March 10, 2010 The first of what will become a weekly post - every Wednesday (as the title of the post suggests!)
The Irish believe that fairies are extremely fond of good wine. The proof of the assertion is that in the olden days royalty would leave a keg of wine out for them at night. Sure enough, it was always gone in the morning. - Irish Folklore
Posted in Wine Fact Wednesday 
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March 9, 2010 A guest post by my brother Jamie.
Its moments like these that really make wine and friends an unbeatable combination.
Earlier on in the week I received a message from a good mate of mine inviting me to his 25th Bday celebrations. I was told to arrive empty handed as all was taken care of.
After polishing off a couple beverages and watching what looked to be half a cow being meticulously braaied, I began to question and curse myself ‘why on earth did I not bring a bottle of red?’ I noticed a similar look on the faces of all who were there. We couldn’t believe it…….NO WINE!
After scraping through a couple more beers and ending what was a 15 hour hang over from the night before, it was as if a higher being had descended down and just walked into the room. Like Craig Jamieson holding the Currie Cup above his head - my friend walked in with a 5ltr Bottle of 1987 Meerlust Rubicon.
Life at that moment could not have been better.After huddling in a circle with a couple friends and swirling the wine around getting as much air into that baby as possible we preceded to drink it. Words like ‘Oh my…’,‘you kidding me..’, ‘I’m not even swallowing it’s so smooth’ was all that had to be said. Silence prevailed for the next 5 minutes as we all took in the moment.
My friends and I stood there all night and demolished this trophy of a wine.
The wine was silky smooth, and had tannins that broke away at a snails pace leaving your mouth begging for more. The wine was surreal and the moment even better. I have claimed the rest of the bottle and once the last drops of heaven our safely in my belly I will make a lamp out of the bottle and let the light shine on it every day and every night.
Posted in Guest Posts, Old Wines, Red Wine No Comments »
March 8, 2010 I have stumbled upon a cellar full of some old South African wines and I was wondering if anyone had any experience in/opinion on the following selection:
Zonnebloem Cab Sav 1980
Alphen Cab Sav 1980
Meerlust Cab Sav 1984 Magnum 1.5l
Kanonkop Paul Sauer 1991
Glen Carlou Les Trors 1993
Beyerskloof Pinotage 1995
Nederburg Private Bin Cab Sav 1997
Warwick Trilogy 2004
Do you think some of these would be worth buying/opening!?
Posted in Old Wines, Views & Opinions 5 Comments »
March 4, 2010 Here are five wines I have had recently, really loved and suggest you try:
Cederburg Shiraz 2007
At about R140 a bottle it’s not cheap but it’s incredible value for what you get. In fact I don’t think there is better Shiraz for the price. Powerful dark fruit flavours, spice, and dark chocolate (lindt 70% from vida e).
Cape Rock SMV 2007
Available for R110 from Vino Pronto this wine should have a small cult following. Beautifully packaged in a weirdly shaped bottle. Bit of spice, liquorice, velvet, violet perfume.
Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Chenin Blanc Bush Vines 2009
Incredible value at about R35 a bottle. This wine delivers way above it price point and is great for summer occasions. Fresh tropical flavours: peaches, apricots and melons all livened up by fresh, mouthwatering acidity.
Steenberg HMS Rattle Snake Sauvignon Blanc 2009
This wine will either knock your socks off or leave you terrified. The flavours coming out of the bottle are as vicious as a snake bite. Herbs, grass - mouthwateringly good.
Graham Beck Brut Rose NV
Possibly the best wine I have had this year - subtle pink blush, delicious flambeed strawberry and guava jelly flavours with dense bubbles. A sure winner if you’re trying to impress or seduce a lady!
Give them a go this weekend and let me know what you think!
Posted in Wine Reviews 5 Comments »
February 26, 2010 Now hang on one second.
Wine Times - South Africa’s first wine news aggregator - came onto my radar a while back and I’ve been watching it’s progress for a while now - with a hint of disdain I must admit.
The only reason I came across it was because one of my posts appeared on their site - and then another - without my permission.
Now I do see the benefits to having a site like this and I do think it’s a worthwhile initiative.
BUT.
You cannot simply aggregate wine writers posts without their permission - is it legal for me to create an aggregated newspaper full of articles published in the Argus, The Cape Times and The Witness without letting the journalists know?
Furthermore and I think this is my biggest problem with the initiative - Wine Times aim to make money off the site through Google Adwords and Grape Fuel Wine Sales.
So basically they drive traffic through my posts and other wine writers posts - which in turn drives eyes to the Google Ads and the wine sales division of their site.
Sure, my posts being listed on their site will drive traffic to my site - I get that - but I was never asked whether I wanted my posts to be aggregated and I’m not sure I approve of others making money off the back of my posts. Then again, perhaps I should just move with the ‘times’.
I welcome comments on this topic - am I overreacting? Do you agree with me?
Ps. Perhaps I should start a website that aggregates wine news aggregators around the world - with a little help from my tech friends it should be up in no time at all. I wont have to write a thing and I’ll earn a handsome passive income.
Posted in Views & Opinions 16 Comments »
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