wine | Panel Report
Summer’s golden days are past and it’s hello to winter’s cold – a fine time for some special winter warmers By Irina von Holdt CWM
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lorious summer sunshine is now a mere memory––we basked in its golden glow then, hardly noticing, evenings saw us reaching for a jersey. Winter comes barely perceptibly at first, almost by stealth, tip-toeing upon us until that day when we close the curtains early, light the fires and cook something hearty and warming. It’s the quiet season, or is it? With long evenings and little to do, now’s the time for getting together around a noisy table and, if possible, catching up with family and friends. Now’s the time for slow cooking 2 4
s O U T H A F R I C A N C O N N O I SS E U R
A Wine Winter’s Tale
accompanied by wines that we can take our time to taste and appreciate. So, here is a collection of wines to warm the cockles of the heart. Chardonnay Every Day If ever there was a winter-weight white this is it. Rich and flavourful, it does not even need to be too chilled to show at its best. Perfect for many pastas and white meats, heavier versions will even accompany a steak. One needs to pay attention, though, because there are many Chardonnays… “I like the diversity—some buttery ripe ones, others steely and lean,” from Winnie. Now that’s the point, you should choose carefully otherwise you may get a steely Chardonnay to go with that steak. Not so good. Clive is specific. “I like those with minerality,” he says, “There are some Robertson wines here, they have that
minerality which I adore. And I like toasty oak but, of course, it has to be in balance.” “And the different kinds of oak,” says Christine appreciatively. “They’ve handled it all so well.” “A lot of delightfully complex wines,” adds Dave. “Lots of flavours coming at me from all angles.” “Most of these are high in alcohol,” notes Greg. That translates into properly ripened grapes, always good for flavour. “I was thrilled,” says Irina. “Real quality. Real style. And the type of individuality I prize highly. So often we taste a whole bunch of wines that seem to have all come out of the same tank.” We get into a discussion about the fruit
