#CapeWine Three Tenners South Africa PT 14

CAPE WINE TOUR

Let me please start this account by declaring I knew (know) little about wine. However the SA Cape is a major world producer of quality wines and we were in the prime area to do a wine tasting tour. It fitted in well with our schedule as we perhaps needed a break from hiking and sightseeing – so we signed up. We really enjoyed the day but maybe not entirely for the right reasons.

This was my starting position. I drink wine now and again and definitely prefer red to white although I will drink white happily (with fish of course – ha!). (My massively preferred tipple of choice is “real ale”.) I will also admit to being rather sceptical about the wine “game”. I say this with a big smile – and no offence meant whatsoever. Clearly for instance individual red/white wines are different – sometimes significantly so – even I can detect sour wine - ha! My contention is most of the time the differences are marginal and choosing a particular red wine to go with a particular goats cheese may be a fun and harmless game but that is all it is – sorry all you budding sommeliers!

The tour itself took in 5 of 480 wine producing vineyards in the Cape. It was a full fun day in the Stellenbosch area.

I really enjoyed the morning session where we earnestly listened to instruction about the 5 or was it 6 ways to approach a glass of wine to really understand its taste and characteristics. (number 1 - never judge a wine on first taste.) We put a number of wines to the taste (with the option of spitting it out - which no one did!) I accept some people’s palettes are so fine and their knowledge so great they can identify the origin of a wine right down to its particular vineyard and year of production. (can you tell red from white if you are blindfolded? – ha!). We also learned more about wine production – ageing, the use of oak barrels – the different methods required to make white as opposed to red wine etc etc.

SA vineyards seem to be able to grow all sorts of grapes types so much of their wine is blended. I am not sure why this bothers me.

Anyway this is where I am. Sometime ago I wrote a blog about my visit to the Atacama Desert in Chile. For years I thought I would like to eventually get around to really learn about the night sky and make astronomy a real interest. However I explained after a star watching lesson that I came to the conclusion that astronomy was just too complex and that actually I had little aptitude or indeed the real interest required to tackle such a vast subject. I concluded I would enjoy staring at the stars whenever I could but that would be enough – I didn’t need to be an expert. Today I have come to the same sort of conclusion about wine. I neither have the palette to be that discerning or the belief that even if I did the marginal differences matter that much. Most wines are nice to drink – ha! I shall leave it there and say no more about wine. I shall stay stum when the wine appreciation is going on – ha!.

Two things particularly make me smile about the day. The first was the bizarre and funny sight (and sound) of a mass flock of Indian Runner Ducks being walked to the vines. Rather than insects being controlled by insecticides some vineyards use the ducks to work up the vine rows to do the job in an organic way. It was a happy scene indeed.

The other was the ride home in the mini bus. We were 12 people thrown together in the morning. Most were younger and there was quite an international mix including Brazil, US, Hong Kong, Denmark etc. As is usual on these occasions everyone started off rather quietly and earnestly and of course we spent the day learning the finer points of wine and wine tasting. But by the time it was time to go home the youngsters particularly had lost their concentration. The wine consumed (although not excessive) probably helped. Anyway they wanted some fun – to party. Wine they probably bought as gifts was opened and the booze flowed in the 40 minute journey back to Cape Town. No glasses – even cups. Red wine was passed around and swigged from the bottle – then a white one – then a red one! Our wine teacher would be crying! It was a great laugh. They piled out of the bus tipsy and merry and planning to meet up later down on the Waterfront for dinner. We were invited of course but deferred for a more measured evening – ha!

A good day indeed.