Ratcliffe’s Pink Lady fit to make mom’s day
WHILE this may be a column recommending a “girly” pink wine for Mothers’ Day – and it’s a wine made by a woman – let’s get two things out of the way right upfront, there’s nothing girly about either this wine or its maker.
Deservedly known as South Africa’s “First Lady of wine”, Norma Ratcliffe of Warwick has notched up an enviable roster of firsts. Mostly self-taught, she forged a path for women winemakers in South Africa and produced her first Cabernet Sauvignon – The Blue Lady – in 1984.
She was the first woman invited to join the exclusive club of the Cape Winemakers Guild and the first (and to date, only) woman elected to its chair.
“I was having so much fun that I didn’t realise I was also ploughing a few rows for the girls before they got there,” she said later.
She was also the creator of the iconic Warwick Trilogy – a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which has racked up countless awards and graces the wine-lists of august institutions such as England’s House of Lords. It’s one of the few Warwick wines not to embody the “lady” concept – from “The Black Lady” Syrah to the best-selling “White Lady” Chardonnay and James Bond’s favourite, the “Three Cape Ladies” red blend.
Hard-nosed businesswoman, sure, and savvy winemaker, no doubt, but Norma Ratcliffe is also a mother and grandmother – and she created the Warwick “Pink Lady” that has been served on the estate for more than 20 years but only now released for retail sales.
Son Mike is Warwick’s managing director and the very savvy marketing brain. The Pink Lady has become the First Lady, with a designation of the “Official Wine of Mothers’ Day”. One of the many “rules” of marketing is to “cre- ate your own category” rather than chasing the competition. So if no one else is claiming Mothers’ Day from a wine point of view, why not Warwick?
As for the wine, this is no “girly” pink. It’s a rosé made with Pinotage, so it’s got some serious substance – the dryness of Pinotage coupled with deep, juicy fruit rolled up in a delicate light pink package.
Delicate in colour, and the flavours are delicately expressed – but don’t read that for insubstantial or wishy-washy. Think rather clear flavours, crispness, expressed in Turkish delight, burnt sugar and red fruit flavours.
Something to treat mom for Mothers’ Day – or any other day for that matter.