Tips for a South african tasting?

I would give the Mulderbosch Sav. Blanc 03 a bash. I had a bottle on a hot day at lunch when I was there a few months ago and the fruit was very full and citrus-like and I also found the body to be just right for me - very much in the Malborough style as opposed to a slightly more buttery French style (this is from my limited experience with French S.B.)

Also try the Saxenburg Private Label Shiraz. We've got a case of the 2000 and it is quite lovely at the moment - although give it 5-10 and it will be delightful.

Another interesting estate is called "Slaley". Their bottles have this very "un South African" label on them - if I recall correctly its an old sailing ship - very graphical and strange. I haven't had their Shiraz for a while, but I tried either a Pinotage or Merlot (also when I was out in November) and it was pretty good.

Vergelegen is also a great estate. We've got a few of their reserve blend

Chamonix is a nice little farm in Franschoek and perhaps try Moreson for their whites.

If you can get hold of anything from Plasir de Merle - get it.

Haute Cabriere do a bunch of excellent sparklings plus a, if I recall correctly, Pinot Noir + Chardonnay blend.

Meerlust. Merlot is good, Rubicon is excellent.

One strongly exported label I would avoid is Boplas. On some recommendation I cannot recall, we bought 6 of their Pinotages and 6 of the Reserve Shiraz's and found them both pretty poor. If you can buy a single bottle, give it a bash and let me know how is it - maybe mine are just a bad bunch.

If they don't have any of those around you - send me a list of what you can get and I'll see if I know any of them.

Cheers Michael

----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Bartlett" Newsgroups: alt.food.wine Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 7:13 PM Subject: Re: Tips for a South african tasting?

That is available.

Only available from Saxenburg is the 1999 Merlot

Sorry, no, not available - we have Scali, but that is eveidently something else ...

Not available

... but I can´t :(((

... and available!

Nullus anxietas, the Systembolaget has not put their filthy sticky hands on them, yet.

I have heard good things about Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay

What´s your opinion?

I can see a tasting with two whites, and two reds - Mulderbosch SB, and Rustenberg Five soldiers, then, the Saxenburg Merlot, and Meerlust Rubicon.

Of course, some of the participants would most likely feel that they missed something if they didn´t get a Pinotage as well. Or a Shiraz.

For one bottle of each, that comes to a total of 719 SEK which would be well within the acceptable limits for the tasting (most likely we´d get a few bottles of some quaffing red as well).

Thank you for your help, and for taking an interest.

_Now_ what on Earth do you eat that is South African - and available in _Sweden_?!

Cheers

Nils Gustaf

-- Respond to nils dot lindgren at drchips dot se

As a red, if the Mulderbosch SB is available, how about their "Faithful Hound" (Stellenbosch)? Decent Bordeaux-style blend. Of course, being a Basset owner has me prejudiced! Dale

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No such luck. Nothing from Mulderbosch except the SB and a Steen op Hout.

;)

Cheers

Nils Gustaf

Graham Beck also has a good Shiraz. He makes two - one is called Railroad Red and I wouldn't touch it with a 12 foot barge pole, but his reserve is really good. Otherwise just send me a list of a few SA Shiraz's they have and I can try and pick out a good one. If you want to go for the Pinotage option then you would normally be looking at Beyerskloof Pinotage, which although not outstanding is considered very reflective of SA Pino.

You're a bit screwed food wise. This site has a list of some authentic dishes - perhaps Google some recipe sites for details on anything that catches your eye:

Either the Kevin Arnold or the Spice Route Flagship. I haven't had the Kevin Arnold for quite a while - I have a magnum of their 2001 waiting for an occasion. I was told it was fantastic - so perhaps go for that one.

I've been a "lurker" for a while...I thought I knew a bit about wine but wow!

You could always try a KWV Pinotage - this is a co-operative but I've always found it a pleasent enough wine.

Ian

sites

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Oh agreed, most definitely - we buy that in Copenhagen, since the Systembolaget doesn´t stock it. Don´t have any in the cellar, crrenlty - in fact, we pulled the plug of the only South African residing there, yesterday while watching the telly - an Inglenook Cab Sauv 2001, very pleasant cab nose, on the palate a sort of minerality I tend to associate with SA reds - I have asked about it prevciously, but my description is apparently hard to pin down.

Cheers!

Nils Gustaf

Hi Nils, I'm straining my brain cells here, but as I recall, many years ago there was a California winery - think it was Ingelnook - that made some fairly good wines. Ingelnook, Inglenook ... not sure, but it tweaked a memory in the far reaches of my mind. :-) Dick

Hello Dick; Well, this was def´n´tly a Sout Iffrican wine, from the coastal region ... also, as previously postulated, had a marked SA character all around. I like it, but the one we had tonight, a Merlot from LaRoche, in Languedoc, is even better - great Merlot typicity, judicious use of oak without clobbering the poor juice with a plank, good tannines to counteract flab ... Good produce and good quality at affodable prices coming in from Languedoc/Rousillon/Courbieres these days. Stay posted to this newsgroup for further developments.

Cheers!

Nils Gustaf

"Michael Bartlett" skrev i meddelandet news:1075371253.351115@shiraz...

We´ll just have to see, won´t we? So much wine - so little time ... You have been a tremendous help, Michael, and the only thing I´d like to ask you is, would you know anything about the Rustenberg Five asoldiers Chard? Because, if you say it´s OK, I´ll have the tasting down pat from this correspondence.

Cheers! Nils Gustaf

Nils

I went through a stage of loving SA Chard because of the heavy oak. Then one day I just woke up and decided that I didn't like heavily oaked Chard any more! So I haven't touched one for ages, although I did buy a De Wetshof

Cheers Michael