Very well made with a lot of class. And Lynne enjoyed the Smugglers Boot Chardonnay as well
Layers of fine golden fruit and the fruit and wood are in concert
The Smugglers Boot Pinot Noir is right up there in character and flavour from this more affordable range
Smoke and cherries in incense wood, then smoky bacon and cherries, reach for food...
The Kershaw 2B Pinot Noir is shy initially then fruit appears, soft on the palate with red berry fruit,
ripe cherry and raspberries linger with good wood support, some liquorice umami on the end. Calls for food

John Loubser and Tanya Reynolds with John's exciting new venture to add to his stable of Silverthorn Cap Classiques,
his first still wines under the label Dog Star Wines


There was much talk in the room by those attending about this wine, always a good sign, especially from top Sommeliers
An excellent 2024 Sur Lie whole bunch Chardonnay with herbal notes golden fruit and leesy notes on nose
Full and complex on the nose and palate, long flavours of lime and lemon and white peach. Classy
All the layers and minerality of the Robertson/Bonnievale area
and a Barrel  Fermented Chardonnay, a restrained use of older oak adding so much to this  impressive wine
It spends 18 months in 500 litres older French oak barrels
It has salty oyster shell minerality first, then golden stone fruit
It's silky on the palate and clean with layers of white peach and kiwi and lime. Needs food to follow
His prices are excellent for this quality

Wynand Grobler, Owner Winemaker at De Kleine Wijn Koöp
Lynne was very impressed by the Debutant Semillon, one to buy and put in your cellar or restaurant
The richness and fullness of this wine mean it is joins our impressive Cape Semillons
and, yes, the grapes are from Franschhoek, where Wynand has been making excellent Semillon
since his days as winemaker at Rickety Bridge

The wines

Just chilling....

Megan van der Merwe, Beau Constantia winemaker

Lukas Wentzel with Darius Potgieter, Wine Director at Belthazar restaurant and wine bar
Lucas was showing his own wine Aurelia Cap Classique
Both are so enjoyable, clean and crisp with great mousse and some Darling minerality 

Lukas with his son Wian, who is  has been studying oenology and viticulture at Stellenbosch
and is on his way to an internship in the Médoc in Bordeaux

And the crowning glory of the tasting
Ataraxia is a wine brand from the Hemel and Aarde Ridge, made by Kevin Grant
The farm has great soils and produces very long lasting wines but the wine making shows Kevin's art
It was his green and classic 2025 Sauvignon Blanc that so impressed us and the other people tasting
True to the grape, it is full of the freshness and those lovely green herbal notes for which Sauvignon is loved and respected
Layered and full, it wants to lead you to food, especially seafood and fish, but also to sip and enjoy
There is not  drop of tropical flavour in this wine and it is so good to see the style being embraced again
This was the wine that the buzz in the room was about
The Young Blood 2023 Pinot Noir has Incense wood, dark cherry and is very delicate on the nose
11 months in old barrels so wood is present. On the palate, dark plum and black cherry with good acidity in balance
Chalky tannins, long flavours
The 2022 Pinot Noir  has so much more of everything. Incense wood and cherry fruit, perfume and wood,
soft and sexy,  an experience to savour, with minerality on the end
The 2021 Serenity is an unusual red blend of Pinot noir, Cinsault and Pinotage
("a family tree of the two parent varietals and progeny")
A sophisticated nose, good Incense wood, even better berry fruit, it is so attractive on the nose
On the palate, beautiful fruit and soft tannins with toasted dark oak, chalky tannins,
swirling on the palate with cherry, mulberry, plum and more
Long flavours, this wine will last and improve. Respect

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