Cheese, Chocolate and Chardonnay

I have acquired a notebook. Not one of those new-fangled digital whatsits, but an actual notebook that fits perfectly into my satchel and thus goes wherever I do. This may not appear to be a relevant point at the outset – but it does become so when I explain that this now means I am more often in a position to be jotting down my thoughts about The Wine I happen to be enjoying.

My tiny book of The Wine thus began its life on an adventure beginning at Lourensford, where a tour of the largest cellar I ever have seen was preceded by a tasting of the Wine Maker’s Selection of wines and followed by a chocolate and wine pairing and further wine tasting (the farm produces 3 styles of each varietal – we attempted to try as many as possible).

Lourensford Winemaker’s Selection:

·         Lourensford Sauvignon Blanc (2011): 15% wooded. Green honey, melted butteriness, pithy, mouth coating, savoury orange with lurking acid. (*)

·         Lourensford White Blend: Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, 9 months in 2^nd fill oak, 6 – 8 years aging potential. Candied melon, green Sparkles, whiff of black pepper, sucking on a toasted green & yellow Sparkle, roundness, quince, fennel, sweet Caprese salad. (**)

·         Lourensford Merlot (2011): 24 months in 1^st fill, 15 – 18 years maturation. Berry chocolate brulee, smokiness, Gluwein spice, soft, spreads in your mouth, disappears on a whisp, chalky tannins on the back of the mouth, light flavour. “She knows where she’s going but she’s not quite there yet.”

Wine & Chocolate Pairing:

·         Lourensford Viognier (2011) & White stone fruit & jasmine: Hungarian oak. Litchi, creamy orange blossom oats. Chocolate brings out the peach pip. (***)

·         Lourensford Syrah (2011) & 80% Dark salted blackcurrant: 2% Viognier, 18 months in oak. Honeyed petunias & blackcurrant, violets, sharp, balsamic, thin tannins. Chocolate lifts the fruit, enhances the bitterness, tastes like speckled eggs.

·         Lourensford Noble Late Harvest (2012) & Milk melon: 100% Semillon. Quince & rhubarb, creamy sweetness, honeyed watermelon salad with green leaves & winter melon, cigarette box sweetness.

Lourensford:

·         Lourensford Brut Rosé (2010): 22 months on lees, 100% Pinotage. Rare meat, salmon, pea & bacon, pickled onion, dahl & strawberries.

·         Lourensford Chardonnay (2012): 6 months in oak. Prickly pear syrup, buttery honey, jasmine petunias in cream, orange blossom perfume, pistachio & litchi Turkish Delight. (*)

·         Lourensford SMV (2011): 2% Viognier, 5% Mourvedre, 20 months in oak, 9 months in 1^st fill, 9 months in 2^nd fill, 9 months 1^st fill. Peppered jasmine, full & rich, powdered tannins, sour cherries.

·         Lourensford Red Reserve (2009): 24 months in 1^st fill oak, 67% Cab, 33% Shiraz, produced once every 5 years, 1 500 bottles produced in 2009. Green peppercorns with soft berries, soft clouds, explosion of bacon salt, comforting nose with a punchy mouth, conversation wine.

·         Lourensford Honey Liqueur (NV): Pure honey, fynbos, drinking spoonfuls of honey, honey cake!

From Lourensford we adventured, with a particular destination in mind, but, upon sighting of signage for Longridge, the opportunity could not be missed.

• Longridge Chardonnay (2009): 11 months in French oak. Soft & slightly oily, shy & reserved, salted butter apricots, creamy soft zest, softened grapefruit.

• Longridge Chardonnay (2008): Buttered olive oil apricots, giant soft teddy hugs, sourish orange, soft & shy, cashew brittle, lurking spice, buttered ground almonds, orange biscuit, cumin & cinnamon, midget love child, drinking oats.

After our brief chardonnay & pizza respite, we moved along toward our intended destination – the next of the chocolate & wine pairings at Lanzerac.

• Lanzerac Chardonnay (2011): 40% first fill, 40% 2^nd fill, 20% third fill barrels, 6 – 8 months. Lemon crème, jasmine with creamy orange, full but light sharpness in cream. Paired with: White Chocolate Lemon Verbena

• Lanzerac Alma Mater Rose (2013): 80% Shiraz, 20% Malbec. Turkish delight, roses with spice, savoury Turkish Delight, soufflé mouth-feel.  Paired with: Rose Geranium in Milk Chocolate

• Lanzerac Merlot (2010): 12 months in French oak. Dark melted cherry Maraschino, maple syrup, cherry French toast, smooth with chalkiness, charred green pepper, spicy smoked plums. Paired with: 72% Cocoa Chocolate

• Lanzerac Pinotage (2011): First to bottle & sell Pinotage in SA, 16 months in 60% 2^nd fill, 40% 3^rd fill oak. Sour, subtle tannins, plums, youngberry juice. Paired with: Cherry covered with dark chocolate

• Lanzerac Cabernet Sauvignon (2011): 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd fill oak, bottled for 7 months, 15 years aging potential. Creamy pepper, mushroom sauce, tannic, cheeky, well intended cheeky teenager (like Seth in The O.C), chocolate tones. Paired with: Cape Spicy Malay Milk Chocolate

After indulging in my fair fill of fine chocolate, a craving for something of a slightly more savoury nature set in. Which, when out in the wine world, to me, normally translates to cheese. Being within a fairly reasonable distance (as most things are fairly reasonable after 2 & a half generous wine tastings), the home of fine cheeses (Fairview) was selected as our next destination.  As the wine consumption increased, along with the desire to consumer copious amounts of cheese, my wilfulness to make notes decreased proportionately. My mind appeared to be focused on cheese by this time.

• Fairview Chenin Blanc (2013): Pineapple, litchi, cheese rind.

• Fairview Pinot Grigio (2013): Salty white cheese, tangy cheese spread on crackers.

• Fairview Chardonnay (2012): 8 months in oak. Creamy savoury peaches, light

• Goats Do Roam White (2012): Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc. Chevin, creamy but fresh, light.

• Fairview Viognier (2012): 100% first fill oak, first farm produce Viognier in SA. Honeyed Kiri cheese, substantial but light.

• Fairview Pinotage Viognier (2010): Warm, spicy nose, Kudu steak, gamey meat with subtle spice, light but drinkable, Pinot Noir-y.

• Fairview Mourvedre:  Spicy winegums, cheese sauce with spice (**)

• Goats Do Roam Red: Shiraz, Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, Durif. Jasmine berries, silky with personality, elegant with British honesty. (*)

My will power to abstain from the array of delectable cheeses failed me at this point. We wadered over to the emporium of the cheese where we enjoyed sheep & goats milk feta, camembert, Chevin with prickly pear syrup, Gouda laced with cumin, yoghurt cheese & Blue Rock. After a successful tour d’ Cheese, we returned to the wines.

• Fairview The Goatfather (2012): Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo. Meaty cheese soufflé, cheesy pastry with venison. (**)

• Fairview Barbera (2011): Salted jam tarts, awkward spice, sharp, surprising but soft.

• Extrano Stranger (2010): Tempernillo, Grenache, Carnigan. Bleeding plums with ash salt, creamy tannins. (**)

• Fairview Durif: Petit Syrah, Shiraz, Paralauzen. Chocolate spiced Christmas cake, tannic hot chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate.

Filled to the brim with chocolate, cheese & wine, 'twas time to head for the hills of home.

The Crown of the Land

            Landskroon

When a tasting of The Wine begins with a concentrated form of wine (read Port) being mixed with lemonade – one knows one is winning. It’s like bubbly mix-a-drink.

 

WHITE:

·         Landskroon Chenin Blanc (2013): 2 -3 months on lees. Brie on green apple, powdery green unripe pears, light nose, full mouth with a quick finish, like swallowing a fat fairy, fizzy sour worms, lurking cheese, Sauv-y.

RED:

·         Paul De Villiers Shiraz (2008): Bush vine, 100% American oak. Cinsault nose, chocolate cake batter, “smells like horse”, strawberry cotton candy, tea-like tannins, soft & whipped cream, savoury, lurking coffee, “Shiraz in a suit”. (*)

·         Paul De Villiers Reserve (2010):  43% Shiraz, 37% Merlot, 6% Cab, 14% Touriga Nacional, American Oak. Cherry coated steak, light & creamy, lightly grippy, hugs all the way down, titch of Bovril, homemade pasta, manor estate wine. (***)

·         Landskroon Port (2003): Tinta Baroca, Tinta Novella, Touriga Nacional, Cinsault, 1 year old brandy, older barrels. Black cherry candy floss, drunken Christmas cake,  grippy raisins clinging to my tongue, want to eat it with braaied meat, teddies by the fireside in my tummy. (**)

·         Landskroon Port (2010): Fresh pepper, cinnamon Chelsea bun essence, sweet but tannic, sugary tea, expansive, sugar syrup with a pinch of nutmeg & cayenne pepper, pinch of biltong powder.

Listening to Landskroon:

·         Estate was registered in 1974

·         Chenin & Chardonnay are trellised

·         Use older barrels for port – higher the alcohol, the more the wine extracts from the oak

·         Brandy is added to wine during ferment to stop fermentation & retain sweetness

·         Actively mix wine with brandy for 1 hour to stop fermentation

 

 

 

 

 

The Un-Award Winning Entry: The Role of Wine in Everyday Life

With a little bit of (possibly wine-fuelled) bravery, I tried my hand at writing a piece for a recent competition. It was, rather unsurprisingly, not the winning piece but, like a drinkable bottle of wine, I feel it's rather sad to let it go to waste - so here it is:

 

Wine is, as it’s core function, a drink – a beverage for quenching thirst with a secondary function of overcoming social awkwardness. The latter being attributed to its containing a trace of the social lubricant commonly referred to as alcohol.

This most lovely beverage does, however, have an admirable number of other remarkable roles.  These roles range from giving the economy a much needed boost by employing those uniquely skilled with grape picking and wine-making skills; to creating masterpieces from what would otherwise be shamefully simple food the world over.

To many folks, both lovers of wine and those who have the occasional sip, wine plays some form of role in their lives whether they directly realise it or not. For those more inclined to enjoy wine on a more regular basis, it rather obviously plays a far, far larger role.

For some, a glass of wine is a nice touch to round off a nice dinner. For wine-lovers, a nice meal is created around the wine on hand – the wine list takes precedence over the menu. Lovers of wine, such as myself, are most especially in their element when they can create dishes including wine. Although it often happens that the wayward bottles of wine intended for the pot, and honestly purchased solely for this function, somehow always manage to slip a glass full of their contents down our protesting throats.

For some, a glass of wine is a lovely way to unwind after a particularly challenge-filled day at the office. For us, it’s a particularly challenging day at the office for the sole reason that we have yet to enjoy a glass of wine. This or may not indicate a slight leaning toward an unfortunate addiction to the negligible alcohol content in the wine – I can, however, most zestfully assure you this is simply not the case. We have just come to view the first glass of wine of the day as the beginning of the best part of the day. The thought of that first sniff of a tall, delicate glass of Chardonnay is filled with more than aromatics. It is filled with the butter-like hug of a good friend, the jasmine scent of a fond memory....I beg your pardon, my concentration appears to have floated off on a whiff of citrus for a brief moment. I remind myself that it is, in fact, almost time for that glass – but not quite yet.

For some, a glass of wine is a suitable way to meet new people. For us, wine is the secret handshake into the clandestine society. A society which becomes much like a surprisingly functional family that tends to get along rather famously when discussing our favourite varietals and even more so when sampling them. The more we sample, the more we get along.

It is notoriously difficult to know how exactly to go about becoming a member of this society mainly due to the fact that everyone outside of this society is unaware of its existence. They may at times refer to the wine “community”, but community is not the true descriptor. How does one know when one is a part of this society then, you may wonder. This is almost as tricky as discovering its existence because, the only way to know is simply to know. One day you will innocently be sipping wine rumoured to fall within the class of “good” and a few bottles later (most often not on the same evening, however), you will realise you have an almost fluent understanding of an entirely new language and your wine bills suddenly easily overtake your grocery bills. Some will, however, argue that wine is the only grocery one needs to be purchasing.

For some, wine is a luxury occasional purchase. For us, as mentioned above, wine is an essential grocery item. Sauvignon Blanc makes up the green vegetable requirement; Chenin Blanc the summer fruits; Chardonnay the winter fruits, butter and flowers; Cabernet Franc the red meat; Syrah the spice; and Cinsault a delicious chocolate cupcake for dessert.  Where traditional groceries are prized for their freshness, the older our choice of groceries the better in our minds. Dust and the occasional cobweb, to us, is generally a most wonderful sign.

For some, a glass of bubbles is a sign of a celebration. For us, a well-made MCC is a reason to celebrate. The yeast and brioche on the nose and the tiny, delicate bubbles in an endless race to the surface of the glass are a form of art in themselves.

For me, a glass of bubbles is imminent as a celebration of art – and the finishing of my very own little piece of art - this art-icle.