Standing the test of time
Nederburg just keeps getting better
There were times – especially in the 1980s and 1990s – when the mere mention of Nederburg conjured up the image of everyday, undistinguished wines which were a familiar sight at dinner tables of many South African homes.
As regular as mass brands like Nederburg Rosé and Baronne were at the time, they somehow offered value for money as well as the pleasure of being of highly palatable tipple.
But there was always more to Nederburg wines than the standard fare that deceptively became the face of the picturesque Paarl estate. Coming to mind are quality Nederburg offerings of single-grape wines such as cabernet sauvignon in the upper bracket – all enjoyed by the niche market, including their exclusive dessert wines that are still recognised internationally today.
Thankfully, Nederburg experienced something of a phenomenal renewal with the arrival in the early 2000s of the ebullient Romanian-born cellarmaster Razvan Macici, who injected new life into the brand, introducing many prizewinning wine ranges for the estate between 2001 and 2015.
Since then, Nederburg has raked in many international awards – the latest being recently when it was listed in the 36th position among the World’s Top 50 Most Admired Wine Brands by Drinks International. The accolade follows Diners Club Platter’s South African Wine Guide’s naming of Nederburg as the winery of the year 2017.
Over the past 15 years or so, Nederburg has crafted and aged to some perfection an impressive range of Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Produced under labels such as Private Bin and Centuries II, these wines pose a serious challenge to the top Stellenbosch cellars which claim their wine-making area is the actual kingdom of Cabernet Sauvignon.
What really demonstrated the elegance of Nederburg’s Cabs is last week’s food-and-wine pairing collaboration between the estate’s winemaker Samuel Viljoen and chef David Higgs, co-owner of fine-dining Marble Restaurant in Rosebank. It drove home the age-worthiness, sleekness and finesse of Cabernet Sauvignons from the estate.
In the same vein, the wines teased out the best of Marble Restaurant kitchen staff, who have caught the imagination of the fine dining coterie.
Viljoen presented the five wines which included the Nederburg Private Bin R163 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 and Nederburg II Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. Apart from demonstrating the longevity of Cab wines, Viljoen and Higgs showed the versatility of Cabs with meat or vegetarian dishes.
Higgs’s deft hand manifested in saliva-inducing dishes such as smoked kudu, caramelised pear, gorgonzola and sherry dressing; lamb riblets, pork belly, teriyaki, miso aubergine, sticky pork shoulder and radish salad.