S.African wine - gift help, please?

[maytag]

Hi All,

Not sure if I should post here or in the beach bar but...

I was wondering if you guys could please help me - can anyone suggest which S. African wines might be available in the U.S. and would make good gifts (and moderately priced)? Sorry, not really diving-related or hunting-related...

Many thanks - any thoughts would be appreciated! Cheers, maytag

[deep thinker]

Quite a few of our cellars export all over the world Im not sure which ones do specifically to the U.S. but Ill list a few names and you can cruise around the wine boutiques and see if you can find any of em: Simonsvlei, Nederburg, Morgenhof, Seidelburg, Spier, Zonnebloem, Durbanville Hills, Orange River Cellars, Robertson Winery, Van loverin, Graham Beck, Backsburg, Bainsway, Porcupine ridge. Cant think of any more at the moment but Ive tasted all of these cellars' wines and theyre all worth the money...

[spaghetti]

For availability of SA wines in America, your man is Oldsarge: ask him, he gave some feedback on this subject last week here on the forum.
This said, the recent Wine Spectator ranking still tells our tuscan wines as the world's best...

[maytag]

DeepThinker and Spaghetti,

Thanks so much for your tips! DeepThinker, I couldn't find any of the makers you mentioned except one bottle of Graham Beck at the store I tried, but I will try another wine store. Spaghetti, thanks - I did a search on OldSarge and he mentioned pinotage in the thread about the brown deer. The guy at the wine store recommended Kanonkoop or Kanonkop 2003 Pinotage or a Warwick Pinotage... or something called a Goat do Roam wine... Have you tried these?

Many many thanks, guys! Maytag

[Oldsarge]

I have some Zarafa pinotage that basically underwhelms me but at a splendid restaurant named Mozambique, I had a truly excellent one by some winery whose name ended in 'Flor, I think. I had another bottle of it but we drank it all for Thanksgiving and the bottle disappeared at Mom's. Oddly, we Americans don't seem to catch on to this stuff, unless we've been to Africa and run into it face to face. I'd take a crew down to my local spirits merchant and call for a tasting, properly done with notepads, a discard bucket and bread to refresh the palate. That way you could not only know what to buy your friends but what to fill the cellar with, as well.

If that doesn't work, email me and I'll get hold of my opthomologist. He's a personal friend of the major importer into the US.

It ain't what you know but who you know that counts.

[maytag]

Thanks, OldSarge! I was in a bit of a time pinch because I have to bring the gift tomorrow. I went with your mention of pinotage and ended up backtracking to the wine store to get the Kanonkop. We really don't have a lot to choose from here - I couldn't find the cellars DeepThinker mentioned.

Thanks again for the help! I know nothing about wine - left to my own devices, I would have chosen the bottle with the prettiest label! Mulderbosch?

Originally Posted by Oldsarge

It ain't what you know but who you know that counts.

And you guys are the ones who count ! Cheers all around, maytag

[deep thinker]

Kanonkop has very good wines, a family member of mine was actually the wine maker there in 2000. Havent tasted Mulderbosh but Ive heard good things about the cellar. Goats do Roam is a wine made on a farm called Fairview, they make very good cheeses and I think the Goats do Roam is the brand made by the farm workers from their own vineyards the farm donated to them, so its their own harvest and blends made by the same wine maker of Fairview. Come to think of it I had a few bottles of their 2003 Pinotage and I must honestly say its the best one Ive ever tasted, very smooth well rounded easy drinking pinotage with a slight plum flavour .
If any of you guys come down here and feel like a wine tour without the tour operator type thing, drop me a line and I could possibly organise you a proper tour of all my favourite cellars in the Paarl Stellenbosh area. Proper meaning you taste and dont spit it out unless it tastes like crap which rarely happens, cant waste good wine like that . I dont like the tour operator type wine tour, the guys are all very commercial and you dont get the feel of a cellar while there with em as they only do their 'regular' cellars. To really get a feel for it you want to do a wine tour the way you want and do things when you want...

[maytag]

Originally Posted by deep thinker

Kanonkop has very good wines, a family member of mine was actually the wine maker there in 2000.

Wow! This is so cool! This story adds to the value of the bottle!

Originally Posted by deep thinker

Proper meaning you taste and dont spit it out unless it tastes like crap which rarely happens, cant waste good wine like that ..

Can you taste the difference between wines towards the end of your tasting tour ? Sounds like fun - all the pictures I have seen of Paarl and Stellenbosch have been stunning. DeepThinker, thanks for the additional information. Don't drink, but my friends do enjoy wine very much and I have been wanting to find something special/unusual that they would like. I think you have helped me solve several gift giving choices this season!!
Much appreciation, maytag

[deep thinker]

Yes you can taste the difference in em, but you only do about 4 or 5 farms a day, otherwise it just gets too much and we normally do it so that we have lunch on the 2nd or 3rd farm. Still fun though. Glad I could help with your decision its not nice giving wine as a gift and see people pull funny faces cause it doesnt taste as nice as the label looks inside info makes a difference...

[Oldsarge]

I finally got Mrs. Sarge down to the Mozambique restaurant last night (mixed grill of filet mignon, lamb chop and boerwors, mmm-mm) and now I remember the name of the Pinotage we drank the first time. It's Fleur de' Cap and I recommend it most heartily! hic!

[maytag]

Originally Posted by Oldsarge

I finally got Mrs. Sarge down to the Mozambique restaurant last night (mixed grill of filet mignon, lamb chop and boerwors, mmm-mm) and now I remember the name of the Pinotage we drank the first time. It's Fleur de' Cap and I recommend it most heartily! hic!

Thanks, OldSarge. Will have to take that name down for the next round of birthdays.

Your dinner sounds amazing. Boerwors. I hear they eat Springbok down there? Bokkie Boerwors would be kind of ... different...

I wanted to go to SA this past Fall, but strange twist of life... next best thing - baked up some rusks...

Rusks
A.
4 cups all-purpose flour
7 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 brown sugar
1/2 c graulated sugar
2 c whole oats
Poppyseed to taste (I use 8-10 tbs)

B.
2 Eggs
14 tbs olive oil (I use less)
1 c reduced fat buttermilk (add'l to substitute for some oil, if desired)
2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven 356F. Mix A. Mix B. Mix B into A.
Line 9x13 cake pan with lightly greased foil. Pat dough into pan and bake until risen, light brown, and done. Cool on rack until warm. Cut into finger-shaped slices and arrange slices in single layer on cookie sheets. Reduce oven to 200F. Return cut rusks into oven and allow to dry in oven for several hours (4-ish).

Happy dunking...