handtomouth

Wine and art are not new acquaintances. The long-standing relationship exists both in the form of weedy plonk in Paris goblets at gallery openings, and as one-off pieces by famous artists for Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. And then there are all sorts of collaborations in between.

Art, with all its grand and lofty suggestion, is of course considered fertile ground for hopeful wine marketers. Continue reading ‘Art and wine’

Most wine producers toe the line. Inherently a conservative pastime, winemaking doesn’t court many true mavericks, those willing to break away and challenge the status quo. It shows in the way certain concepts are repeated over and over, and universally: the vital presence of cooling sea breezes; the unique wonders of their terroir, or site, and the way they express its character; the wondrous combination of viognier with shiraz.

Carl van der Merwe of Quoin Rock believes all of these need interrogation, since the grip of convention is strangling our winemaking. Continue reading ‘Quoin Rock’

While the new always gets the lion’s share of publicity (which thrives on the new(s)), it’s great to be reminded of the oldies but goodies.

Delheim, for example. Their first wine-making tanks were built by Italian prisoners of war in 1944, the cement tanks spoiling the first harvest because the winemakers didn’t seal the cement properly. The first labelled bottle went out in 1958, a sweet wine. For a New World winery, this is a good bit of history.

They have recently done major renovations to their cellar, for it was built piecemeal as the needs of the business grew, and all that wood and later foamalite is no longer a safe medium for a winery. So it’s all been stripped out and replaced.

Their cellar restaurant has also seen a few changes, with a more modern kitchen in place, but the style is still hearty country fare, and highly recommended for a lazy lunch while trying some fine wines, the reds my favourites.

A little premature for the weather, but my wine tasting has of late been dominated by white wines. This is more or less the time that most sauvignon blancs are released, and so it should also be a good time to reassess last year’s vintages, should there be any truth to the idea that sauvignon can age. Continue reading ‘White Blends’