Syrah Blind Tasting Session – A clash of styles!

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I think the last blind tasting I took part was nearly half a year ago which is quite a shame considering the name of this blog. But last Saturday this dry spell finally ended when we gathered for an awesome blind-tasting around the varietal Syrah. An exciting topic about a noble grape that is probably at home in the Northern Rhône but is nowadays planted on every corner of the planet, and we opened not less than 15 bottles to cover all aspects of it. Next to all the usual suspects that participated in the tasting, it was also a particular pleasure to welcome fellow blogger Barry who I only recently met in person. So Here are my notes on the wines in the order of the tasting. Every 4 bottles we uncovered and compared notes. I must say there were quite some surprises, but also a few wines that matched clichés’. Read the rest of this entry »

South African wines: a Shortlist

In order to sum-up my wine experiences during my trip to Stellenbosch and the Cape Region of South Africa, here’s a list of white and red wines I enjoyed most. Some of these were already mentioned in previous postings, some others make their first appearance here.

White Wines

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2010 Iona Sauvignon Blanc from Elgin. Very crisp and dry. Not much exotic fruit here which is due to the slightly cooler climate of Elgin. But still vibrant and with substance with grass and gooseberry on the fore. One that you could put away for a year. We had it at Ernie Els’ (the famous golfer) restaurant Big Easy, which I can recommend for its beautiful premises and relaxed atmosphere but also for their quality food. Especially the oysters we indulged there went perfectly with the Iona. Read the rest of this entry »

Winery Visits in Stellenbosch Part 2: Rust en Vrede and Neil Ellis

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Rust en Vrede, which doesn’t actually mean “Rest in Peace” as I first thought (silly me :P) but rather “calm and peace” as someone suggested, (Well, correct me if I’m wrong please, don’t want to google everything) was the next winery we visited.

They are exclusively focussing on red wines and received a truckload of awards for their achievements in that field so far. Knowing this, of course, sharpened our senses and our concentration as we were eager to find out about wines that are supposedly part of the spearhead of the South African wine industry. Here are the quick notes I wrote. Read the rest of this entry »

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