SA Rocks

Some good friends of mine love Woolworths’ Zezty White and Juicy Red so much – that they have named their ski boat “Zesty”.

That and they know that the only gift they will ever receive from me will undoubtedly be a box of Zesty!

As the names suggest, the two ‘house’ wines from Woollies are just that – Zesty and Juicy. They come at a great price and are great buy’s if you looking for a midweek quaffer or affordable wine to share with friends over a braai/at the beach.

The ‘box wine’ versions of these two winners are brilliant – they come in sleek and stlyish 3L boxes that will fit nicely into the coolbox or into the extra small space in the boot.

Give them a go and let me know what you think – and look out for Woollies’ Italian wine range too, some good stuff in there for good prices.

Cru Master

Popularity: 7% [?]

Whether wine comes in a papsak, a bottle with a fancy label, with award stickers, a cardboard box or a jug – well it doesn’t matter!

The real allure of wine, contrary to the Cremora Ad, is more about what’s inside than anything else.

It’s like the search for that perfect wave: obvious to find at J Bay but who knows you may just experience a killer set at Camps Bay (unlikely I know but you get my drift)!

So I urge you to forget about the fancy labels, award stickers and household names and seek out new and less obvious wines – it makes the journey so much more interesting!

Here’s a different approach to wine that I recommend you try: BlankBottle

I bet you’ll find some real gems – and you may even find owner Pieter Walser’s approach refreshing!

Let me know about a great wine you’ve had recently – the more South African wine we drink and profile the better!

Cru Master

Popularity: 9% [?]

Interested in great wine that’s much cheaper than normal – and naked?

Get Wine

That’s all I really have to say – check it out.

Cru Master

Popularity: 7% [?]

Diemersdal Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2006

I am not a huge Sauvignon Blanc fan – but this wine really won me over:

It really was mouth watering. Fresh and herby with some ripe sweetness and touch of tartness that was just right and not to overt. I guess you could say this wine is beautifully balanced.

The nose was wonderful and one thing I loved about it is that what you smelled you actually tasted in the wine too. Too often I find, and particularly in Sauvignon Blanc, that on the nose the wine is insatiably intriguing – but then when you take a sip it’s acidifyingly awful and all the flavours are masked beyond comprehension.

Haha, there you have my qualms about Sav Blanc – but the Diemersdal SV Sav Blanc 2006 is sublime – I wholeheartedly recommend it.

(Oh and when it was paired with a pesto pasta – phenomenally good.)

Cru Master

Popularity: 6% [?]

Tea and Biltong with the Queen:

In my last column I wrote about isolation versus belonging, and missing the feeling of being part of the bigger picture, a contributing member of an exciting society. I’m cheating a little with this article as it’s not so much about what I miss but rather a continued look at this attitude I described previously.

Now, I’ll concede that South Africa is still a rather divided nation in some sectors, but I do think this is diminishing, especially with the younger generations – for all the reasons I gave here. Racism is something I now tend to associate with older people – products of apartheid who refuse to (for several reasons) change the way they see the world and how they treat people. When I encounter racist youth I am always pretty surprised, and saddened, but I do think these people are the exception rather than the rule.

These racists are both white and black, and the very nature of racism is that it defies logic so you cannot reason it away. I find it very hard to accept this and often “take the bait” and try to make people realise the falsity of what they believe, but in my most rational moments I must accept that this is a losing battle.

With that little disclaimer above, I will say that I believe the over-riding attitude in South Africa is one of amazing optimism. We have so much to overcome, but we were recently found to be the 7th most business-optimistic country in the world, according to a report by Grant Thornton. Other reports suggest that finances rather than ethnicity is now the major deciding factor in terms of where we choose to live – and while divisions in wealth are not a good thing, they are more easily overcome in a growing economy as ours than racial tensions.

If you’ll forgive the bastardisation of a cliché – we now have a South African dream. Unlike the original (read: american) version, this is not a dream of being handed everything on a platter – this dream is not about a land of excess and easy rides. I think the nation dreams of “just rewards” and that my children will compete against yours in a fair world. That is a pretty respectable dream, in my view.

The following quote is taken from an old (2004) BBC article on change in South Africa:
“Where things have changed for the better – where houses have been built, where black people now feel free to go anywhere they choose – this is often taken for granted.
Where things have not changed – where people remain unemployed or live in terror of crime – there is a deep scepticism whether any political party has either the ability or the will to do anything about it. ”

I think this duality of the public opinion of the time is very well expressed, but I would add to this to bring it up to date. We are a nation waking up to personal responsibility and power, we are no longer asking for solutions to be given, but striving for them ourselves. I see this everywhere: in expats marching in London, in various protests and demonstration all over South Africa, in internet discussion forms and websites, in politicians increasingly panicked attempts to explain themselves.

I guess where I see involvement, other may see unrest and dissatisfaction, but I invite them to don a pair of (lightly) rose tinted glasses and get out on the streets (peacefully) or get vocal about our concerns. Action must lead to action.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Bliksems – this wine is seriously good and one of the best value for money out there.

Camberley Philosophers’ Stone

This wine delivers on so many fronts that I’d be happy to pay R100 a bottle.

Fortunately it goes for only R50 – and that my friends is one of Bonnie’s Best Buys by a county mile. Not even Harry Potter himself could make a wine this good.

So give the farm a ring (021 8851176) and get your hands on a case of 6 or 12 – cause this is a wine you can whip out for a fancy dinner, take to restaurant, crack open at a braai, have a glass of after work and have as your companion while you while away an African sunset – it’s magic and fits in everywhere.

Enjoy and if you can keep this little gem a SA Rocks secret!

Cru Master

Popularity: 6% [?]

Tea and Biltong with the Queen: No, it is not the same as Beef Jerky!

I’ve written in previous columns about the distinct feeling of isolation I’ve experienced as a legal alien in the UK, and I’m starting to believe that it’s not so much the addition of a new feeling (isolation) but the removal of a feeling I had at home (belonging). This may seem like a strange thing to say as a South African, but at home I felt part of something – both a movement and a people – and it’s weird to think that I identify more with South Africans from a multitude of cultures, than I do with the British (my ancestral home).

Recently, with the floods in England, I felt an increase of national spirit from the locals here in the UK – sometimes a little adversity will do that. And it reminded me, firstly, that I am not at home here, and, secondly, how great it is to feel like you’re contributing, that you belong and are part of a greater whole. If press coverage of SA is to be believed, there seems to be a similar process happening at home.

It has been thirteen years since the first democratic election in SA. Thirteen years is actually not a long time. The problems we have in SA are going to take generations (yes, generations! Plural!) to fix but we must acknowledge how far we have come, and above all, not cease to strive. This means vote, protest, and foster equal opportunities.

There used to be a feeling of “jump ship” when faced with crime and unemployment in South Africa, now it’s more of a “dig in and get your hands dirty” vibe. Don’t believe me? How about the increase in websites like “SA Good News”, “Homecoming Revolution” and “Crimeline”? How about increased coverage of crime against the poorer sectors of our communities? People worry that more crime stories mean more crime, but often they mean more effective police work and increased awareness. This reflects a change in our collective attitude as South Africans.

It is a very exciting time for South Africa. The afro-pessimists will scream that its scary, sad, chaotic, but I see a full generation of people who attended integrated schools, who know of Mandela as a free man, who’ve escaped the economic isolation of the 80’s, who can travel and compete in international sport. We’re a people who have won the begrudging respect of our international peers, whose constitution is often lauded as the best in the world, who aren’t travelling just to escape, but for travel’s sake.

Yesterday I ran into the members of the Soweto Gospel Choir just walking down the street in Edinburgh. They’ve arrived for the Edinburgh Arts Festival, I guess, and although I was rushing in the opposite direction, and don’t know any of them from Adam, I couldn’t help myself yelling “Molweni” as I passed, to which they happily responded, and those few quick phrases exchanged in Xhosa made me happier than I’d been all week. I felt like I had met people I could identify with for the first time in months.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Right nothing elaborate today – just a simple suggestion:

Go and buy some Raka wines.

Their entire range is seriously good and consistently so – one of my favourite wineries!

Look out for the following trio: Raka Biography Shiraz, Raka Figurehead, Raka Quinary

Cru Master

Popularity: 10% [?]

No more than fifteen minutes from Cape Town sits a wine farm with one of the world’s greatest views: De Grendel

I think I should repeat that: it’s only fifteen minutes away (head out on the N1 – take a left at Plattekloof and then a right into De Grendel Estate – it’s that easy).

Not only is De Grendel conveniently close to Cape Town for all us wine enthusiasts – but it boasts some seriously amazing facilities and even more impressive wine – as I learnt an evening or two ago!

The lovely folks at De Grendel are hosting awesome, intimate, wine experience evenings at their estate whenever you or I feel compelled to get a group of friends together and pay them a visit.

Last week about ten of us were treated to a fantastic wine experience evening:

First we were given a little history lesson about the farm, it’s origins and it’s recent progression into wine making with Charles Hopkins at the helm.

We were then taken through the uber, uber impressive cellar and given a run down of the wine making facilities.

Then once we were all sufficiently drooling at the mouth – we tasted our way through the entire range of De Grendel wines and enjoyed a delicious dinner.

For an estate that has only been producing wine for seven years – the wines are brilliant and it’s definitely a label to watch as it forges on into the years ahead!

What was really appealing about this experience is that we all sat around a table and discussed the wines: their tastes, their smells, the right occasion for them, their feel, how they were made – and all this with an entire cellar to ourselves and two warm an welcoming members of the De Grendel ‘family’! Brilliant!

Thats not all – we were treated to some soup, breads and coffee and some of us were even awarded bottles of wine as prizes for our contribution to the session!

It’s this type of interactive experience that wins you loyal followers and encourages conversation about your wine and estate – so well done to De Grendel – I’m looking forward to another evening there soon!!

If you and your friends are interested in one of these great evenings – drop Alan Sherratt a line: alan@trafficonline.co.za

Enjoy and let me know how your evening there goes!

Popularity: 7% [?]

I tell you I’ve fallen in love with this great wine.

Springfield Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon

Classical berry fruit flavours will grab your taste buds, but above all it is the soft textured nature of the wine (that not many Cabernet Sauvignon’s posses) that’ll make this wine immediately lovable.

The rich, velvety fruit flavours of the wine keep you coming back for just one more sip…and another…and another….until you think you have it sassed out… but not quite… so you have to open another bottle – just to make sure

And so it should be with wine – subtle nuances that keep you coming back for a second guess! Perfect for a romantic dinner or a night spent near an open fire in good company!

I also love the way in which this wine is made – using old traditional methods. It’s a great wine with a great story behind it. It seriously rocks.

Popularity: 6% [?]