Craigantlet Syrah 2013

This wine isn’t available for purchase – only from one of the many cases in my garage. It is rather special in that my cousin’s husband made it, with investment from my father and uncles. It was a very small production so it was just distributed amongst the family to which we are very proud. I had it tasted by our professional panel at work that said that it has great potential but would benefit from some longer oaking.

So I thought I would start off my week of Syrah with my tasting notes:

Nose: Immediate notes of spice with cherry following through. Medium-bodied wine with coffee flavours on the palate.

Pairing: I would pair this with a traditional roast lamb with roast veggies.

This is a very easy to drink wine and I would highly recommend it for red wine beginners (not a bad thing).

Come for glass…leave with a diamond

A friend of mine had this theory that you should never buy a book with gold writing on it, the reason being that it is merely a ploy to dress up mediocrity. I, however, like to apply the following by the late (great) Sir Terry Pratchett:

“Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.”
― Terry Pratchett, The Truth

I design wine labels as part of my job and I find the whole label versus content conflict very interesting. I think a lot of tradiontalists still believe that good wines have old style, fancy labels and anything else is there to trick the customer into buying bad wine. Modern labels are becoming more common but they still are a bit reserved. 75% of all the labels I see at my wine shops and at work have the same back on white design and there is a hell of a lot of gold.

I say it is time to make more of design. How do you think Apple made all its money? You need to stand out. I believe in glass. It is there for you on a daily basis. You can’t drink a bottle of Kanonkop 2013 Black Label Pinotage everyday with your spaghetti bolognaise – especially not at R1350 ($112) a bottle. One of the nicest wines that I have tried lately was the Quartet 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. It costs around R70 ($6) a bottle and yes, its label has silver on it.

One won’t be wrong when they say that just because the wine has a shiny and attractive label it doesn’t make it good. The opposite is just as true. I realised this in university. I was tasked with purchasing some wine for a party and I was instructed to buy Four Cousins, which is the wine equivalent of coke but I was a poor student. Instead I went for something with a more traditional label – the kind with a coat of arms with some fancy serif type. Needless to say I never made that same mistake again, but it also didn’t mean that I still only drink Four Cousins (which does have its place in the world with its 1,5l bottles).

Here is the only thing you can do: Buy a good wine guide. South Africa has Platter’s (some feel that it is not entirely objective) and there isn’t one pretty picture in it. For fun, go out and buy a bottle from a label you know and one you don’t – choose it purely for it’s label (or out your book) and do a blind tasting. We do this at work and it is by far the most you can have with a bottle of wine and a brown paper bag. Make sure to take some notes.

So I think that we are being too hard on wines that set out to prove their worth in a very saturated market through label art. There is a lot of great wine out there with shiny and quirky labels screaming to be heard. If you want to buy a bottle of wine with a sparkly rainbow and a dancing unicorn then go for it. There is no judgement here.

 

Quartet Sauvignon Blanc /Semillon 2013
Tasting notes: Delicious combination of mandarin, passion fruit, green pepper, thyme and clove. Creamy texture adds depth to the fresh flavours framed by the suggestion of toasty oak.
Food pairing:  Pair it with fish, shellfish and creamy pasta dishes.

Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage
Tasting notes: A very complex wine with hints of red fruit flavours which reflects some Pinot Noir style elegance and structure.
Food pairing: Red meat or spicy Asian style dishes.

 

Another bargain!

I found this super bargain at my favourite second-hand book shop in Barrydale. I paid R90 when the new ones cost between R800 – R1000. It is a 1994 edition but Bordeaux isn’t going anywhere.

 

How to choose a corkscrew

So when I decided to write this article I thought it would be a good idea to go through my kitchen draw and see what I have. Turns out I have almost everything – and a wine problem (though I chose to replace ‘problem’ with ‘hobby’). But everything is okay when you use the word ‘collection’.

This is what I found (left to right):

1 butterfly corkscrew

1 classic corkscrew

2 waiter’s friends

1 foil cutter

1 bottle pouring plug (it is quite nifty)

Now in my defense I got a the waiter’s friends when I was promoting wine a few year’s ago, but they are my personal favourite. That doesn’t mean this blog is over as there are a few more options and each person has to choose their own.

1. The classic corkscrew

It may be a classic but it requires a lot of pressure and poorly made ones may snap off and break easily. You simply screw it in and pull it out. Old versions had brushes on the end to clear away wax that originally coated bottles.

2. The 2 armed butterfly

This is a very familiar face. The one I have was in our family for years and a lot of time was spent anthropomorphizing it as a child. Mine isn’t expensive and I do use it when I am in the mood but I don’t like it for 2 reasons:

1. they tend to break the cork
2. I can’t get a good grip on the bottle and I feel it is going to slip out from underneath.

They most often double as a beer opener so they do have their bonus or they come with a good foil cutter. Make sure you get a good one though and that all the parts move easily.

3. The butler’s friend

Not to be confused with the waiter’s friend. This comes with two long pieces that slip between the cork and the bottle. You twist it around to break away the cork from the inside of the bottle and then pull. This means that you can also slip the cork back into the bottle without anyone noticing – hence its name as a butler could do his duty quietly in the background.

4. The waiter’s friend

This makes use of a lever action to remove the cork. Most come with a double lever to make things easier. Almost all of them come with a foil cutter and are easy to slip into a waiter’s pocket. The other great thing about these is that you can inevitably get them for free as lots of companies and wine farms use them as promotional items – well in South Africa at least. These are my personal favourite as I have weak T-rex arms and it doesn’t require as much strength as a classic opener.

5. Screwpull

These are very easy to use but also expensive. It is important to note that Screwpull is a brand/system and has recently been bought out be Le Creuset.

6. Hand-held Lever corkscrew

These are expensive but also easy to use. You don’t need much strength but you do need a really good one. I, however, look at and just see it causing my kitchen draw to get stuck.

7. Foil cutter

Just a nifty gadget for making it easier to open your bottle. It is nicer than the cerated ones that come with your average waiter’s friend.

8. My funny plug

I got this when I was promoting wine. It is just a stopper for your wine but comes with a nice pouring nozzle.

So that is it. It is up to you, of course, just as long as it pops your cork.

Happy Thursday everyone

Sundowners in Barrydale

Watching the sun go down with a glass of MCC

What your wine choice says about you

Not mine but enjoy anyway 🙂

Merlot?

Haha New Zealand

I am not trying to be funny. The Winery of Good Hope visited today  to promote the sale of international wines. The plan is to introduce new varieties and blends from around the world to our customers. Today’s wines cam from HaHa in New Zealand. Here is where I am going to get dry and technical. There wasn’t anything more interesting about the sale so this will be mostly wine speak.

HaHa stands for luscious and savoury in the native Maori of New Zealand. The farm is in Marlbro, which is characterised by the cooler climate and higher terrain. This makes it very good for Pinot Noir. I seem to be tasting a lot of this lately and am starting to enjoy this fancy stuff which might not go well with my budget. It is a very versatile wine and pairs all the way from your starters to your dessert. The 2012 Pinot Noir from HaHa was very spicey and smoky on the nose, which, considering the current fire crisis in Cape Town, seemed a bit insensitive. It had a nice, full mouth feel and is perfect for your everyday pinotphile. It really was great to drink. If you can get a hold of a bottle, wherever you may be in the world, then I would definitely recommend you try it.
My rating: Keep for yourself to quaff alone in glee

The next bottle was their Sauvignon Blanc. I have only just become away of the poor reputation it has in the wine world despite being the most popular wine in South Africa. I am not good with the nose but this was an explosion of asparagus and some tropical fruit. In my newbie-ness I try to go with the first thing that comes to mind but this was like being hit in the face with a by a angry vegan at a PETA march. Despite its crazy nose issues it was actually very nice to drink. Not outstanding but if someone gave me a bottle I wouldn’t hesitate to take it.
My rating: take to a friend’s

So I can definitely recommend you check it out. I don’t get to taste international wine so this was a treat.

Enjoy 🙂

 

My new ranking system

Hey all
I have decided that the whole 100 point wine system is totally pointless for me. So I have devised my own which I think is more accessible to the common quaffer.

My rating system:

1. Keep for yoself to quaff alone in evil glee
2. Take to a friend
3. Book club
4. 3^rd bottle of wine
5. Use for cooking
6. Unclog the sink
7. Give to your mother-in-law