4 Lovely Ladies.
This is the first blind tasting I’ve ever done with the labels on, and the identity of the producers known to me. I prefer to taste blind, as I feel you concentrate on the liquid and force your palate to do the hard work uninfluenced by fancy labels, catchy names and price.
So how did it all happen?
I had just arrived late afternoon into Riebeek Kasteel. I was on a too short a stay in Riebeek and I wanted to round up all the local Chenins (one of my favourite varietals) and try them all out at once.
An obvious place to do this was at the quirky Wine Kollective, a small shop with a big reputation on Short Street. Anton, the owner, patiently lined up four lovely local ladies for me to peruse. I was to try all of these out over the next couple of days during my stay.
In front of me stood Chenins from Babylons Peak, a Secateurs froom the Badenhorst Family, Lammershoek and finally, a Santa Cecelia.
A healthy measure of the Santa Cecelia was poured.
I took a glug. Ohhhh!!! Sweet!! “I don’t like sweet”, I commented to Anton, the shop owner.
“That’s the residual sugar”, said Anton, eyeing me with slight disdain.
A chance to recline, while tasting wine.
“Yeuuch, I hate sweet wine, and you can tell that winemaker, whoever he is, that this wine is not to my taste at all”
“I am the wine maker”, said Anton.
I froze. Blind to his presence, I had insulted his prowess as a winemaker.
Now what?
“You’ve obviously got an under developed palate” he noted dryly. I was a little speechless. I wasn’t helped by my partner who downed his glass with gusto, declaring it to be “lovely”. He wanted to buy a half a case.
Now I’ve been called a lot of things in my day but suffering from an under developed palate was a new one on me.
Moving on quickly I read the various wine notes. Oh!, there was a little laminated article from the Sunday Times by Neil Pendock, what did he say about it?
The winemakers “did that Afrikaans thing of naming the wine after our wives in the belief that we would be entitled to extra sexual favours. We are still waiting”.Hmmm…interesting.
Some Santa Cecelia drinkers?
More? Yes. This time from Michael Olivier.
“Something one of those fat ladies in a Beryl Cook cartoon would drink”.
Even more?
“Big rich……with a serious clash of residual sugar to keep…..your Grannie happy.”
Maybe I should have used more multi-syllabic adjectives.
But look, Anton Espost’s wine is the business if you like your Chenin’s a little sweeter.
My preference, and the winner for me, was the Secateurs from the Badenhorst Family.It just has that right floral notes and mix of other tropical flavours that emerge with each sip. Just the tonic if you’ve overdosed on Sauvignon Blanc.
Babylon’s Peak Chenin Blanc. R32. Lime and citrus cut through unwooded tropical flavour. Secateurs, Badenhorst Family Wines. R55. Concentrated floral and guava..
Lammershoek. R75. Apples, wooded, mineral notes.
Santa Cecelia. R45. Bursting with character, floral, guava. “Residual sugar”.
Wine Kollectiv
Short Street
Riebeek Kasteel.
Cell 082 776 9366
Tel 022 448 1008.
PS Anton, love you, love your wine shop. I will be back.
Anton Espost.
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How awful to be told you’ve an unrefined palate. And did you then buy wine from the man who told you this??!!
Well, let’s be honest, this wine maker might have had a valid point. Mind you, reading the notes by two wine experts on this wine they both say it’s too sweet.
But I’m not claiming to be a wine expert. I’m a wine drinker, on a journey looking for great wines at a great price.
As for buying the wine. This is the embarassing bit, my partner thought the wine was great and insisted on buying six bottles.
Talk about a lack of support.
Sipping the wine at home, partner was less keen on them and of course I did say ‘I TOLD YOU SO’.
This week I’m writing up my experience on my first time ever as a wine judge. It was an extraordinary morning.