Events Calendar

Wine Enthusiasts #1 Best Buy - Luzón

“Truly captivating wine for under $10? Yes, Luzón’s Monastrell-Syrah blend is exactly that. It delivers huge plum and spice notes, with tobacco, herbs and smoked meat working their way into the game. Remains powerfully fruity and spicy in the mouth, with a long, minty, medicinal finish. Competes with thousands of wines priced higher. Overdelivers by a lot!”

Source: WineMag.com

Click here for more information on this award winning wine.

Bouwland Estate

 

Country:  South Africa - Stellenbosch

Special Notes:  see wine article “Bouwland Shows the Way”

About

The driving forces behind it are South Africa’s internationally renowned wine maker, Beyers Truter, and Jan Hendriks, founder of the Stellenbosch Farm Workers Association (which led to the SA Farm Workers Association). Beyers Truter is co-owner of Beyerskloof and cellar master of Kanonkop Estate, where Jan Hendriks has been working as farm supervisor for more than 10 years. Beyers and Jan are the directors of the new Bouwland Estate and together with the nominated trustees will run the management of this vineyard farm.

“Many of the trustees are people who literally grew up on prime wine farms and are specialists in vineyard cultivation. They have been working in the vineyards all their lives and now are an integral part of creating superior vineyards, wine and a future for their children as co-owners of a wine enterprise,” says Beyers.

“Besides the aspect of being co-owners of an established 56 hectares vineyard farm in a prime wine region, the trustees will also benefit from the fact that Bouwland is a well-established brand in Holland, Belgium, England and Denmark. Our aim is to increase our production to at least 225 000 litres of wine per annum within the next five years.”  

“When the story of South Africa’s successful transformation is told, initiatives such as these will be the milestones. They show the way towards a better South Africa, where people live together as prosperous, good neighbours,” said Venete Klein, General Manager of ABSA Agribusiness, the project’s bankers. Absa is the leading bank in agricultural empowerment.

The Bouwland wines

This empowerment transaction was celebrated on the estate with the Minister of Agriculture, Tourism and Gambling, Mr Johan Gelderblom, and at the same time the Bouwland Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot red blend (which up till now has been marketed abroad) and Bouwland Chenin Blanc were also launched in the South African market. The next wine to be added to the Bouwland range is the flagship wine, a so-called Cape Blend in which South Africa’s home-grown Pinotage wine variety will be a major component.

Red wine varieties currently cultivated at Bouwland are Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, while Cabernet Franc and Shiraz will also be planted in the near future. The Bouwland wines are made at the Koelenhof wine cellar from grapes cultivated at Bouwland and sourced in the surrounding areas. Beyers Truter is the winemaker and he has two talented trustees at his right hand to unhurriedly and meticulously be taught all the fine skills of making absolute top quality wines.

Values Reign in an Age of McWine

 

By CJ Katz - Publisher, Editor of Savour Life Magazine.

REGINA - For the family of Torreon de Paredes Estate Winery, concern about protecting the environment is a number one priority. “Trade barriers of the future will be related to the environment,” says Javier de Paredes, managing director. Two years ago, they put their money where their wine is concerned (and costs are huge to carry ISO status) and became one of the few wineries in Chile, and in fact around the world, to be ISO 14001 certified. “The term ‘organic’ still has a lot of grey zones but ISO certification has very clear cut guidelines,” he explains. Just last week the winery underwent its annual inspection. ISO inspectors came onto the winery and among other things interviewed every person at every level of production to inquire if they understood what ISO certification is about, their particular roles and how what they do impacts on the environment. Torreon de Paredes (Spanish meaning ?Tower of the Paredes family?) received another year of certification.

Concern for the environment and the small size of their winery is one reason why all the grapes of the one million bottles produce yearly are hand picked. “It’s much easier on the vines,” says Paredes. Mechanical harvesters, like the huge nets that rape the ocean floor for fish, swoop up everything in its path - leaves, nails and wire - not optimal ingredients for making world-class wines. Once the grapes have been picked (all of which come from the vineyard, none are outsourced), they are then hand selected and fed into the crusher.

The Torreon de Paredes Winery was established back in 1979 when Javier’s father, Amado, was reaching the autumn of his life. In his early 70’s he purchased 150 hectares of vineyards in and around Rengo, when Chile country was in terrible economic crisis. While other wineries were pulling out their vines and planting kiwis, Amado insisted on planting vitis vinifera vines. Today the winery exports to more than 15 countries worldwide. At age 94, in 2000, he passed away leaving his sons Javier and Alvaro to run the vineyard.

Although Amado envisioned a much larger operation than what the Paredes family runs today, there are no plans to expand. Instead the Paredes brothers are insistent on maintaining and exceeding the quality of their wines. A massive and costly replanting process began four years ago. “We have learned over many years which grapes grow best where,” says Javier. With the lifespan of a vineyard between 20-25 years, new plants must be planted to keep the winery healthy. “Four years ago we pulled out 11 hectares of poor producing Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc vines. Then we let the land rest for three years.” Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Viognier clones were planted in their place. “We wanted to maximize the scientific knowledge available. These clones mean that every plant is the same and reacts the same way to flowering, ripening and other physiological and environmental conditions,” explains Javier.

The first results were produced with the first bottling of 2003 Syrah wine. “Our first vintage was horrible,” remembers Javier. “We dumped it all out.” But the 2004 harvest has been excellent. During the growing season the vines underwent “green pruning” where green grape bunches are removed to enable the vine to produce a better quality fruit with fewer grapes. “The grape must from this vintage is incredible.” Although this is their first successful bottling, “Uncorked” the premier wine guide of Chile is recognizing the wine’s potential and suggesting it could become one of the best Syrah’s in Chile. During Javier’s stop last week in Regina, he held a tasting that included this new wine. Despite only three months of aging in the bottle, it’s showing great potential. A big wine that’s still young with huge aromas of vanilla, lots of pepper and ripe red fruit. The finish exhibits very strong yet drinkable tannins, which shows good aging potential. Only 500 cases were produced this year.

(see picture above) 

Javier de Paredes presenting a 3 litre Torreon de Paredes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 to Chef David Flegel, Radisson Hotel Saskatchewan, who prepared the food for Javier?s Winemaker Dinner. A month later David was Chef for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth?s stay at the Hotel Saskatchewan.

Javier’s Regina wine tour culminated with a fabulous winemaker’s dinner put on at the Hotel Saskatchewan by Executive Chef David Flegel and his team. The palate opener of the evening was a pretty Valle de Rengo Chardonnay 2003. This light fresh wine with its short finish was perfect to open the taste buds in anticipation of a superb meal. One of the highlights of the evening was Torreon’s Valle de Rengo Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2004, one of the best example I’ve enjoyed of a rosé.  This wine is full of fruit character, bursting with fresh from-the-field strawberries. It’s slightly tannic with excellent acidity. It paired perfectly with the tempura fried trout with ginger soy sauce.

The second highlight was the Special Reserve Don Amado 1998, a wine produced in honour of their late father. We revelled in this wine. Its complexity transported the meal to another plane. The vanilla, chocolate, ripe red cherries and well-rounded tannins paired beautifully with the Qu’appelle Valley elk loin, wild mushrooms and barley risotto. This wine gets consistently excellent reviews and is rated among the top five reds of Chile, a sliver medalist at the International Wine and Spirits competition in London, UK. The finale was the Reserve Late Harvest 2002 (100% Gewurztraminer) served with a chocolate panna cotta, port balsamic glazed cherries and a chocolate truffle torte. This wine is simply elegant bursting with apricots, honey and nectar.

The Torreon de Paredes Estate Winery is more than just wine. It’s about values, vision, passion and leadership. It’s so important in the age of mass produced McWine to support small wineries that craft an excellent product. Small wineries such as this one stand for something more than just producing lots of wine. They stand for family, the environment, and for quality. Taste the difference for yourself.

Vol 3, Issue 15

Wednesday April 20, 2005

Savour Life Magazine is Saskatchewan’s Only On-Line Food and Drink Magazine.

Savourlife.ca

The Back Label: Are you a Taster or Drinker?

 

by Rob Dobson

Some chefs think that chefs are divided into two rival ?gangs? according to their cooking philosophies.  The Bloods insist on using only local ingredients while the Crips select whatever ingredients they feel taste best regardless of where they come from. 

Once I got past the nasty visual image of rival gangs of chefs attacking each other with foie gras and fresh local produce, I decided to try looking at wine drinkers in the same way.  Sure enough, two clearly different kinds of wine lover began to emerge.  To avoid being hunted down by gangs of chefs, I will call my rival wine gangs The Tasters and The Drinkers. 

The Tasters love to obsess over wine.  They can?’t drink it unless they know the grape variety, the vintage year, the name of the winemaker?s dog and whether the wine went through full or partial malolactic fermentation.  There?s no such thing as a casual glass of wine for The Tasters.  It has to be a multi-year sit-down comparative vertical tasting of a single vineyard, with a tasting sheet in one hand and an aroma wheel in the other.    

The Drinkers, on the other hand, enjoy wine just as much as The Tasters, but they could care less about the details.  Wine shopping consists of picking the most colorful label or the hippest name.  Restaurant choices are usually a house wine or whatever a server happens to suggest.  It’?s not that The Drinkers aren?t discriminating.  They know a good wine from a bad wine, but it?’s not often you?’ll see a Drinker bother to jot down the name of a wine they liked. 

I?’m definitely a Taster, maybe even a gang leader; but I?’m not as bad as I used to be.  I?’m still fascinated with the history, culture and science associated with wine.  I?m still a compulsive note-taker and I regularly irritate my friends with bits of completely useless wine trivia.  But I?’ve stopped filling scrapbooks with labels I’?ve soaked off of wine bottles and I?’m finally able to enjoy a glass of wine without analyzing it to death.  Like Freud said, ?sometimes a good cigar is just a good cigar?. 

One of the things that helped me to let go of my extreme wine-geekiness was a short article by Terry Theise.  Theise is a wine importer from the eastern U.S.  You’?d expect him to be a hard-core Taster, but when he was invited to a tasting of fifty vintages of a top Bordeaux he replied ?no thanks?.  He said he would not enjoy ?sitting in some chillingly-well lighted room in a row with many other people as if we were taking the written segment of a driver?s test, with ten glasses in geometric patterns in front of me, little itty bits of wine in each glass, sippin’? and spittin’? and combing my mind for adjectives.  I don?t enjoy it because I think it?s a waste of wine, and even worse it is a sin against the spirit of wine? Sitting in some creepy banquet room and ?tasting? fifty old wines not only dilutes the aesthetic experience, it?s a macho snub of the nose to the angels.?   Ouch.  Talk about not pulling your punches and, just to plunge the knife in a little deeper and give it a twist, Terry concluded his rant by saying, ?If a hard-working vintner knew his/her wine would end up, fifty years later, being opened in a ?tasting? alongside forty nine other wines for a bunch of earnestly scribbling geeks, he?d probably hurl a grenade at the winery and run away sobbing.?  

Theise may seem to be raining, no, downpouring, on The Tasters parade, but he has also written, ?Soul is more important than anything, and soul is expressed as a trinity of family, soil, and artisanality.?  That?’s a pretty Taster thing to say and I bet Terry knows the names of several winemaker?s dogs.  If you want more of Terry Theise?’s brilliant insights into wine, you can find them here: www.skurnikwines.com/msw/terry_theise.html 

As Terry Theise so colourfully points out, too many Taster gang activities are unhealthy, but being a Drinker hoodlum is just as bad.  Let me give you a personal example.  Many years ago, when I was very involved in our local wine societies, we were a small band of people who wanted to learn more about wine.  There was a definite Taster emphasis.  We had tastings, visits from winemakers and the odd dinner; but eventually it was decided that we should try to grow our membership.  We found that the best way to do this was the wine dinner.  We?d book a restaurant and try to match some interesting wines to a creative menu.  This worked like a charm.  Membership exploded, but there was an obvious shift in the emphasis.  A lot of people weren?t joining to learn about wine, they were joining to have great dinners at good restaurants.  The wine was just a bonus.  We had made a point of always having someone stand up to talk about the wines that were being served.  But the groups had become so large and so loud, that I felt that whoever was trying to speak ended up shouting for only a few interested people.  I would ask people as they were leaving which wine they liked the best and the answers invariably ranged from ?the third one?, ?the dessert wine? or worse, ?I dunno?.  These Drinkers are missing the point of joining a wine club: to learn about wine.  Or at least that?s what I?ve always thought that?s the point of joining.  Needless to say, I?m no longer very active in our local wine societies, or should I say dinner clubs. 

The Tasters and The Drinkers both have their good and bad points.  Maybe the result of a huge rumble would be a gang of perfect wine lovers.

Riesling Renaissance

 

By Rob Dobson 

for Savour Life Magazine, June 2006

Let’?s play a game. I’?ll give you some information about a wine and you try to guess what it is.

The grapes for this wine are grown on an impossibly steep, stony vineyard that is tended and harvested by hand.  Yields are miniscule.

Production of this handcrafted wine (very old vines, natural yeasts) is less than 200 cases per year.

This wine has an amazing purity of fruit and layers of flavours that keep drawing the taster back for more. It?s the kind of wine that?s nearly impossible to put down.  

The Wine Spectator gave this wine 93 points, Robert Parker gave it a 92.

This wine is:

a)2002 Screaming Eagle Napa Cabernet $300

b)2001 Guigal ?La Turque? Hermitage $399

c)2002 Ramonet Montrachet $350

d)2003 Chateau Petrus Bordeaux $750

e)2001 Chateau D?Yquem Sauternes $400

 

Those are all good guesses.  These are wines that are far beyond the budget of almost everyone and they?’re not available in Saskatchewan and probably never will be.  But what if I told you that the wine matching this description may soon be available here and that it might sell for less than 50 bucks? No, I?’m not kidding.  Read on.

German wines have long been the Rodney Dangerfields of the wine world.  Confusing labels, lame marketing and a serious identity crisis have caused great German Rieslings to be underappreciated and underpriced for many years.  There has long been a perception that all German wines are soft, simple, sweet wines with little personality.  Many wine drinkers confess to liking German wines at first, but that they are now in their rearview mirrors as they?ve moved on to bigger, drier, ?more serious? wines.

I was guilty of that opinion until I visited Germany about ten years ago.  It became apparent to me that there are two categories of German wines.  Sure, there are a lot of German wines that are made precisely for the market segment that wants easy-drinking, slightly sweet wines.  But there is another category of German wines that include some of the most amazing expressions of the grape anywhere in the world.  Unfortunately, that second category is so vastly overshadowed by the first that many people don?t know that there are some absolutely stunning German wines out there.

The best German wines are grown on river banks, usually with an exposure that maximizes sunlight.  Many of these vineyards are extremely steep and covered with rocks or slate.  Germany is very susceptible to the vagaries of the four seasons.  It?s so far north that not every year produces ripe grapes.  Not to mention the floods that punish the towns and vineyards along the rivers every few years.

Years ago, as I stood in a steep, rocky vineyard along the Mosel River, I looked down between my feet at the rooftops of the village below and wondered why anyone would try to make wine in a place that seems so ill-suited to growing grapes.  But then the vineyard owner offered me some of the wine that he and his family had made from that vineyard.  I?ll never forget the pure and precise fruit of that wine, how I could taste the slate I was standing on and how the steely acidity gave the wine such a long and haunting finish.  I?m convinced that everyone who is interested in German wine should stand in one of those incredible vineyards so that they can appreciate what goes into producing top level Riesling.     

It was that memory that made me jump at the opportunity to meet Johannes Selbach, whose family has produced some of the finest Rieslings in Germany since 1661.  Both Johannes and his late father Hans have been tireless promoters of quality German Riesling for many years.  Their efforts and the high quality of the Selbach?s wines have put them in the top echelon of German wine producers.  The Selbach family has two branches to their operation, the larger part is a negociant business that buys wine from other growers and sells it under the J.& H. Selbach label.  The wines that the Selbach family produces from their own vineyards are sold under the Selbach-Oster label.

While Johannes Selbach regularly visits British Columbia and eastern Canada, this was his first visit to Saskatchewan since 1985.  He was here to meet with the SLGA, attend a winemaker?s dinner with the Regina chapter of the German Wine Society, then it was off to Saskatoon to attend several events there.  He had just come from Calgary and Vancouver in the previous two days.  He was obviously tired and jet-lagged but he patiently answered all of my questions.

During our conversation, Johannes remarked that there truly is a ?Riesling Renaissance? happening.  German wine sales have increased significantly, as have Riesling sales in other countries.  Serious wine lovers are returning to Riesling and appreciating it as a high quality wine.  People are also realizing that its lower alcohol and great acidity make Riesling a delicious partner to a wide variety of foods.  Restaurants are adding Riesling back to their wine lists.  When I asked about the popularity of Australian Rieslings, Johannes remarked, ?The Aussies drank themselves sick of big oaky Chardonnays, they now want wines that are easier and more pleasant to drink?.  He believes that many consumers are tiring of what he calls ?baseball bat? wines ? wines that are so ripe and alcoholic that they practically hit you over the head.  These wines often score highly in the wine press, but they are heavy and difficult to enjoy with food.  He believes that there is a trend towards lighter, more elegant and nuanced wines.  He also feels that many wine lovers want wines that are less of an industrial product in favour of wines that have more ?soul?- wines that reflect the place that they come from and the ideals of the people who make them. 

Johannes noted that many of the top quality German Riesling producers are finally getting more respect from the people who sell their wine. ?We no longer have to go to them, they are beginning to come to us and ask for our wines?.  With this improving respect and market demand, many German producers are finally beginning to see more realistic prices for their wines.  

Other wine regions have turned their winemakers and winery owners into celebrities and have marketed their wines as luxury items.  When asked why Germany has never taken this approach, Johannes responded that German winemakers have a different attitude about making wine.  ?I?m not in this for the glamour, I was born into winemaking.  It is what my family has done for generations.?  

Johannes believes it is his family?s duty to make the best wine they can with what Mother Nature gives them each year.  It is their approach to be ?hands on? in the vineyard and ?hands off? in the winery.  This means that they take great care in managing their vineyards to produce the best grapes, including a green harvest (reducing the number of grape bunches per vine early in the season), making several passes through the vineyard during harvest to hand-select only the ripest grapes, and declassifying any grapes or wine that are not up to their standards.  In the winery, intervention by the winemaker is minimal.  The Selbachs use the wild yeast on the grapes for fermentation, which by most wineries? standards is risky and inefficient, but the Selbachs believe it produces the truest expression of each of their vineyards.

As Johannes prepared to leave for the German Wine Society Dinner, I asked him if he had any closing messages for Savour Life readers.  Without hesitation he said, ?Come out and drink Riesling people! Most people don?t know that they like German wines.? 

 

He’?s right, you know.

 

Wine Recommendations

Most of the listings at the SLGA reflect the common view that German wines are inexpensive and inconsequential wines.  There are several listings that offer very good value for the lively, fresh wines that they are.  But a high quality Riesling wine transcends those humble qualities.  Great Riesling is often a bundle of paradoxes: aromas of flowers but also hints of minerals; luscious fruit but with racy acidity; low alcohol but with a finish that lingers.

There is currently only one non-dessert German wine listing that costs over $20.  The 2002 Studert-Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett sells for $20.69 and it exhibits the mineral character and penetrating fruit that distinguish a top-class Riesling.  Good value Rieslings that are delicious, but have less of  that complex mineral character include the 2004 Dr. L from Dr. Loosen at $14.75 and two listings from J. & H. Selbach.  The 2004 J. & H. Selbach Bereich Bernkastel Riesling is a great bargain at $12.45 and the 2004 J. & H. Selbach Detzemer Maximiner Klosterlay Riesling Spatlese offers a little more depth and richness for only $13.60.  I recently had this wine at a Thai cooking demonstration at Zest Restaurant (Regina) and it was a superb match with that style of cuisine.

When I met Johannes Selbach and Doug Reichel, his Saskatchewan agent, they brought along two wines that they hope will soon be available in Saskatchewan.  They will be. The first was the 2004 J. & H. Selbach ?Green Fish Label? Riesling Kabinett.  The Selbachs have created a very modern looking package for this wine that features a screw cap and a label designed by Vancouver artist Johanna Waldorf.  The wine inside is equally modern, with zingy fruit and some nice minerally flavours that are perfectly balanced by a crisp finish that will please those who like their German wines a little less sweet.

Okay, time to reveal the wine I described at the beginning of this article (it?s your reward for reading this far).  The 2003 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese instantly carried me back to that steep Mosel vineyard.  This is a captivating Riesling. It smells like a fruit salad of freshly sliced peaches, pears and green apples drizzled with maple syrup.  Those fruit flavours explode in the mouth, but slate flavours and a steely acidity ensure that the wine does not seem overly sweet even though it?s an Auslese.  It has a long finish with none of the heaviness or ?burn? that more alcoholic wines often leave behind.  It?s hard to believe that a wine with only 8.5% alcohol can be so deep and nuanced.  Even though German wines at the Auslese level are usually considered to be dessert wines, I would gladly drink this with a main course.  Or an appetizer.  Or before dinner.  Or with breakfast?   

I?m pleased to say Doug Reichel reports that both of these wines are being ordered by the SLGA and will be available in Saskatchewan toward the end of August/beginning of September.  He?s anticipating that the Selbach Fish Label Kabinett will sell for under $20 and that the Selbach-Oster Zeltiner Schlossberg Riesling Auslese under $40.

Reflections on My Time at Cape Jaffa Winery in South Australia

 

By Sarah Reichel

When my cousin and I showed up on the front steps of Cape Jaffa Winery in South Australia we had absolutely no idea what to expect. We would live and work there for more than two months. We had taken the owners up on their offer a year before, on their visit to Saskatchewan, to come and work at Cape Jaffa for a while. It hit us suddenly as we stood at the cellar door, with our bags piled high and our clothes wrinkled from the trip, that the invitation, although truly meant, was made out of friendship, not because we had anything to offer in the area of winemaking! The whole prospect had looked exciting and foreign and slightly fairytale while we were still at home but now it was just daunting!

We couldn’t help but fall in love with the setting at Cape Jaffa though. We had enjoyed staying in some of the large Australian cities, but it wasn’t until we drove through South Australia’s Limestone Coast on our way to the winery that we really felt comfortable. Maybe it was the rural nature and country friendliness of Cape Jaffa that made us feel this way, situated as it was between two small towns, Robe (population 2000) and Kingston (population 500). We were blown away by the acceptance and welcome that the locals showed us from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. Or maybe it was the setting, so different from that of anything I had seen before - stunning coastlines, brilliant blue waves, grass fields stretching for miles dotted with kangaroos and massive crawling gum trees, and, of coarse, vineyard after vineyard- the vines standing like troops in rows, uniformed in thick, heavy green. 

We spent our time at Cape Jaffa doing all sorts of jobs around the winery- testing the wines’ acid, sulphur and alcohol levels, transferring the wine from barrel to tank and back again, “training” the vines- tying the baby vines to a wire so that they grew straight and strong- and going on promotional trips. We also had the “pleasure” of labelling bottle after bottle of the wines being shipped to Saskatchewan-over 1500 bottles in all! Over time a number of things became apparent about the way this South Australian winery was run. There was a contagiously relaxed feel at Cape Jaffa. The day was always long enough to fit in the daily tasks plus a good surf, and maybe even an early morning crayfish run. 

Kym and Sue Hooper have just passed the winery on to their son and daughter-in-law, Derek and Anna Hooper. Cape Jaffa is in its fourth year toward becoming certified in biodynamics. I had no idea what this meant- previously having heard it described as a new-age way to farm and a superstitious waste of time – and so I was curious as to why the Hoopers had chosen this approach. I soon learnt that, to them, “biodynamic” had simply come to mean a cleaner, healthier way to farm. As Nigel Westblade (winemaker) said to me one day, “Biodynamic is really just one step further than organic”. 

I saw how in every way that the Hoopers farmed they tried to create a complete, sustainable living system in and around the vineyard to produce high quality wines. This called for incredible intention on the part of the winemakers, Nigel, Derek and Anna, a focus on detail, and a strong conviction to work with the land, not simply off of it. This turned out to be a meticulous and time-consuming task. But the Hoopers were left with the huge reward of a clear conscience, knowing that their wines were clean wines. 

I wasn’t aware that the majority of Australian wineries, large and small alike, manipulate their wines. This means that chemicals, preservatives and sugars are all added to make one vintage taste the same as the next. In the process of winemaking without manipulation, as we saw first-hand, this is practically impossible. Each vintage should taste distinct. That was the beauty of Cape Jaffa Winery. The care and concern that the Hoopers put into the making of their wines was all that was added. 

Biodynamics is based on the cycles of the moon. Therefore, if the moon affects the tides, what would it do to the draw of water in other places- like the draw of water in the soil? The more the effects of the moon were observed and understood, the more the benefits become apparent. For example, the Hoopers can know from the position of the moon when the grape flavours are at their fullest and therefore the best time to harvest.

But the moon cycle wasn’t the only aspect to play a role in biodynamic winemaking. There were many. Instead of herbicides, sheep are used. In the summer months sheep are left to graze up and down the rows of vines. In the winter, a slashing machine is used to keep down the weeds. 

Instead of pesticides, ducks are used. Luckily, pests (like snails and leafhoppers) are not a large problem at Cape Jaffa but to keep it that way, a flock of hungry ducks are “released” into the vines, a couple of times a year, to do what they do best: waddle and eat. Entering the rows skinny and exiting plump, the ducks do well at keeping pests scarce. 

Instead of fertilizer spray, natural products are used. One of the methods is to take a mixture of manure, seaweed, hay and grape skins piled and left for a year, turned every few months, and spread it at the base of the vines. Incredibly rich in minerals, it does an excellent job at rejuvenating and strengthening the vines. 

Instead of using high-energy, high-cost heaters and sprinklers to keep frost from damaging the vines, bales of hay are used. The bales are placed at the ends of the rows and are lit when the temperature drops to zero degrees Celsius. The smoke forms a protective blanket over the vines to keep out the frost.

But how does bio-dynamics actually better the crop? The Hoopers have noticed improvement in soil fertility and crop nutrition; better pest, weed and disease management; a great increase in the longevity of the vines (thus less work towards planting and growing new vines); their wines staying drinkable longer; and the undeniably clearer, sharper, more vibrant taste that people consistently comment on in their wines. 

In the end, my experience at Cape Jaffa did turn out to be exciting and foreign and yes, I suppose, slightly fairytale. But I don’t think that it is only the memories of the winemaking itself that will stay with me. I am left with an overall feeling of good that comes from the unique honesty, integrity and quality in the wines that were birthed at Cape Jaffa. I can taste the difference in all of their wines, and I’m sure you will be able to as well.

On Quality and Maturation in Winemaking

By Doug Reichel

Perhaps South Africa’s authoritative wine guide, John Platter South African Wines 2004, says it best about Rozendal wine: “An authentic ‘cult’ wine (all the more remarkable for the winemaker’s belief that he succeeded possibly because he ‘knew too little’), it’s still considered one of the finest Cape wines of the modern era.  Kurt A has fulfilled his vision of making wine ‘as naturally as possible.’”

Two of the hallmarks of the Rozendal’s St. Emillon/ Pommerol Bordeaux style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend are the almost mystical balance and its incredible capacity to cellar without big alcohol and additives.

Authentic Quality

Balance in red wine is about the fruit, tannins and acidity in harmony.  To Kurt, harmony is not just a component descriptor, it’s a philosophy of life.  Only healthy fruit can produce quality fruit and health is more than chemicals in balance.  Seeking harmony for every facet of life on the Rozendal Farm is seen in their bio-dynamic philosophy that ‘feeds’ the farm and everything associated with it.  Kurt recounts how he was jolted into thinking more holistically. A certain toxic chemical supplied by a U.S. company that was used for spraying the vines became unavailable in 1990 in South Africa due chemical warfare stockpiling on the eve of the first Gulf War.   Kurt was sobered by the fact that the chemicals  being used to potentially specifically kill people were the same ones being used on the vines and seeping into the soil and water table and it was only a matter of time before his family and farm would be toxin saturated and poisoned.  ”The toxic nature of these chemicals was only a matter of concentration, nothing else,” Kurt recalls.  Rozendal Farm (located on the edge of South Africa?s largest natural reserve) has been completely chemical-free since 1991. They have encouraged whole farm natural eco-systems, complete with no artificial irrigation, and at a very human level have intentionally fostered racial and relational harmony among the staff.  One visitor, overcome by the tranquility labelled Rozendal Farm, ‘Planet Rozendal!’  The ripple effects move into the wine making: With such clean land and water feeding the vines, added yeast and subsequent fining used to clear the accumulated dead yeast cells are unnecessary.

It is the absolute quality of the fruit on the Rozendal vines that allows for the tremendous balance of fruit, tannins and acidity/alkalinity. Amman believes and oft says, “quality is the estimate of value that is always an individual experience.” He believes that only nature can produce quality and that quality by its very nature cannot be static or constant and therefore cannot finally be manipulated by the winemaker.  So he deduces that when winemakers or marketers speak of ‘consistent quality’ they are, in fact, referring to consistent mediocrity or ‘average’, a standard that can be manipulated and controlled and then marketed as ‘quality.’   “Sadly,” says Kurt, “people who now train in winemaking and winemaking techniques no longer learn about making good wine, they learn how to avoid making bad wine.”  The standard is lowered but the marketing is heightened because advertising can influence our palates. Kurt observes, “It seems easier to find good wine that is expensive, than expensive wine that is good.”

Maturing vs. Aging

On Kurt’s first visit to Saskatchewan we noted the newly arrived Rozendal 2001 in the specialty section of a government liquor store.  It became clear that Rozendal was a bit of an anomaly among the ‘big’ reds parked on either side.  The average alcohol percentages ranged from 14-15.5% alc./vol. with Rozendal 2001 at only 12%.  Amman notes that at 16% alc./vol.  all developmental activity in the wine ceases.  Here he comes back to grape quality:  if you start with optimum quality fruit you need fewer manipulative techniques evidenced in excessive alcohol levels and sulfur additives to preserve.  It is here that Kurt makes a point he often repeats:  ”Aging and maturing of wines are not the same.  We want our wines to mature; aging is about sterile preservation. You can keep a body part or animal in pure alcohol for a very long time.  Growing old and growing up are not the same. This is true with wine as well as humans.” Kurt talks about how our palates have been overwhelmed, even ‘numbed’ by the big alcohol-laden wines.  Having been formally trained in European culinary ways and having operated one of Johannesburg’s top restaurants prior to moving into the Stellenbosch wine world, Kurt understands the palate.  One wonders how many big reds have wowed us by effectively pickling sub-standard fruit in copious amounts alcohol.  In contrast, each Rozendal wine (you pick the vintage) has all the delicate fruit flavours and balance, the gentle finesse that seem to mark prominent Bordeaux wines, without excessive alcohol or sulphur reinforcement.  There is not a Rozendal vintage that we know of since that first catapulting 1983 vintage (with only 11% alc./vol.) that is not still drinking from well to outstanding.

Rozendal wine is true terroir wine, and given the health of the Rozendal Farm terroir it should not be surprising that the Rozendal wine has such maturing potential.  Amman refuses to make hard and fast predictions about best drinking time because authentic maturing is outside the winemaker’s control, the wine is ‘alive’ and evolving and defies predictions.  They will not release the wines before they can be enjoyed when purchased, and so the 2001 vintage is the latest to be released.  He does say that the 2001 will probably be at optimum drinking in 7-14 years.  Amazing, because it’s so enjoyable now.

CAPE JAFFFA WINES - Biodynamic fruit and certified to boot!

 

Cape Jaffa Wines’ vineyard achieves full biodynamic certification MOUNT BENSON ? 9 April 2008: Mount Benson’s founding winery and pioneer in biodynamic winegrowing on the Limestone Coast Cape Jaffa Wines (www.capejaffawines.com.au) has completed requirements to become one of South Australia’s largest fully-certified biodynamic winegrowers, a process some four years in the making.

The certification granted by Australian Certified Organic (ACO) sees Cape Jaffa Wines’ entire vineyard become a fully-certified biodynamic operation. This consists of a biodynamic producer certification for the vineyard as well as an organic processor certification for its winery.

The Mount Benson operation is only one of a select few wineries in the state that have decided to go through the certification process.

“Cape Jaffa’s decision to become certified was one largely based on our commitment to consumers. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding biodynamic farming and we’re hoping to change that,” says general manager Derek Hooper.

“A lot of overseas markets don’t allow products to be labelled or marketed as organic or biodynamic unless they are certified, and it’s likely that Australia will follow suit and tighten their own regulations sooner rather than later.”

The ACO accreditation validates Cape Jaffa’s commitment to biodynamic vineyard management which has been developing over the last 12 years, and this year a certified product line will be released.

Biodynamic vineyard management is an advanced form of organic farming based on the idea of the farm as a self-sustaining organism. Growing using biodynamic practices from a winemaker’s point of view means the wine created bears a close relationship to the soil and climate that it is grown in, and therefore expresses the true regionality of where it is grown.

CAPE JAFFA WINES established in 1993 pioneered organic and biodynamic winegrowing in Mount Benson, South Australia. It is committed to growing regionally distinctive fruit and producing wines that are a true reflection of its unique site. The Cape Jaffa philosophy is to tread lightly through its environment, use biodynamic techniques to manage the vineyard and employ sustainable practices in the winery that minimise environmental impact.

Bouwland Shows The Way