It's in the Mix

I have always been a single variety wine kind of guy, perhaps because I assumed that all the good stuff goes into single variety wines and blends are made from the leftovers. 
In some instances, this may be true when it comes to mass production of blended wines, but this is not the case at all when quality blends are produced. The purpose of blending is to combine 2 or more wines and make them better as a whole. Now this doesn’t mean that you can just go and add good wine to any old plonk to make it better, each wine has to contribute positively to the whole in some way or form.


There are several reasons why a winemaker may want to blend wines: 

• To enhance the aroma
• To improve the colour
• To add or minimize flavours and tastes
• To adjust the pH
• To lower or raise acidity
• To raise or lower alcohol levels
• To adjust the sweetness of a wine
• To correct a wine with too much oak flavour
• To raise or lower levels of tannin

Wine blending really is an art and quite damn fun too. If you and your buddies are into wine, invite them over and have an evening of blending, not cake mix, but bottles and bottles of the vino and to make it even more interesting, make a competition out of it.

That’s what we did at a Cellar Rats Tasting a couple weeks ago at Luca’s Pizzeria in Sunninghill, an Italian Restaurant with great ambiance and wine selection. The always hospitable Luca, judged the final blends and obviously my team, consisting of myself, Kimce and Christopher, won! With a Cape blend theme in mind, the winning blend contained: 50% Pinotage, 30% Shiraz and 20% Merlot and the wines used were: 2008 Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage, 2009 Fleur Du Cap Shiraz and 2010 Excelsior Merlot.   

I was absolutely amazed at how just the slightest amendment to these percentages made a world of difference to the final product. When one studies the intricacies of the blending beast, quite a few factors have to be taken into account as the effects thereof are highly elastic (slight change in an input = sharp change in result, for you non-economically inclined folk). Such factors may include: vintage, alcohol percentage, acidity, tannic structure, level of wood maturation, residual sugar, weight, balance, flavour and aroma of the wines.

All in all, lots of wine was consumed and it was an interesting evening ending off with a dance routine, which hopefully does not end up on YouTube, as well as one of the committee members ACCIDENTALLY, almost kissing another guy goodbye. Hahaha... 

Luca’s Pizzeria is located at Rivonia Crossing Shopping Centre on the corner of Rivonia and Witkoppen Roads.

Cellar Rats Wine Tasting Club meet on Wednesdays at 19:00 at the Morningside Country Club (Tennis Clubhouse) www.cellarrats.co.za

Wine tasting with a Difference

I will definitely be very keen at giving this a try. I think this wine route will be very busy and popular as drinking and driving will not be a problem, although walking or standing after the tour, may cause a few problems...

Franschoek to implement new tram service

A new attraction is on track to becoming a tourist icon in the Western Cape.

The Franschhoek Wine Tram arrived at its permanent home this week when a crane lowered it on to tracks near the Franschhoek Cellar.

The Franschoek Wine Tram will take tourists through the winelands from the end of September, taking passengers on a two to three hour tour, that will include wine tastings and other activities.

"Visitors will be able to take in the scenery, the wine and the vines," said David Blyth, general manager of the Franschhoek Wine Tram. He said the project had been 10 years in the making.

The trip, at a leisurely 18km/h, will include a narrated guide to the history of the area and wine cultivation in the Franschhoek Valley. It will use old SA Railways lines.

The Franschhoek branch line opened in 1904 and Blyth said the tram would assure its preservation.

The "Fran tram" was built by Prof Engineers, an SA company that specialises in equipment for the rail and mining industries.

Modelled after a late-1800s open-sided Brill tram, the low-emission vehicle will seat 30.

The Argus

Funky Wine Stuff

Here's a whole bunch of funky wine related stuff, enjoy!

Wine Quotes

• When I read about all the evils of drinking wine, I was so shocked, I gave up reading.
• A “cork-tease” is someone who constantly talks about the wine he or she will open, but never does
• Wine... the reason I get out of bed... every afternoon
• Wine improves with age. The older I get, the more I like it
• Dear Optimist, Pessimist, and Realist. While you guys were arguing about the glass of wine. I drank it.   - The Opportunist
• "Wine is constant proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy" - Benjamin Franklin
• “Why is it that when you DO happen to spill red wine on yourself, you are ALWAYS wearing a white shirt??” – The Wine Oak
• Compromises are for relationships, not wine. - Sir Robert Scott Caywood
• “You haven't drunk too much wine if you can still lie on the floor without holding on” - Dean Martin
• 
  

Wine Advice

• The second cheapest bottle of wine on a winelist, generally has the highest mark up
• Leave wine in your mouth for a second or 2. High quality wine tastes good but also has a long after-taste as opposed to a short after-taste

Wine Facts

• A wine bottle which holds 20 times that of a standard bottle of wine, or 15 litres, is called a 'Nebuchadnezzar'
• A wine that tastes watery is said to taste 'dilute.' It may have been made from grapes picked during a rainstorm.
• The juice of most grapes is clear & virtually colourless, Pontac & Roobernet however, have red juice.
• Grapes - the only fruit that is capable of producing proper nutrition for the yeast on its skin & sugar in its juice to ferment naturally
• Wine is considered more complex than blood serum it has so many organic chemical compounds.
• The average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels is 170 years!
• The average glass of red wine contains about 110 calories, while a glass of white wine has about 104
• An aging barrel holds 59 gallons; 225 litres; 300 bottles; 24 cases or 1800 125ml glasses - In my case 900 250ml glasses ;)
• The auger, or curly metal part of a corkscrew, is sometimes called a worm.
• The average life of a vine is 40 years, but with no disease & temperate weather, vines can live up to 100 years.
• It is theorized there are approximately 44 million bubbles in a bottle of sparkling wine/ champagne

Wineteresting

• 'Oenophobia' is an intense fear or hatred of wine.
• "Women who drink 2 glasses of wine a day are said to be more active in bed. In simple words, they enjoy sex better." Drink up ladies ;)
• Early Roman women were not allowed to drink wine. If their husbands found about their wine drinking, they had the liberty to kill them
• You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork, than by a poisonous spider
• A raisin dropped into a glass of champagne will repeatedly bounce between the top and bottom of the glass
• Marilyn Monroe is said to have taken a bath in 350 bottles worth of champagne.
• The hobby of collecting champagne bottle tops is called plagueusephilia

Happy ValenWines Day!

So what will you be drinking this ValenWines Day? 
Reply and let us know what wine worked well for you with da romance, if you know what I mean ;) 


If you stuck, cant decide and want to get something in a hurry, you cant go wrong with bubbles, so try a Vintage MCC Rosé. (Champagne for those of you in Champagne, France)

Wine Joke of the Month - December

A dinner party of different nationalities had arrived at a restaurant. They each ordered a glass of wine, but when the wine arrived they noticed that each of the glasses had a fly in it. 

• The Swede demanded to have new wine in the same glass. 
• The Englishman demanded to have new wine in a new glass. 
• The Finn picked the fly out of the wine and drank the wine. 
• The Russian drank the wine, fly and all. 
• The Chinese ate the fly but left the wine. 
• The Jew caught the fly and sold it to the Chinese. 
• The Roman drank two thirds of the wine and then demanded to have new wine. 
• The Norwegian took the fly and went off to fish for cod. 
• The Irishman ground the fly and mixed it in the wine, which he then donated to the Englishman. 
• The American sued the restaurant and claimed for a 65 million dollars compensation for mental suffering. 
• The Scotsman grabbed the fly by the throat and roared: 'Now spit out all that you swallowed!!'

Wine Tasting in the Winelands

I came across quite a funky website, which will benefit all us jealous Gautengers when it comes to exploring the numerous Cape wine farms. If you like me and enjoy wine and know a bit about it, but do not know your ass from your elbow when it comes to the Winelands, then this website is for you! I don't know about you, but reference to Table Mountain (as awesome and amazing as it is) when it comes to directions, is a little cumbersome. I mean how many times have you heard that famous line in that tone deaf, chilled accent when asking for directions: "Just like drive towards the mountain hey." And then what?!  

My suggestion: Go to www.wineandonly.com and plan your whole trip to various wine farms before you even leave our glorious, polluted, taxi infested and impatient Gauteng. Like I rate wines, these guys rate wine farms for their suitability towards: Family, Friends or Couples and fill the missing link which is a necessity. The "wine farm reviews" include useful information such as:

• Maps and a geographical location of the wine farms by area or wine routes
• The style of the wine farm and who it would suit i.e. couples, family, friends etc.
• The varieties of wine available at the farm
• Which facilities and activities are catered for at the farm i.e. cellar tours, wine safaris, spas, museums etc.
• Dates and times when the wine farms are open
• Fees and contact details
• and even decent photos so that you can get a feel for the place before arriving! 

My next trip to the Winelands no longer seems so daunting and I'm quite eager to put this available info to the test. I'm thirsty already!...

Wine Reviews & Info on the Go!

If you would like access to my wine reviews and all sorts of wine info, Follow me on Twitter: @thewineoak
If you on Facebook, I also have a page: www.facebook.com/thewineoak which you can "Like"

Please feel free to tweet me or post on my facebook page if you have any wine related questions or if you would like to contribute in the form of a wine review or information about wine or an event etc.

Happy Social Networking!

Poll Results - November 2011

Interesting to see that there is no clear winner when it comes to the white varieties, with the regular ones all competing well against each other with close results. The most common or recognized 5 varieties all came in at 1st or 2nd place. Here are the results:

• 1st: Riesling and Viognier with 18.5% of the votes each
• 2nd: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc with 13% of the votes each
• 3rd: Pinot Grigio with 8% of the votes
• 4th: Gewurztraminer and Semillon with 5% of the votes each
• 5th: Pinot Gris & Blended white wines with 2% of the votes each
• 6th: Colombar & Muscat, shame poor lads scored 0% each

Here are a few characteristics of the top 5 varieties and most likely why they are the winners. Obviously these common characteristics of the varieties are generalizations, as wine making techniques and terroir do affect the characteristics of wine:

Riesling: Very aromatic, can be slightly sweeter with rounded acidity. Generally not wooded and has good ageing potential. Older Rieslings can have kerosene or honey like characteristics. 

Viognier: In a nutshell, pleasing floral aromas and very aromatic.

Sauvignon Blanc: Crisp, light, fresh and refreshing with high acidity. Good on its own on hot summer days. generally not wooded. 

Chardonnay: Wooded most of the time and therefore full bodied. Citrus flavours and creamy. Stands up to food and has good ageing potential. 

Chenin Blanc: The most versatile of the lot. Can be wooded or unwooded, fresh and fruity, rich and ripe or sweet. Described as a tropical fruit salad and has a slight bitterness at the back of the throat (that's not a bad thing) 

With all this talk about white wine, what will you be drinking today? 

Wine Joke of the Month - October

A woman and a man are involved in a bad car accident. Both cars are totally demolished. Luckily, neither are hurt.
After they crawl out of their cars,the woman says 'Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but fortunately we are unharmed. This must be a sign that we should be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days.'
The man replied, 'I agree with you completely. This must be a sign!'
The woman continued, 'And look at this,here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune.'
Then she hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.
The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on and hands it back to the man.
The man asks, 'Aren't you having any?'
The woman replies, 'No. I think I'll just wait for the police.'


Courtesy of Janke van Zyl 

Poll Results - October 2011

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COMMON RED VARIETy OF WINE?

And the winner is... Pinot Noir! The favourite varieties seem to be Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

The results are as follows:

Pinot Noir                       30%

Cabernet Sauvignon      23%

Shiraz                            15%

Merlot                            6%

Grenache                       6%

Cabernet Franc             6%

I prefer blends               6%

Pinotage                        4%

Malbec                           2%

Mourvedre                     2%

A Good Evening, A Good Creation

Wine & Food Pairing with Creation Wines at De kloof Restaurant - 14 October

So you enjoy good wine, good food and golf I hear you say? Well then you should visit the new hotspot in Pretoria - De Kloof Restaurant is situated at Waterkloof Golf Estate. So whether you just need to visit the driving range (as do I after yesterday’s frustrating round of golf!) and enjoy a couple of exclusive and damn good quality beers with some mates after, or treat a special someone to fantastic food, excellent wine and a scenic backdrop with amazing sunsets, De Kloof Restaurant is the place to be. I was invited to a wine and food pairing dinner by Charl Whitlock of Dekloof Restaurant, which was hosted by the lovely Carolyn Martin of Creation Wines. People, dine at this place and buy any of the wines in the Creation range and you will be pleasantly satisfied with orgasms in your mouth. mmm... perhaps perfect and fair game for that awkward first date, use it, don’t use it ;)

Right, back to the order of the day - 6 amazing dishes and 6 amazing wines to complement each other:

Luderitz Oysters, cucumber spaghetti, peach & pickled sorbet paired with 2011 Creation Viognier

You know Beechies peach & apricot gum? This Viognier smells exactly the same. Its fruity and smooth, but don’t let its ‘delicate’ nature fool you, it will gladly stand up to food and these oysters are a perfect match. A couple more of these oysters and that first date will be on a different level.

Basil crusted seabass, served with saffron & lemon risotto, asparagus, fennel beurre blanc paired with 2011 Creation Sauvignon Blanc

Complex flavours with passion fruit, granadilla and lots of greens. It’s a young wine and the balance of fruit and acidity will allow this Sav Blanc to age a couple of years. Great with the seabass!

Pan-seared Irish scallops, pear puree, pain d ' epice paired with 2010 Creation Chardonnay

It’s big, smoky but yet lime fresh, need I say more? This is the first time I have had scallops and I have seen Bear Grylls chowing these things on his show. I'm sure he will prefer scallops De Kloof style together with this fresh big Chardonnay. Charl, I think you should Tweet Bear and invite him for dinner. But then again, does he have taste buds left??

At this point we break and have a freakin amazing palate cleanser: Olive oil sorbet. It’s so good and so refreshing. I wonder if this will cure a hangover? I think it actually could... The event so far is great. There is a buzz around the restaurant which is fully attended. Charl and Carolyn have been excellent hosts with everything running smoothly to a tee. Carolyn’s input regarding the wine making process and info about the farm has been extremely interesting and informative.   

Duo of smoked veal sweetbreads & slow-roasted veal brisket, served with a shitake (glad I typed that correctly) mushroom ragout, vanilla pomme cigar, rosemary jus paired with 2010 Creation Pinot Noir

Aah, we onto the reds... this is elegance in a glass with red berries, spice, forest floor and mushrooms. Again beautiful pairing! I'm also starting to wonder if the Chef can do anything wrong? Nope!

Black Olive crusted rack of lamb, fresh broad beans, sun dried tomato & balsamic jus paired with 2010 Creation Syrah/Grenache

Now this is my favourite dish and definitely my favourite wine of the night! A lovely Rhône-style blend which is big and juicy with fruity plums. Its smooth and very versatile. The lamb and wine fit like a glove. I’ll have another round of each please!

Dark chocolate fondant, blackberry (not the phone) & Merlot sorbet, black pepper tuile paired with 2010 Creation Merlot

Red berries in my nose which carry over to my palate too with added savoury & chocolate characters. Drinks easy like I enjoy a Merlot to be. Those that know me know I don’t have a sweet tooth, but the dessert is an explosion of WOW in my mouth. The pairing was interesting and it worked well although a Natural Sweet Wine or a Noble Late Harvest may have been slightly better.

I'm disappointed. Disappointed that the courses are finished and I need to leave shortly. Complements to the Chef! Now let me just get 1 more glass of that Rhône-style blend. Gulp, gulp, gulp...  

Win Tickets to WineX Sandton - Rand Merchant Bank Wine Festival

RMB WineX is a great way to relax with friends and enjoy an evening tasting some of the more than 1000 wines available from the 250 Cape producers who exhibit at South Africa's premier wine event.

Come and meet local and international winemakers, taste their current releases and learn about the latest trends in winemaking, glassware, coolers (home storage) and wine racks. 

Sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank, WineX is the premier public event on South Africa's national wine calendar and draws thousands of wine enthusiasts every year.

To stand a chance of winning 2 tickets to the opening day of this premier event on Wednesday 26 October 2011, simply post your favourite wine related joke to this post below. In order to qualify, you need to either follow The Wine Oak on Twitter or "LIKE" The Wine Oak Facebook Page.  

Competition ends on on Thursday 20 October and winners will be notified by Friday 21st October. 

So get the jokes flowing, to enjoy a great wine festival!

Win 2 Tickets to the Joburg Motor Show

Want to stand a chance of winning 2 tickets to the Joburg International Motor Show next week? Simply "LIKE" The Wine Oak Facebook Page and post: "Win JIMS" as a comment on the wall or Follow The Wine Oak on Twitter or both!

The Johannesburg International Motor Show (also popularly known as the Joburg Motor Show) is the single largest international automotive event in Southern Africa.

The exhibition (held once every two years) runs in conjunction with two additional shows 'Auto Shop' and the 'Johannesburg Truck Show' which collectively offer a complete representation of the motor industry, serving Sub Saharan Africa and South Africa as host country. This event takes place at the MTN Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg, and is a comprehensive automotive lifestyle show case.

Poll Results – September 2011

Thats the way aha aha I like It!

92% of the readers of my blog are seriously awesome, although the other 8% are cool too J

The Poll posted was: “How many bottles of wine do you consume per month?”

The Results: 92% consume more than 9 bottles per month and the remaining 8% consume 1 to 2 bottles per month. 

Wine Joke of the Month - September

The regular taster died at a wine merchant and the director started looking for a new one to hire.

A drunkard with a ragged, dirty look came to apply for the position and the director of the warehouse wondered how to send him away. So they tested him by giving him a glass of wine to drink.
 
He tried it and said, "It's a muscat, three years old, grown on a north

slope, matured in large old barrels. Low grade but acceptable."

"That's correct", said the boss.

Another glass....

"It's a cabernet, eight years old, a south-western slope, new oak barrels,
matured at 8 degrees. Requires three more years for finest results.”

"Correct."

A third glass...

''It's a non-vintage pinot champagne, high grade and exclusive'' calmly said the drunk.

The director was astonished. He winked at his secretary to suggest something.

She left the room and came back in with a glass of urine.

The drunkard tried it.

"It's a blonde, 26 years old, three months pregnant and if you don't give me
the job, I'll name the father."

Courtesy of Alberto Reis 

Uncorked 2, Sabrage and Releasing Gas – Part 2

The Wine School – Uncorked 2: 24 September 2011

At last, the time has come and Janice kindly invites us to her modern, cool and quirky home for Part 2 of the Uncorked 2 course.

We start off with Portugal and Germany to complete the Old World wine portion of the course. We try a Vinho Verde from Portugal which is ‘summery’ and easy drinking and a Riesling from Germany which is honey-like with a kerosene character and slightly sweet which is the norm for a Riesling.

We all receive a slight scare when Cindy pulls out her sabre! J Luckily we are assured it’s only to sabrage the champagne bottle with.

Sabrage is a technique for opening a Champagne bottle with a sabre, used for ceremonial occasions. The saber is slid along the body of the bottle toward the neck. The force of the blade hitting the lip breaks the glass to separate the collar from the neck of the bottle. The cork and collar remain together after separating from the neck.

Watch the video: 

We take a break and head into the garden where Cindy demonstrates her skills and slices the top portion of the champagne bottle off like a hot knife through butter. We all get treated to a glass or 2 of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Champagne, which is dry, ‘biscuity’ and delicious.

Next we delve into New World wine from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and discover the contrast compared to that of Old World wine. New World wines differ as follows:  

·        They can be drunk sooner than Old World wines which require ageing in order for them to soften and mature in order to be drinkable.

·        They challenge convention where much science is involved with more influence from the winemaker and a higher level of hygienic measures followed.

·        Machinery is often, but not always, used for harvesting, whereas vineyards are planted in close proximity in the Old World and therefore only handpicking of the grapes is possible.  

·        The wine labels state what varietals are in the bottle as opposed to Old World  wine which merely refer to what region the wine is from.

·        There are more upfront fruit flavours as opposed to ‘earthy’ characteristics.

·         Alcohol percentages are normally higher due to increased sun exposure on the grapevines, thus ensuring higher sugar content of the grapes at harvesting, which means there is more sugar to be converted into alcohol. 

We try a 2003 Penfolds Coonawarra Shiraz from Australia, which is spicy, peppery, smooth and earthy with a cherry characteristic. I do not like the Australians when it comes to sport and cannot wait till South Africa annihilate them in the Rugby World Cup, but man, they sure do make a good Shiraz. 

Finally, after all the hype, the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc makes an appearance and it seems that the weather even turned cloudy just to ensure a momentous occasion. This is rated by some as the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world and I got to agree with that! It’s grassy, herbaceous with green pepper and although there is a lot happening with a full mouth feel, it’s balanced and the taste lingers smoothly. Sshh... I refilled my glass a couple times J   

Veronica is very intrigued by Janice’s gas powered corkscrew opener, which her husband, Sam, demonstrates the use thereof to us. There are shrieks of laughter as Veronica says “I'm finished, I need to purchase one so that I can also release gas.”  

After being around the World, we return back home to South Africa and celebrate by opening (by way of gas release) a 2008 Warwick Three Cape Ladies, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Pinotage, which we pair up with some Springbok and Wildebeest pates and biltong. The wine is local and lekker and stands up to the food with its complexity of pepper, spice, herbaceous and banana sniffs.  

This course has been so interesting and a wealth of information and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested. For the peeps that know nothing about wine, The Wine School also offers a course called Uncorked 1, which will put you on the right track to not looking like a poephol when purchasing or ordering wine ; )

The Hangover 3 - The Taste of Joburg turns 'The Wine Oak' into The Wine Whisky Beer Aguardente Gin Jägermeister Oak!

Gray Lounge

You know it’s going to be a good evening when you hit Montecasino. Not only does it have a cool atmosphere which ensures a good night out, but it also doubles up as a great venue for a very well attended event such as The Taste of Joburg. As my buddy and I walk through the Casino towards the Outdoor Event Arena where the event is being held, we jokingly say that tonight is probably going to be The Hangover 3. The night didn’t include either of us getting a tattoo or a finger chopped off and there weren’t any tigers or monkeys, but an awesome night it was indeed.

We start off at the “Gray” lounge, a new Steakhouse of Chef Philippe Wagenführer, formerly of Roots Restaurant, who does things differently and keeps things unique, delicious and interesting. A purist approach to the food has been adopted by Philippe and the majority of ingredients on his menu are hand crafted.

The restaurant manager, West Ngcwabe, presents us with the wines they have on offer on the night, the first being a 2010 Cederberg Sauvignon Blanc and the other a 2008 Cederberg Red blend. Both are really good and West tells us that they will have other wines on their menu, which is made in collaboration with estates in selected regions and deemed to compliment the food on offer. We agree that I must definitely pay Gray Restaurant in Boksburg a visit, in order to try these complimentary wines, sounds good!

The beer, Dog & Fig, is excellent and very different. The intention of the beer is to compliment the food and it comes from a micro brewery in Parys. And I thought beer was just meant for a braai, you will also think differently after you try this stuff.   

Things get interesting and Portuguese-style at the “Wines of the World” stand, where the friendly Marina introduces us to a 2009 Grāo Vasco, a red blend from the Alentejano Region, which is very pleasant and suitable for everyday easy drinking.

Next up, a shot of Aguardente, which means fiery water in English, which the name describes to a tee. Now this drink I know all about, thanks to my Dad who takes great delight in serving it to unsuspecting visitors who do not know that Aguardente is normally added to an espresso and not downed as a shooter. Aguardente is the name of the Portuguese grape brandy. It is distilled from the Vinho Verde grapes and aged in old Port wine casks giving the end product an interesting flavour and smoothness.

Things seem to be happening at the Gordons Gin stand, which pulls us closer like a moth to a flame. I don’t ever drink Gin, but mixed with cranberry juice, it’s quite lekker.  

We try out a few Reds at the Nederburg stand and the 2009 The Winemaster’s Reserve Pinotage definitely stands out especially at the decent price of around R70 a bottle. It has slight Pinot Noir characteristics pulling through.    

One of the Gems of the night, has to be Wedderwill, firstly because I have never heard of the Wine Farm and secondly because their entire range of wines is fantastic. My favourite is definitely the 2004 Wedderwill, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc which is damn awesome. Wedderwill’s marketing strategy is eye catching and interesting, with cool labels and their Shiraz in a square shaped bottle which tastes good too (the wine not the bottle). The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc is drinking beautifully, which is proof that some Sauvignon Blancs can be brilliant with some ageing, particularly those from cooler areas. 

We do a whisky tour at the Johnnie Walker stand and we try out the Black, Green and Red Labels (unfortunately there was no Blue). I have a new appreciation for whisky and the different labels all have very different characteristics just as wine would, but the kick is a lot stronger! By the end of the tour, which is very quick, I take the last sip of Red Label, put down the tumbler and as I leave the stand, the music playing sounds sweeter, people look prettier and I realise I'm actually a little pissed. 3 whisky’s in a row definitely has an effect!

   

We decide to counter the effects of the whisky and head back to the Gray Lounge where I have the steak which is absolutely mouth wateringly (yip it’s a word – well the spell checker didn’t say otherwise) good and I can’t wait till Gray Restaurant and I meet again.

We end off at the Hermanuspietersfontein stand and end our tasting off in style. I have 2 words for you: Die Martha! I don’t care that the show is ending in 20 minutes because my taste buds are at peace and happy. It’s a Rhône-style ‘SMV’ (Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Viognier) blend. I also try the Swartskaap, a straight Cabernet Franc. Cab Franc is usually a blending component in some Bordeaux-style blends and that’s why this is different and enjoyable. “Would you like some more of the 2007 Die Martha” I hear over my shoulder. My answer: “Hell yeah!”

As we head back to the car, we walk through the Casino, having had a cool evening. But wait it gets better... We touch, pause and engage the 1 arm bandit and win 200 bucks! Time to get home to wake up in time, to watch the Bokke play against Fiji at 8am!