Vine Time| Give that ‘Old Man’ a Groote Post blend

Marketers capitalise on Father’s Day to sell anything from nose-hair trimmers to car wax, but why not rather share a bottle of wine and some good memories with your old man next weekend, with a wine made specially by a family for their own dad?

Groote Post Old Man’s Blend red was first made by the Pentz family for their “old man” Peter Pentz in 2001, when he asked son Nick and winemaker Lukas Wentzel to make him an easy-drinking wine for winter evenings.
An award-winning third-generation dairy farmer, Peter had recently converted the family’s historic property on the slopes of the Kapokberg outside Darling, from cattle farming to wine, around the time attention was turning to the cool-climate wine-making potential of the West Coast area.
Groote Post was the childhood home of the wonderfully named Hildagonda Duckitt, the 19th-century Cape version of that great English housekeeping authority, Mrs Beeton. She was one of the first writers to collect up recipes reflecting the diverse influences on Cape cuisine – from Afrikaner farmers’ wives to the descendants of Malay slaves – in her 1891 bestseller Hilda’s ‘Where is it?’ of Recipes.
Her memory lives on in the restaurant named after her at Groote Post, and her recipe for bobotie is still used today.

Hilda’s bobotie might well be a good match for the Old Man’s red, a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and cabernet franc – a down-to-earth, ripe fruity wine, with hints of smoke and spice, and a softly smooth finish. It’s really enjoyable and easy-drinking, on its own or as partner to a braai or hearty winter meal.

Old Man Pentz takes part in “rigorous” tasting sessions to decide on the final blend after the components have been vinified and matured separately. Similarly, he plays a key role in the final blend that goes into the Old Man’s Blend white, a blend of sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc with a touch of semillon – the latter two adding some fullness of body to the typically cool crisp Darling Sauvignon.

The result is lively and flavourful with pineapple and citrus flavours carrying through the finish.
Both are widely available at around R75.

Says the Old Man of his favourite wine: “When drinking The Old Man’s Blend, I like to reminisce about the day that we made the first red blend that was to my liking.

This wine is very special to me – I often sit back with a glass and think about my family, friends and all the good times during my life.”

Sounds like a good way to spend Father’s Day!