#SecretStellies – The Setting

‘Tis the season and all that, but if you’re like me and you’re struggling to get into the Christmas spirit (but you also desperately don’t want to be a grinch) then I may have just the solution for you. You see, while I love and have always loved the Festive season, I must admit that this being a grown-up gig has taken some of the magic out of the whole thing. Work, deadlines, last minute crises. And let’s not talk about the anxiety of figuring out leave and holiday arrangements. Bah! Humbug! Hardly things that make me want to wrap myself in tinsel and sing Fa-la-la-la-laaaa. So how do we combat The Grinch at this truly lovely time of year? What could we do to dust off the anxiety and “meh-ness” of 2014 and get ready to have some summer fun in the gorgeous winelands? Lucky for you all, I have a secret. It’s called #SecretStellies and it might just put you in the summer festive season mood.

#SecretStellies is a little project dreamt up by Lydia from Beau Joubert. I could write endless posts about the endless talents of this remarkable wine-lover but for now, just take note of her marvellous idea: Secret Stellenbosch. The idea is to showcase the real hidden gems of the area. With nearly 150 wine farms on the official Stellenbosch Wine Route, there is more than enough to see and do to keep any wandering wino busy for months. Visitors are often drawn to the bigger, more well-known farms simply because they’re hard to miss. Of course they also offer quality wines, activities and are well worth a visit. But smaller wineries that may not have the word-of-mouth presence of the more popular ones are often skipped. #SecretStellies aims to uncover these secret treasures of the winelands and give the public a little insight on what they may be missing.

The first #SecretStellies day out was organised with military precision and focused on the Polkadraai Hills area of Stellenbosch. We simply had to make our way to Beau Joubert – the first of three stops – and the rest would be taken care of by The Amazing Lydia.  At BJ we were treated not only to a tasting of their wines and a nice gab about the whole #SecretStellies concept, but we were among the first people ever to taste the very first MCC from Beau Joubert. And let me tell you, it certainly was worth the wait. If you’d like to know more, keep an eye on the Beau Joubert Twitter feed. After sampling their mind-bogglingly fantastic value for money wines (seriously, most of them are R100 or less at cellar door. I highly recommend the Chenin Blanc, the Shiraz and the “Free-run” Merlot Rosé.) we took a leisurely stroll down the road to the neighbouring Bein wines, where they had a special experience waiting for us.

Bein Private Cellar is exactly the type of winery that sits at the heart of the #SecretStellies idea; a small operation run by Luca and Ingrid Bein – Swiss veterinarians who fell in love with South Africa and moved here to study and make wine. Their focus is Merlot and they produce a fantastic selection. Bein also offers an unusual winelands experience: a donkey walk. The donkey walk takes visitors on a walk through the vineyards, up to a lookout point and picnic spot. The donkeys carry delicious picnic fare and when you reach the top, Ingrid and Luca unpack the spread and the wine and a little feast is had, overlooking the magnificent surroundings. A good time was had by all, relaxing under the trees and digesting not only the nibbles but the view. You only have to chat with the Beins for 5 minutes to uncover their love for South Africa and their enthusiasm for wine. A visit to Bein Private cellar and a donkey walk should be on everyone’s summer to-do list.

Once we rolled ourselves back down the hill (after being fed beyond elegant sufficiency with the lovely picnic) we were loaded into and onto a bakkie and whisked off to Saxenburg for a Safari Wine tasting. And no, this is not some metaphoric comparison of the Saxenburg wines with The Big Five. Oh no. The tastings are held in a game camp with zebra, antelope and other wild game trotting about around you. No rhinos, elephants or wild cats of course, but if you sit back and stare into the veld, it’s difficult to imagine you’re in the winelands and not at a luxury game lodge.

We indulged in a tasting of Saxenburg’s finest, including their truly fantastic MCC (at R180 a bottle it really is a brilliant buy – unfortunately the label design does let it down immensely as it does not visually present itself as a near-R200 bottle of bubbles, but DO give it a try if you encounter it at your local. It gives the other bubbles in that price class a real run for their money!). Saxenburg has a great selection of wines, from a creamy Chardonnay to a supremely elegant Cabernet Sauvignon which on their own make the estate worth a visit.

And with the view of zebras in the distance (and the kerfuffle of finding of an ostrich egg next to the camp), our #SecretStellies day ended. I’ve always known that Stellenbosch – in fact, all the winelands areas – are a heady mix of the historic, the well-known, the crowd-pleasers, the small and obscure. The #SecretStellies adventure reminded me that the hidden gems must be discovered and talked about. A little exposure will hardly turn them into commercial punters but rather serve to share the secrets they hold with the world. And when that happens, everybody wins.

So if you’re short on some summer Christmas cheer, I recommend a visit to one of these secret spots. It might be just what the doctor Santa ordered . Ho, ho, ho!

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Wine – more than just fermented grape juice?

The Incogvino SuperFANS are all about the wine, and not just the tasting and the drinking. Being an inquisitive bunch, the following question popped up on our mailing list this week. “Egg protein? Milk protein? Is this normal?” with reference to a wine label with the aforementioned listed on it.  This brought up the topic of fining agents and the question of not only what, but how, these processing aids are used in the making of wine. The science of fining agents can be quite complicated (some Chemistry 101: the molecules of fining agents have either positive or negative charges which affect the way they interact with the compounds in wine, which also have positive or negative charges. Science!) but the basics can be simple to understand. Here’s a quick clarification about fining agents in wine.

Let’s start by looking at why fining is important in the first place. When evaluating a wine, either formally for scoring or just looking at the liquid you’ve just poured into your glass, the preference is always for clarity. Clear wines are generally associated with quality and a healthy wine. Cloudiness could even indicate a fault in the wine, such as the growth of yeast or bacteira. Of course there are wines made in unfiltered styles which may present as hazy, but the majority of wines are filtered and clear.

Fining agents work to clarify wine by binding to the insoluble particles in wine which cause the murkiness. The process causes these substances to precipitate out of the wine in a solid state and settle at the bottom of the tank. Fining can also remove unwanted soluble compounds, such as phenols, polymerised tannins and other proteins as these will precipitate into an insoluble state upon binding with the fining agent. The clarified (fined) wine can then be separated from the insoluble material through a process called racking (removing the clear wine from the top and leaving the unwanted material at the bottom).

Now that we know why we use fining agents and how they work, let’s have a look at the types of compounds used in this process. Different fining agents are used depending on the type of wine. Some agents are more severe than others and can strip the wines of flavour and aroma compounds, so a balance between removing all unwanted substances and preserving desired ones is always important for winemakers to achieve. Some of these fining agents may seem fantastically odd, but keep in mind that they never actually form part of the wine – they are not food additives but rather processing aids – and precipitate out, separated completely from the wine that ends up in your bottle.

One of the most commonly used fining agents is bentonite, a type of clay. It is a very effective fining agent but over-fining can strip wine of flavour and colour and leave it with an earthy flavour. Egg white (albumen) is another popular choice for red wines as it has an additional affect of softening the tannins. Carbon (in the form of activated charcoal) is often used to remove off-colours and off-odours from wine. It is quite harsh and is not generally used as a typical fining agent, but rather for wines with significant problems. Casein (protein derived from milk), gelatine (an animal protein), isinglass (obtained from the swim bladders of fish), Kieselsol (silicon dioxide) and PVPP (poly-vinyl-poly-pyrrolidone) are other examples of agents, with varying specific uses to solve specific problems. Companies like Laffort are constantly researching alternative and improved fining agents, producing new products such as Vegecoll (a potato-derived protein) to clarify and stabilise wines.

A last note on fining agents is on the suitability of wines treated with various types of agents for vegetarians, vegans and people with food allergies. For most wine drinkers, the type of fining agent used is irrelevant as it is almost completely removed from the wine itself. After fining, clarification and stabilisation, wines are often filtered to remove the last possible particles and insoluble matter left. Trace amounts of fining agents (trace meaning on the absolute limit of detection – micro- or nanograms per litre) may remain in the wine and people with severely sensitive allergies may be affected. Strict vegans and vegetarians will also avoid wines who use animal-derived proteins (such as casein and albumen) as fining agents. VeganSA has a list of wine estates who produce vegan wines by using only non-animal derived fining agents.

The regulation around fining agents still seems a bit fuzzy. Declaring potential allergens on wine labels has become mostly standard practice, worldwide. Canada and the OIV (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin) have recommended guidelines in place and some countries may be held to certain labelling practices when exporting wine. The general consensus seems to be that potential allergens should be listed, but many argue that if the filtering process efficiently removes these agents, listing them as additives on the labels may not be entirely accurate. It becomes even more confusing, as Europe applies “truth in labelling” law, the implication being if the label states eg. “Contains milk” (referring to casein) but the filtering process has removed all traces of casein, the winery is essentially breaking the law. This means a “better safe than sorry” approach isn’t really viable either.

Bottom line: don’t be afraid of fine(d) wines. The process may sound a bit strange (having made wine myself, I still find it counterintuitive to add a bucket of clay slush or some whipped egg whites to a tank of wine) but it’s all very scientific and the end result is healthy wines, with longevity and a crystal clear hue, making our favourite drink even more appealing.

For a more technical piece on the science behind fining, I recommend this Wineland technical post. You can also read more about the industry regulations and general good practice around fining agents and allergens in wine by checking out the SAWIS page and searching for the keyword “fining”.  

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Nederburg Estate, Paarl

South African wine farms are diverse with many offering not just wine, but experiences, pairings and world-class gastronomic experiences.  Diversity aside, there is a golden thread that runs through and binds many of our most well-known estates: history. Since the humble beginnings of our country as a halfway station between Europe and India, wine has been an established part of that history. Groot Constantia, Vergelegen, Blaauwklippen, Muratie, Alto (to name a few) were all established within the first century of the Dutch setting foot in the Cape. In 1791, Nederburg was bought by Philippus Bernardus Wolvaardt for 5600 guilders and the estate took its place in SA wine history. And this historical (and oenological) gem is hiding in plain sight.

As with most historic places, a visit to the estate is by far the best way to appreciate the heritage. Walking into the Nederburg tasting room, the history of the farm is set out in panels with beautiful images bringing to life the rich past of the estate. There is also a central display dedicated to their Heritage Heroes, a tribute to the owners and winemasters of the farm, incredible people with incredible stories that are represented by incredible wines.

The Heritage Heroes range consists of five wines. The Anchorman Chenin Blanc represents the first owner and winemaster of the estate, Philippus Wolvaardt, who had the vision and passion to create and establish Nederburg, paving the way for the estate we know today. The Brewmaster (Bordeaux blend) is a tribute to Johannes Graue, who co-owned a brewery in Germany before moving to South Africa to play his part in revolutionising the wine industry through clonal experiments and his attention to improving source material for the vineyards. The Young Airhawk Sauvignon Blanc commemorates Johan Graue’s son, Arnold. Arnold was known for his brilliance in continuing to improve winemaking and viticulture techniques but he died tragically in an a light aircraft crash at the age of 29. After the death of his son, Graue was devastated. He nearly quit the farm, but instead opted to go to Germany and bring back the next winemaster: Günther Brözel. Known for whizzing around the farm on his 250cc motorcycle, a fitting name for the wine to honour him is the Motorcycle Marvel (Rhône blend). The last wine to be released in the series was The Beautiful Lady (Gewürtztraminer), remembering Graue’s wife Ilse, who played an important part in making the estate what it is today. A beautiful wine for a beautiful lady.

Nederburg is one of the Distell brand homes and offers a number of wine ranges, suiting every taste and budget. These include the Foundation range, 5600,  Winemaster’s Reserve, Manor House, Heritage Heroes and Ingenuity. The tasting room offers tastings of the different ranges as well as a “Which wine, which cheese” tasting with gorgeous locally sourced goats cheeses. The Manor House is home to The Red Table restaurant, bistro style fare with jaw-dropping views of the estate.

Tasting through the entire range offered at Nederburg is quite a task, so we skipped the Foundation and 5600 range as well as the Baronne and the Duet (not because of snobbish tendencies but because I’m very familiar with the ranges and wanted to invest time in some of the unknown wines). We ended up tasting 15 wines and I won’t prattle on with a review and overview of each wine, but the ones worth stocking up on include:

• Young Airhawk Sauvignon Blanc – Slightly wooded, zesty with mineral undertones and a smooth finish.
• The Beautiful Lady – Without a doubt, my favourite wine of the day. Inviting, engaging and beautiful and a gentle sweetness on the palate.
• Motorcycle Marvel – Silky, smooth tannins with good structure. Hit of acidity highlights fruit in the wine. Great summer red.
• The Brewmaster – Nicely wooded, complex with dark fruit and savoury notes. A warm, winter wine which would go well with stews, especially those of the French persuasion
• Edelrood (Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend) – Easy drinking, juicy wine. Pine needles, eucalyptus hints from the Cab with great softness from the Merlot.  Great “standby” wine for unexpected braais or pizza evenings. 
• Winemaster’s Reserve Chardonnay – Straightforward. Honey tones on the nose, unassuming, middle-of-the-road Chardonnay. Not overly wooded, not overly fruity.

• Wines, wines and more wines.

  Ingenuity White – 8 varietal blend (Sauvignon Blanc led, with Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Viognier, Semillon and Verdelho). A serious white wine. Rich, creamy finish with Riesling, Gewürtz and even the Viognier coming through on the nose. The 2013 is fantastically balanced, with the varietals not fighting each other in the bottle but rather working together to complement.

• Manor House Sauvignon Blanc – If you like green pepper Sauvignon Blanc, this one is for you. Chill as much as you dare and set it down by the pool to make the hot summer bearable.

To conclude, permit me a little waffle about perceptions. Nederburg is part of Distell and the Boutique-ONLY wine crowd will undoubtedly sniff and grumble at the thought of quaffing anything produced by “big corporate”.  This attitude irks me no end as I am very familiar with many of the Distell brands and I know the quality that can be found in their products. Yes, it’s a massive company. Yes, it produces hundreds of products, some more “commercially accessible” shall we say, than others. It may not have the intimate, boutique-appeal that some farms champion and it may be far from a “hidden gem” but Nederburg caters for nearly all tastes. From the eternally dependable, staple of my student days Baronne (which I can still happily pick up at any wine shop and know exactly what I’m getting – there’s something to be said for consistency!) to the Heritage Heroes range through to the Ingenuity, Noble Late Harvest and the Edelkeur, Nederburg offers a little bit of everything for everyone.

The importance of heritage, history and passion for wine is also evident not only from the Nederburg story, but from each wine produced today. Many estates have the history and the heritage sites, but few make it as part of their every day story as Nederburg, where the essence of the winemasters echoes still in every bottle.

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

A simple Google search will produce a mountain of results describing types of wine glasses, categorised for white wine, red wine, dessert wine, sparkling wine and others. The above infographic is a great little at-a-glance summary. So, why all the different shapes? And why match them with specific types of wine? Hard, irrefutable scientific evidence is scarce and flaky at best on this topic, but we’re pretty much OK with that. Science is great but in the end it comes down to your experience and not a study in some obscure journal. One fact that seems obvious and logical is the effect of the stem on the glass. Stemware allows the drinker to hold the glass without touching the bowl and increasing the wine temperature.

The general theory seems to be that the shape of the glass affects how the aromas from the wine reach your nose, thereby impacting how you experience the wine. Red wine glasses have a bigger bowl, which is thought to assist oxidation and opening up the wine. White wine glasses are comparatively smaller, as preventing rapid oxidation can help preserve a fresher flavour of delicate whites.

Dessert wines are served in small glasses. They generally have a very high alcohol content, so smaller serving glasses are desired but it may also be that the small glass directs the liquid further back onto the tongue, lessening the burning effect of the alcohol and increasing the perception of the sweetness.

For champagne glasses the popular choices are the flute or the coupe. The coupe is not as fashionable as it was a few decades ago but is still available. It was especially suited to build champagne towers as they shape allowed the flowing of the bubbly from the top, single glass into all the other in a rather spectacular fountain. The story goes that the original coupe design was shaped on the breast of Marie Antoinette, Madame de Pompadour or a number of other French aristocratic ladies of the time. While this is probably more fantasy than fact, tis a fabulous little tidbit.

The problem with the coupe is that the bubbly loses carbonation quite quickly because of the large surface area. The flute is seen as more elegant and sophisticated nowadays and is much preferred to the coupe. The narrow bowl also retains the carbonation more effectively, keeping your bubbly bubbling for longer and keeping bubbly lovers delighted.

But what about lead crystal vs. glass? Crystal is glass with lead monoxide added to it. This increases the refractory index of the glass. Simply put, it makes it more shiny and sparkly. Lead-free glassware is enhanced by the addition of alternative to lead monoxide, such as zinc- or magnesium oxide.

So where does that leave us in the great glassware debate?

With modern technology improving glassmaking techniques and modern trends affecting our tastes and designs, the choice of glassware available to wine drinkers today is expansive. Coloured glass, etched, embellished, stemless, oddly shaped or classic styles. You can buy them in boxes of 12 for a steal at your local shop or you can import them at eye-watering prices from the best glassware manufacturers in the world. But does it make a difference? That’s probably up to you. Sommeliers, Masters of Wine and other learned wine fundis are likely to insist it makes all the difference. If your nose isn’t quite as sensitive as theirs or your palate as particular, chances are the type of glass you use won’t affect your experience that much, if at all.

So try before you buy, see which you prefer and make sure they’re always filled with good wine.

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