Archive | Wine

Corius Visser haal die engel uit die druif

By Rian Truter on January, Monday 30 2012 in 2012, Wine 0

Corius Visser en die uwe

Op die N2 lê Tafelberg deinserig in die verte en wag. Ek is oppad terug na my besoek aan Corius Visser op Croydon Estate en eensklaps onthou ek die volgende woorde uit Opperman se gedig Carrara:

… met beitels en die hamer brok vir brok

die klipkors óm hulle heen wegkap.

Miskien het dié onthou opgevlam omdat die ooreenkomste tussen die beeldhouer en die wynmaker net te vanselfsprekend is om mis te kyk. Meer spesifiek, hulle totale nederigheid om die sukses van hul skepping nie aan hulle eie vermoëns toe te reken nie, maar aan dié van oorvloedige genade.

Soos Michelangelo voel Corius Visser, wynmaker van Croydon, dat hy maar net die onsluiter van die skepping is wat reeds voor en sonder hom deur die natuur gevorm is. Net soos Michelangelo die vlermuis en Dawid uit die marmer verlos, so verlos Corius die die wyn uit die korrel. Beide reeds deur God gevorm.

Die ooreenkomste hou eintlik hier op, want anders as Michelangelo het Corius in Goodwood grootgeword en matrikuleer hy gedurende 1993 aan die Hoërskool President. Hy sê skool was vir hom lekker en hy het wyd deelgeneem; van rugby (Cravenweek) tot sing in die koor en debat. Maar hy het reeds op skool geweet hy wil gaan wyn maak. Of gaan boer, want die grond en boerdery was in sy bloed.

Corius in die wingerd op Croydon

Amper iets geneties, hierdie beheptheid met die grond. As ’n mens op Corius se stamboom sou terugloop, sal jy vind dat sy voorgeslagte almal iets met die grond te doen gehad het. Mense wat naby die aarde leef en met hulle hande kan werk. Sy oupa was ’n houtkapper in die Knysnabos en op een van sy ooms se plaas, is hy van kleins af stelselmatig in die landboubedrywighede ingelyf.

Geen wonder dat hy besluit het om na skool Elsenburg Landbou Kollege toe te gaan nie. Daar het hy Wingerd en Wynkunde, asook grootvee bestudeer.

Na Elsenburg het hy op Vredendal by Lausanne Melkery met die wingerd, groente en sommer alles wat voor gekom het, gaan werk. Corius sê, alhoewel hy nooit diensplig gedoen het nie, glo hy sy vyf jaar in die Olifantsriviervallei was so na aan dit as wat jy kan kry. Van vroegdag tot laat aande gewerk en baie ondervinding opgedoen.

Teen die jaar 2000 het die skeppende muse in hom hom weer beetgepak en hy het geweet hy kan nie net boer nie. Hy wou iets maak. Iets skep. Hy gaan werk op Kleine Zalze en leer verder van die wingerd. Hierna kom Knorhoek aan die beurt waar hy meer van die wynmakery leer en later begin hy saam met Beyers Truter en Abri Beeslaar wyn maak op Kanonkop. Gedurende die dag geboer en saans wyn gemaak.

Aangesig van die kelder op Croydon

Sy groot kans breek in 2005 aan toe hy as wynmaker op Croydon Estate aangestel word. By Croydon was hy van die begin af deel van alles wat daar gedoen en beplan is. Van die aanplant van die wingerd tot by die uitleg van die kelder. Die eerste wyn van die wingerd wat hy help aanplant het, was ’n oomblik in sy lewe wat hy nooit sal vergeet nie.

Corius is nie iemand vir pryse en toekennings nie, maar hy laat val darem dat sy wyne vanaf 2008 nog nooit minder as vier sterre in die bekende Platterwyngids gekry het nie!

Om Corius nog beter te leer ken, het ek hom die volgende vrae gevra:

1. Hoekom het jy ’n wynmaker geword?

Ek was my hele lewe lank geïnteresseerd in wynmaak. Ek hou daarvan om iets te skep. As ek ’n melkboer was, sou ek seker kaas gemaak het. Of konfyt as ek met tamaties geboer het!

2. Wat is die beste wyn wat jy gemaak het?

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon van Knorhoek en die 2009 Croyden Covenant.

3. Wat is die beste wyn wat jy al gedrink het?

2006 Château Latour Premier Grand Cru en ‘n 1998 Kanonkop Paul Sauer

4. As jy nie ’n wynmaker was nie, wat dan anders?

Dalk ’n onderwyser? Ek geniet mense en deel graag kennis.

5. Wat is nog op jou bucket list oor?

Om nog ’n great wyn vir Croydon te maak. ’n Top Cape Blend en Top Tien pinotage.

Verouderingskelder op Croydon

6. Watter troeteldier(e)?

Ek is hooked op Bassets. Ek het twee.

7. Wat is jou geliefkoosde TV-program?

Ek luister liewer radio.

8. Wat sing jy in die kelder/stort/kar?

Ek is baie lief vir musiek, veral klassiek en my belangstelling is wyd. Maar ek sing nie sommer nie.

9. Wat is jou lewensmotto?

Om elke aand my oë te kan toemaak en vrede te hê met die dag wat verby is.

10. Wat dink jy van bokswyn?

Enige wyn kan lekker wyn wees. Ek het geen vooroordeel teen bokswyn nie.

11. Wat drink jy as jy nie jou eie wyn drink nie?

Beyerskloof of Kanonkop. Ek is ’n rooiwyndrinker met net hier en daar wit.

12. Wat was die kultivar van die water wat Jesus in wyn verander het?

Pinotage

13. Tent of Hotel?

Tent

14. Hoe ontspan jy?

Duik. Sit op my skoonouers se plaas op Uniondale en braai elke dag skaapribbetjies. Luister mooi musiek of gaan stap in die berg.

In die proeglas:

Covenant 2009 Pinotage

Climate: The weather of 2009 growing season was ideal for the production of quality grapes. The season started off with a good wet and cold winter andrain that carried on well into spring. These cooler conditions carriedforward in to the summer and created the opportunity of longer ripeningperiods. This resulted in well structured and balanced wines with good colour, intensity and fruit.

Soils: A mixture of sand, clay and stone on a bed of solid clay

Trelissing: Six wire hedge system

Age : Young vineyards planted in December 2005

Production: 5 Tons per Hectare

Vinfication: Five days on the skins in open fermenters. Fermented at 27 degrees Celsius. Punched down and pump overs on regular intervals. Aged in small 225 Liter barrels for twenty months.

Description: Croydon lies under the gaze of the Helderberg Mountains and has been established as the first Beyers Truter Signature Residential wine estate. Uniquely, its vineyards and wine are co-owned by the home owners of the estate who enjoy being part of the winemaking process. The soils and breezes of Falsebay make Croydon perfectly suited for red wine production. This full-bodied elegant wine has rich black berry flavours, with hints of herbs and dark fruit flavours on the palate. Hand selected from the best barrels, this wine will age for years to come. Best suited to enjoy with ostrich or venison.

Cultivars: Pinotage (100%)

Analyses: Alk % RS TA Va Tot So2 Free So2 pH

13.69 1.2 6.4 0.80 113 28 3.65

**** John Platter 2012

www.croydon-estate.co.za

Tel: (021) 483 3610

The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars. – Benjamin Franklin

What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile. – William Sokolin

When it comes to wine, I tell people to throw away the vintage charts and invest in a corkscrew. The best way to learn about wine is the drinking. – Alexis Lichine

Anri Truter sends Bill Clinton packing!

By Rian Truter on December, Sunday 11 2011 in 2011, Wine 0

With Anri in the tasting room at Beyerskloof

Anri Truter is as homegrown as the lyrics in a well known Afrikaans folk song – Die Stellenbosse boys kom weer.

Anri, winemaker at Beyerskloof Estate, is a true born and bred product of Stellenbosch. Born in Stellenbosch, grew up on Kanonkop Wine Estate and matriculated at Paul Roos Gimnasium. After school he and a friend took a gap year in Europe where they worked in a wine shop, a coopery and even an ice cream factory!

Welcome to Beyerskloof - The home of Pinotage

After the year in Europe he enrolled at Elsenburg Agricultural College where he completed his studies in winemaking and viticulture. During his time at Elsenburg, if not studying or making wine, he played rugby for the College. A favourite pastime of his.

With Beyers Truter as father, and literally learning to walk and talk on a wine farm, some will say it was destined that Anri would follow in his father’s footsteps. Even more so if you rubbed shoulders with wine icons like Boland Coetzee, Sakkie Kotze, Kevin Arnold and Francois Naude.

Anri first thought he might become a game ranger because he loves wildlife and nature. Till he realized how scary lions can be! But for a man who is scared of lions he showed no fear in prohibiting the president of the United States of America to visit Kanonkop!

It was a Saturday afternoon and the annual Nederburg Wine Auction was in full swing and Anri, then fourteen, was home alone and in charge of the farm. When Bill Clinton’s aides got to the farm and asked to be allowed on to the premises Anri told them it would not be possible. He was the only one there and he could not allow it. The president can come back at a later time!

Anri and Beyers

Maybe it’s because of this cool-headedness under pressure why Wine Magazine labeled him as one of the rising stars of the South African wine industry.

“For a young winemaker, Anri is surprisingly traditionalist. I am a sucker for tradition in wine, he laughs, adding that he imagines the industry would be better off head it been kept small. It would have been nice to make wine in the ‘80s and ‘90s. In those years all the winemakers knew each other, shared ideas, got together for tastings and the industry had much more of a family feel to it.”

But don’t let the youth of this winemaker fool you. During his short career he already won enough trophies and accolades like Veritas, ABSA Pinotage Top 10 to satisfy most people. The latest feather in his cap was when the Beyerskloof Merlot was awarded the SA Champion Trophy for the best young merlot in the country at this years SA Young Wine Awards.

To get to know Anri a little better, I asked him the following questions:

> Why did you become a winemaker?

I think it’s the passion and the effort that goes into making a good wine that intrigued me. And the satisfaction of the final product. The influence of my father also played a part but he never put pressure on me to become a winemaker.

What is the best wine you have made?

2009 Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage

What is the best wine you have drunk?

Château Margaux 1999

If not a winemaker, what else?

Game ranger

What’s left on your bucket list?

A trip to South America with my wife. Visit the Amazon jungle and Argentina. To experience a true asado and to taste their wine.

What pet(s) do you have?

None at the moment.

What’s your favourite TV program?

My Family

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

Rock songs. Songs from bands like Doughtry and Nickelback.

What motto do you live by?

Live with passion. I think James Dean said: Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.

What do you think of box wine?

If you can get past the first glass, it get’s better. As a student I had a lot of it and I believe the quality got better.

What wine do you drink if not your own?

Kanonkop Paul Sauer and Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc

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

We would like to believe, Pinotage!

Tent or hotel?

Both. I like camping but after a week I need more luxury.

How do you relax?

I like playing gholf and to dive for crayfish. Watching rugby; but that’s not relaxation anymore! A braai with friends or family.

Anri and Travis after a dive at Vermont

In the tasting glass:

Beyerskloof Brut Pinotage Rosé 2010

Varietal: 100% Pinotage

Soil: Hutton, Clovelly

Trellising: Bush vines

Age of vines: 10 – 20 years old

Vintage notes: The 2010 harvest will be remembered for small yields especially on the red cultivar but ensured greater quality.

Winemaking: The juice was soaked on the skins for 12 hours, to extract sufficient amounts of colour and structure; whereafter primary fermentation took place at 12°C for almost two weeks. After crushing, the grapes went through a press where all the juice was pressed at 0.5 bar, to produce a base wine. After additional three months on the lease the wine undergoes a second fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then left on the lease for another 2 – 3 months and then bottled.

Colour: Elegant coral pink colour

Bouquet: Crisp, red current and sweet cherry notes with floral perfume aromas.

Tasting notes: Opulent fruit gives way to classic biscotti, crushed apples, cinnamon and candy floss. Well rounded and inviting with a crisp acidity. A sparkling wine that resembles a classic French Champagne infused by our very own Pinotage. A perfect aperitif or drink for any occasion.

www.beyerskloof.co.za | 021 865 2135

Wine makes a man better pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others. – Samuel Johnson

Alcohol is a very necessary article … It makes life bearable to millions of people who could not endure their existence if they were quite sober. It enables Parliament to do things at eleven at night that no sane person would do at eleven in the morning. – George Bernard Shaw

A man cannot make him laugh – but that’s no marvel; he drinks no wine. – W. Shakespeare

Images: Thinus Slabber and self

Ernst Gouws: The Power of &

By Rian Truter on November, Sunday 20 2011 in 2011, Wine 2

With Ernst, Ernst Junior and Ezanne

Ernst and I go back many years; as far back as our high school days in the Strand.

Ernst Gouws was born in the Paarl but finished his primary school education in Wolseley in the Boland. His father retired and moved to the Strand where I met Ernst for the first time. We both went to Strand High but matriculated at different schools; Ernst at Paul Roos Gimnasium and I at Jan van Riebeeck High.

After high school his father wanted him to go to university but that was not part of his immediate planning. He wanted to be a farmer. The soil was in his blood. At last he agreed to go to Teachers College to study to become a woodwork teacher. At the back of his mind Ernst had a dream to one day open his own joinery for he loves working with wood.

After a year he called a halt to his training to become a teacher and accepted a job at the KWV. He stayed at KWV for a year. During these twelve months he was exposed to all the processes of the wine industry. Ernst was hooked! He was especially crazy about harvest time.

This experience motivated him to go to Germany where he studied at the Weinsberg Wine School near Stuttgard. Back in South Africa he started work at Du Toitskloof Cellars but after four years went back to France for another year in the French vineyards and cellars.

Back in South Africa Saxenburg and Rheebokskloof followed and in 1992 Ernst and a German partner started Hoopenburg. Their ways parted after 12 years and he bought himself some farmland next to Hoopenburg. That’s when Ernst & Co was born!

Family plays an important part in Ernst’s life and in the big picture of the company. So much so that he changed the name of the company from Ernst & Co to Ernst Gouws & Co.

Ernst met his wife Gwenda while still at school in Stellenbosch. They got married in Germany when she came to visit him there. It was during his time in Germany that he got involved with a family where each member of the family was integrated in the running and operation of their farm. Ernst and Gwenda decided there and then that they were going to apply the same principle to their family. From the start at Hoopenburg all the children was involved in the day to day operation of the farm.

Today the whole family is involved in Ernst Gouws & Co. Two of the children, Ernst junior and Ezanne, is qualified winemakers and plays an important part in the production of the wines. Inke, the eldest, is a buyer of champagne and Gwenda, mother and wife, is keeping the many strings of the family and the business together.

To get to know Ernst better, I asked him the following questions:

• Why did you become a winemaker?

It was the creativity and the challenge of taking nature’s product and having to form and shape it into your own creation.

• What is the best wine you have made?

Saxenburg Noble Late Harvest (1985).

• What is the best wine you have drunk?

I can’t remember the name but it was a French Pinot Noir. What I can remember is that it cost around R5 000 a bottle!

• If not a winemaker, what else?

Cabinet-maker. Woodwork is a passion of mine.

• What’s left on your bucket list?

I want to travel in Africa. Maybe an extensive motorbike trip in Africa or Namibia? When I am on my motorbike in nature I can feel God’s presence.

• What pet(s) do you have?

I love poultry and birds. I could have been a professional bird watcher. But I have a Jack Russell that’s been with me for 12 years. He’s like my own shadow.

• What’s your favourite TV program?

Noot vir Noot and Sport.

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

German wine/beer songs and gospel songs.

• What motto do you live by?

I see myself as a free-spirit so I think it will be something like there are no boundaries to life! or don’t let anyone or anything fence you in.

• What do you think of box wine?

It’s not for me, but there is a market and a place for it. I have never drunk it myself.

• What wine do you drink if not your own?

Wines from the Stellenbosch region. But mostly I drink my own.

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

Chardonnay.

• Tent or Hotel?

Hotel

• How do you relax?

A ride on my motorbike or mountain bike.

In the tasting glass:

Ernst Gouws & Co Chardonnay 2011

Origin: Stellenbosch, South Africa

Composition: 100% Chardonnay

Winemaker: Ernst Gouws

Terroir: Soil type> Ancient cemented limestone

Oenology: Harvested early morning. Hand-harvested in small baskets at optimum fruit ripeness. Small, old, bush vines.

Barrel maturation: 7 Months in new French oak

Yield: 8 ton per hectare

Cellaring Potential: Enjoy now and drink within 5 years

Winemakers notes: The Ernst Gouws & Co Chardonnay is intense and forthcoming with aromas of fresh almonds, peach and lemon. There is also a subtle hint of vanilla and spice on the nose. On the palate the wine shows excellent balance between complexity and elegance. Typical flavours like almonds, lemon and grapefruit with a leesy creaminess and a touch of minerality on the palate. Good structure and mouthfeel with nice minerality, elegant, long nutty toasty finish.

Chef’s Notes: Will go well with dishes such as crayfish, kingklip, curry fish and pasta.

Tel: +27 (0)21 865 2895

www.ernstgouws.co.za

Images: Ernst Gouws & Co and self

I have enjoyed great health at a great age because every day since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles. – Bishop of Seville

Hold the bottle up to the light; you will see your dreams are always at the bottom. – Rob Hutchinson

A waltz and a glass of wine invite an encore. – Johann Strauss

Ernst busy tasting and blending

Ernst the farmer

The winemakers

The Gouws family

Eric Saayman maak magic by Riebeek!

By Rian Truter on November, Thursday 3 2011 in 2011, Wine 0

Hy behoort aan ons! Saam met Eric en die gesogte generaal Smuts-trofee.

Die atmosfeer wat jy in die Riebeekvallei in die Swartland aantref, is volgens kenners so na aan meditereens in Afrika as wat jy sal kan kom.

Nie alleen spog die vallei met ‘n asemrowende natuurskoon, olywe en gastehuise nie, maar ook met besondere wyne. Soos onder andere die wat vernoem is na hul eie Kasteelberg en die alombekende A few Good Men wat beide deur Riebeek Kelder geproduseer word.

Om die kroon op die vallei se prestasies te span, het Riebeek Kelder vanjaar met die gesogte Generaal Smuts-trofee vir die beste jongwyn in SA weggestap. Nogal met ’n houtverouderde Viognier – ’n eerste vir dié kultivar sedert die trofee vir die eerste keer in 1952 toegeken is!

Die Riebeek-vallei.

En die man wat hiervoor verantwoordelik is, is Eric Saayman. Wyn- en kosmaker par excellence!

Eric is op Robertson gebore en ’n deel van sy grootword vind in die Strand plaas, maar hy matrikuleer aan die Hoërskool Clanwilliam. En dit is hier tussen die lemoene dat hy hoor wynmakers word baie betaal!

Na skool is hy weermag toe. Genieskool in Kroonstad waar hy dan ook instrukteur word.

Hierna volg Universiteit Stellenbosch waar hy wingerdbou en wynkunde studeer. Bly in Wilgenhof en speel rugby. Losvoorspeler en voorry!

Riebeek Kelders

Sy professionele loopbaan begin by Stellenbosch Farmers met ‘n drie maande grensdiensonderbreking. Du Preez Estate, Zevenwacht en Lateganskop Kelder volg. Neil Ellis vertek intussen van Zevenwacht en Eric keer as wynmaker terug waar hy vorder tot keldermeester en direkteur. Van Zevenwacht skuif hy na Riebeek Kelders waar hy die afgelope 15 jaar sy magic verrig.

Ek moet die wynmakery hier onderbreek, want Eric is intussen met Alta getroud en hulle verwagte eersteling word toe ’n drieling! Drie dogters; later het daar ook ’n seun sy opwagting gemaak.

Eric het gedurende sy loopbaan verskeie toekennings ontvang. Veritas, Michelangelo, maar die jongste, die Generaal Smuts-trofee vir die beste jongwyn in die RSA, lê hom baie na aan die hart.

Om Eric, die man agter die wyn, beter te leer ken, het ek hom die volgende vrae gevra:

• Hoekom het jy ’n wynmaker geword?

Iemand het my op skool vertel dat wynmakers baie geld maak. Tot R1000 per maand! Dit was meer as genoeg motivering vir my om ‘n wynmaker te word.

• Wat is die beste wyn wat jy gemaak het?

Twee Zevenwachtwyne. Die 1991 Zevenwacht Sauvignon Blanc en die 1994 Zevenwacht Pinot Noir.

• Wat is die beste wyn wat jy al gedrink het?

Ek het êrens in die grotte van Burgandy ’n Sauvignon Blanc gedrink wat ouer as twintig jaar oud was. Dit was ’n openbaring! Die naam weet ek nie, maar hier plaaslik sou ek sê die 1994 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

• As jy nie ’n wynmaker was nie, wat dan anders?

Beslis ’n chef.

• Wat is nog op jou bucket list oor?

Dalk ’n buitelugrestaurant of wyn onder my eie etiket.

• Watter troetedier?

Ek hou van katte en honde. Ons het nou ’n kat, Johnny, wat ek by die DBV gekry het. Johnny gaan selfs saam Waenhuiskrans toe.

• Wat is jou geliefkoosde TV-program?

Definitief die Food Channel. Maar ek word dit belet, want ek sal dit heeldag kyk! En dan nog die CSI-programme.

• Wat sing jy in die kelder/stort/kar?

Ek sing nie eintlik nie.

• Wat is jou lewensmotto?

Aanvaar die lewe soos dit is en speel die kaarte soos dit vir jou gedeel word.

• Wat dink jy van bokswyn?

Dit hang af waarvan jy praat. Ons het nou begin om cabernet/merlot in ’n drie liter te verpak. Toets eintlik bietjie die mark. Dit is ’n handige verpakking vir kamp, maar die mense sê daar is te min in, want dit raak net so gou leeg soos ’n bottel!

• Wat drink jy as jy nie jou eie wyn drink nie?

Brandvlei Kelder (BC Wines)

• Wat was die kultivar van die water wat in wyn verander is op die troue in die nuwe testament?

Hanepoot

• Tent of Hotel

Nie een van die twee nie. My huis.

• Hoe ontspan jy?

By die see. Om regtig net te sit. Vuur te maak en wyn te drink. Duik ’n bietjie en vang vis.

In die proeglas:

KASTEELBERG VIOGNIER

This oak-matured Viognier is a voluptuous wine with lovely nutty and light buttery flavours well balanced by a floral perfume on the nose. The style is rich and ripe and well-structured to result in an elegant wine, ideally suited to complement suave dinners.

Made from hand selected berries, the wine was matured in first fill 500 liter French barrels for almost a year.

This is a style of white wine that will age beautifully and is the perfect partner to pork, duck, curries and bowls of creamy risotto.

Serving Suggestion

Well-chilled, the small and vivacious bubbles of the Kasteelberg will turn any occasion festive. Serve in elegant sparkling wine glasses to see the bubbles run and enjoy with any decadent treat you can imagine. Lovely with oysters and sushi.

http://www.riebeekcellars.com

Tel: 022 448 1213

For when the wine is in, the wit is out. – Thomas Becon

A bottle of good wine, like a good act, shines over retrospect. – Robert Louis Stevenson

I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me. – Winston Churchill

Carla Pauw dances with grapes!

By Rian Truter 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

Abrie Beeslaar skrik nie maklik nie!

By Rian Truter on September, Monday 26 2011 in 2011, Wine 1

Saam met Abrie in Kanonkop se verouderingskelder.

Kanonkop word deur die mense wat weet, as een van Suid-Afrika se beste wynplase beskou. Gelykstaande aan ‘n Premier Cru of First Growth êrens in Frankryk.

Groot geeste soos Paul Sauer, Jannie en Mary Krige, Jan Boland Coetzee en Beyers Truter het hulle merk op hierdie besonder vrugbare grond gelaat. Om dus in hulle voetspore te volg, moet ‘n man by wyse van spreke druiwekorrels van staal hê!

Maar Abrie Beeslaar skrik nie maklik nie. Hoekom sal hy, want hy is van kleins af gewoond om in groot manne se spore te loop. Louis Leipold, David Kramer en nobelpryswenner JM Coetzee is almal boorlinge van sy geboortedorp Worcester. Hy is dus gewoond om in die dampkring van legendes asem te haal.

Abrie voltooi sy skoolloopbaan op Worcester en martrikuleer aan Hoërskool Montana. Volgens hom was Worcester net ver genoeg van die Kaap dat hy kreatief moes wees as hy wou stout wees. Hegte vriendskapsbande wat tydens hierdie jare gesmee is, bestaan vandag nog.

Na skool wou hy medies studeer, maar word nie gekeur nie en begin met ‘n graadkursus in Landbou aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch. Volgens hom het hy voor dit nooit aan landbou as beroep gedink nie. Hy ontdek verkeie fasette in die wingerd en wynbou wat hom stimuleer en kom boonop tot die besef dat hy tegelykertyd kan werk én wyn drink! Hy sê hy kan nie glo dat daar nie meer mense is wat Wynbou om presies hierdie rede studeer nie!

Na die verkryging van sy graad begin hy by Swartland Kelder werk. Hierna volg Kanonkop in 2002. Abrie se kreatiwiteit kom op Kanonkop tot sy volle reg en verskeie pryse soos Veritas dubbelgoud en Absa Top 10 Pinotage-toekennings volg. Die hoogtepunt is egter as hy in 2008 as die internasionale wynmaker van die jaar aangewys word en die Wolff-Blass trofee verwerf.

Abrie is ‘n mens-mens. Almal se pêl, soos David Kramer sou sing. Vir hom gaan dit nie oor geld en roem nie, maar om altyd ‘n tjoppie en wyn in die yskas te hê. Dan is hy ‘n skatryk mens.

Om meer van die mens, Abrie Beeslaar, te wete te kom het ek hom die volgende vrae gevra:

• Waarom het jy ‘n wynmaker geword?

Heel toevallig. Ek is nie vir medies gekeur nie en toe het ek begin Landbou swot.

• Wat is die beste wyn wat jy ooit gemaak het?

Die 2003 Paul Sauer saam met Beyers Truter en die 2007 Paul Sauer CWG.

• Wat is die beste wyn wat jy gedrink het?

1991 Kanonkop Pinotage

• As jy nie ‘n wynmaker geword het nie, wat dan anders?

Medies

• Wat is onafgehandel op jou bucket list?

Dalk ‘n eie stukkie grond? Eie kelder?

• Troeteldier(e)

Beslis honde. Op die oomblik soek ek weer na een, want my boerboel is onlangs dood.

• Gewildste TV-program

Sport

• Watter liedjie sing jy in die kelder/stort/kar?

Iets van Bob Marley of The Smiths.

• Jou lewensmotto?

As jy nie vorentoe beweeg nie, dan gaan jy agteruit. Streef altyd na die volgende stap in die lewe. Voed die dryf in jou.

• Wat dink jy van bokswyn?

Ek het groot geword daarop. Jy moet eers genoeg daarvan drink om gebottelde wyn te kan waardeer.

• Watter wyn drink jy as jy nie jou eie drink nie?

‘n Chenin Blanc uit die Paardebergstreek. Uva Mira se chardonnay. Ettiene le Rich of Morgenster se cabernet.

• In watter kultivar het Jesus die water by die troue in die Nuwe Testament verander?

Pinot Noir

• Tent of hotel?

Tent, maar na die pars beslis ‘n hotel!

• Hoe ontspan jy?

Braai en drink wyn. Duik ‘n bietjie kreef en vang vis. Probeer gholf speel.

In die proeglas:

KANONKOP PINOTAGE 2009

Pinotage – 2009
Winemaker:	Abrie Beeslaar
Varieties:	100 % Pinotage
Origin:	Simonsberg Stellenbosch
Climate:	Cold, wet winter with a slow steady ripening period.
Age of Vines:	Up to 56 years old. Bush vines only.
Irrigation:	None dry land to obtain optimal extraction.
Soil:	Decomposed granite, Hutton and Clovelly soils.
Yield:	5.1 tons/ha 3315 lit./ha
Vinification:	Fermentation took place in open concrete fermenters. Cap was punched manually every 2 hours and was the juice drawn off the skins after 3.2 days.
Maturation:	Matured in 225 lit. French Nevers for 15 months, primarily Vicard barrels 70 % new and 30, 2nd fill.
Description:	Full bodied wine with a dark purple colour. Intense fruit flavours with soft ripe tannins give this wine maturation potential of up to 15-20 years.
Food Suggestion:	Red meat or spicy Asian style dishes.

Tel: +27 21 884 4656

www.kanonkop.co.za

He who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long. – Martin Luther, 1777

My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done, such as drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!” – Bond in Goldfinger (1964)

Wine to me is passion. It’s family and friends. It’s warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It’s culture. It’s the essence of civilization and the art of living. – Robert Mondavi, Autobiography, “Harvests of Joy”

Charles Hopkins leef met oop hande

By Rian Truter on September, Monday 12 2011 in 2011, Wine 2

Saam met Charles op De Grendel se stoep

Charles Hopkins is, soos die ouer mense sal sê, ’n man van statuur. Nie net in sy beroep nie, maar ook in voorkoms.

Charles is op Somerset-Wes gebore. Hy bring sy laerskooljare op Bredasdorp in die Overberg deur, maar verhuis later na die Strand waar hy aan die Hoërskool Strand matrikuleer.

Hierna volg die pad van menige jongman van daardie tyd: weermag en daarna verdere studie. Hy besluit om Elsenburg-landboukollege toe te gaan om landbou te studeer. Die grond, beeste en al wat dier is, was in sy bloed.

Terwyl hy op Elsenburg is, kruis sy paaie met die van Jan Boland Coetzee en hy ontdek wyn… Die beeste word eenkant toe geskuif vir die vrug van die druif. En die res is geskiedenis.

Charles se pad as wynmaker begin by Uniewyn in Wellington. Daarna volg Bellingham Wyne, Graham Beck in Franschoek en in 2005 word hy as wynmaker by De Grendel aangestel.

Soos die meeste ander wynmakers, het Charles ook ’n oes of twee in Kalifornië en Frankryk meegemaak. Verskeie ander oorsese studiebesoeke het intussen gevolg.

Charles is nie iemand wat graag oor toekennings of pryse praat nie, maar op sy kerfstok is daar verskeie dubbelgoud-toekennigs by Veritas en vele by ander kompetisies. Hy beskou egter die feit, dat meer as die helfte van sy studente wat by hom van wyn geleer het vandag vooraanstaande wynmakers is, as een van sy grootste toekennings. Dit is ook vir hom belangrik dat hulle weet dat daar geen kompromis aangegaan word as dit by kwaliteit kom nie.

Vir hom gaan dit oor die gee; beslis nie oor die ontvang nie.

Charles is ‘n realis. Iemand wat volgens hom reeds genoeg foute gemaak het om daaruit te kon leer. En omdat hy aandagafleibaar is (sy woorde), pas die beroep van wynmaker met sy vele fassete hom soos ’n handskoen.

Om meer van die mens, Charles Hopkins, te wete te kom het ek hom die volgende vrae gevra:

Waarom het jy ‘n wynmaker geword?

Ek is ’n natuurmens en die landbou was nog altyd vir my belangrik. Maar dit was eintlik as gevolg van Jan Boland Coetzee en Billy Hofmeyer wat oor my pad gekom het, dat ek in die rigting beweeg het.

Wat is die beste wyn wat jy ooit gemaak het?

Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Wat is die beste wyn wat jy gedrink het?

Chavel Blanc 2000. Veral omdat die wyn van Cabernet Franc gemaak is.

As jy nie ‘n wynmaker geword het nie, wat dan anders?

Beesboer of ’n Sielkundige.

Wat is onafgehandel op jou bucket list?

Dalk ’n eie besigheid en internasionale prestasies.

Troeteldier(e)?

Ek vrek oor honde en het twee Chocolate Labradors – Chompie en Nonnie.

Gewildste TV-program?

Veral Sport en Nuus. Crime and Investigation en Hartland

Watter liedjie sing jy in die kelder/stort/kar?

Ek hou van Phil Collins, Andrea Bocelli, UB 40, Eric Clapton en Leonard Cohen.

Jou lewensmotto?

Voluit vir lewensvreugde. Die lewe is een vreugdebol! My ma het my geleer dat dit lekkerder is om te gee as om te ontvang en my pa dat ek elke dag iets nuut moet leer. Ek probeer …

Wat dink jy van bokswyn?

Daar is plek daarvoor, maar ek haat papsakke.

Watter wyn drink jy as jy nie jou eie drink nie?

Kanonkop Paul Sauer, sauvignon blanc van Cape Point Vineyards en Jordan se 9 Yards Chardonnay.

In watter wynkultivar het Jesus die water by die troue in die Nuwe Testament verander?

’n Jong Sauvignon Blanc.

Tent of Hotel?

Hotel

Hoe ontspan jy?

By die see met my vrou en kinders. As ek die oggend 11-uur koerant lees en aan die slaap raak; dan ontspan ek. Hulle sê mos ‘n sleg dag by die see is nog altyd beter as een op kantoor!

In die proeglas:

Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Vinification: Satellite images were used to classify the vineyards according to growing patterns. Picking times were established based on analysis, phenolic ripeness and flovour compositions. Three lots, selected from Darling and De Grendel, were vinified individualy, as potential Koetshuis components, and blended afterwards to ensure complexity and depth. Due to the excellent quality we were able to utilize all three components. The Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc grapes handled differently, in both vineyard and cellar, ensuring a bigger and bolder wine. It is picked riper; it receives longer skin contact and cold settling as well as extended lees contact after fermentation with more frequent batonage intervals.

Tasting Notes: This wine is an explosion of tropical fruit with pronounced flavours of passion fruit, white peaches and ripe figs. The fruit follows through on the palate, resulting in full well balanced mouthfeel and ends off with crisp dry acidity, leaving you in anticipation for your next glass!

Ageing Potential: Up to 3 years.

Platter: 4½ stars

Tel: (021) 558 6280

www.degrendel.co.za

Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it. – Anonymous

A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover. – Clifton Fadiman

Louis Nel – Destiny in the Icing!

By Rian Truter on August, Sunday 28 2011 in 2011, Wine 3

With Louis in Stellenbosch

Louis Nel is a creative winemaker who likes to push the boundaries in his quest to create quality wines.

He was born in the Paarl and matriculated at Paarl Boys High. Louis studied at Stellenbosch University and obtained his Oenology and Viticulture degree in 1992. He then started his winemaking career at Vredendal Co-op. After Vredendal he went to Vergelegen, Neil Ellis, Warwick Estate and Hidden Valley. As most winemakers do, Louis took his taste-buds overseas and he participated in harvests in France and the USA.

Louis believes that diversity creates challenges and it’s this challenges that keeps him going.

It was at the start of 2010 that Louis decided to concentrate on his own winemaking venture. He now has his own label, Louis, for which he produces his own hedonistic style of wines.

One would think that having grown up in the Paarl and being surrounded by vineyards and the smell of must, that his winemaking career would have been a given fact. Not completely true. His mother believes that she had an important role to play in his career choice.

On his first birthday his mother baked him a cake, but did not have any colouring for the icing. Being quite a creative person, she decided to use red wine to colour the icing. So Louis had a light red cake for his first birthday! She claims that this incident pointed him in the direction of his future career.

Louis doesn’t like to talk about accolades and winning prizes. He believes that it’s not important. It’s all about the wine and the experience. But don’t let Louis’s humility fool you. There are enough double gold and other prizes to fill a wine barrel.

Maybe Louis’s destiny was not in the stars but in the icing! Be that as it may. We are blessed that he decided to make winemaking his career.

To get to know what makes Louis tick, I asked him the following questions:

Why did you become a winemaker?

I wanted to be an engineer but my Math marks were a little suspect. So I went into winemaking.

What is the best wine you have made?

I think it’s my 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.

The best wine you have drunk?

I’m not sure of the cultivar but it was from a tank at Château Margaux. On that same day we had a bottle of Tassenberg on the stoep of Château Margaux. I still think it was the best I have tasted.

If not winemaker, what else?

Electrical engineer.

What’s left on your bucket list?

Lots of trips to places like New Zealand and Eastern Europe.

What pet(s) do you have?

None.

What’s your favourite TV Program?

Dexter

What song(s) do you sing in the bar/shower/car?

Songs from the Eels

What motto do you live by?

I don’t want to stagnate or get too complacent. For me happiness is to keep on developing.

What do you think of Box wine?

There is a place for it.

What wine do you drink if not your own?

Constantia Glen and Boschkloof Conclusion.

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

Shiraz. It’s the oldest cultivar.

Tent or Hotel?

Hotel

How do you relax?

Cooking over weekends and watching movies at home.

In the tasting glass:

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker’s comments: Wild berries, ripe plum, cassis and luscious cedar flavours abound on the nose of this expressive Cabernet Sauvignon. The red berries and plum follow through onto the palate and compliment the soft chewy tannins that create a lingering finish.

Winemaking Procedure: This wine was made from grapes from the Helderberg region, where selected parcels from the same vineyard were separately harvested, wild fermented, punched down and left to age on French oak barrels. The wine spent 24 months on French oak which 30% was new.

Serving temperature: 16 – 18°C

Food Suggestions: Beef Bourgogne, pan-fried fillet of beef with wild mushroom sauce, and oven baked brie with walnuts.

Contact: info@louiswines.com

http://www.louiswines.com

082 775 8 726

What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile. – William Sokolin

Wine is bottled poetry. – Robert Louis Stevenson

Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy. – Alexander Fleming

Pinotage and the Grace of God

By Rian Truter on August, Sunday 14 2011 in 2011, Wine 6

South Africa’s winemakers are as colourful as the rainbow nation they represent. Innovative, creative, funny and some of them even cheeky. But as down to earth as the soil from which they harvest the fruit for their individual masterpieces.

Over the coming months, or maybe years, Piesangs & Jellietots will let you meet the men and woman who put their passion and craftsmanship into a bottle for us to enjoy.

To kick-off this series, there is no better person than my brother Beyers Truter from Beyerskloof.

In the cellar with Beyers

Beyers were born in the Klein Karoo town of Oudtshoorn. Matriculated in Jan van Riebeeck High School in Cape Town and studied at the University of Stellenbosch.

He started his career in winemaking at Kanonkop and from there moved to his present location, Beyerskloof.

Beyers are known around the world as the Pinotage King and his passion is undoubtedly red wine. As co-owner and winemaker of Beyerskloof he still believes that all his success is due to the grace of God.

He has won numerous local and international awards throughout his career.

Locally the one which stands out is being an unequaled 10 time winner of the ABSA Pinotage Top 10 Awards as well winning the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year award in 1987 for Pinotage.

Beyers have won a multitude of International recognition and awards, and have particularly achieved great heights at one of the World’s most respected International Competitions, the IWSC.

He received the Robert Mondavi Trophy for the international winemaker of the year in 1991 and the Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Trophy for the Best Blended Red Wine were awarded to him twice. (1994 and 1999)

To get to know what makes Beyers tick, I asked him the following questions:

Why did you become a winemaker?

I initially wanted to be a medical doctor, but I realized at the time that wine was my hobby and passion. So I decided to follow that calling.

What is the best wine you have made?

I still have to make my best wine. I’m still trying.

The best wine you have drunk?

1972 Simonsig Pinotage and Chambertine Closde Bezé (year unknown)

If not winemaker, what else?

Medical Doctor.

What’s left on your bucket list?

I want to catch a big galjoen and a massive crayfish. Also to be able to keep on making wine for a long time to come. And a food and wine show about sea-food; how to prepare it the natural way. And a standup show with my brother Rian.

What pet(s) do you have?

Dogs. The flagship Diesel Pinotage was named after my last dog Diesel; a cross between a Great Dane and a bull mastiff. I now have two blends.

What’s your favourite TV Program?

Ultimate Survival, The Naked Chef (Jamie Oliver) and Gordon Ramsay’s cooking show.

What song(s) do you sing in the bar/shower/car?

Psalms and Hymns.

What motto do you live by?

Live life to the fullest.

What do you think of Box wine?

Lekker, ja!

What wine do you drink if not your own?

Any nice and tasty wine anywhere in the world.

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

Pinotage, off course!

Tent or Hotel?

Both

How do you relax?

Fishing, diving, golfing and spending time with my family.

In the tasting glass:

Faith Cape Blend 2008

The benchmark. A full bodied Cape Blend with an intense dark claret colour. Sweet berry and pepper flavours are superbly balanced with new French oak. This wine is big in structure, although supple, with strong tannins ensuring a long finish with a refreshing acidity. A wine to treasure, with the complexity to age for 12 – 15 years. Ideally matched with game dishes, red meat, pork and spicy foods.

Price: R450

www.beyerskloof.co.za | 021 865 2135

Pinotage is a wine made of woman’s tongues and lion’s hearts. If you have drunk a sufficient quantity, you can fight the devil and talk forever. – Unknown

Hoe min mense sou te veel drink as die hoofpyn in die prop was, in plaas van in die boom van die bottel. – C.J. Langenhoven

Photo in Cellar: Thinus Slabber

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