Wine Opinion

Wines For The Worst Social Media Stereotypes

Date: February 21, 2016

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Whine into wine?

Or the more descriptive yet less catchy title: “The Best Wines To Pair With The Most Annoying Social Media Stereotypes“.

If you are even moderately active on any social media channel or platform, by definition, you will be engaging in a quasi-social manner with other humans. And we know that – as humans go – the spectrum ranges from amazing to annoying and everything inbetween. And as the world has gone mad for pairing wine with everything from moods to music, I present to you a useful guide to pairing everyone’s least favourite online stereotype with a wine to make it a bit more bearable.

To Be (back) In The Pink

Date: September 10, 2015

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Categories: MCC & Champagne, Wine Competitions, Wine Opinion

Comments: Leave a reply

Rosé Rocks

For such a pretty, beautifully hued and generally cheerful-looking wine, rosé in South Africa has had a really strained relationship with consumers over the past decade or so. I’m not pointing fingers or laying blame but I suspect we’d all agree that this is largely due to two reasons: sugar and volume. I sincerely mean no offense to any producer but sugary sweet pink wines and pink wines in big boxes have – in the minds of many – set the tone for rosé consumption in SA. OBVIOUSLY not exclusively, but it’s a connotation that has been pretty dominant. Pair that perception with the idea that rosé is for girls, and you’ve essentially shoved your average rosé consumer into a pretty tightly defined box. Today though, I say to you, rejoice! For rosé is riding its own little wave of revolution – and we are all better off for it.

King Cab – The Christian Eedes #CabReport2015

Date: May 15, 2015

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Categories: Uncategorized, Wine in Cape Town, Wine Opinion, Wine Reviews

Comments: Leave a reply

2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Report

It’s often said that Cab is King in Stellenbosch, and that the area is generally considered “Cabernet Country”. I’ve heard winemakers and others in industry mumble the sentiment that if you can’t make a decent Cabernet Sauvignon in Stellenbosch, you have no business being a winemaker. Perhaps a harsh sentiment, but it rings true in many ways. South African wine is going in many different and exciting directions, but perhaps we must be wary of spreading ourselves too thin in a cultivar sense? Of course diversifying and experimenting is great in terms of new offerings and discovering what is possible (and equally, what is not) but there is also no sense in moving rapidly away from our strengths – of which Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely one. The annual Christian Eedes Cabernet Sauvignon Report take a good look at what’s potting with local Cab, and this year continued the showcasing of the top specimens.

Sediment – Wyn op die Kassie

Date: January 23, 2015

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Categories: Twitter Wine Tastings, Uncategorized, Wine Opinion

Comments: 2 Replies

Sediment. Vrydae 17:30 op Kanaal 144

Tydens Desember 2014 het ek op Twitter kennis gemaak met die @SedimentTV rekening wat voorbrand gemaak het vir ‘n Afrikaanse KykNet reeks wat handel oor die plaaslike wyn wêreld. Op Vrydag 2 Januarie 2015 om 17:30 het die eerste episode die lug gesien, met ‘n gemengde ontvangs van die industrie af. Enige interessante nuuthede (veral dié wat ‘n bietjie omstredenheid veroorsaak) verdien om van naderby ondersoek te word. Daar is reeds drie episodes uitgesaai en Episode 4 wys vanaand. Incogvino het die PVR hierdie week laat les opsê en al drie episodes bestudeer, en ek is reg om my beskeie uitspraak te lewer.

A Very Incogvino Year

Date: January 5, 2015

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Categories: Uncategorized, Wine Opinion

Comments: 2 Replies

“Without being known for predictable tastes and opinions”

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions and retrospectives. I used to be, when I was younger, but then I realised how bad I am at sticking to my lofty ambitions of bettering myself. So I stopped bothering. I pondered this post for a while. The idea was to write an end-of-year post before 31 December 2014. That never happened, partly because of my professional level of procrastination and partly because internet connectivity in Stilbaai was practically non-existent this year. Then I wondered if writing a 2014/2015 New Year’s post wasn’t going to be utterly boring and predictable; was I going to write one just because EVERYONE is writing one? Do I really have something to say, or would I just be rehashing the year and end up sounding hopelessly beige?

Crystal Clear: Wine & Wine Glasses

Date: May 20, 2014

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Categories: Wine Opinion

Comments: 2 Replies

We all know wine is subjective, driven by opinion and taste and balanced out by knowledge and experience. So also, it seems, is the topic of wine glasses. Which glass shape is the best for which wine type or style? Do expensive, exquisite crystal glasses improve the experience above supermarket cheapies? Is there an actual effect or is it all about perception? There are as many opinions on this matter as there are shapes and types of glasses. Where do we even begin?

An Infographic illustrating types of wine glasses (via http://winefolly.com/tutorial/types-of-wine-glasses/)

Alcohol advertising from a wine label’s perspective {Guest Post}

Date: May 13, 2014

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Categories: Guest Writer, Wine Opinion

Comments: Leave a reply

*** This piece by guest writer Marietjie Botes was originally published in the February 2014 issue of ‘Without Prejudice’ , a South African Corporate Law journal***

The colourful serpentine lines of the French painter and sculptor, Guy de Rougemont, has become the latest commissioned artwork to adorn the label of Chȃteau Mouton Rothschild’s 2011 Pauillac first growth.

Château Mouton Rothschild 2011

Veritas Young Wine Writer Award 2013

Date: April 23, 2014

Author: Marthélize Tredoux

Categories: Wine Opinion

Comments: Leave a reply

In July of last year, I almost absentmindedly entered my first writing competition. Like most people who enjoy writing and blogging, but have never been published or formally acknowledged for their scribbles, I always assumed my work was perfectly average. Not horrible, but let’s just say there won’t be a Pulitzer in my future. After some prodding and poking from a few people, I sat down and wrote two pieces. One was to be 800 words about the difference between wines enjoyed as “quaffers” and wines that do justice to a certain cuisine. The other, a short blog post on the most unusual wine I’ve ever tasted.