Archive for February, 2009
Wine Cellar Faults
Ok, so you’ve got your wine cellar up and running. Everything’s going smoothly, except for that perhaps more wine is moving out the cellar than in. However, this is a normal phenomenon.
But wait… there are more serious matters to worry about other than having a wine deficit! What I’m referring to is wine [...]
Marvelous Muscat
To the South African wine novice ‘Muscat’ might not mean much to you. But, it is in fact an important grape variety grown all over the world. And yes, it certainly is grown in South Africa.
What if I said Muscat is synonymous with Muscadel… perhaps now you follow? Of course, everyone knows South Africa’s favorite [...]
Guess the Wine Farm – No. 2
I’m still not sure if the last ‘Guess the Wine Farm’ aerial view edition was too easy, or if you were just too damn good.
Either way, it is clear that I need to ‘up the ante’ this time… so I challenge you all again and ask, which wine farm is represented by the [...]
They Drink Wine in Joburg?
It’s true, Joburgers drink wine too J In fact, being the largest single South African market, they drink quite a lot of it. Chris de Klerk of the Distell wine producer/wholesaler has said that approximately 70% of their high-price wine sales occur in Johannesburg.
This makes me realise that a wine enthusiast resident in Joburg might [...]
Gary Vaynerchuk Crits SA Wine
I dug up this old 2006 Wine Library TV episode where the emphatic Gary Vaynerchuk has some positive words to say about South African wine and its future.
In this episode he tastes Warwick Estate 2001 Estate Reserve, Warwick Estate Three Cape Ladies Red 2002, Rudera Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 and Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. I thought [...]
Power to the Consumer!
For far too long has the wine industry being pouring wine down the throats of consumers. Behind the facade of a label, wine finds its way onto the tables of the average wine consumer. The problem lies in that fact that the wine fraternity is such a bottomless pit of information, guarded intently by wine [...]
Food and Wine Pairing: A Personal Taste
Having flown in from Sweden the day before Christmas, I might be excused for my lack of preparation with regards to wine selection for Christmas dinner. It was a very ‘traditional’ Christmas dinner this year. Honey glazed gammon and smoked turkey was accompanied by baked potatoes and mixed vegetables. Mmmmm…
So the question was: Which wine [...]
Fortified Wines
What makes a wine ‘fortified’? Whatever your answer, here’s a short clarification anyway…
Firstly, why was it decided to produce such a wine? It was actually never really decided, but rather produced out of necessity. What I’m trying to say is that wine was first ‘fortified’ in order to preserve it. Alcohol is a natural preservative, [...]
