Finally a quick blog on a recent trip to Cape Town…and a few South African wineries! I know there’s at least one person out there who doesn’t really care to hear my diatribes on power issues and South African politics and would rather hear about South African wine. A business trip for Jeremy 
provided a much-needed opportunity to get out of the big city and spend a weekend in wine country. Unfortunately in our move we seem to have lost the cord that connects my camera to the computer, so I only have Jeremy’s pictures (which are more artsy than mine anyway). Jeremy and I, well, we are wino’s. No other way to put it. So there’s a fair amount of detail…
First, some general thoughts on South African wines. I would venture to say that South Africa’s flagship grapes are Pinotage (a cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage) and Chenin Blanc. The Chenin Blancs are across the board drinkable, inexpensive, and fun. Unfortunately, the Pinotage is not so reliable. When it’s great, it’s velvet. When it’s bad, well the word band-aid comes to mind. Pinotage is a picky grape. At L’Avenier we learned that they ferment their Pinotage to avoid getting that horribly bitter taste, though if you don’t check it regularly that can also lead to a bacteria that causes a musty taste. Bordeaux-style blends (i.e., Cab/Merlot + others), are quite big here, which aren’t always my favorites. I tend to prefer Coté du Rhône-style blends (Shiraz/Grenache/Mourverdre). Lots of single-varietal Shiraz, not as many
blends, though. Unlike other winerys we’ve been to in the States, tasting at all South African wineries is free and they are liberal with the pours…so one must be a little careful and you definitely need to hire a driver.
We stayed at a fabulous guesthouse in Stellenbosch run by a Swedish couple called The Beautiful South (http://www.thebeautifulsouth.de/English/index.htm) located right in the heart of Stellenbosch. Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a d
ay of wine tasting. I am all set for tasting…guide book and bottle of water in hand. The first winery we went to was Tokara (www.tokara.com). A stunningly modern winery with sweeping views of the Simonsberg mountains. After a quick lecture from our guide, Annalee Stein, we sampled two of their sauvignon blancs (one from their coastal vineyards and one from their mountain vineyards). I found both of them to be a bit to mineral-y for my liking, though perhaps it was owing to the fact that it was before 10:00 in the morning. I did like their Chardonnay, however.
Our second winery was Rustenberg Wines (www.rustenberg.co.za). With 300 years of wine-making tradition, Rustenberg with its traditional architecture was quite the contrast to
Tokara. They have three ranges of wines, Brampton (every day drinking) Rustenberg Regional (nicer) and Single Vineyard (nicest). In general, if you find anything by Rustenberg, buy it. Some standouts for me…the 2006 Brampton Mourvedre/Grenache, the 2001 John X Merriman (Bordeaux-style blend from the Regional Range), and the 2005 Five Soldiers Chardonnay (from the Single Vineyard Range). We also got the chance to sample their flagship, the 2004 Peter Barlow, made of 100 percent Cabernet from their Single Vineyard Range. Unfortunately, even a classy wine such as this couldn’t win me over as far as single-varietal Cabs go…that grape and I just aren’t good friends. One very cool thing we got to see at Rustenberg was the staff pressing this season’s Chardonnay grapes! In the picture below the grapes have just been through the pressing machine and the staff is shoveling the skins out of the big tray thing so they can do another load.
Next stop, lunch….I’m going to skip the discussion of our visit to the Muratie Wine Estate because I didn’t actually taste any of the wines…I needed a break, so to speak. They have an excellent range of ports, however.
Last winery was Quoin Rock (www.quoinrock.com). I especially like the name because it reminds us of our friend Kristen Syverson’s husband, Quinn, who is in fact a rock star musician. We also got to see their cellar, which was really neat. Again, we tried their entire range (in case you’re
wondering, wine tasting in South Africa takes serious stamina)…their 2005 Shiraz was the best single-varietal red that we tried all day and since we’ve been back in Jo’burg Jeremy and I have been through several bottles. We also liked their 2003 Cape Agulhas Chardonnay, which is aged 6 months in 70 percent French oak…an excellent example of how great wise use of oak can be. It brought out a nice subtle butterscotch without being a “butter bomb.” Quoin Rock also does a great vine-dried Sauvignon Blanc (dessert wine) that was a fabulous wine to end with. They actually go through the vineyard with pliers and pinch the stems so that water can’t get to the grapes and hence the sugars build up. Who knew?
This blog is already pretty long, so I’m just including some other cool pictures from our drive back to Cape Town for your viewing pleasure! If I figure out how to get my pictures off of my camera I'll post some more of Table Mountain and Cape Town.
provided a much-needed opportunity to get out of the big city and spend a weekend in wine country. Unfortunately in our move we seem to have lost the cord that connects my camera to the computer, so I only have Jeremy’s pictures (which are more artsy than mine anyway). Jeremy and I, well, we are wino’s. No other way to put it. So there’s a fair amount of detail…First, some general thoughts on South African wines. I would venture to say that South Africa’s flagship grapes are Pinotage (a cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage) and Chenin Blanc. The Chenin Blancs are across the board drinkable, inexpensive, and fun. Unfortunately, the Pinotage is not so reliable. When it’s great, it’s velvet. When it’s bad, well the word band-aid comes to mind. Pinotage is a picky grape. At L’Avenier we learned that they ferment their Pinotage to avoid getting that horribly bitter taste, though if you don’t check it regularly that can also lead to a bacteria that causes a musty taste. Bordeaux-style blends (i.e., Cab/Merlot + others), are quite big here, which aren’t always my favorites. I tend to prefer Coté du Rhône-style blends (Shiraz/Grenache/Mourverdre). Lots of single-varietal Shiraz, not as many
blends, though. Unlike other winerys we’ve been to in the States, tasting at all South African wineries is free and they are liberal with the pours…so one must be a little careful and you definitely need to hire a driver.We stayed at a fabulous guesthouse in Stellenbosch run by a Swedish couple called The Beautiful South (http://www.thebeautifulsouth.de/English/index.htm) located right in the heart of Stellenbosch. Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a d
ay of wine tasting. I am all set for tasting…guide book and bottle of water in hand. The first winery we went to was Tokara (www.tokara.com). A stunningly modern winery with sweeping views of the Simonsberg mountains. After a quick lecture from our guide, Annalee Stein, we sampled two of their sauvignon blancs (one from their coastal vineyards and one from their mountain vineyards). I found both of them to be a bit to mineral-y for my liking, though perhaps it was owing to the fact that it was before 10:00 in the morning. I did like their Chardonnay, however.Our second winery was Rustenberg Wines (www.rustenberg.co.za). With 300 years of wine-making tradition, Rustenberg with its traditional architecture was quite the contrast to
Tokara. They have three ranges of wines, Brampton (every day drinking) Rustenberg Regional (nicer) and Single Vineyard (nicest). In general, if you find anything by Rustenberg, buy it. Some standouts for me…the 2006 Brampton Mourvedre/Grenache, the 2001 John X Merriman (Bordeaux-style blend from the Regional Range), and the 2005 Five Soldiers Chardonnay (from the Single Vineyard Range). We also got the chance to sample their flagship, the 2004 Peter Barlow, made of 100 percent Cabernet from their Single Vineyard Range. Unfortunately, even a classy wine such as this couldn’t win me over as far as single-varietal Cabs go…that grape and I just aren’t good friends. One very cool thing we got to see at Rustenberg was the staff pressing this season’s Chardonnay grapes! In the picture below the grapes have just been through the pressing machine and the staff is shoveling the skins out of the big tray thing so they can do another load.Next stop, L'Avenier where we were joined by Linda and Christian, on holiday from Sweden. Julian, pictured here, was a knowledgeable and 
attentive host and we hope he gets to go snowboarding in Colorado soon. I think as far as consistency across their entire range, L’Avenier won, hands down. We both liked everything we tried…Julian noted that the wine maker, a Frenchman named LaRoche was on a mission with their chenin blanc…he wants
it to be “taken very seriously.” Chenin blanc is an outstanding grape and, outside of the Loire Valley, it is only grown in South Africa. But it can have a bit of a reputation as a “cheap and cheerful” porch pounder. L’Avenier’s 2006 chenin blanc was my favorite white wine of the day. It is crisp without being overly-biting, complex, great by itself or with food, aged in 5% French oak. No offence, Ken Forrester, but the L'Avenir Chenin Blanc leaves yours in the dust (not that I still don't have a case of Ken at home, however). I would love to try it alongside something from France. I also really liked their 2007 Rosé de Pinotage. Good nose, easy-drinking…happily it was also drier than I expected. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc was smoother than that at Tokara, with nice notes of melon. The 2006 Chardonnay was lovely and far cry from some of the stereo-typical California Chard’s (i.e., Kendall Jackson) that many of us love to hate. Julian, if you’re reading this you’ll be pleased to know that our wine rack contains the L’Avenier Chenin Blanc, Rosé, and Pinotage. I don’t know how much and to where L’Avenier exports their wine, but if you can find it where ever you are, I highly recommend ANYTHING from their range. I think they are doing outstanding things with their wine.
attentive host and we hope he gets to go snowboarding in Colorado soon. I think as far as consistency across their entire range, L’Avenier won, hands down. We both liked everything we tried…Julian noted that the wine maker, a Frenchman named LaRoche was on a mission with their chenin blanc…he wants
it to be “taken very seriously.” Chenin blanc is an outstanding grape and, outside of the Loire Valley, it is only grown in South Africa. But it can have a bit of a reputation as a “cheap and cheerful” porch pounder. L’Avenier’s 2006 chenin blanc was my favorite white wine of the day. It is crisp without being overly-biting, complex, great by itself or with food, aged in 5% French oak. No offence, Ken Forrester, but the L'Avenir Chenin Blanc leaves yours in the dust (not that I still don't have a case of Ken at home, however). I would love to try it alongside something from France. I also really liked their 2007 Rosé de Pinotage. Good nose, easy-drinking…happily it was also drier than I expected. The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc was smoother than that at Tokara, with nice notes of melon. The 2006 Chardonnay was lovely and far cry from some of the stereo-typical California Chard’s (i.e., Kendall Jackson) that many of us love to hate. Julian, if you’re reading this you’ll be pleased to know that our wine rack contains the L’Avenier Chenin Blanc, Rosé, and Pinotage. I don’t know how much and to where L’Avenier exports their wine, but if you can find it where ever you are, I highly recommend ANYTHING from their range. I think they are doing outstanding things with their wine.Next stop, lunch….I’m going to skip the discussion of our visit to the Muratie Wine Estate because I didn’t actually taste any of the wines…I needed a break, so to speak. They have an excellent range of ports, however.
Last winery was Quoin Rock (www.quoinrock.com). I especially like the name because it reminds us of our friend Kristen Syverson’s husband, Quinn, who is in fact a rock star musician. We also got to see their cellar, which was really neat. Again, we tried their entire range (in case you’re
wondering, wine tasting in South Africa takes serious stamina)…their 2005 Shiraz was the best single-varietal red that we tried all day and since we’ve been back in Jo’burg Jeremy and I have been through several bottles. We also liked their 2003 Cape Agulhas Chardonnay, which is aged 6 months in 70 percent French oak…an excellent example of how great wise use of oak can be. It brought out a nice subtle butterscotch without being a “butter bomb.” Quoin Rock also does a great vine-dried Sauvignon Blanc (dessert wine) that was a fabulous wine to end with. They actually go through the vineyard with pliers and pinch the stems so that water can’t get to the grapes and hence the sugars build up. Who knew?This blog is already pretty long, so I’m just including some other cool pictures from our drive back to Cape Town for your viewing pleasure! If I figure out how to get my pictures off of my camera I'll post some more of Table Mountain and Cape Town.
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