India - Where There's a Will, There's Wine

Better known for curry than Cabernet, India is certainly making moves to catch up with the Western wine world. Currently home to 77 wineries producing just over 17 million litres of wine per year with consumption growing at a rate of 30% year on year, wine is becoming all the more popular.
Being wine-loving South Africans, we decided a trip to the winelands had to be a part of our India trip. A few hours by car takes you from the madness of Mumbai to the "heart" of the winelands, Nasik, where around 80% of the country's wine is produced.
Following a few recommendations & being guided by time constraints thanks to religious dry days cutting our tasting time short, we visited 4 wineries in the area - 2 of the 3 biggest producers in the country, 1 of medium size & reputation & 1  new small boutique estate.
 The country's only sloping vineyard can be found at Grover Zampa while the only Riesling in the country is available at Sula. York sounds particularly western but the name is made up of the initials of the Indian owner's children & Vallonne uses only locally made tanks to produce their small selection of fine wines.

From sugary Chenin Blanc driven by consumer demand to create the "sour sweet water" they expect, to experiments with barrel fermented whites; from Brut Tropical to small volumes catering to the niche of curious young wine appreciators; there's huge contrast between the wines & the philosophies of the wineries in the area. The brave young winemakers face many challenges in the vineyards & in the marketplace. Competing against hugely successful commercial brands means adjusting quality of wines; ensuring quality in the vineyard means close vineyard management including dropping 1 of the 2 crops grapes produced by the vines per year; & lack of cooling during transport & storage along the supply chain means risk of wines spooling before they've even reached the consumer. Fortunately, little things like alcohol content can be adjusted with a little extra "encouragement" to the authorities approving the labels.
At the end of the day, the wines are interesting with a huge scope in terms of quality. There are the quaffable crowd pleasers, there are some I'd prefer not to drink again & some I would happily take home & line up against some of my favourites from South Africa. If this is what how far the industry has come in the last 32 years (that's even younger than our controversial young grape, Pinotage), there's definite scope for some exciting things from the vineyards lying far beyond the traditional latitudes for producing wine, especially given the inherent optimism & resourcefulness of the Indian nation.

Finding Wining Finding Wine in Asia - The Introduction

Right, so - having blundered my way to the beginnings of the wide, wide world that is South African wine; I've learned that I know bugger all in the even wider world that is the wine world. Being completely flabbergasted & hugely intimidated by the Old Wine World (a.k.a the places that claimed to have been making wine since wine began) (look - I'm using wine words!), I am now starting with the newest wine I can find & exploring that in the form of an Asian wine adventure. I'm still flabbergasted, but slightly less intimidating. *Disclaimer: I am not travelling through Asia solely for the wine but it's nice to try & chase this much beloved beverage around cities, deserts & outlying places.

So here goes - a series of wine wins & mishaps spanning as many countries as will serve us any manner of wine that is actually made from vitis vinifera (actual wine grapes - 'wine' is a loose term, I have learned).
Don't try this at home - get on a plane, a train, a bus or a boat & try it for yourself.

*Posts are happening from my mobile when not in China, so please excuse any dodgy formatting 

Remembering Remhoogte

Another day, another exploration into the winelands - on this occasion, a visit to the Simonsberg with a stop off at Remhoogte for a rather disappointing tasing experience in such a beautiful setting.


WHITE:

• Honeybunch Reserve Chenin Blanc (2012): Wispy nose, light citrus, spot of yoghurt, orange rind dipped in sugar.

RED:

• Estate Blend (2007): Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah & Pinotage. Smoked cherry chocolate mousse, saw dusty, soft, smokey sharpness, simple.
• Aspect Merlot (2013): Banana & blueberry, smokey gravy, cement powder.
• Valentino Syrah (2011): Red fruits & ground black pepper, soft, simple

NOTES:

• Syrah named Valentino in honour of the first bottling of the wine on Valentine's Day, which is also the farm owners' birthday.

A Stop at Kanonkop

Another quick stop along the Simonsberg streets at the renowned Kanonkop led me to a beautiful new tasting room, a wall of vintages with hand-written notes about each and an eclectic art gallery. Also, wine.


ROSE:

• Kadette Pinotage Rose: Roses & strawberries, syrupy cotton candy sweet

RED:

• Kadette Cape Blend: 50% Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc. Smoked pepper strawberries, meaty, venison, soft, layered, engaging. (**)
• Pinotage (2012): 18 months in oak, 80% new 225l French, all bush vine. Sharp strawberry & leather, soft, slight bitterness. (*)
• Cabernet Sauvignon (2011): Trellised 20 - 25 year old vines, 2 years on French oak, 50% new. Green peppercorn sauce with lots of cream, punchy cherries in soft creamy mousse, chalky tannin.
• Paul Sauer (2011): Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot. Concentrated gravy, cinnamon & nutmeg, blueberries, pineapple & mint, fresh,  tannic, full & flavourful.

NOTES:

• The Kadette Cape Blend has been produced since 1985
• A wall of Paul Sauer vintages in the cellar features a note on each vintage, raging from "1984: **** Total petrol & diesel account R 11 290.29 (in 12 mnths!)" & "1979: **Secondary fermentation in bottle - ouch!)" to "2009: Strong winds dump 50% of our crop in Table Bay" & "2010: TOO LATE? Bafana Bafana replaces milk with K'Kop Pinotage"

The Wonder of Waterkloof

As a fledgling wineling, there are a number of farms that One hears wonderful things of. Farms that just must be visited. Waterkloof ranks amongst those.


WHITE:

• Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc (2014): Cream crackers & green gummy sweets, smooth & soft, light, pith
• Waterkloof Chenin Blanc (2012):  10 months on new French oak. Green jam, rye honey, soft, caramelized honeycomb, white peaches, tinkling sweetness.
• Waterkloof Viognier (2012): 2 months in barrel. Rye, jasmine, brown bread toast, soft & light mousse, lurking lanolin
• Circle of Life White (2012): Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Semillon. Slight curry spice, marzipan, light, slight lime-iness.

RED:

• Waterkloof Cinsault (2013): Red & black Wine Gums, Mary Poppins strawberry medicine, powder puffs, creamy, slight tannin, deep spice.
• Waterkloof Cabernet Franc (2012): 20 months in new French oak. Raspberry jam & crème brulee sugar, wispy richness.

Luxury White Wine - A Test of the Taste Buds

Being a fan of The White Wine as a general rule, the opportunity to participate in a white wine "taste off" at the highly esteemed Wine Cellar was very much right up my alley! Listed in order of tasting are the wines which were sipped upon tentatively, analysed, guessed about, compared and ranked. Alongside my scores out of 10 are my rankings out of 12, next to those are the official rankings for the tasting groups in both JHB & CT.

• Steenberg Magna Carta (2012): R 550, 60% Sauvignon Blanc & 40% Semillon. Asparagus, zesty, pineapple, green Wine Gums, lemon on asparagus, milky sourness, shary (4/10) (11/12) (11/12)
• Vergelegen GVB (2012): Grown, vinified, bottled. R 355, 56% Sauvignon Blanc, 44% Semillon. Savoury, salted cheese & bacon quiche, lurking baked green-ness, bacon butter, soft but tangy, less aggressive, could stand to age. (5/10) (10/12)(10/12)
• Hamilton Russel Chardonnay (2014): R 305. Tangy old dishwater, inside of a diving kit, rubbery,tangy, lime juice, weird sweetness under the acidity. (4/10) (12/12) (6/12)
• Crystallum Clay Shales (2013): All natural ferment, R 350, Chardonnay - sold out. Dusty mothballs, shy, soft baked pithiness with a touch of honey. (6/10) (7/12) (2/12)
• Sadie Family Palladius (2012): R 515, Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Verdelho, Roussanne, Semillon Gris, Semillon Blanc and Palomino. Gummy greenness, lemon drops, velvet perfume, strong pith, peach pips in honey, baked vanilla pudding. (6.5/10) (8/12) (5/12)
• Ken Forrester FMC (2012): Forrester Maynard Chenin. R 395. Pond water, mud under willows, dustiness, unexpectedly punchy, pretty polite girl with a sharp tongue, honeysuckle sweetness with a slight spice. (7/10) (5/12) (1/12)
• Uva Mira Chardonnay (2012): R 630. Coconut, orange blossom granola, spot of cinnamon, lemon tart, linear, sharp freshness (*) (8/10) (6/12) (4/12)
• Fynbos Capensis (2013): Anthony Beck & Barbera Back, Jackson Family Wine, 100% oak on new vintage, Chardonnay, unreleased at time of tasting, R 950. Bacon Kips, bacon croissants, crispy pastry, smokey softness with underlying freshness, spot of pith. (7/10) (4/12) (9/12)
• Alheit Magnetic North Mountain Makstok (2013): R 450 - R 850, Chenin Blanc. Nutmes, cinnamon & honey oats, sago pudding, cosy & comforting, granny hugs (**) (9/10) (2/12) (12/12)
• Mullineux Quartz (2013): R435, Chenin Blanc. Shy, crisp asparagus & broccoli, sugared flowers, fresh but pithy, depth (**) (8/10) (9/12) (7/12)
• Jordan 9 Yards Chardonnay (2013): R 330. Straw & tinned peas, roundness, vaseliney roundness, baked peaches, creamy but fresh & rich. (**) (9/10) (1/12) (3/12)
• Longridge Ou Steen (2013): R 315, Chenin Blanc. Oily Riesling, Lismore-esque Viognier, sweet with underlying spice, masala. (8.5/10) (3/12) (8/12)

Guest at Guardian Peak

After a marvellous morning of getting us spectacularly lost amongst the hills of Stellenbosch as only I seem able to do, we made our way up the correct hill to Uva Mira, and down again to Guardian Peak for a cosy, marshmallowy tasting overlooking the vineyards.


WHITE:

• Donkiesbaai Steen (2013): Chenin Blanc, 4 - 5 month in old French oak. Apricot pips, orange rind, soft, salted break, pretzel, cosy, light honey

RED:

• Donkiesbaai Pinot Noir (2013): 12 months French oak. Roasted marshmallow, slight strawberry, strawberry sherbet, slight vinergariness, Velcro tannins.
• Guardian Peak Summit (2012): Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, 18 months in French & American oak. Salted caramel strawberries, charred pink marshmallows, white pepper, warming, oxtail Cup-of-Soup, sharp game meat wrapped in pastry.
• Guardian Peak Cirrus Syrah (2011): 3% Viognier (unoaked), French & American oak for 18 months. Petunias, lurking spice, gentle powder puffs, buttery chocolate mousse with nutmeg & cayenne pepper.
• Guardian Peak Lapa Cabernet Sauvignon (2011): 18 months in French oak, 40% first fill. Strong alcohol on the nose, cumin, green peppercorns, slap in the mouth, soft buttery mashed potato finish, sharp cherries.