Made with passion

Made with passion
Article By: Thamar Houliston
Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:02

There's certainly something to be said about the 'experience' of wine and the sentimentality one attaches to it, or perhaps just one's admiration for the label, based on the circumstances under which you first enjoyed it.

Take for example my friend Dylan's experience of Juno wines, which was less about the taste than the fact that he'd found the little wine shop on the way back from a majestic weekend in Cape Agulhas. He came home starry-eyed, raving about the wine and bought a box to boot — despite the fact he spent more on it than he would have at Pick 'n Pay.

Passion in Heritage

When I was invited to visit the group of Cape Heritage Wine farms, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I've tried a 'fair' amount of wines in my time — from Tassies to Thelema, but still wasn't sure what I would make of these boutique farms' fare — distastefully referred to as 'Garagistes'.

The group consists of Rico Suter, Mason's, Blyde, Retief and Hoopenburg — which is somewhat removed from the group being a big name, but is still connected by history, geography and passion.

We arrived at Rico Suter's winery — a space not much bigger than a house — way out in the Breedekloof. Rico who hails from Switzerland originally, settled here and decided to pursue his love for wine and paragliding.

He's an amiable winemaker with a magic touch. His wines are well known in the European market, and when we arrived told us how he'd just come back from Italy where he'd attended a dinner party and all his bottles were polished off — a testament to joyful wine.

With Waaihoek Mountain peering curiously at us, Rico began to open barrels for us to taste — Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz and Petit Verdot. After two and a half hours I was still in awe of what I was tasting — wine that is touched with talent, and a most delightful Shiraz that seemed to roll on my tongue — lingering for ages…

Character wines

Next on the list was Mason's, made by Derek Clift at his beautiful Cape Dutch farm — literally on Paarl's high street. Made from the grapes of the De Hoop farm on the upper slopes of Paarl Mountain, Mason's was born out of a pure curiosity for wine making.

As the story goes, Lieb Loots of Blyde, Graham Retief and a few others all met at Mason's place to start their own labels as a hobby and an experiment. When Derek produced his maiden wine — Mason's Hill 2001 — and won a Double Gold Veritas, he knew he was onto something.

Derek, who is extremely passionate about his trade, believes that his wines are for the discerning wine drinker who is able to appreciate the way in which the climate and season lends each vintage its character.

He does comment that it's not easy having to compete in a market which is not only saturated with wine, but also cheap wine — which he feels exchanges the 'buy for the experience' to the 'search for the lowest price'.

On offer from Mason's is the Shiraz Reserve 2003 — a full-bodied, Barossa style wine with hints of prune, black cherries and pepper, and the Shiraz 2004 which oozes hints of rich cherries and raspberries.

Leader of the pack

Being a mountain biker I was pleased to hear that Lieb Loots — the maker of Blyde — was also into the sport.

I immediately begain to rattle off, not having the foggiest that he'd just completed the 2007 Crocodile Trophy in Australia (1400km in hot dusty conditions), and that he is one of the top masters riders from the Southern Cape, especially since his modesty was so pronounced.

Mountain-biking wasn't the only thing he was modest about. His wine — born out of a garage he rents on Paarl's Main Street is certainly worth noting. He does however admit that he loves drinking it himself — maybe that's what gives him the edge on the bike.

His Bona Dea — a blend of Shiraz (40 percent), Cabernet Sauvignon (32 percent) and Merlot (28 percent) — is a easy-drinking, velvety wine with pizzazz.

Yes, it's red!

Unfortunately we did not have enough time to visit Retief Wines, owned by fourth generation Graham Retief, but the wines spoke for themselves.

Like Mason's, the Retief farm was primarily been used for table grape growing over the years, but the well drained east-facing slopes on the farm — Uitkyk — are ideal for high-quality grapes.

Retief makes two wines. 'Above the Mist' 2005, which is made from the grapes on the upper slopes of the farm and the easy-drinking 'And yes, it's red' 2004, which is said to be best with the addition of some biltong and rugby to watch.

'Above the Mist' certainly is a quality wine, a blend of Merlot (60 percent) and Shiraz (40 percent). It's lightly wooded with a complexity of spices and smoothness — I would say ideal for that Christmas Eve dinner.

'And yes, it's Red' is made up of Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Savignon, and is an unfiltered blend, integrated with plum, berry and spicy overtones.

The importance of experience

On my way back to Cape Town, I contemplated the characters I had met and how their wines had been so much part of their personality, and how when I tried them again it would not just be the taste that I would be enjoying, but the process in which they were made and the passion that was put into them.

So my conclusion: Boutique may not be predictable, but it certainly is the best kind of wine — one that's cared for, has memories attached to it and one that you feel proud to drink. No more of the local supermarket's cheapest for me — I'm all for the experience.