Hermanus Food and Wine Fest

The most memorable…

Wine fests and tastings are always so overwhelming and way to much for a normal persons palate to handle.  This is the reason why I decided to wait for a while and then if the wine still lingers with me after this period it will defiantly be worth while to share it.

The wine festival I went to was the Hermanus Food and Wine Festival.  It was held at the Wine Village on the Hemel-And-Aarde wine route in Hermanus.  The Festival consisted mostly of wines from the Hemel-And-Aarde wine route as well as some from the Bot River and the Overberg district. I am a local in this area and know most of the wines so I decided to taste these ones that are not so familiar to me.

The most memorable “new” wines of the day:

Jean Daneel Wines   ( http://www.jdwines.co.za/)

·         Signature Chenin Blanc – this is a wooded Chenin Blanc and it was my first wine for the day.  At first I thought this must be some form of Chardonnay, not only did it had the golden color in the glass, but on the nose you get lots of vanilla and fruit. It had a well rounded palette with a great wooded taste. What a GREAT start to my day!!!

Domain Des Dieux     (email, Sharon@domainedesdieux.co.za)

·         Chardonnay – OK so I am a sucker for Chardonnay…but this was really good! Rich golden color in the glass with honey and strawberry on the nose! This was GOOD!

·         Claudia Sparkling Wine – WOW, WOW, WOW!!  This brut Rosé stole my heart! Light pink color, good combination of rose and Turkish delight and goes well with the Turkish delight they had at their stand.  They also had a normal Brut sparkling but I defiantly prefer the Claudia.

This is a new Farm, they don’t have their own tasting room yet, but all their wines are available for tasting and sales at La Vierge.

Wildekrans    (http://www.wildekranswines.co.za/)

·         Chenin Blanc Barrel Select 2010 – this was my best wine for the day! Deep golden color in the glass with vanilla and honey on the nose.  The wine was kept in 90% new French Oak barrels for 1year and the age of the vines used to make this extraordinary wine is 26years.

·         Shiraz 2007 – Mmm Shiraz with a dark plum color and lost of fruit on the nose.  On the palette I got the fruit, mostly berry flavors with a hint of spices. Easy drinking but will also compliment meaty dishes!

Beside from these “new” wines there were quite a few of my old favorites and I will recommend each and every one of them:

• Hamilton Russell  (http://www.hamiltonrussellvineyards.com/)
• Pinot Noir
• Chardonnay

• Bouchard Finlayson (http://www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za/)
• Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2009
• Missonvale Chardonnay 2009

• Creation (http://www.creationwine.com/)
• Viognier
• Pinot Noir

• Newton Johnson (http://www.newtonjohnson.com/)
• Syrah Mouvèdre 

• Spookfontein

• Merlot 2007

• Hemanuspietersfontein

• Die Martha
• No 3

If ever you don’t feel like the Stellenbosch or Franschhoek wine route, please make a drive to Hermanus and enjoy the lovely wines of the Hemel-And-Aarde Valley. If you decide to visit on a Saturday you can even start your morning at Hermanuspietersfontein mini food and wine market and make your way from there on through the Valley.

Cheers!!

Screw cap or Cork?

Which to use: screw caps or cork? This is a very difficult topic to discuss and a debate that’s been going on for quite a while.  For me it is a personal preference but here are some pro’s and cons of both and maybe I can make you appreciate both.

Cork Pro’s:

• Been used over 400years as the method of sealing.
• Gives a romantic feeling.
• They are biodegradable.
• They support an entire industry of corkscrews and other cork-removal products.
• The pleasant flavor of the cork imports into the wine.
• The tiny amount of oxygen that passes through the cork helps with the maturing process.

Cork Cons:

• Wines get corked. Corked/tainted: Oxygen leaking into the wine because it is not sealed good enough OR the wine being contaminated by a chemical called trichloroanisole (TCA) which is a byproduct of the processing of tree bark into cork.
• As little as 1% or as much as 20% of a batch can be corked.
• Corks can be difficult to remove, and sometimes break off into the bottle.

Plastic Cork Pro’s:

• Immune to cork taint, thus wine is much less likely to spoil.
• Some are recyclable.
• Together with natural cork they support an entire industry of corkscrews and other cork-removal products.

Plastic Cork Cons:

• If not recycled they pose a thread to the environment.
• They do not retain their elasticity well over time which means they are unsuitable for wines meant to age for decades.

Screw Caps Pro’s:

• Wine can not be corked/taint.
• Sealed much more air-tight than cork.
• They are less expensive.
• They can be removed easily.
• They are consistent.
• They are much more reliable.

Screw Cap Cons:

• Causes environmental threads.
• Loss of Cork farming.

The Conclusion:

Screw caps are a great revolution in the wine industry and it definitely has its pro’s.  We can not escape buying either wine with corks or screw caps because it is not the method of sealing that defines the wine but the personal touch of each and every winemaker.  For that reason you are still aloud to have a favorite, maybe just because it looks vintage or modern, or for what ever reason.  For me, well I have always been a cork lady, but screw caps are making their way into our lives and our wine cabinets and I do not think that is a bad thing. I am not against screw caps but the sound of a cork being popped and the smell of the wine on the cork, that my friends are something that no screw cap will ever be able to provide.  

In the good spirit of fine wine remember:

“In wine one beholds the heart of another”

    - James Biancamano