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Friday, October 24, 2014

Caroline's White Wine Review 2014 at The Table Bay

Caroline Rillema gathers her favourite white wines together for a public tasting every year. Many new white wines are released in September and October and many of us look forward to this opportunity to taste them and some older wines. It was held at the Table Bay Hotel this year and it was a really great gathering of some or most of our good top white wines and bubbles. If you are looking for good wine, Caroline can help you to select a very good selection. Where do we start describing all the wine? It is almost impossible to do in such a small space. Lynne found next year’s Birthday wine and John has to get it ordered soon as this is one that sells out really quickly.

We always like to start a tasting with some good bubbles. Melissa Nelson with her MC Genevieve

Zelda and Charles Fox of Elgin with theirs

Karen and David Van Niekerk of High Constantia have a very good MCC

in his famous skittle bottle

We enjoyed the MCC

Duncan Savage with his wife Zani, showcasing his Savage White

And finally Michelle Elford with the Jacques Bruère from Bon Courage

The busy ballroom at the Table Bay Hotel. Richard Kershaw MW speaking with his hands

Caroline looking very elegant with David Brice, and two visitors to the tasting

Marli Brink showing us the De Wetshof Bateleur Chardonnay

One of our respected mentors and friends, Hermann Kirschbaum of Buitenverwachting pouring their excellent Hussey’s Vlei Sauvignon Blanc

Duncan Savage of Cape Point having an animated ‘discussion’ with Narina Cloete and Adi Badenhorst, no doubt about oxidising wines

Murray Boustred of Remhoogte with Bruwer Raats

“What would you like to taste?” says Christine Andrews of Sijnn

The new label for Villiera. This is their very, very good Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2013

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A visit to Van Loveren, Robertson

While we were in Robertson, we also squeezed in a brief visit to Van Loveren

The vaulted tasting room also sells lots of interesting local food products

The view through to the deck

Some of their wine trophies in the wine sales area

Bonita Malherbe, Van Loveren’s Sales and Marketing manager, having a Monday morning meeting on the terrace

Which is nice and shaded by all the trees USE THE SECOND ONE

An old Mahogany kist (chest) from the Philippines

in which the founder of the farm Christina van Loveren brought her trousseau to the Cape from Holland, when she came here with her husband Williume van Zyl in 1699.

The garden is full of beautiful plants, trees and shrubs. Here is a wonderfully colourful Hibiscus

We had a glass of Van Loveren bubby with Bonita

The deli fridge

The deli section

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A special tasting of the De Wetshof wines

Bennie Stipp, Marketing manager at De Wetshof, heard we were coming to Wine on the River and invited us to come and do a special tasting on the farm of their current and a couple of older wines and then have lunch with the family at their home. We tasted through six of their really impressive Chardonnays, their 2014 Sauvignon Blanc, 2012 Riesling, 2010 Nature in Concert Pinot Noir, 2013 Naissance Cabernet and their 2010 Bordeaux blend, Thibault. This is a farm that has produced serious quality, consistently. We tasted with brothers Johann (viticulture and marketing) and Peter (winemaker) de Wet. The chardonnays are very site specific and have made De Wetshof famous. Father Danie de Wet is the person who first introduced chardonnay vines into South Africa and they make it with such passion and commitment. Then we were treated to a visit to the private family home for a lovely lunch of Smoor Snoek, country Lamb chops with all the accompaniments and a delicious dessert. We thank them all for their very kind hospitality and great wines.

The very French style avenue of Plane trees taking you to the main building which holds the Tasting room . The De Wet ancestors arrived at the Cape in 1694 and the family has been involved in the wine industry ever since. The family bought this farm in 1952.

Two family horses grazing in their paddock

Spring vines reaching for the sun

The very imposing main building. The wine cellars are next to it and behind it

The entrance and grand staircase

THE ground floor is set up for tasting and relaxing

Beamed ceiling, and flagstone floor and good wood used on windows pillars and doors

A marvellous bronze Bateleur Eagle in flight. Bateleur is one of the Estate's premium chardonnays

Mrs de Wet and the new addition to the family, a teenage Weimaraner belonging to Johann’s wife

Talking with Mrs Lesca de Wet and son Johann

We move to the upstairs tasting room. Lynne needs her notebook for the tasting

Just waiting for Peter to join us

These are the wines we tasted: Danie de Wet Sur Lie Chardonnay 2014; Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2014; Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2014; Finesse Chardonnay 2013; The Site Chardonnay 2013; Bateleur Chardonnay 2012; 2014 Sauvignon Blanc; 2012 Riesling; 2010 Nature in Concert Pinot Noir; 2013 Naissance Cabernet and the 2010 Estate Bordeaux blend Thibault. All, without exception are excellent expressions of their cultivars and their terroir