Diemersdal launches SA's first Grüner Veltliner

Why did Diemersdal make a Grüner Veltliner? “Because I like the grape and the wine” said the winemaker Thys Louw. Good answer ! and he has had the patience to plant the grapes and wait the required years for the grapes to mature and now bottled this lovely fresh and lively white wine, which is much more common in Austria than anywhere in the New World. We think this will be a commercial success too.

We met at the long table in the restaurant.  On the table were glasses of the just released 2013 Grüner Veltliner and a tank sample of the 2014, What does it taste like? Crisp, dry, very layered, full of limes and lemons, almost like a sugarless lemonade and it has long flavours. There is no added acid and it is a wonderful food wine and a quaffer. With age, we see it becoming more complex and sophisticated.

Hearing about the grape, the vines and the motivation

Thys has planted 3 hectares and it is the first grown in South Africa

Chef tells us how he has matched the food

The menu

The starter was succulent smoked trout with creamed horseradish and a watercress salad, with squares of beetroot and some foraged herbs and flowers

The wine

Thys discussing the wine with Marlene Truter and his father Tienie Louw, who has handed the keys of the kingdom to Thys

We also had an Austrian Weingut Bründlmayer 2002 Trocken Grüner Veltliner from Alte Reben with which to compare it

Main course of Wiener Schnitzel, potato salad and cranberries. A huge portion but the cranberry sauce was a lovely complement to the dish and to the wine

Another Weingut Bründlmayer 2002 Trocken Grüner Veltliner, this one from Langenlois

Thys also poured us some of his Grenache

The tank sample in a flask

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014

Paarl Wine Awards at the KWV

Off to a glamorous dinner in KWV’s Cathedral Cellar on quite a chilly night but we were warm enough with lots of space heaters placed in this cavernous cellar filled with huge old carved vats from the past. They don’t actually use these much any more as things have go much more high tech but it is a place with huge atmosphere.  Lynne was first taken to visit there by a young winemaker when she was only 17 and it hasn't changed as much as she has

The courtesy car took us to and from Grande Roche, where we stayed the night

Entering the cellars at KWV

Welcomed in one of the barrel storage cellars with music and

a choice from several bubblies from the area

Stanislav Angelov , a talented organist who played lots romantic French style music and some other  popular tunes

This plaque tells the story of the Old Bill barrel

An historic barrel with a story attached

Shall we have the Brut? Or Brut Rosé?

Lynne with Zelda Oelofse, General Manager of Laborie. Zelda was the major domo of the event and had the organization running very smoothly

Media members arriving for the dinner and awards This is Maryna Starchan of Wine Extra

Journalist Norman McFarlane and his wife Eppie

This is the magnificent cathedral cellar with is huge carved barrels

One of the messages on a barrel

We join our table for the evening

Kobus van der Merwe, winemaker at Laborie

The menu. The food was prepared by Chef Matthew Gordon from Harvest Restaurant at Laborie

Master of Ceremonies was Stephen Richardson of  Mellasat Vineyards. Stephen is the President of the Paarl Wine Route

Sponsor of the Paarl Wine Awards, Zoyon Le Sueur of Collotype, who produce labels for the wine industry

The awards

The first course of moist smoked chicken with raw apple, beetroot, sprouts and pine nuts with a lime dressing was very refreshing and went very well with the white wine served, the KWV Mentors Semillon 2013 and the Chardonnay 2012 both were prize winners

The audience listens to Guest speaker Katinka van Niekerk’s speech

Cellarmaster Razvan Macici and White Wine maker Natasha Williams of Nederburg

Katinka presenting some of the awards to the worthy winners from Perdeberg

The white wine trophy went to Perdeberg for their 2014 Sauvignon Blanc

Proudly received by ??

Kobus van der Merwe, winemaker at Laborie, receiving an award for the Top MCC which went to KWV’s Laborie Brut 2010

Stephen Richardson having a word with Analize Stroebel

She presented this enormous bouquet to Katinka van Niekerk

We shared our table with Marketing Director of KWV, Jeff Gradwell, with his wife Lize-Marie

The proud trophy winners

Main course was a lovely tender piece of beef fillet on a gratin of potatoes with a good caramelised parsnip and horseradish cream sauce and was topped some rather odd sweetened raw parsnips. On our table we had the wining Rhebokskloof Shiraz 2011, The Perold and the Taillefert. There were also tables at either end of the cellar where one could taste all of the winning wines

Entertainment during dinner was provided

Dessert was a Melktert (custard tart) pannacotta, redolent with cinnamon, a praline ice cream, a rooibos jelly and a biscuit crumble. This was served with a beautiful Nederburg Noble Late Harvest dessert wine

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014