A whole lot of tasting and a restaurant wine list later
[caption id="attachment_38365" align="alignright" width="405"] WINE LOVERS: In pursuit of the ultimate wine list are, from left, Trevor Villet, Nicki Kirton, Gary Hemmings, Bartho de Vries, Tanya Hemmings, Cheryl Villet, Janine Luders and Roland Luders[/caption]
WHAT goes into making a good restaurant wine list? A suitably diverse selection of brands, varietals and flavours to suit different tastes and complement the menu, a range of prices to suit various pockets – and a whole lot of tasting.
Faced with a dizzying array of samples, Blue Waters Cafe owner Bartho de Vries enlisted some local wine lovers to help him decide on new additions to the beachfront eatery's wine list.
"It doesn't always matter which is the best wine. People look for what they know, and value comes into it too," he said.
Bearing in mind value, quality, food-friendliness and broad appeal, the taste testers dived undaunted into their mammoth task.
Maritimus 2010 from Sumaridge in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley, a sauvignon blanc-chardonnay blend with "dollops of viognier and semillon" is not a cheap dinner date (R115 from the cellar), but nonetheless absolutely delicious. The type of grapes and the age of the wine give it a depth and intensity unexpected in a white. Wood gives it some creaminess but it's not heavy and overly buttery, and would definitely make a great food partner for the more adventurous.
Sumaridge's sauvignon blanc is crisp and zesty, with minerality rather than fruitiness. From a restaurant's point of view, there is probably better value in this price bracket (R70), but for wine-lovers, a jolly nice wine.
The shiraz-pinotage Epitome red blend (R165) scored high points for its rich bouquet, complex layers of flavour and velvety smoothness. A seriously good red that mellows even more in the glass.
Iona Sauvignon Blanc (R120) from Elgin, a great example of a cool climate white, was another big winner with its intense nose and crisp, fresh tastes balancing fruit and flintiness. "It's like taking a walk in the apple orchard," commented one taster.
In the pink department, the tasters reckoned Vrede en Lust Jess (R50), a dry pinotage-shiraz rosé, could give that perennial favourite of the ladies-who-lunch, Tranquille, a good run for its money. It's crisp and delicious with notes of strawberry and the sugar-burnt caramel of candy floss.
From a great entry-level everyday red in the Spliced (R66) blend to the high-end Figurehead (R109) Cape blend, Raka delivered a well-rounded array of reds. The Figurehead is especially good, with layers of savoury-spicy-fruitiness.
Which wines made the final cut? You'll have to visit Blue Waters and see for yourself.
All prices are cellar door. Iona, Vrede & Lust and Raka are fairly widely available (Preston's and Spar Tops) and Sumaridge is exclusively at For Love of Wine. - A Vine Time, with Sam Venter
