A Triumph for South Africa!
Three
Gold Medals
Reds clean up at annual Wine &
Cheese Show
©
Michael Vaughan 2002
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
National Post • Saturday, March 23, 2002
Grab
your glasses, it’s a great weekend to venture forth, sample and celebrate the
great new reds coming out of South Africa. First, it is astonishing to consider
that three South African reds took all three gold medals awarded in the under
$25 red class at this weekend’s Toronto Wine & Cheese Show (at the Toronto
International Centre).
Never,
in the history of this judging, have the reds of a single country so vanquished
its competitors. Wine educator David Lawrason and I, who meticulously blind
tasted all 147 entries, were amazed. Perhaps the most exciting aspect is that
all three South African award-winners are relatively inexpensive and are, or at
least should be, available at your local LCBO store.
 It
was difficult to decide which one of these three should be designated “best
value red” of the show. The final winner is Nederburg 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon at $11.45.
Perhaps the best thing about it is the ripe fruit flavours and rounded tannins.
And while 1999 isn’t considered to be a great vintage, this winner is
perfectly accessible with medium bodied, lively, ripe strawberry-red cherry
flavours. It’s not big, complex nor overly dry – just perfectly ready to
enjoy.
Pinotage
isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea. This somewhat idiosyncratically
flavoured grape is a cross between Burgundy’s Pinot Noir and Cinsaut from the
Rhone. Pinotage was developed in 1925 by Dr.
Perold at Stellenbosch University.
The
gold medal winning Zonnebloem
1998 Pinotage sells for only $11.95. To heighten this wine’s
complexity, half of it was matured for nine months in small French oak barriques.
The balance went into large, and basically neutral, oak for 12 months. This
latter part of the blend maintained the wine’s fruit components.
It
is hard to compare this wine with the Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon. This
Pinotage has a more compressed nose with less fruit and some woodsy underbrush
notes. Nevertheless, it is a fairly good example of the grape and leans in a
cedary direction with a faintly smoky, red pepper purée taste.
 In
the $12 to $25 class, the only gold went to the user-friendly Bellingham 2000 Shiraz. At only $12.95, it is
also a best buy. One whiff and you are captured by the smell of blueberry pie,
cedar and ripe black cherries. Its rounded, almost sweetish, very spicy, black
cherry flavours are perhaps more reminiscent of California Zin than Shiraz. This
versatile, wide appeal style works well with food or just simple quaffing. In fact with Easter just around the
corner, its spicy clove flavours would make it the perfect partner with a juicy
slice of ham.
The
best thing about this weekend’s show is that all the wines can be tasted at
cost. It is worth noting that of the 24 wines being poured at wines being
featured at the South African booth (#384), only 14 (or 58%) were submitted to
the competition. Of those entered, not every one was a winner. So, as always,
let the taster beware. To see the complete list of all 154 Award Winning Entries
(complete with CSPC, prices and booth numbers) PRESS HERE.
 In
keeping with our theme, today’s Vintages mini-release focuses on 17 brand new
South Africa wines. Unlike some special Vintages releases, this one is pretty
impressive with several wines that are definitely worthy of a detour.
South
African wines haven’t had an exactly easy transition since the embargo was
lifted just a decade ago. Unfortunately some cheap and cheerful, pre-sanction
choices of yesteryear no longer hit the spot. The reasons? Prices have risen,
consumers are now much more discerning and there is now an enormous amount of
new competition from new internationally styled wines.
While
this might be a long-winded way of saying that South African sales have been
sluggish, I am happy to report that sales are now rising. Quality-price ratios
have improved considerably and much more user-friendly wines are now ending up
on the shelves of the LCBO. I commend Vintages for sourcing some decent wines
and especially for making the comprehensive, 508-page hard cover, pocket guide John Platter South African Wines 2002
available to customers to view in all 600 LCBO outlets. Now if we could only
convince some enterprising Toronto bookseller to sell it, we would be in
business. For information on this valuable reference guide PRESS
HERE
 Getting
back to today’s release, there are some terrific reds in this release. Perhaps
the most interesting is Rupert
& Rothschild 1998 Classique, which fairly priced at $19.95. This
imposing new winery is the brainchild of two
leading wine families - Benjamin de Rothschild of Bordeaux and South African
Anthonij Rupert.
Pomerol
wine making guru Michel Rolland has put a definite Bordeaux spin on this
wonderfully accessible blend of Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot with just a dash of
Cabernet Franc. Only medium bodied, the smooth, ripe, plum and red pepper
flavours are perfectly melded. Add to this a fine lingering finish with a touch
of licorice, cedar and lime. At, or even perhaps just past, its peak – this
classic is ready to be enjoyed today
I
wish I could have tasted the Rupert & Rothschild above side-by-side with my
other choice, the delicious Jean
Daneel 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot at $23.85. This somewhat fuller
bodied blend has cedary, sweet plum, cassis and red cherry flavours with a
lingering finish. It spent 22 months in 40% new French oak and only 1,000 cases
were produced.
Shiraz
fans should not miss the big, smoky Delheim
2000 Shiraz at only $16.85. Its
mouthfilling, tar-driven, meaty, stewed plum and sundried tomato flavours are
perfect with cassoulet or confit of duck. They are, however, not for everyone.
 A
safer bet would be the gently sweet, creamy, ripe cherry purée flavours of Clos Malverne 2000 Pinotage Basket
Pressed at $19.95. With 14% alcohol, it is definitely recommended,
surprisingly silky and ready to drink.
As
for the Bouchard
Finlayson 2000 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, it’s a pretty good effort, albeit
perhaps slightly pricy, effort at $34.80. It is made in the Côtes de Nuits
style with some slightly smoky, Burgundian, bright cherry and red pepper purée
flavours. This house is considered to make some of South Africa’s finest Pinot
using the Dijon clone #113. As less that .5% of the vineyards are dedicated to
Pinot Noir, these wines will remain, for the near future, rather scarce and on
the expensive side.
Of
the of six newly released whites, half are worthy of a detour. Of the two
Chardonnays, my favourite is the less expensive Cathedral
Cellars 2000 Chardonnay an excellent buy at $12.80. Originating in
the Western Cape region, there’s a lot going on here. I initially felt uneasy
about its deep golden yellow colour, which suggests that it might be over the
hill – it wasn’t. There’s lot of intensity on the nose - baked Alaska and
a whack of caramel. On the palate it’s rather full bodied and dry with spicy,
somewhat cedary, baked lemon-pear flavours followed up by a long peppery finish.
Forget about your fish and chips, this bruiser can handle a veal chop or even a
rack of lamb.
Coming up:
Come this Monday and you will be able to book a ticket for the upcoming Taste the Classics Spring/Summer 2002
taking place on May 7th at Toronto ROM (6:30 –9 pm). Only 400
tickets are available at $95 – call 1-800-226-4764. For a list of wines being
tasted PRESS
HERE.
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