Wine Diva

I visited the CTICC on 8 October for the Veritas Wine Awards sponsored by Agri-Expo, and it was indeed a fancy and fun evening out. My friend Delise and I enjoyed an evening of great food, wines, awards, beautifully decorated tables and some equally smart-looking winemakers in their “black tie ” ensembles. I am far more familiar with the sight of winemakers in their “punchdown” attire, but I dare say they clean up real nice.

KWV was crowned as the king of Veritas 2011, receiving a remarkable five double gold and nine gold medals at the award ceremony – the most double gold and gold medals ever won by one cellar.  Other top achievers include: Boplaas Family Vineyards, Nederburg Wines, Nuy Wine Cellar, Distell Brandy, Bon Courage, Spier, Flagstone and Kanonkop Wine Estate. 

So if you live in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Knysna and Port Elizabeth then you can taste top wines from the Veritas awards – without having to purchase the lot.

Cape Town, Joburg, Durban Tastings:

• Capetonians can taste the Veritas achievers at the VOC Room (Southern Sun Cape Sun, Strand Street) on 18 October from 5pm to 8pm with tickets at R130 pp.
• The Johannesburg tasting takes place on 26 October from 5pm to 8pm at the Bill Gallagher Room of the Sandton Convention Centre – tickets cost R140. 
• Wine lovers in Durban will get their chance on 3 November from 5pm to 8pm at the Function Room, Deloitte Head Office in Umhlanga – tickets are R100 each.
• Tasters can also enjoy this year’s Qualité cheese champions during these sessions too.

Tickets for Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban tastings are available at Computicket. 

Port Elizabeth and Knysna Tastings:

• Squires Legendary Grill in the Boardwalk centre in Beach Road will host wine lovers on 15 November in Port Elizabeth for a sit-down tasting event of 16 wines including light refreshments, starting at 6pm (R100 pp).
• In Knysna, the Veritas victors can be tasted during a dinner hosted at Kilzers Kitchen on 16 November from 7pm – tickets cost R240.
• There will also be a sit-down tasting session with selected wines and snacks on 17 November from 6pm to 8pm at R85 per person at Kilzers.  

 Bookings for the Port Elizabeth and Knysna events must be made with the various venues and organisers directly – or see contact details below.

  For the latest news about Veritas, as well as interesting interviews with the organisers, international judges and top achievers, visit the online Veritas press office at www.winenews.co.za. Contact Elsabé Ferreira at tel (021) 807 3104, email to information@veritas.co.za or visit www.veritas.co.za for more information.

Following close on the heels of the birth of his daughter, Louis Nel has at last released the maiden vintage of his own wines, simply called “Louis”.

“After three years of buying grapes, late nights and hard work in the cellar, spending ridiculous amounts of money on the best possible barrels and packaging, and then having to wait impatiently for the wine to come around, I am very happy with what we are able to offer the world today” says a suitably chuffed Louis as his wines have already garnered critical acclaim both locally and abroad.

The origin of this project seems to have been written in the stars when Louis’ mother, for his very first birthday, baked him a cake but then realized she did not have any colouring for icing. Being a resourceful woman, however, she used red wine as a colouring agent, thereby seemingly giving direction to Louis’ ultimate destiny of becoming a winemaker. This event is depicted on both labels.

Louis is a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild and has made wine at Neil Ellis and Warwick amongst others. His numerous winemaking stints overseas laid a solid foundation for his career to date and fanned his dream of releasing his own wine.

The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship wine from a vineyard that has gained notoriety for causing conflict between the owners of two adjoining farms.  The grapes coming from the disputed land were vinified separately and bottled as the “Neighbour’s Wrath” Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and sold earlier this year on the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction, gaining an impressive score of 93 points from the highly-regarded wine-critic, Stephen Tanzer. The intensity of fruit, soft mouth-hugging tannins, and length on the palate make this wine of international standard. “Wine has a soul, and this wine’s soul is that of a civilized Viking warrior, that was good at maths and liked jazz. The soft luscious tannins and concentrated fruit are a culmination of the alchemy of the vineyard site, which is far removed from the realm of comprehension of a mere winemaker.”  Louis believes that this wine, like his newborn daughter, is already quite beautiful, but will reward patience and be much more accessible in three years’ time.

Although the project is small, no expense was spared as far as barrels, grapes and packaging design are concerned. The labels, logos and cartons were all designed by Hero design in Cape Town, and they also helped to turn Louis’ vision into reality. “After one has put in so much effort in making the wine, why stop there? The last mile is just as important as the first. Boring labels have been done so many times, it was time for something different which also conveyed the ‘out-of-the-box’ attitude that is a hallmark of this project”.

The Cabernet Sauvignon will retail for around R245, while the Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot retails for approximately R100.

Louis Nel can be contacted on louis@louiswines.com or 082 775 8726.

I have recently learnt that crude, as in “crude oil”, does not mean uncouth or rude, but rather means raw or unrefined as in the very same thing as “petrol”, yes that stuff we put in our cars, and that the word “petroleum” is derived from Greek, meaning “rock oil”.

The price of “crude oil” is quoted in dollars or cents per barrel. Phew, finally, “barrel” – a term I am very familiar with. The price of a barrel of oil is highly dependent – “… uh, on whether French oak or American oak barrels are used?” – but sadly no, it seems it’s dependent on its grade, sulphur content, and its location!! Terroir?

And also, according to wikipedia, crude oil has been trading between US$35 a barrel and US$73 a barrel in 2009. Sounds like my beginning of the month wine purchases (ZAR73 a bottle) vs. my end of the month wine purchases (ZAR35 a bottle).

And what has petrol got to do with the price of eggs, uh wine, you ask? Well, this may be an exciting whiff of news for some of you, if you like the smell of Zippo fluid as much as I do (did I say that aloud?… ) As it matures, the German white wine Rhine Riesling, also called Weisser Riesling, acquires aromas of petrol, diesel and kerosene, much like an old Merc. It’s true, ask the google teacher! Now you know why wine lovers are always “sniffing” the wine.