Riaan showing the French how Le Braai is done.

Winegoggle’s temporary French correspondent, Riaan Smit, heads home after his harvest in Provence.

Every morning and every evening I check the density and temperature of about 20 remaining tanks. It is usually a mundane task, but the last couple of days have taken on new significance for me. Every day one or two of the tanks go dry and every day hastens my return to South Africa.
My time at Château La Gordonne in Provence is almost over and I am going to miss it:
Smelling the pungent fermentation aromas – a mixture of strawberry, grapefruit, and apples – in the cellar first thing in the morning; walking through an old Mourvèdre vineyard to the village of Pierrefeu – a 15 minute uphill slog – for a baguette sandwich at the Ronde des Paines boulangerie, and then coffee at the Café du Commerce; watching the sun go down over the Provencal hills from on top of the big outside tanks when I take samples in the evenings; shoveling red wine must out of a claustrophobic cement tank with only a top and side hatch. I am fitter, stronger, wiser. It has been good.

Lunch at the Château La Gordonne.

We had our end of harvest celebration lunch on Friday. How does a South African help with preparing food? Hy braai vleis. I do not know what they feed the sheep here, but it tasted like real Karoo chops. Maybe I have just been away from home for too long.
The crew were impressed with Mooiplaas Chenin Blanc 2008, and the alchohol (15,5%) of the Veritas double gold Nitida Pinotage 2003 was met with Gallic shrugs of disbelief. Drink it five years from now and it will still be an awesome wine. I should have brought a couple of bottles of Beyerskloof Pinotage Rosé.
So, you want to be a winemaker? I suggest you spend some time at a big winery such as La Gordonne. It strips away all the usual romanticism people tend to associate with wine-making. This is large-scale, commercial winemaking. Its efficiency alone is a management lesson no winemaking degree is ever going to teach.
When you taste the rough, new rose’ in a 70 000 liter tank (that is 93 000 bottles) and it is good, fresh, aromatic, and this gives you the satisfaction of a job well done, then you and wine, as a day job, maybe okay.
Sure, I would like to be an Eben Sadie or an Adi Badenhorst (by the way, happy birthday Adi. I absolutely loved the comment on Neil Pendock’s blog about Adi and his agter-Paardeberg friends looking “a bit scary” and whether they may be “longing for” the Old SA – presumably because of there rugged boer look – avec facial hair).
But this harvest experience at a big cellar has opened my eyes to wine as a product, a commodity, bought by 95% of consumers who just want a good drink and could not give a cellar rat’s arse where it comes from, who the iconic winemaker is who made it, what proportion of, and how long it spent in new French oak, and all that anorak stuff.
I drink to their health, because they keep this industry going.
Even the other 5% of “Fine Wine” has to sell, it has to pay its own way. The investment in it cannot just be, as Tokara’s GT Ferreira famously said, a return on ego.
Wine is not a scarce product, on the contrary, there is far too much of it in the world, and probably too many wine makers, too. So, if you are an aspirant wine-snob-winemaker who cannot see the business merit of a bottle of Chateau Libertas, I do not think you should be in the winemaking business. Or if you already are, good luck (and please, may I have a peek at your business plan?)
Also, volume winemaking does not necessarily equate to nasty. La Gordonne received one star (out of a possible three stars) for its 2008 AOC Blanc in the just released 2010 Le Guide Hachette des Vins – the French wine bible. For a producer just to be mentioned – even without any stars awarded – is considered an honour.
The wine was made primarily of Vermentino, a variety, I was told, originating from Corsica and widely planted in the Côtes de Provence. It tastes like a Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend: crisp, good acidity, full mouth-feel, and a hint of oak/spice (20% was fermented in 400 liter new French oak barrels).
A final note: The guys at Nitida in Durbanville, who inadvertently started my wine journey by encouraging my first garagiste effort in 2007, have been crowned Top Producer at the Michelangelo Awards with something like six gold medals, including a double gold for Sauvignon Blanc. Not bad for a 15 hectare patch of dirt, in the right spot, and great dedication by owner/winemaker Bernard Veller and winemaker Jacus Marais – going into his 11th Nitida vintage.
Je n’arrive pas a’ croire que… I find it hard to believe this is over and I will be in class at Elsenburg coming Friday. But, alas, it is.
Au Revoir!

Alwyn - serious when getting technical.

Once you start considering yourself a wine expert, it’s time to take up bridge, croquet or experimenting with wearing woman’s underwear. Every wine lover needs mentors for life, people whose opinions he or she will always regard as superior to his or her own and who can assist you on your life long quest towards vinous Nirvana.
When it comes to Bordeaux, Boela Gerber, wine-maker at Groot Constantia, can expect phone-calls at strange hours from me asking about vintages, regions, labels, blends. Neil Pendock is my personal Champagne adviser: being such a prolific writer on vast spectrum of wine-related topics, many do not know that he is a real expert on French bubbles as well as possibly the most extensive knowledge of local MCC’s. For Burgundy there is Jan Boland Coetzee and on Sauvignon Blanc the expert know-how of Nicolette Waterford.
My Port adviser is, however, causing me a large amount of grief. His name is Alwyn Liebenberg, and just popping around to his abode in Montagu for a question ends with the barbecuing of a whole suckling pig and the imbibing of copious amounts of Portuguese red and white wines – before we get around to draining about a bottle of Port each.
Mentors can be damn tiring.
Alwyn was on good form this week after his maiden solo-effort Quinta do Sul 2008 Vintage Port recently won Double Gold at the Michelangelo Wine Awards and a Diamond at the Winemaker’s Choice. To taste the stuff, I went out to Montagu where his charming wife Beulah fed us salads and a wonderful tomato soup avec poached egg while the pig was being cooked in a Weber.
The reason for us being in Montagu is due to the fact that Alwyn is currently the winemaker at the local Uitvlucht Winery. Quinta do Sul is a private family affair: a piece of land on the rugged slopes outside Calitzdorp planted to Tinta Barocca, Touriga National, Roriz, Tinta Amarella, Souzo and Shiraz. After harvesting, the grapes are brought to the Uitvlucht cellar, where Alwyn begins his magic.
Or should I say obsession?
Alwyn began a Port club whilst studying at the University of Stellenbosch. Making a pilgrimage to Port’s Holy Grail in the Douro Valley, Alwyn worked with José Serpa Primentel at Quinta de Pacheca where he made his first certified Vintage Port was released.
After four vintages in Portugal, Alwyn returned to make wine at Boplaas, perfecting his technique and further immersing himself in the magic of board varietals and fortification techniques.
And it is his technique of fortification that sets Quinta do Sul apart.
“Taste this, sniff it,” says Alwyn after pouring me glugful. “A 2008 vintage Port. Detect any harshness from the spirits Port needs to stop the fermentation?”
No I do not. The Port is silky and fresh, and not overtly treacly. I find the fact that the wine has not needed time to bring the spirits in harmony with the fruit amazing.
“I made it the other way around,” explains Alwyn. “When making Port, the usual practise is to add the spirits after the grapes have started to ferment so as to arrest the fermentation and contain the sweet fruit. Well, I immediately added spirits after crushing. A lower dosage, just enough to allow fermentation to take place but enough to cause the fermentation to stop at the required level alcohol of 19%.”
No, he does not know of any other winery using this practise anywhere else in the world. So why did he attempt this? Especially on a maiden project?’
“I don’t know!” he says. “I just got a plan in my head, thought it could work and did it. How else are you going to learn?”
Furthermore, the Port has no wood contact at all. “In Portugal I learnt that it is all about the fruit. If you have the right grapes, all you need is your guidance in expressing themselves.”
The Quinta do Sul 2008 is obviously going to age magnificently, but at the moment it is wonderfully vibrant with hints of black fruit, butterscotch and freshly baked pastry.
He is to be trusted.

Of course, this site has no problems with sales pitches, especially if they are for a good cause – such as this.
Throughout the winelands of the Cape, there are numerous NGOs caring for children who suffer from Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and other severe physical and mental disabilities. Alcohol abuse is rife in disadvantaged communities in the winelands. These NGOs are not self-sustaining and struggle to provide optimum care and support to these children
Each month over fifty of South Africa’s leading wine estates deliver their finest wines to us, where the bottles are packaged into a Mystery Box which is marketed through the Wines with Heart brand. Wine lovers are provided with a unique opportunity to enjoy top quality South African wines whilst making a difference to the lives of needy children. Profits are invested into capacity building programmes and vital resources for NGOs in the Winelands dealing with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and severely learning disabilities.
 Our 3 Fantastic Products:
Lifestyle Selection : R275
Lifestyle Red : R 325
Premium Red : R450
 For more information logon to www.wineswithheart.org
Or
Contact Johan
Email info@wineswithheart.org
Tel 021 4429600

Riaan Smit reports on the final stages of his French harvesting adventure, and reflects on life as a late-comer to the wine industry.

Vendanges (harvest) 2009 is done at Chateau La Gordonne in Provence. The last load of Mourvèdre was tipped into the conveyor shortly after 01h00 on Friday morning.
Thursday was a huge scramble to get the last grapes in, because rain was coming again. We already lost Tuesday and Wednesday night harvest because of rain, lots of rain. Il pleut à torrents – it rained cats and dogs.
Am I happy that the harvest is over? I am happy that I will get more sleep, but I feel a strange sadness, a melancholy. I could see this morning (Friday) that Alexandre, the 26 year old winemaker, did not quite understand when I tried to explain that a winemaker’s mortality is measured in a number of harvests. You only get one shot at it once a year, and you only have so many years to make wine, so many vintages.
I did not worry about this kind of philosophical stuff when I was 26. The world was at my feet. But now that I am in mid-life, it matters. I only have so many harvests left. I suspect I will have the post-harvest blues for the rest of my allotted wine making life. Damn, I wish I started in wine much earlier.
Because of the great pre-rain harvest scramble, three mechanical harvesters were going flat out. It is a quite a sight to see these monsters stripping a block of vineyard in no time.
The result was that 1119 hl of juice (that is almost 120 000 liters) passed through the presses on the last day. It was also a lesson to see by how much Balling (sugar) readings are affected by rain. The grapes usually came in at around 23 to 24. After the rain, the readings dropped to around 19! The vines sucked up the rain after more than two weeks of 30 + degree Celsius days of sunshine, and the juice in the bunches – including the sugar levels – was diluted by so much.

The real red thing
It is a tough decision to make, but summer is over and it will rain often from now on. No point in waiting for Balling readings to go up. All of this wine will be blended away in the mini lake already produced during this harvest. Incidentally, the French calendar indicates 22 September as the official start of autumn.
Life goes on in the cellar. I have been fretting over two tanks of Merlot and Syrah/Grenache – the real, red thing – not rosé, of about 200 hl each to such an extent that the staff has simply assumed it is “Riaan’s wine”.
The result? It has happened twice now that the afternoon/early evening squad has not done pump-overs of these tanks to give the must some fresh air to get rid of a bit of a bad egg/hydrogen sulfate smell. Closed cement tanks, with a single hatch opening at the top, works well for rosé, but I suspect it is bad news for reds, which need a lot more interaction with fresh air.
So, twice now it has been pump-overs for me when I had clocked in at the cellar at midnight. It is a two-hour job to get the stuff flowing by gravity into open holding tanks below and to pump it back up again over the capeau (the cap of grape skins). Problem is, the holding tank is only half the capacity of each of the two fermentation tanks, so you do the process twice per tank. It is a messy job – after working with nice pink wine without grape skins.
After almost three weeks here, I have a more or less set routine. It allows me about an hour or so of studying in the afternoon and about two hours at night. I need it, because when I get back in early October I am writing five siekte toetse in three days to get predicates to write examinations from about 20 October onwards.

Hitting the books
As far as studies go, I enjoy Soil Science – it makes sense if you want to be a wine maker (especially if you are a believer in terroir – a great combination of soil, grape variety and micro-climate).
But do I really need to study – in Biology – how the digestive system of a cow works (it has four stomachs, I think) and that they fart huge amounts of greenhouse gasses. On top of it all, Natural Resource Management – at Elsenberg – teaches us that producing meat harms the environment and deprives poor people of staple food because it takes eight kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of meat – eaten by rich people. An Agricultural College with an ethical soft spot. I can just imagine how the old boys are spluttering in their beers at the Klapmuts Hotel.
Talking about meat, I had my first hot meal in two weeks. I fried a piece of steak and chopped onion, and added eggs, scrambled by default. I have eaten well, so far – baguettes, cold ham/chicken, saucisson (a type of French salami), great cheeses, and plenty of fruit and yogurt, but my South African red-meat teeth eventually got the better of me.
Finally, French chauvinism deterred the cellar crew from joining me in celebrating the Boks beating the All Blacks three times in a row and winning the Tri-Nations by a long way. Les Vertes (literally, the Greens), they must first gagne (win) Les Blues.
What! Are you serious? You (the French) have a league made up of has-beens like Byron Kelleher, Jonny Wilkinson, and Tana Umaga?
Let’s rather make rosé.

Johan Malan

I left Franschhoek at 16:15 to blog this after having taken my seat at Reuben’s at 11:00 for the WINE Magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge. But as I trotted into the rain and grey main road, fellow guests Lizelle Gerber, JP Colmant, Anton Smal and Marize Uys were still drinking bubbly like it was going out of fashion, and are probably still continuing to do so.
Despite the un-sparkling weather, it was a great, relaxed occasion. Which suited the winner of this year’s Challenge, namely Johan Malan from Simonsig. He took the title for the Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2005, which was judged both Best Vintage and Best Overall at the eighth annual WINE magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge. And, to crown that achievement, the same wine in magnum scooped second place.
Despite being a likeable, laid-back dude, Johan always strikes me as one of those no-bullshit, get-on-with-the-job winemakers who lets his wines do the talking. He was a popular winner in person, and there can be no doubt that his winning wine deserved the Gong. It is elegantly bracing, sensually zingy and full and complete, and reminds me of a Louis Armstrong trumpet solo, of which any one can do.
Five wines from 70 entries made it to the second and final round of the Cap Classique judging, with Malan’s 2005 Kaapse Vonkel, disgorged in July 2007, taking line honours and earning 4½ Stars, and the same wine, bottled in magnum and disgorged in April this year, placing second, with 4 Stars.
The other three top-scorers are the Klein Constantia Brut 2006, Desiderius Pongrácz 2001 and Teddy Hall Blanc de Blancs 2005, all 4 Stars.
I like Chardonnay in my sparkle, so Adam Mason’s Klein Constantia Brut 2006 did the trick for me. Underbaked, fresh and zippy, this wine is going to be a classic in four year’s time.
The 2009 Cap Classique Challenge introduced new accolades recognising the best in various sub-categories. In addition to Best Vintage, the Best Non-Vintage, Best Rosé and Best Blanc de Blancs were also awarded for the first time, victory going to the Philip Jonker Brut Entheos, Ross Gower Pinot Noir 2007 and Klein Constantia Brut 2006 respectively.
Bubbly enthusiasts will have the opportunity to sample the Top 10 wines from the Challenge at public tastings in Johannesburg and Cape Town on 6 and 22 October respectively. Tickets cost R150 a person and can be booked by phoning 0860 100 205, emailing subs@ramsaymedia.co.za or visiting www.WINEmag.co.za to book online.

Kiwi's love what?

SIR
As someone keenly following the progress of the South African wine industry, especially its foray into international markets, I wish to bring this communication to your attention.
The news release (see below) covers the category of South African Sauvignon Blanc, and states that one of its brands is making headway into the New Zealand market. However, nowhere in the media release is any reference made to evidence of an increase in popularity of this wine in any Antipodean region. This is, of course, unless the words “well received” can be interpreted as evidence of such success, although no figures or quotes are provided to back up this claim.
It is a pity that this kind of mindless communication is accepted by an Interest Group which represents arguably South Africa’s most exciting white wine category.
Yours faithfully
Darien Morgan
     �
KIWIS SHOW TASTE FOR DURBANVILLE HILLS
New Zealand, regarded by many as the source of the world’s most exciting Sauvignon blancs, is developing a thirst for Sauvignons from Durbanville Hills, says the brand’s marketing manager Jackie Olivier.  “New Zealanders are in the enviable position of having access to some of the most iconic Sauvignons, so it is particularly flattering for us that Durbanville Hills is being so well received in this market. At the same time, we are experiencing growth with this varietal in Australia, also well-populated with Sauvignon enthusiasts.”
Olivier said the six Durbanville Hills gold medals won on the 2009 Michelangelo International Wine Awards would in all likelihood act as a further incentive for Australasians to buy wines from the range, recognised for their cool-climate fruit intensity, readily discernible expression of terroir and capacity to age with grace.
She added that the Canadian, Swedish and Dutch markets, where the brand was showing good growth, would also welcome the news.
Three of the winery’s six golds were for Sauvignons: the 2008 Rhinofields Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Rhinofields Inner Valley Sauvignon Blanc and the single-vineyard 2008 Biesjes Craal Sauvignon Blanc.

Minki hiding a papsak or two.

This year’s Nederburg Auction may not have set the bean counters into a state of fiscal arousal, but a damn fine day it was. Very civilised, cordial and polite thanks to splendid weather and a paucity of the pissed and cantankerous individuals that often use events of this nature to seek attention. The modest catering also led to one having a light, unsluggish feeling throughout the Auction and its attractions. Of these, the fashion show was spot one, with Michelle McLean in all her babeness as well as the upfront Minki van der Westhuizen. (Nice hooters, Minki but real Wednesday legs – when’s ‘dey gonna break.) Those who found the fashion gig a bit boring had the opportunity of traipsing to the Manor House where massages were being handed out, and with Nederburg’s East European influence, this looked promising.
PR Talk
In a year that marks the 35th year of the Nederburg Auction and the 350th year of South African winemaking, overall income at the 35th Nederburg Auction in Paarl on Saturday, 12th September, 2009, fetched just over R4 million, compared with last year’s R4,79-million.
According to auction organizers, considering the present economic conditions and highly competitive trading environment in the South African and international wine market, the overall result, approximately 16% less than last year, exceeded expectations.  MD of Distell Mr Jan Scannell expressed his satisfaction with the results of the auction, stressing the fact that the Nederburg Auction is a showcase of South Africa’s finest rare wines and shows the trust that buyers have in the selection of wines presented.
Overall a slight downward trend on average prices was evident across all categories, although results fetched in the fortified wine and port categories showed some growth.
Three supermarket groups have dominated the portfolio of buyers across the top 15 category, taking 38% of the sales directly to the consumers. The combined purchases of the SPAR Group place them into the overall first position with total purchases of R573 770, closely followed by Makro with R544 880 and Checkers with R410 850.
Five international buyers were responsible for 25% of total sales. This included C.A. Sales & Distribution from Botswana, the Tesco Wine Club from the UK, Amka Vinimport from Denmark, Woermann Brock from Namibia and Juric Imports from Zambia.
Three hotel groups were next in line taking more than R270 000 of wine into the hospitality business. They were Sun International, the new Taj Hotel in Cape Town and Singita Game Reserve.
Comparing average prices to last year, the nine-litre case price this year was R1 099, compared to R1 270 in 2008.
The average price paid for a dry white wine was R842 per nine-litre case, with the top price paid for two wines – Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2006 and Vergelegen White 2005 – at R250 a bottle. Other top prices went to Uva Mira Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2007, Mulderbosch Chardonnay Barrel Fermented 2005 and Cape Point Vineyards Semillon 2001.
With the average price for red wine at R1 136 per nine-litre case, a single case of 6 x 375ml bottles of Chateau Libertas 1959 fetched the highest price of R23 000 (R3 833 per half bottle), the highest ever in the history of the auction. Other reds that fetched top prices included Chateau Libertas 1962, Zonnebloem Cabernet 1965 and 1967, Rustenberg John X Merriman 2001 and Kanonkop 1994.
The highest price for the rare Monis Collectors Port Stamp Collection 1948 was R11,000. The second highest price for port was R5 500 for the rare Nederburg Reserve Port 1964 and the KWV 1949 Port fetched R3,600. All the port wines are packed in 6 x 750 ml cases. The average price of port per nine-litre case was R1, 890.
The highest price paid for a Noble Late Harvest wine was R3 500 for 12 x 375ml of Nederburg Edelkeur 1979. Other top prices went to Nederburg Eminence 1991 and Lord Neethling Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2004. The average price for noble late harvest wine was R1, 694 per nine-litre case.
The average price for fortified wine was R833 per nine-litre case, with the highest price for Weltevrede Rooi Muskadel 1993 at R110 a bottle.
The Director-General of the Department of Trade & Industry, Mr Tshediso Matona, was this year’s keynote speaker.
Mr Matona, who is also currently the director of the Trade and Industrial Policy Secretariat (TIPS), said in his address that the role of government is to ensure that the industry is run professionally and in accordance with the best social and ethical standards. “We would like to encourage you, working with ourselves, to find additional, innovative ways in which we can change perceptions about the use of liquor.” He concluded by saying; “Let me say that our wine industry is the object of our national pride. The celebration of 350 years of winemaking must be the object of international admiration and envy, and 35 years of the Nederburg Wine Auction is proof of the staying power and reputation of this event and is another medal of pride.”
The charity sale on the day raised R208 300 for the beneficiaries, the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa, Mothers2Mothers, and the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa. The highest price paid on the charity auction was for a set of Nederburg Tribute Shiraz 2007, bottled in eight different sized bottles, which fetched R25 000 and was bought by Jagdish Shah from C.A. Sales & Distribution from Botswana.

The Michelangelo International Wine Awards (MIWA), widely regarded as one of the wine competitions with the most credibility in South Africa, announced the results of the 13th annual competition at a gala event at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West on Saturday 12 September 2009. A record number of 1502 entries from 263 wine producers were received – 160 more wines than in 2008. Red blends, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc entries dominated the competition with red blends being the most entered category with 220 entries, Shiraz with 188 entries and Sauvignon Blanc with 179.
The entries collected a total of 524 medals of which 52 were double gold, 191 gold and 279 silver. In addition, nine trophies were awarded. In accordance with the rules of the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, a maximum of 30% of the entries may be awarded a medal which adds to the prestige of a wine bearing a Michelangelo medal. For a wine to be awarded with a double gold medal, it has to score 96 points or more, and for a gold above 92 points.
The nine trophies awarded were:
The CCL Label Cape Grand Prix Trophy: Rijk’s Private Cellar Shiraz 2004
This trophy is awarded for the wine with the highest score in the competition, this year this world class wine scored 99.6 points. The wine was described by the judges as “a benchmark Shiraz” and “an ambassador for South African Shiraz”.
The RX South Africa Grand Prix Runners up Trophy: Flagstone Free Run Sauvignon Blanc 2009
 This wine was described by the judges as “well-made with complexity and finesse and great purity of fruit on the palate with dominant mineral tones, a superlative Sauvignon Blanc”.
The Organic Trophy: Bon Cap The Ruins Chardonnay/Verdelho/Viognier 2008
 “The Organic Trophy is one that is close to my heart,” says MIWA founder and director, Lorraine Immelman-Steyn. “I support the move towards fewer chemicals in all products. This exceptional wine proves that organically-made wines do not have to stand back for any other wines out there. The organic wines are not judged separately, they are judged with the other wines, which means this is not just a great organic wine, but a great wine overall.”
The Sue van Wyk Pinotage Trophy: Fort Simon Pinotage 2006
“The judges all love to taste this category as the wines on offer are generally so interesting. The 2005 and 2006 vintages were particularly impressive confirming that Pinotage is not a mere quaffing wine which fades after a year or two in the bottle. Some cellars are still mismanaging the use of oak, but this is less evident than in previous years. The majority of the wines showed good typical characteristics,” said Sue van Wyk, Cape Wine Master (now living in Australia), and technical director of the judging panel.
Good Taste Garagiste Trophy: Atkinson’s Acre Shiraz 2007
As in the case of the Organic Trophy, Garagiste entries are not singled out in any way during the judging process, they are tasted with all the other wines. The Michelangelo International Wine Awards is the only wine competition which gives recognition to small Garagiste winemakers.
Brandy Trophy : KWV 15 Year Old Brandy
“Brandy is a vital part of the South-African offering and we have proven that we can compete with the best in the world. It is our privilege to pay tribute to South African brandy,” says Lorraine Immelman-Steyn. “This trophy was handed over for the first time four years ago and brandy entries have shown a steady growth in entries since its inception.”
Golden Oldie Award: De Meye Trutina 2001
“Ironically this wine was chosen for its youthfulness rather than for its maturity! A very complex wine with intense, dark berry flavours complemented by spicy oak tannins,” says Sue van Wyk.
Laker & Le Roux Most Innovative Wine On Show Trophy: Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Rosé 2009
This award celebrates wines the judges regarded as ground-breaking and innovative and rewards creativity in the winemaking process.
The Top Producer Trophy: Ntida Cellars
This is the first year that this trophy was awarded – specifically for the highest percentage of medals won per number of entries into the competition. Ntida cellars in Durbanville excelled by winning this category.
“Noticeably the 2009 competition attracted a substantial number of new producers, as well as unusual cultivars such as Tannat, Nebbiolo and Barbera. Innovative wine styles were also entered for instance white Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc and a Malbec Noble Late Harvest. This shows that South African winemakers are permanently innovating,” Sue van Wyk added. Sue has been on the judging panel for the Michelangelo International Wine Awards since the inception of the competition 13 years ago.
Lorraine Immelman-Steyn added, “The Michelangelo Wine Awards is now firmly established on the South African wine calendar. With wine production increasing world wide, local wine producers have to work even harder to ensure their share of the local and international market. We aim to help producers identify wines that will appeal to the international palate. Since 2008, the competition has also accepted tank and barrel samples accompanied by independent analysis. We believe that this assists producers to benchmark the quality of their wines.”
The Double Gold Medal winners were:
Rijk’s Private Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Rijk’s Private Cellar)
Raka Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (Raka)
Flagstone CWG Weather Girl 2006 (Flagstone)
KWV Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay 2007 (KWV)
Nederburg Winemasters Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2008 (Nederburg Wines)
Excelsior Merlot 2008 (Excelsior Estate)
Namaqua Wines Spencer Bay Winemakers Reserve The Blend 2007 (Namaqua Wines)
Music by D’Aria 2008 (D’Aria Winery)
L’Avenir Chenin Blanc 2008 (L’Avenir Estate)
Anura Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2009 (Anura Vineyards)
Quinta do Sul Vintage Port 2008 (Quinta do Sol)
Raka Figurehead 2006 (Raka)
Jason’s Hill Merlot 2007 (Jason’s Hill)
Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2007 (Bergkelder)
Arra Shiraz 2004 (Arra Vineyards)
Barton Chenin Blanc 2009 (Barton Vineyards)
De Heuvel Estate Shiraz 2006 (De Heuvel Estate)
Nuy White Muscadel 1986 (Nuy Winery)
AA Badenhorst Shiraz/Mourvédre/Cinsault 2006 (Badenhorst Family Wines)
Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Graham Beck)
Leopard Frog Midnight Maasai Shiraz 2002 (Leopard Frog Vineyards)
Signatures of Doolhof Pinotage 2007 (Doolhof Wine Estate)
Douglas Green Chardonnay 2008 (Douglas Green Wines)
Rijk’s Private Cellar Pinotage Reserve 2006 (Rijk’s Private Cellar)
Andreas Shiraz 2007 (Andreas Wines)
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Shiraz 2007 (Kleine Zalze)
Ntida Cellars Club Select Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Ntida Cellars)
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence 2007 (Nederburg Wines)
Rietvallei Juanita Rosé 2008 (Rietvallei Wine Estate)
Rooiberg Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Rooiberg Winery)
Jason’s Creek Classic Red 2007 (Jason’s Hill)
Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (Graham Beck Wines)
KWV Cathedral Cellar Triptych 2006 (KWV)
African Pride Lady Anne Barnard Sauvignon Blanc 2009  (African Pride Wines)
Morkel Atticus  2005 (Bellevue Wine Estate)
Boland Cellar Reserve No 1 Pinotage 2008 (Boland Cellar)
Idiom Cabernet Sauvignon/Pinotage/Merlot/Petit Verdot  2006 (Da Capo)
Lourensford Estate Viognier 2008 (Lourensford)
Marianne Wine Estate Cape Blend 2006 (Marianne Wine Estate)
Nederburg Private Bin D270 Chardonnay 2007 (Nederburg Wines)
Zorgvliet Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Zorgvliet Wines)
Nuy Red Muscadel 1988 (Nuy Winery)
Montagu Wine & Spirits Company Vintage Port 2007 (Uitvlucht)
Grundheim Late Bottled Vintage 2004 (Grundheim Wines)
La Motte Millennium 2006 (La Motte)
Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2007 (Doolhof Wine Estate)
Alée Bleue Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2006 (Allée Bleue Wines)
Fleur du Cap Semillon Unfiltered 2008 (The Bergkelder)

Riaan Smit looking very fresh during his French harvest.

 

Riaan Smit, Winegoggle’s Man in Provence, gets talking on his making of  pink wines and gives an update on French bureaucracy.

I thought rosé was made by crushing red grapes and leaving the juice in contact with the skins, at least for a couple of hours, to pick up some blush.
It is probably one of the methods, but not here at Chateau La Gordonne in Provence. Free-run juice is separated from the skins at crushing and destemming and never the two shall meet again. The best rosé is made from the free-run. Presses – juice from pressing the must – produces a lower quality rosé.
Typically, the presses is no more than 17-18 % of total juice per day. Incidentally, for the Sunday night harvest through to Monday morning, 1082 hl (108200 l) was produced. Normally, it is between 700 and 900 hl per day.
Most of the harvesting is done with a mechanical harvester – here a New Holland VL6050 is used. It is an imposing beast. I have only ever seen one of these machines in a South African vineyard, and it was at a distance.
I thought a mechanical harvester pulps much of its pickings. Not so – a lot of it arrives at the tipper as whole bunches. I have also walked through a variety of vineyards that had been mechanically harvested and there is very little evidence of damage to the vines.
Earlier in the year, the French government approved a plan by European Union bureaucrats in Brussels to allow the production of rosé by blending red and white wine. Naturally the rosé producers in Provence were outraged. To them it is sacrilege to produce rosé in this way. But I suspect there was a good dose of economic protectionism included in the howls of protests. Sales of Provencial rosé were hardly affected by the global economic down turn. The Brussels bureaucrats also probably saw the blended rosé proposal as a way of draining some of Europe’s wine lake.
The French government’s acquiescence with the EU plan was seen by the vignerons as just another example of the Sarkozy government’s ignorance of the dire economic circumstances of many French winemakers. In June, the plan was dropped.
At about the same time as la crise rosé, the French government also announced plans to ban wineries from pouring tasting tots for visitors to wineries. This also was eventually scrapped. On top of all this, the French Health minister issued a decree that wine is bad for your health.
Maybe the Sarkozy government will eventually realise that its actions against its own wine industry may destroy one of the cornerstones of what is referred to, usually in a revered tone, la France profonde (the heartlands of France).
From 1 August this year, the cepage(s) – the varietals – may now be indicated on the labels of French wine, due to a change in EU regulations. I get quizzical looks here when I point out what a big marketing opportunity this is for exporting French wine.  Even when I explain the set up in a typical British or USA supermarket with shelf upon shelf of wine displayed according to varietal and how ordinary consumers get confused by French labels with no varietals, they still do not seem to get it.
There still seems to be a reluctance to take on New World competitors on their own marketing terms. But it is being done in the Languedoc. Check out www.arrogantfrog.fr – Old World wines with New World attitude.

A bunch of Grenache, a lifetime of joy.

I never set out to go bananas over Grenache. But perhaps that is what is so wonderful about the search for wine – you don’t so much as find great wine as what great wine finds you.
My introduction to Grenache came in the late 1970’s when Nico Myburgh used to serve his own – unlabelled and un-bottled Grenache as a Meerlust house-wine. Not to me, but to my parents, who would offer me the odd sip. I always liked the fact that it was spicy and not too daunting on my uninitiated teenage palate.
During a GAP year in Europe I obviously drank gallons of the stuff in the South of France. On one memorable occasion, whilst playing rugby in Marseilles, we mixed a 10 litre plastic drum of Grenache and Cinsaut with two bottles of gin on the night before a game against a British club and offered it to the Brits to drink during a bout of pre-match festivities. Next day, they were too hung-over to arrive for the game and forfeited.
But I digress. My wine wonderings led me to the Cabs of Simonsberg, Chardonnay of Robertson, Chenin of Stellenbosch and Paarl, as well as – when budget allows – dabbling in Bordeaux and Burgundy.
A few years ago Pieter de Waal, the Hermit on the Hill, introduced me to his Grenache. And the refreshing differentiation was immediately appealing. Breezy palate weight. Irony and lavender, and a bit of Bouillabaise spice. Something meaty, bloody. Exotically otherwise.
Subsequently I began buying a few Châteaneufs from The Wine Cellar that provided great satisfaction.
And earlier this year La Motte’s Shiraz Grenache really blew me away, but did not prepare me for what was to follow.
Look, I know the Piekenierskloof outside Citrusdal well, and there was always something mystical about those gnarled bush-vines growing atop of the Pass. Legend also has it that, with Grenache being a scarce item, winemakers are willing to swop their first-born for a piece of the Piekenierskloof Grenache action.
That there really is something special going on there became apparent last week when I opened Neil Ellis’s Vineyard Selection Grenache (Piekenierskloof) from the 2007 vintage.
I am not talking about a nice wine. Neither one that is very good or, like many others, happened to find the sweet spot between a wine thirst and a good mood. Heck, there wasn’t even a Steely Dan song playing on the stereo when I poured the stuff into a glass the size of Minki van der Westhuizen’s left mammary.
The wine overpowered me on a multi-sensual level.
The beautiful bright garnet colour is – to quote Al Stewart – “like a water colour running in the rain”. The nose? Forget Chanel No. 5, DKNY or Issy-what’s-his-name. Any woman exuding even the slightest aroma of this Neil Ellis Grenache is in danger or creating near-harassing behaviour from any man worth his salted cashews. It smells of air, dried flowers, Provence herbs and salty suntanned skin.
Having gotten this far, it should come as no surprise to describe the taste as quite pleasant. Rather.
Once again, a breezy and shifty mouth-feel giving you a jaunty prick of tannin here and a sweet fruit core there. Incomparable to any other varietal, but a tip of Pinot Noir Strawberry, nip of Shiraz leather and bout of Cabernet Sauvignon earthiness.
It is delicious, enticing and ultimately drinkable in a dangerously more-ish sort of way. Dangerous only if you are cautious of wines of close on R200 a bottle, that is.
This splendid wine begged the question: what is South African’s Grenache potential? Sure, Neil Ellis is one of the most edgily brilliant wine-makers around whose wines always seem to bear his passion and personality. But with more of this terrific fruit going around, would the large Grenache spectrum not be something to send the industry stratospheric?
Where else in the New World can wines as equally brilliant but physically diverse such as Paul Sauer and Neil Ellis Grenache be made from grapes growing less than 200 km apart?
Questions, questions, but now use fretting over. Tasting wine like this makes you feel as you’ve got all the answers, anyway.

Neil Ellis