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Lianda Beyers-Cronje, world traveller,
passionate wine lover
and wine columnist on
Nosy Rosy.
Parlez-vous Vino?
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The secret season
Unlike the harsh
and bitterly cold in-land winters, our winters in the Cape and
especially here at the coast, have a special charm – dark and
secretive and life-giving.
There is nothing
like a womb-like, rainy day to get in your car and explore the
lovely and award-winning wine estates in the area. Driving past
vineyards veiled in slivery rain, one shares nature’s quiet wait for
life to unfold deep within the earth.
Nearly all the
estates have tasting rooms, each branded with its own character and
charm and almost all of them fitted with inviting fire-places,
luring visitors to linger longer, while tasting wine that are
holding their own amongst the world’s best.
The historic
Beaumont Wines in Bot River, one of the oldest wineries in the area,
is one of the local jewels that I love to visit.
This year,
Beaumont was awarded the Trophy for South African White Single
Variety over €10 for its lovely Hope Marguerite 2009 at one of the
leading wine magazines in the world, Decanter’s annual World Wine
Awards. Wines are tasted in price bands and scored by an eminent
panel of judges, chaired by Steven Spurrier. Awards range from
Commended to Bronze, Silver and Gold – and then Golds are retasted
and the best of each style are awarded the prestigious trophy.
Winemaker
Sebastian Beaumont is delighted: “Over the past few years, Beaumont
has focused on only producing Chenin Blanc, we have discontinued
Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay in recognition of the fact that we
are real Chenin freaks!”
This trophy
vindicates the decision for Beaumont to concentrate on Chenin Blanc,
made in two styles: unwooded and barrel fermented and matured. “Our
Chenin really illustrates the diversity of the grape as well as its
strong roots in the Beaumont soils,” says Sebastian. “Since 1996, we
have stuck our necks out and produced a barrel fermented Chenin
which we named after the wonderful woman, my grandmother, Hope
Marguerite Beaumont. We allow the grape to express itself in very
hands-off wine making – this has been the essence of the Hope
Marguerite”.
For this special
wine, grapes from the oldest Chenin vineyards are used, and the
maturity of the vines ensures great intensity of flavour in the
grapes. These grapes were harvested on taste, and fermentation was
natural and took place on the lees in 400 litre barrels. The wine
did not undergo malo-lactic fermentation, in order to maintain its
fresh natural acidity. Careful handling ensures that the wine
reflects purity and identity.
“This is a true
expression of Beaumont terroir in a white wine,” concludes
Sebastian. And this international award shows that lovers of fine
wine approve.”
The 2008 Decanter
World Wine Awards attracted more entries this year than any other
wine competition in the world, cementing its position as the world’s
biggest wine competition. In total, 10285 wines were entered by 2240
producers.
Another of our
local wineries that walked away with Decanter honours, is Raka near
Stanford. Raka was awarded a bronze medal for the Raka Barrel Select
Merlot 2007 and Silver for the Biography 2007, while the Raka
Quinary 2007 was commended. All three wines were made by Josef
Dreyer in his first year as Raka Winemaker.
This accolade
re-affirmed Raka Biography Shiraz 2007 as a wine of international
standing. During October last year Raka Biography 2007 scooped the
Ferroprint Trophy for best wine on show at the Michelangelo
International Wine show and was described by the judges as a
“world-class Shiraz, a prime example of winemaking excellence.” The
Dreyer family was recently informed that the Raka Biography Shiraz
2007 was nominated to participate in the 2009 Tri-Nations Challenge
which will be held for the seventh time this year.
If you are a lover
of red wine, like me, now is the time to stock up on this lovely
wine, not only to drink with friends and loved ones on a dark
winter’s night, but also as an investment.
Want to impress
guests with the beauty and integrity of our local wineries and
introduce them to really great gourmet food at very reasonable
prices?
Go
 no further than Sumaridge Wine Estate in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley where you can
taste the estate’s variety of award-winning white and red wines and
then sit down to a gourmet lunch at the Warwicks at Sumardige
restaurant with its lovely views over the valley and charming cellar
ambiance.
I had to go to
Caledon for business last week and on the way back stopped at
Sumaridge where we had a beautiful lunch on the balcony overlooking
the dam and vineyards. Also sharing the space were two international
businessmen who were very impressed with the local food and wine.
I ordered a
poached pear, walnut and blue cheese salad while my two companions
ordered the butternut, mushroom and smoked chicken pasta dish. The
starter dishes consist of generous portions, quite sufficient for a
light lunch and were beautifully prepared and plated. The Sumaridge
Merlot Rosé offered a wonderful companion to the food.
This truly
spectacular lunch together with the wine amounted to just more than
R150 for three people – amazing value for money at a time when all
of us are counting our pennies. We ordered starter portions but the
main dishes are also very reasonably priced at under R100 per dish.
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