Wednesday, May 6, 2015 - 06:30 PM
This Event has been read: 3256 times.
"Listen to me, Butterfly,
there's only so much wine you can drink in one life
and it will never be enough to save you
from the bottom of your glass. "
So Much Wine by Handsome Family
I like to call South Africa One of world’s greatest wine producing countries that no one knows about. South Africa has been making wines for almost 400 years and still to this day many wine lovers would not consider them among the world's top wine regions in terms of quality but this tasting is here to prove that theory wrong.
These tastings at the Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. You get to try 8 different wines at the same time, pre-poured so they have a chance to open up and so you can go back through the line-up to get a second and third look at everything. This is how you learn about wine and with master chef Oliver Saucy sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines, you get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time- A great way to spend happy hour.
This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.
South Africa Wine Tasting at Cafe Maxx
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
6:30 PM
Graham Beck Rose Brut Sparkling South Africa NV
Price: $16.75 Sale $ 14.74 Case $171
(89 points) A blend of 60 percent chardonnay and 40 percent pinot noir vinified in the classical method, this is a gentle, full-bodied rosé with sweet cherry fruit and fine bubbles. It finishes clean, a good match for grilled shrimp and romesco sauce. Beverage Testing Institute (Apr 2011)
Bayten Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Price: $13.5 Sale $11.88 Case $138
This crisp and zesty, yet ripe Sauvignon Blanc displays text book aromas and flavors of green fig, gooseberry and lime along with grapefruit and kiwi. Grassy herbal notes are supported by elegant underpinnings of mineral and chalk. You get a lot of wine for your money with this Sauvignon Blanc from one of the last high value regions in the world.
Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2013
Price: $20.00 Sale $17.60 Case $204
Lots of buttered toast / brioche on the nose with some citrus aspects too. Tangerine fruit and citrus blossom fragrances are apparent, with hints of vanilla pod and almond flakes. These characteristics follow through onto the palate. The fine, fresh acidity is natural, and adds poise and focus to the wine.
De Morgenzon Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2013
Price: $36.00 Sale $31.68 Case $368
Situated on slopes stretching from around 200-400 metres above sea level, 'The Morning Sun' vineyards are so named as they are the first parts of the Stellenbosch valley to receive the sun's light each day.
This Chenin is gloriously rich, with fermentation in barrel and lees ageing adding notes of honey on top of the rich oak and dazzling tropical fruit.
Paul Cluver Pinot Noir Estate 2012
Price: $20.00 Sale $17.60 Case $204
This wine has a lovely luminosity - the colour is bright plum skin. The nose has delicate earthy almond aromas combined with cranberry, pomegranate and raspberries. On the palate these characteristics follow through combining with interesting seaweed, umami savory flavours.
Badenhorst Secateurs Red Blend 2012
Price: $16.00 Sale $14.08 Case $164
(88 Points) "The 2012 Secateurs Red Blend has abundant brambly black fruit on the nose tinged with briery and wild hedgerow. This is very natural, an unassuming bouquet, self-effacing about its fruitiness. The palate is medium-bodied with a soft entry: dusky blackberries, Chinese 5-spice mixed with cracked black pepper. It is very approachable toward the finish: a satisfying Swartland red that is so drinkable that you almost miss its complexity." The Wine Advocate
De Torren Z Red Blend Stellenbosch 2012
Price: $50.25 Sale $44.22 Case $513
This soft, approachable ruby-hued beauty is a true testament to vines lovingly reared and winemaking raised to an art form. A Right Bank-style Bordeaux blend, De Torren Z comprises a symphonic blend of five Bordeaux varietals. You’ll find it tantalizingly soft on the tongue, with a hint of aniseed, licorice, raspberry and cranberries lending a fresh acidity to its polished finish… plus, of course, all the finesse that makes Bordeaux-style wines so prized among the world’s most enthusiastic wine lovers.
De Torren Fusion V Stellenbosch 2012
Price: $62.00 Sale $54.56 Case $633
This wine is a blend of five Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec. A good amount of dark currant and red cherry fruit on the nose with a very Bordeaux like quality to this wine fine herbs, coffee and a nice touch of toasty oaks spice. Finish 45+ Excellent +
This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.
A bit about the South Africa Wine industry
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with Constantia, a vineyard near Cape Town, being considered one of the greatest wines in the world. Access to international markets has unleashed a burst of new energy and new investment. Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and production centres at Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester. There are about 60 appellations within the Wine of Origin (WO) system, which was implemented in 1973 with a hierarchy of designated production regions, districts and wards. WO wines must be made 100% from grapes from the designated area. "Single vineyard" wines must come from a defined area of less than 5 hectares. An "Estate Wine" can come from adjacent farms, as long as they are farmed together and wine is produced on site. A ward is an area with a distinctive soil type and/or climate, and is roughly equivalent to a European appellation.
The roots of the South African wine industry can be traced to the explorations of the Dutch East India Company which established a supply station in what is now Cape Town. A Dutch surgeon, Jan van Riebeeck, was given the task of managing the station and planting vineyards to produce wines and grapes intended to ward off scurvy amongst sailors during their voyages along the spice route. The first harvest and crushing took place in 1659, seven years after landing in 1652. The man succeeding Van Riebeeck as governor of the Cape of Good Hope, Simon van der Stel, sought to improve the quality of viticulture in the region. In 1685, Van der Stel purchased a large 750 hectares (1,900 acres) estate just outside Cape Town, establishing the Constantia wine estate. After Van der Stel's death, the estate fell into disrepair but was revived in 1778 when it was purchased by Hendrik Cloete.
While many growers gave up on winemaking, choosing instead to plant orchards and alfalfa fields to feed the growing ostrich feather industry. The growers that did replant with grapevines, chose high yielding grape varieties such as Cinsaut. By the early 1900s more than 80 million vines had been replanted, creating a wine lake. Some producers would pour unsaleable wine into local rivers and streams. The depressed price caused by the imbalance between supply and demand prompted the South African government to fund the formation of the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Bpkt (KWV) in 1918. Initially started as a co-operative, the KWV soon grew in power and prominence to where it set policies and prices for the entire South African wine industry. To deal with the wine glut, the KWV restricted yields and set minimum prices that encouraged the production of brandy and fortified wines.
For much of the 20th century, the wine industry of South Africa received very little attention on the world stage. Its isolation was exacerbated by the boycotts of South African products in protest against the country's system of Apartheid. It was not till the late 1980s and 1990s when Apartheid was ended and the world's export market opened up that South African wines began to experience a renaissance. Many producers in South Africa quickly adopted new viticultural and winemaking technologies. The presence of flying winemakers from abroad brought international influences and focus on well known varieties such as Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The reorganisation of the powerful KWV co-operative into a private business further sparked innovation and improvement in quality as vineyard owners and wineries who had previously relied on the price-fixing structure that bought their excess grapes for distillation were forced to become more competitive by shifting their focus to the production of quality wine. In 1990, less than 30% of all the grapes harvested was used for wine production meant for the consumer market with the remaining 70% being discarded, distilled into brandy or sold as table grapes and juice. By 2003 the numbers had been reversed with more than 70% of the grapes harvested that year reaching the consumer market as wine.
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