YOUR WINE QUESTIONS ANSWERED

i recently bought A bottle of dry white wine whose lAbel proclAimed it hAd been “night hArvested.” is there Any reAl benefit to be obtAined by hArvesting grApes At night, or is this simply A mArketing ploy?

White grapes should be kept as cool as possible from the time they’re picked until they are safely in the cellar. This is to avoid delicate flavour compounds evaporating before the grapes are pressed. Some producers—particularly in warmer areas— like to harvest their grapes during the cool of the night to retain all the flavour. other farmers prefer to pick their grapes very early in the morning, for the same reason. i hAve often been told thAt it’s trAditionAl to serve red wine with red meAt And white wine with white meAt. severAl of my friends hAve recently become hooked on diets like vegAnism or cholesterol-free meAls. how do i select wines to AccompAny these dishes? rules were made to be broken. Like diets, dress codes are now largely disregarded. nobody cares if you wear veldskoen with your dress suit these days. Modern lifestyles allow you to be creative when pairing food and wine. Food is no longer strictly classified as “red” or “white” accompaniments. instead, consider factors such as acidity, saltiness or palate weight. You might try matching a delicate, dry pink wine with a quiche, for example, or a spicy Shiraz with a toasted cheese sandwich. Meals are about sharing and company, more than just food and drink. relax and enjoy. Forget the rules. if you think a sweet Hanepoot would pair with your avocado salad, go for it.

Your Wine FAQs

your Wine Questions ansWered by david biggs

An uncle of mine complAins thAt he finds it hArd to find A good jerepigo these dAys. it hAs AlwAys been his fAvourite wine, but he sAys nobody seems to buy it Any more. why is jerepigo so scArce now? it could be argued that jerepigo is not a true wine at all. instead of fermenting grape juice, it is made by adding alcohol to very sweet, unfermented grape juice—usually Hanepoot juice. (Muscat d’Alexandrie) All the original sugar is retained in the juice. With today’s trend toward healthy lifestyles, not many people are buying drinks with high sugar content and with an alcohol content of almost 20%.

A sophisticAted wine connoisseur friend often serves expensive bordeAux-style wines to his guests. this is usuAlly AccompAnied by considerAble ceremony And he insists on opening the bottle An hour before pouring it in order to Allow it to “breAthe.” should one AlwAys Allow red wine to breAthe before pouring it? it depends on the occasion. if you’re judging the wine in order to compare it with similar wines in a competition, by all means, allow breathing time. But if you simply want to share a good wine with friends, cut the ceremonial thing and keep it simple. under normal social conditions, a few minutes of “breathing” is not going to make a significant difference to the wine. in any case, by the time you’ve taken a few sips from your glass, the wine will have taken a few deep breaths on its own.

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN OLIVE OIL FROM THE FOOTHILLS OF THE LANGEBERG MOUNTAIN RANGE

There’s Something Special About Thelema

You’ll nd elema Mountain Vineyards situated on the South Easterly side of the Simonsberg Mountain range in Stellenbosch. A family owned and managed wine estate, the high altitude and the rich red soils are ideal for premium quality wine production.

In 1983, Gyles Webb abandoned his accounting career in Durban to become a winemaker. With the help of his wife’s family, the McLean’s, Gyles bought elema and so began this family legacy. e manor house was restored and the rst wines under the elema label were released in 1988. By the mid 90s elema’s wines sold out within a month a er release, making it one of the most sought-a er wine estates in South Africa.

e Webb family and the elema team believes that grape quality is the single most important factor in serious winemaking, and their policy in one of minimum interference, allowing the wines to be a true expression of each vineyard.

THELEMA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 ACCOLADES: Tim Atkin Report 2021 – 93 points Greg Sherwood MW, 93 points Decanter World Wine Awards 2021, 91 points Now available for purchase at Wine-of-the-Month Club

Why not join them for a wine tasting and sip and swirl your way through elema and Sutherland wines? Booking is advised and tastings takes place: Monday-Friday: 09h00-17h00 Saturdays: 10h00-15h00

@thelemamountainvineyards @thelemawines @thelemawines

“Not everyone would agree, but Rudi Schultz thinks that 2018 was a “FANTASTIC VINTAGE” IN STELLENBOSCH. is Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with 10% Petit Verdot for more layers, is certainly PRETTY SPECIAL, with notes of mint and dill, bright blackcurrant fruit, savoury tannins and the STRUCTURE AND CONCENTRATION TO AGE.” ~ Tim Atkin, MW