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Carla Pauw dances with grapes!

By on October, Sunday 23 2011 in 2011, Wine 2

With Carla in front of a very old wine press.

I first got acquainted with Carla and Saltare wines one lazy Saturday morning at the Stellenbosch Slow Food Market.

She and her husband, Christoff, are at the market every Saturday morning.  They will be at their table inside the main hall; in the upper corner close to the stage.

Carla was born in Bloemfontein. Her parents later moved to Durbanville where she matriculated at Stellenberg High School. During high school she participated in sports and received her provincial colours in cross country running.

After school she had no idea what she wanted to do for a living. All she knew was that she was not compatible with an office job. She then first studied Human Movement Sciences and also went on to complete a degree in Town and Regional Planning.

Still no winemaking, I hear you ask. Wait the best is still to come!

Although she grew up as no stranger to wine, she never considered it as a career. While working part-time at Morgenhof the proverbial penny dropped.

She one day discovered that she had the ability to identify and smell the characteristics of the different cultivars. At that time Rianie Strydom was the winemaker at Morgenhof and she encouraged and motivated Carla a lot.  For the first time she realised winemaking would suit her very well and she went back to Stellenbosch University for a degree in Viticulture and Oenology. I must mention the fact that while at university, she was also prim of her residence, Harmonie.
 
 Her first harvest was at Tokara after which she completed harvests in Bordeaux, New Zealand and Spain. In 2000 she was employed at Anura Vineyards as winemaker. She kept this position until 2008, during which time Anura’s wines received numerous awards, including trophies at the prestigious Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, as well as Best Red Wine at the 2005 SAA Wine Selection. Her wines have also won numerous Double Gold awards at the Michelangelo and Veritas Wine Awards.
 
In 2008 her position at Anura changed to consultant winemaker. As consultant she could devote more of her time to her own endeavor and that is experimenting with her favourite wine, méthode champagnoise, or sparkling wine which has undergone secondary fermenting in the bottle.

So what does Saltare mean? And where is it situated?

 Saltare means dance in Latin. Not having her own vineyard she sourced grapes for the first harvest from various farms. She then placed the grapes in baskets and got her friends to dance on them to get the juice out of the grapes. This dancing, and the fact that she loves dancing herself, inspired the name Saltare.  Saltare is a boutique winery without a farm or a cellar. At this stage Carla hire space from Welgevallen Cellars right in the heart of Stellenbosch. 
 
To get to know Carla better, I asked her the following questions:
    • Why did you become a winemaker?

It was that magical moment at Morgenhof when I realised I had a talent for tasting and identifing wine. And after that I went on to won the Zonnebloem amateur tasting competition!

• What is the best wine you have made?

Saltare MCC Brut Nature

• What is the best wine you have drunk?

Krug Clos du Mesnil 1998

• If not a winemaker, what else?

Something in nature.  Maybe something to do with animals; but creative as well.  Definitely not in an office.

• What’s left on your bucket list?

I want to make my own olive oil. Travel more.

• What pet(s) do you have?

Animals are a high priority in my life.  At this moment I have two cats and a dog.

• What’s your favourite TV program?

Expresso (SABC 3)

• What songs do you sing in the cellar/shower/car?

Brindisi from La Traviata (especially recordings by Maria Callas). I also like the music of the Gotan Project, U2, Lira, Freshly Ground and Miles Davis.

• What motto do you live by?

Life is short. Enjoy it while you can and don’t postpone things that you want to do.  Dream a lot.

• What do you think of box wine?

It’s not for me, but I believe there is a place for it.  Maybe if the packaging was nicer?

• What wine do you drink if not your own?

Champagne. Especially Bollinger! Or wine from Priorat (Spain) and Sicily.

• What cultivar was the wine at the wedding reception in the New Testament?

Champagne!

• Tent or Hotel?

Depends on the occasion.

• How do you relax?

A walk with the dogs. A lekker kuier with friends. Eating out. Doing yoga.

 In the tasting glass:

Saltare MCC Brut Nature

The Brut Nature is a fresh wine perfect on its own anytime during the day and amazing with oysters and other seafood. It spends a minimum of 18 months on the lees and we do not add any sugar or sulphur when it is disgorged. The dates of bottling and disgorgement are printed on each label to give you the exact time the bottle has spent on the lees.

Tasting notes: Aromas of sliced grapefruit and white flowers introduce the freshness of the wine, accompanied by brioche and biscuity notes. There are fresh lemon, strawberry, gooseberry, lime zest and honey-cake on the palate, with a delicate texture of oyster shells that reflects the chalky origins of the vines. The fine and consistent mousse leads to a complex, refreshing finish.

Production: 3000 bottles per year

Price per bottle: R 140.00

http://saltarewines.co.za

Tel. +27 21 883 9568

Come quickly, I am tasting the stars! – Dom Perignon

Remember gentleman, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne! – Winston Churchill

Too much of anything is bad, but too much of champagne is just right. – Mark Twain

Images: Chris 

Hard work in the cellar.

 

2010 Harvest

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2 Responses to Carla Pauw dances with grapes!

  1. muerte October, Monday 24 2011 at 3:49 pm #

    Saltare is the best MCC in SA! Loving it every time I have tried it.

    Reply

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