2003 KWV Pinotage

Vintage: 2003

Winery: KWV 1

Grape: Pinotage

Country: South Africa

So what comes from South Africa besides Dave Matthews, wondrous wildlife, great white encounters, and one of the top rugby teams in the world? Pinotage!

This beautiful ruby colored wine is the product of a mixture of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, that results in a very unique wine that is disdained by wine snobs. Do not listen to them. This well balanced yet inexpensive wine tastes of cherry and truffles. Although the Pinot Noir tastes are still identifiable, the mixture of Cinsault, by itself an uninteresting grape, adds some interesting flavors that this reviewer spent the whole bottle trying to identify, unsuccessfully. Despite the lack of success, it was time well spent with Bacchus.

1 KWV is not a winery, per se, but a wine co-operative.

Old Vine Zinfandel

I first became aware of Old Vine Zinfandel when I visited August Briggs in Napa. If you haven't visited August Briggs, do your self a favor and head to Napa. After visiting large wineries all day with employees that charge you a fee and then oblige you to listen to their canned speech, stopping at this small winery was a breath of fresh air. I liked several things about the winery. The winery's symbol is a dandelion blowing in the air, which I found to be both unique and courageous, since although the dandelion may be one of the most expensive salad greens in France, it is considered a weed in the States.

There were no canned speeches at August Briggs. Although I tasted several interesting wines there, the Zinfandel really stood out. I had tasted Zinfandel all week long, and not purchased a single bottle, opting instead for Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Port. This Zinfandel at August Briggs was excellent. It had a spicy punch to it that I had never experienced. I purchased several bottles, and asked for another taste. Seeing how much I liked the Zinfandel, I was offered the chance to do a barrel tasting. How could I say no? I had been in Napa for a week, and had not been made a similar offer.

First we were offered a glass from a barrel which was claimed to be new vines. I did not understand what that meant to the taste, however, upon tasting, the new vine batch was definitely not what I had tasted previously. It was green and one dimensional like the Zinfandels I tasted at other wineries earlier in the week. Second we drank from a barrel which was said to consist of approximately 50-year-old vines. It was spicy, and more reminiscent of what I tasted earlier. Third, we tasted from a barrel which was said to consist of approximately 100-year-old vines. This was amazing, so spicy it burned the mouth. This wine was like nothing I tasted before, and was even better than what I had raved about and purchased. I told our host to bottle some of the third barrel up, and I would buy it.

Our host explained, as the Zinfandel vine ages, it produces fruit that is more complex and spicy. Relatively speaking, there are not a lot of 100-year-old vines around, and their supply is low; instead of selling it, they blend it with the 50-year-old, and the new vine to get the taste I had liked so well. This was one of my top experiences in Napa, with the exception of experiencing a wine tasting with Elaine Honig. It was certainly the biggest winery-born revelation for me since learning about Veuve Cliquot's invention of le remuage.

Armed with my new found knowledge, I set off to determine if my local wine shop had Zinfandel made from Old Vines. There are several Old Vine Zinfandels on the market: Bogle Vineyards, Gnarly Head, Seghesio to name a few. Some are not bad, some do not taste "old", after my experience. That leads me to the question: what does it mean to label a wine "Old Vine Zinfandel?" How old must the vines be? What percentage of the wine must be old as compared to new? I could find nothing that regulates the use of this term, so it is clearly a trust and taste situation.

2003 Mukuyu Chenin Blanc

Media on the subject of wine would most likely begin by reviewing some of the classic French wines. An American writer might eventually recount that faithful day on June 7, 1976 when Chateau Montelena and Stag's Leap beat their French counterparts to show the reader American wines have grown up, and are worthy to drink and review. Then eventually the author could move on to other wines. Well, as you read in the first post, speaking to the dead in a dead language does not equate logic; So as an extension of that non-logic, I plan to treat all wine as worthy of consumption and review whether it is expensive or inexpensive, Vitis vinifera or Vitis labrusca, red or white, French or Greek. With that idea, we start with a wine from the Republic of Zimbabwe.

2003 Mukuyu Chenin Blanc. When we think about African wines, South African Pinotage comes to mind. That is why when I found this wine from the Republic of Zimbabwe, I had to try it.

Vintage: 2003
Winery: Mukuyu
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Country: Zimbabwe

Region: Mashonaland East, Marondera

The wine's color is a very pale straw. I noticed a very light aroma of honeysuckle when I first poured the wine. Between the pale color and very light bouquet, I was surprised that this wine was so tasty. The wine begins with the taste of sweet green apple which suddenly drops away to an acidic rush (tartness), and then moves to crisp dryness. This wine is the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer's day, outside while sitting under the shade of a tree, or under a bistro umbrella. Of course, this wine should be chilled for a couple of hours before opening. Pique-nique anyone?

Mukuyu Estate PO Box 1813, Harare Phone: (9-263-4) 620410/9 Fax: 620429/620431

Cum Mortuis In Lingua Mortua

Although modern zymology along with the help of pubology has determined with historical precision Charlie Mops was the person who invented beer, there has been no similar determination for the fruit of the vine. Evidence suggests the ancient beverage may have been first produced by persons in what is now Georgia as early as 6000 BC, and Iran as early as 5000 BC. It was also imbibed by the ancient Greeks, Hebrews, and Egyptians, as well as others. Even with the many references to wine in ancient texts, literature, and religious writings, the specific origins of the drink are still unknown. I hope to discover its origins, as the more I imbibe, the more I hear the voices of wise and long-passed vintners, and see the scenes of ancient Bacchic revels played out in my head. I think I am close to discovering wine's origins, and invite you to join me on my journey.

Photo: Bacchus at Clos Pegase