Wine for tea drinkers
“It’s a beer and spirits or tea-based culture,” said China’s best-known wine educator, Fongyee Walker, after judging at this year’s Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. The co-founder of Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting in Beijing described her job as “trying to persuade people that wines are lovely and delicious”. She’ll be telling them that, on the whole, SA wines are lovely and delicious following this year’s competition, which attracted 1 040 entries from 221 producers.
In particular, Walker was impressed with the chenin blanc class, which saw 44 of the 57 wines entered receive medals — the best result for a large class in the 13-year history of the show — with the trophy going to KWV The Mentors Chenin Blanc 2013.
One category she won’t be highlighting is SA merlot: “You felt that not a lot of love had been put into these,” she said.
Another disappointing category was Méthode Cap Classique, with UK-based Gerard Basset (co-founder of the Hotel du Vin group) finding many of them “unbalanced, bitter and unpleasant”. The panel did, however, like Ultra Liquors’ Table Bay MCC Blanc De Blancs NV (Best Sparkling Wine) and he “enjoyed” the pinotage category, in which Spier won with its 21 Gables 2011.
Chardonnay was a highlight for Véronique Drouhin-Boss of Maison Joseph Drouhin in France. “The wines showed a lot of purity.” The Mulderbosch Chardonnay 2013 scooped Best White Wine Overall, while Super Single Vineyards’ Mount Sutherland Syrah 2012 was Best Red Wine Overall. Paarl-based KWV was the Most Successful Producer Overall. ......................................................