Great wines with stories to tell
Collection of six of the best bottles
A work of art can seem confusing to an unknowing onlooker until its painter steps in to unravel its hidden message.
Likewise, a bottle of a drink like beer, wine or spirits may seem wrapped in mystique until one reads the label to familiarise oneself about its contents.
Better still is when the winemaker or whiskey master blender is present to provide relevant information about the drink to an eager taster.
Hence the presence of Neethlingshof winemaker De Wet Viljoen at Rosebank’s Marble Restaurant recently was akin to art lovers warming to a meeting with the painter of their favourite works.
Viljoen brought not one masterpiece but a collection of six of his best wines for the tasting luncheon – including his freshly squeezed Chenin Blanc 2017, The Owls Post Pinotage 2015, and The Caracal Red Blend 2015.
“All great wines have a story to tell. They speak of the soils where gnarled vines send down their deep roots, and leafy canopies cooled by fresh sea breezes. They carry the spirit of the vintage; of good winter rains and long summer days.”
For his part, Viljoen crafts his wines to resonate with this mantra, ensuring that they strike a delicate balance. He attributes the numerous local and international awards scooped by the winery to the “intense focus the farm has placed on its vineyards to produce the best quality fruit”.
Viljoen is also passionate about the grape malbec, whose 2015 vintage received rave reviews in London, as well as a gold award. Highlights from Marble Restaurant was the starter dish of prawn, served with pea naan, tomato and lemongrass dressing – washed down with a richly layered Short Story Collection The Six Flowers blend of chenin blanc, chardonnay and viognier. This pairing exploited the compatibility of the lemon flavour in the dish and melon flavours in chardonnay and viognier to strike a mouth-watering combination.
The winery makes one of the best dessert wines around – Maria, named after the original owner of the estate who lived on the farm in the 1800s.