Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Winemag Pinot Noir Report 2018 presentation at Idiom

WineMag invited us to join them at the release of the results of the second annual (2018) Pinot Noir Report, to see the top scorers get their certificates and taste the top wines. The event was held last week at Idiom Wine Estate in Sir Lowry’s Pass high above Somerset West and the Strand
The tasting room and restaurant are very modern and the estate has now almost recovered from the devastating fire that surrounded them last summer but which, luckily, didn't touch the building
The Gardens are planted with indigenous plants; this is a Coral or Flame tree
Beautiful views of the Helderberg mountains, seen from the rear
Statue of a man seeking freedom or flight?
and two winemakers emulating his posture: 
Corlea Fourie and Natasha Williams of Bosman Family Vineyards
The side view of the building shows the great terrace
to be enjoyed on warmer and drier days than this
 A welcoming drink...
... of Dainty Bess MCC
A gathering of wine folk: Christian Eedes, Editor of WineMag, Rudi Schultz of Thelema,
James Downes of Shannon, Jacqueline Lahoud of WineMag
Jacqueline gets proceedings started
Next to Christian is Gary King, from headline sponsor Tonnellerie Saint Martin Australasia
The audience
Gary King donates a barrel of choice to the top scoring wine
Christian announced the awards. He has asked this year "Where does Pinot Noir do best in SA?" and it does seem from these high scores that Elgin with its cooler climate and slower ripening, does very well, producing 6 of these top wines, as does the Hemel and Aarde Valley. Most of these Pinots are from grapes grown in cool areas. Only a dozen of the 36 wines entered scored 90/100 or more. Sadly there were some noticeable top Pinot Noir producers missing from the competition this year, we hope to see them entering again next year
South Africa cannot produce Pinot Noir like Burgundy’s but we can and do produce wines with good fruit, structure, distinct personality, length, elegance and excitement. Wines that show excellence in wine making, careful use of wood, ageability and wines that prove that our winemakers can tame this difficult grape

Creation entered two of their top Pinot Noirs, the first was the Art of Creation 2016, which scored 90 points. Grapes are grown in the Hemel and Aarde valley and on the nose there are umami hints with berries and cherries; there is soft sweet fruit on the palate supported by good fruit acidity, good wood giving a savoury note and long flavours, showing this has lots of aging potential
Donkiesbaai 2017 by Jan Engelbrecht scored 90 points, Savour umami nose, lovely velvety deep fruit, it has a dive in quality and is satisfyingly good. The grapes for this wine come from the highest block of Pinot Noir in the country, in Witzenberg on the West Coast
Also with 90 points Nitida 2016 Pinot Noir from Durbanville has some savouriness, with hints of pomegranate and berries on the nose, soft fruit, more savouriness on the palate, then a lovely raspberry jelly flavour develops
Shannon 2017 Rockview Ridge scored 90. It has pretty rose petals and raspberries on the nose; it is silky soft, and begins with sweet berry fruit, elegance and gentle wood, with long and powerful flavour developing in the glass. We have to say that we scored this wine much higher; it was our favourite of the tasting. The grapes are grown by James Downes of Shannon in Elgin and the wine is made, in his inimitable style, by Gordon Newton Johnson
Bosman Upper Hemel and Aarde Valley 2017 Pinot Noir was awarded 91 points. An intriguing nose; this wine has it all, but the nose is integrated, as it would be in France. Soft sweet red berries, some good fruit acidity and gentle wood in the background, with chalky tannins. Made to last by winemaker Corlea Fourie
Scoring 91, the 2016 Ghost Corner, made from Elim grapes by winemaker David Nieuwoudt at Cederberg, is another with those captivating rose petals on the nose, pretty and perfumed with soft berry fruit and delicious with a hint of cream on the berries. Very hard to put the glass down
The Elgin Vintners 2016 Pinot is elegant with light fruit on the nose, good sweet berries at first then fruit acidity brings long flavours; a food wine. It scored 92
Iona in Elgin scored 93 points with their 2013 Pinot Noir, the most mature wine in the line-up. It still has young and fresh fruit on the nose. Softer on the palate with good dark toast wood, dark berries and some chocolate
Richard Kershaw scored 93 with his Elgin Clonal Selection 2017 Richard has made a classic South African Pinot Noir, fruit forward with long deep raspberry flavours, and lots of aging possibilities
Stonebird Pinot Noir is made by Gavin Patterson, now resident in the UK. It’s from Walker Bay grapes and scored 93 points
The Sutherland Elgin Pinot Noir 2015, made by Rudi Schultz at Thelema, scored 93 points and was another of our own top wines. Those beautiful rose petals and raspberries on the nose, a lovely mouthful of both, with some necessary crisp fruit acidity and warm alcohol. Very moreish. Another to keep or to drink immediately!
From Creation in Hemel and Aarde, the top scorer with 93 points for The Art of Pinot Noir 2015. Elegant nose, with incense wood; on the palate raspberries and tayberries, nice chalky tannins, long flavours. This sparkles with liveliness on the palate
Collecting the top award: The choice of barrel from sponsor Gary King of Tonnellerie Saint Martin
was awarded to Winemaker Gerhard Smith and Dieter Odendaal from Creation
All the top scorers together
Winemaker Gerhard Smith of Creation chatting to winemakers
Werner Muller of Iona and Daniel Keulder of Nitida
Some of the delicious canapés that were served. We, sadly, were so busy tasting the Pinot Noirs that we did not get much time to try these, but those we did have were superb. The deep fried dim sum wonton dumplings had a lovely crispness with a soft filling of minced chicken
The tiny tartlet was filled with a purée of artichoke with a drizzle of truffle oil; perfection when matched with Pinot Noir
Tiny fresh vegan bites wrapped in courgette
James Downes with André Morgenthal of the Old Vine Project

Friday, September 21, 2018

This Week’s MENU. Sushi lunch at Fortune House, Chenin blanc Beach Party, Cape Wine 2018 – Overview, Seminars and special tastings, Faces and Wines, Ginger Poached Pears, Bellevue Sauvignon

Trees and a meadow silhouetted against mountains and a cloudy sky
Idiom Wine estate, Somerset West
A week of more food and wine and, most especially, the triennial Cape Wine exposition, which occupied half of our, and most of the South African wine industry’s, week. Compared to the really big shows, like Vinexpo, ProWein and the big London shows, it is quite small but, for our industry, which is beginning to punch way bigger than its weight in international wine circles,  it is a huge window on South African wine for the international trade. It coincided with Tim Atkin, a prominent wine critic, awarding unprecedented points to South African wines, notably a 100 point score given to Kanonkop’s Paul Sauer, a score very rarely given to any wine, regardless of its origin. We have divided our report into four sections, so you can pick and choose, in accordance with your interests or preferences. Enjoy…
To our distress, our favourite Sea Point Chinese restaurant, Dynasty, has recently changed hands and has been re-named. We were looking for an alternative. Lynne found an offer on Hyperli that was hard to refuse, so we bought our coupon and headed to Fortune House for lunch this week. It is on Main Road, near the corner with Hall Road, on the beach side of the road…


Chenin blanc Beach Party at Grand on the Beach, V&A Waterfront    
Now this is what you’d call a good party! Held the day before Cape Wine 2018 began, the Chenin Blanc Association held their party on "the Beach" at the Grand Cafe next to the V&A Waterfront. We were invited to join the party, play and taste some of the best Chenins in the land. We were instructed to wear suitable beach attire and, in the grey and damp week leading up to the party, we wondered what woollen attire would be suitable (long johns with a snorkel were mentioned). But the Cape climate played ball and we had marvellous sunny and warm weather…


Cape Wine is held every three years and, this time, Cape Wine 2018 was held at the CTICC again for three days in September. We think that it was extremely professionally organised and there was a lot of energy and enthusiasm from our wine industry and from the eager buyers. Well done to Wines of South Africa (WOSA) for the very good organisation…


One of our preferred things to do at a large wine Expo like Cape Wine or Vinexpo is to attend seminars. Just walking around talking to people on stands is useful and sometimes informative, but can be exhausting. And you always learn something at these seminars. There was a good programme of them at this year's Cape Wine and we managed to attend a couple…


There was such energy and professionalism at Cape Wine this year and. amongst a lot of serious marketing and promotion, there was also some fun. We loved the approach made by the Bot River area calling themselves the Botriviera! Read on…


This recipe uses a Natural Sweet white wine. We used the natural Sweet White from the Four Cousins range made by Van Loveren in Robertson. It is non vintage. You’ll find it in Checkers for R40. While we sometimes enjoy a sticky, sweet wine after dinner, we do like cooking with it too. Lynne came up with the recipe for entertaining friends who will be coming back to our house after a Chinese meal together. The quantity of pears you use depends on two things: the size of the pears and how many people you are serving. A bottle of wine is enough for six pears with some syrup over for serving. See the recipe…


A classic Sauvignon blanc with green peppers, elderflower and some passion fruit on the nose.  Crisp and tangy, the flavours echo what is on the nose with the addition of some pineapple and litchi, cleansing the palate and adding enjoyment to food.  Long flavours, this wine is forward and easy drinking…
21st September 2018

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list

Cape Wine 2018 - Seminars and special tastings

One of our preferred things to do at a large wine Expo like Cape Wine or Vinexpo is to attend seminars. Just walking around talking to people on stands is useful and sometimes informative, but can be exhausting. And you always learn something at these seminars. There was a good programme of them at this year's Cape Wine and we managed to attend a couple
AMORIM SPEAKER’S CORNER PROGRAMME
Sessions in this area were 30 minutes long and could be attended on a first come, first served basis
WEDNESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
12:00-12:30 ‘Test your knowledge’ blind tasting pitting SA against others
14:00-14:30 W.O. Cape Town
15:30-16:00 Focusing on Bio-dynamic and Organic wine farming in South Africa
THURSDAY 13 SEPTEMBER
11:00-11:30 Cape Site Specific Wines
12:30-13:00 Taking a look at Cinsault
14:00-14:30 "Qui si parla anche l’Italiano" - Here we also speak some Italian.
15:30-16:00 New/unusual varietals
FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER
11:00-11:30 The colour of wine – How our industry is changing
14:00-14:30 ‘Finding the sweet spot’ – Celebrating the history of SA sweet/fortifieds
15:30-16:00 Amorim MCC showcase

This was the first one we attended/ The Cape Town Wines appellation demarcation had come into effect on the 26th of May in 2017 but many of us had not really understood the motivation for this. We now see that it is a very good marketing tool when selling wines overseas. This is the new modern and innovative logo, pulling the two closest but quite disparate wine areas together as wines being "In the shadow of Table Mountain". This iconic and classic symbol of Cape Town is internationally recognised and now reflects our dynamic and beautiful city in a modern and contemporary way
The seminar topic was presented by Bennie Howard, CWM, Marketing manager of Meerendal, who was one of the original motivators, along with Albert Gerber of Durbanville Hills and Bernhard Veller of Nitída. They pulled in the Constantia, Durbanville and Cape Town wineries and got their demarcation accredited after a lot of hard work, persuasion and paperwork
We tasted the wines while we listened and watched the slide show
This makes one already recognised iconic brand, Cape Town, known globally and seen as a top international tourist destination, into a Wine of Origin district, rather than working with the difficulty of marketing separate and relatively unknown areas. Geographic Origin is the common characteristic of the areas
The Amorim Speakers Corner Seminar area
To quote Joaquim Sá of Amorim Cork, it is good to give back something to the wine industry
Some of the motivation was based on consumer studies from RSA, China, USA and the UK
as to who the target market of visitors, locals and wine purchasers would be
Many people attending the seminars were overseas buyers and trade
The area is within easy reach of locals and visitors, especially those with a short time here. And using the new encompassing local identity will aid marketing when at wine shows overseas. The areas will still have their own unique identities, but by grouping them they have been given marketing strength
These were the wines we tasted and they gave a good impression
of the variety and quality that the area can produce
The second seminar we attended was on Day Two of Cape Wine. Titled: Taking a look at Cinsault. Francois Bezuidenhout CWM started it off. We have been impressed with how this grape is being used now, often as a single varietal rather than a blending grape, as it was in the past. Often, the vines are very old and mature and they are producing wines that are soft with light, sweet fruit, gentle tannins and with lighter colour. Some can even be mistaken for gentle Pinot Noirs. People are asking if this was the grape that has managed to keep some of our older red wines so lively? It was a significant component of red blends in earlier times
Another busy seminar
The wines we tasted. It was quite an interesting selection; some of these were quite tough and closed, with acidity and strong tannins present, more in the Bordeaux style than the Rhône, where this grape does so well. They obviously need lots more time and some do not have quite the character of the gentle Cinsaults that we are beginning to love. Others in the group are heading in that direction
There are some really good labels
This is Nieuwe Haarlem from the Cape Wine Company, who buy in their grapes
from the Piekenierskloof. It reminded us of an Italian Nebbiolo
Kaapzicht's Skuinsberg Bush Vine Cinsaut from Bottelary has sweet fruit
on the nose and quite dark, sour, sweet fruit on the palate
Twyfeling 2016 Bush Vine from Bosman in Wellington. This is from their experimental range.
Darker cherry berry fruit with some nougat, nuts and vanilla; very appealing
Sweet fruit with sour sweet cherries and long flavours. Needs time
Eenzaamheid (Unity) 2017 is from Paarl. They use very old barrels
for 3 months maturation and add some tartaric acid. Good fruit on the nose,
red berries and cassis with sweet and sour fruit; chalky, chewy tannins
The wine made by the Elsenberg Wine College students was very good on the nose, with those rose petals that make it resemble good Pinot Noir but, on the palate, rather grippy tannins and some sour cherry berries
The Old Vines Cinsault made by Ian Naudé. Perfumed with roses, it is a bit lactic, tight on the palate with grippy tannins, and lots of fruit acidity. Needs time
Zakkie Bester, a well-known wine personality who, as proud Swartlander, can trace his roots back to his ancestor Andreas Bester who settled in Malmesbury in the 1700s.​ Zakkie and his wife Sandra live in Riebeek Kasteel
Carel Nel CWM from Boplaas in Calitzdorp
Jano Briers Louw
Ian Naude
This was a queue for another seminar which unfortunately clashed with what we were doing that afternoon
This was the programme
THURSDAY 13 SEPTEMBER
10:30-11:30 Theme: Old Vines
14:00-15:00 Theme: The Ageability of SA White Wines
FRIDAY 14 SEPTEMBER
10:30-11:30 Theme: Climate Change
14:00-15:00 Theme: Young Guns – Reloaded

And then there was a chance to test our palates along with other members of the wine industry, such as wine makers, buyers, sommeliers, media and even Wine Masters and try to win a week in Burgundy by booking a place on the Piwosa Flight Club. Piwosa stands for Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa
Lynne "Checking In" at the first flight. It was a mad, very fast tasting. Five flights of wine to taste in five minutes per varietal, One minute per wine - the object being to recognise the French wine in the group on each table, as distinct from the other four wines which were South African. We had to start at the Shiraz table, as the tables were staggered and we found that tasting red wines - some of which were quite harsh and tannic, really stripped our palates, so the whites which followed were a bit difficult
The flight categories were Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Shiraz, and Bordeaux Blends. Then, if you still had the stamina, you could join the Mile High Club and have the chance to win another week in Bordeaux. All you had to do was taste 6 wines and name the varietals or blends. They made it very difficult, of course. These wines were later revealed as
Wine 1 - Sauvignon Blanc
Wine 2 - Roussanne
Wine 3 - Cabernet Franc
Wine 4 - Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec, Petit Verdot
Wine 5 - Barbera
Wine 6 - Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier
Sadly, in Cape Town, there were no prizes won, although some excellent tasters did come very close. Apparently so far, internationally, only one person has succeeded and that was a sommelier from Malaysia. We can understand why!
The wines were served by these helpful stewardesses. We are proud to say that we did recognise some, but not enough to come close
The Friday Seminars
An area we really liked was this tasting area on the side of the main exhibition. The wines had been chosen specifically and you could taste them at will. The wine categories were changed at mid-day.. So if you wanted to know which stand to visit you could taste say, the Pinots and or Chardonnays and then head off to find the farms that made them
EXPLORE SOUTH AFRICA THEME TASTING AREA
This free-pour wine tasting area would allow you to explore a wide range of themes, varieties and regions highlighting top quality wines, across 18 specified areas. A total of 240 wines will be poured in this tasting area housed within the exhibition hall. Taste and compare in one visit, without interruption. Expert sommeliers from the Black Cellar Club (BLACC) will be on hand to assist you and answer your questions. There were two set time slots – one each in the morning and afternoon, as indicated
10:00 - 13:00 DAILY -VARIETALS
Chenin Blanc
Pinotage
Sauvignon Blanc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
Shiraz
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Cinsault
Semillon
Viognier
14:00 - 17:00 DAILY THEMES
Cape Blends
Rosé
Unusual varietals / New varietals
Sweeties / Fortifieds
Award-winning reds
Award-winning whites
lose
There was also a help yourself table for the bubblies and it was very popular. We applaud WOSA for coming up with this clever idea of introducing wines to people who perhaps were not familiar with South African wines and the variety and quality