Wine of the week - Bramon Sauvignon Blanc MCC 2007

It's no secret that when I take a break from work (that's right, I do actually work) I like to head to The Garden Route. What is a secret though is a little wine farm about 10 minutes outside of Plett. It's called Bramon and makes MCC that I have been drinking fairly solidly for a while now. The chain of events (in a nutshell) goes like this:

1. About 18 months ago I propose to (then) The Princess. (now The Queen of course). 

2. About 8 months ago I spend a long day at Bramon Wine Estate drinking their MCC. 

3. I order waaaaaaaay too much of it for my wedding. 

4. About 6 months ago I get married. 

5. All the guests do their best to finish the bubbly at our wedding. 

6. They don't even get close. 

7. We wake up after the wedding with crates and crates of extra bubbly. 

8. We spend 6 months drinking it. 

It's been a pretty awesome 6 months. 

The MCC itself is unusually made from Sauvignon Blanc, which results in fresh, citrus on the nose and crisp green apples in the mouth. A hint of asparagus comes through nicely. The bubbles themselves are quite aggressive, and perhaps not as refined as some MCC, but I love it. I think it gives the glass some character and it also awakens the mouth. Gentle but authoritative at the same time. Does that make any sense? Like a slap you might give your lover on the bum? (you can see my extensive wine jargon coming through in that last sentence)

Anyway, the stuff is delicious and you would do well to get some. To find out where, check out their site on www.bramonwines.co.za and if ever you are in the area make sure to visit. Just be sure to place your order early on in the trip. Not like us. Unless you want to drink bubbly for 6 months. Well...now that I say it out loud...

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Wine of the week - Cloof Inkspot Vin Noir 2007

Cloof is a winery in Darling which produces serious wines without taking things too seriously. With names like Daisy Darling, Happy Dragon, Very Sexy Shiraz etc. it's clear they have a sense of humour out there in Darling. Don't be fooled though, their wines are crackers. One of them, the Inkspot Vin Noir 2007 (a blend of Pinotage, Shiraz, Cinsaut and Cabernet Sauvignon), is a personal favourite for sentimental reasons... 

I chose it as the red for my wedding, which means I got too much and am still drinking it 6 months later. Not necessarily a bad thing. I chose it for the big day for a few reasons. Despite the intense dark colour (hence the name), I found it to be exceptionally fruity. I got some strong citrus coming out of it, particularly orange zest. This set my mind wandering and conjured up images of sipping sangria somewhere along the Spanish coastline. Of course, it's not sangria and saying it is might be a massive insult to the winemaker. What I'm trying to say is that it's fresh, lively and not too heavy. Plums and summer berries come through in the mouth, and in a blind tasting I reckon I would've said it was a Pinot Noir. Wrongly, of course. 

It is the type of red wine you can drink during the daytime. (Which is not the case for all red wine in my opinion). It is the type of wine that I can happily drink standing round a braai or having lunch in my courtyard. It lends itself to be served slightly chilled and I reckon it would be dynamite with something like a smoked duck salad with blueberry dressing. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. This wine is a bit more difficult to find than some. That's the bad news. The good news - no, the GREAT news - is that all you need to do is drop them an e-mail on marchell@cloof.co.za and they will deliver. A bottle costs R45. Call the cops people...that is an absolute steal.  

Wine of the week - Idiom Cape Blend 2006

I've realised that my Wines of The Week haven't exactly been of the "cheap and cheerful" type lately. I realise this may seem like I am a snob. Far from it. I enjoy a glass or bottle of well-priced wine. I've got no problem with it. In fact, discovering a little gem is often far more rewarding to me than enjoying wine that you know is good. That said, there are times when you need wine to celebrate. You need a special bottle to enjoy and savour. There is also no doubt that mood and circumstance can have an effect on how good (or bad) a wine can taste. So perhaps I should explain what I was going through when we opened this one.

Long Distance, Prego and I had just finished the African X (well, 2 of the 3 days. The last one had to be cancelled because of dangerous weather). My left knee felt like a midget was standing under the table stabbing me in the leg. My toenails were black. My back ached. I had blisters the size of golfballs on both feet. But I felt awesome. Six mates (the others were staying somewhere else...shame) had pushed ourselves and our bodies for 65km's through some of the most beautiful trail running around. We sat and traded war-stories. I had thrown a leg of lamb into the oven about 4 hours earlier and the smell of rosemary and garlic was filling the room. I needed a drink. 

Prego had brought along a bottle of the Idiom Cape Blend 2006. We decanted it, gave it as much time as our patience could manage and poured ourselves a glass. On the nose, pomegranate. With a bit of something sweet. Maybe honeycomb? If that sounds weird, it is. But good weird. Anyway, from the first sip it was brilliant. Full-bodied and with the ability to linger in every millimeter of your mouth, it made all the sweat of the two previous days worth it. 

We managed to drink the wine slow enough to enjoy some of it with the lamb, which proved to be a great pairing. Again, the situation may have helped that. A roaring fire and watching the rain lash into a wild sea 20 metres from where we sat can do that I guess...

Next time I promise I'll showcase something a bit more entry-level. But if you're celebrating this is a good one. Trust me, my knee felt instantly better. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. The wine itself is a blend of Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. It comes from a Stellenbosch winery and  should cost you about R145 - R155 from wine boutiques.  

Wine of the week - Haut Espoir Gentle Giant 2006

The first time I tasted this wine it was from a bottle that I had won. Some dude called Rambowine was having a competition on Twitter where you had to identify a restaurant's bathroom from a photo he had taken with a cellphone. I ended up guessing Reuben's in Franschhoek and 24 hours later I was holding a bottle of the Gentle Giant 2006 from Haut Espoir. Lovely...

Since then I have learnt more about the mysterious Rambowine (real name Rob Armstrong) by following him on the TV show, "Way of The Warrior". On the show his determination and passion for life was obvious and this comes through clearly in his wine. Upon completion of that first bottle (which was the same night by the way) I have made a point of ordering the stuff whenever I can find it. It's a blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Mourvedre, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. So some strong flavours are involved. The smell is spicy and reminds me of  poached plums. In the mouth it is incredibly smooth, with cracked peppercorns and even a bit of aniseed coming through - like crushed fennel seeds or star anise. Very skooch. 

A great way to enjoy this is with a simple, grilled ribeye steak. Use plenty of black pepper to stand up to the spicy wine. 

You're welcome. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

Wine of the week - Newton Johnson 2007 Chardonnay

I'm loving wines from the Hermanus/Hemel En Aarde Valley area lately, which is where this week's featured wine is produced. I've been nailing a lot of the Pinot Noir from the Newton Johnson farm but I recently stumbled across their 2007 Chardonnay. It's aged in Burgundy oak barrels, and smells like fruits stewing in vanilla and butter. In the mouth I found it to have more body than expected, with citrus flavours hanging around long after you've taken a sip. They come wafting in the same way you smell a beautiful women's perfume a few seconds after she has walked past. They are subtle but still worth a mention. 

I know winter is here but that doesn't mean we have to ONLY drink red wine. I like to match a wine like this with something spicy which provides the warmth. I had this with a phenomenal plate of chicken livers and chorizo at Wild Woods recently and it worked a treat. The creaminess of the livers matched the texture of the wine and the heat from the chilli was awesome with the citrus notes. It was pretty skoochie and if ever you're out there you would do well to order that. Trust me. If you're looking to knock something up at home a nice piece of grilled tuna with chilli and ginger could be good too. 

The wine goes for R115 and is available at most boutique stores. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who 

Monday Wine of the Week - AA Badenhorst Secatuers Red Blend 2007

I feel a bit sorry for Mondays. Honestly, I have never met a single person who likes them. And this is especially true for foodies. Obviously Mondays can't compete with the popular Fridays and Saturdays, where the majority of people are doing their wining and dining. Sundays are often the time for family roasts or simple evening braai's in the summer. Wednesdays are the "mini-Fridays" and often see people magnetically drawn to a pub on the way home. Thursdays? Well, they're almost Friday so why not indulge in the now famous Phuza Thursday movement? Hell, even Tuesdays are popular now that people can go to the movies and save some money (ignore the fact that this money saved is then spent eating extra sushi when the movie is done.) But Mondays, well...they've got very little going for them. Until now. 

Say hello to the wine of the week. Sure, it's not exactly a new concept but I've decided to throw it up on a Monday to at least - at LEAST - get people stoked about a new wine. I mean come on people, let's give Mondays something to stand for. 

Wine of the week on this blog is going to be a super-informal recommendation of a wine that I'm enjoying. I'm not going to get technical about it (mainly because I don't know enough about wine to do that), but instead just tell you what I'm drinking. And why I like it. That simple. 

We kick off with The Secateurs Red Blend 2007, from AA Badenhorst Family Wines. The farm is in the Paardeberg area, between Wellington and Malmesbury. Upon opening the wine (a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Merlot, Carignan, Cinsaut and Grenache) I was struck by the smoky, spicy notes. A touch of sweetness came though from the fruits and the whole thing smelt like a campfire. A gorgeous mix of burnt wood and cooking marshmallows. I expected it to be heavy on my tongue but it was surprisingly thin, which was not necessarily bad. With such bold flavours a heavier consistency could've felt a bit clumsy. It reminded me a lot of the Hedonist blend (another favourite of mine) which, not surprisingly, comes from the same area and also uses highly underrated bush-vine varieties for intense flavour. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would've loved to cook something like a chorizo, chilli and butter-bean soup with this. That said, when I first opened it I also just wanted to knock up a bacon and peanut butter (crunchy...obviously) sandwich. It didn't last long enough with my thirsty guests for me to either.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. The wine retails from boutiques for about R67 a bottle.  

P.P.S. If any of the more knowledgeable wine guys/girls - and there are plenty more knowledgeable than me - are reading this please feel free to comment and give opinions. Also, if there are any wines out there that are blowing your minds drop me an e-mail at jamiewhoblog@gmail.com so I can check them out.