Wine tasting Cape Town

Cape Town is such a fantastic place to come on holiday. As a wine lover I found the cape winelands to be awesome. I found this site to be very useful in helping me decide where to go and indulge in my favourite past time ie.enjoying great food and wine tasting.

The following link has a list of wine estates - wine tasting in Cape Town. This webpage give detailed lists of wine estates that offer wine tasting all over Cape Town. What a awesome City to explore and you will not be disappointed by the excellent restaurants in the Cape wine regions. As a self proclaimed wine connoisseurs I have decided to share with you in three parts the art of Wine Tasting. If you follow some general guidelines when trying to judge a wine it's reasonably easy to learn the techniques of wine tasting, which most of us can master and become excellent tasters with a little practice by following a few simple rules.

With wine tasting being subjective in nature has 3 general guidelines for judging the wine's character, they are (a) nuances of a wine's look, (b) the smell and (c) the pleasure you derive from each tasting.

Its appearance is full of clues. Tilt the wine glass against a white background and study it. Look for the clarity of the wine and brilliance of the color. The intensity of color even within the same type of wine changes from almost water white to a deep straw yellow, depending on style and age of the white wine. The more color normally indicates more flavor and age.

The color of red wines range from light cherry red, through deep ruby to a almost mahogany brown. Purple wines indicate youth. In young wines, the color is usually uniform. Brown, tawny or orange indicate maturity. The color with age is not uniform and is lighter at the rim of the glass compared with the centre.

Swirl the wine; this causes it to release molecules, allowing you to smell the aroma or the bouquet. Contemplate the aroma as you inhale. Corked wine should have a musty smell. The more intense the nose, the more likely that the grapes were grown in a hot climate and the level of alcohol is higher.

Fruity, floral, woody, spicy and herbal smells are all characteristics of different wine styles. Many mature quality wines tend to smell more savory and spicy and less of fruit. Some grape varieties have very distinctive bouquets.

If you have any questions feel about the smell feel free to discuss with me here. I will post the second part about tasting next week.

Okay its time to take a sip, let the wine spread across your tongue from back to front and back, swirl from side to side before swallowing. If you are going to taste a number of wines in the winery or tasting room, your host will usually provide a spit container, so don’t swallow or you will be boozed before lunch. It is not gross, everybody is accustomed to the swirl/sniff/sip/slosh/spit routine. The reality is that no one wants an intoxicated wine taster or a drunk driver, so spit rather than swallow. A great wine should always give pleasure, smell good and taste even better. It should be smooth and satisfying by itself with whatever you may be eating.

Sweetness - The first thing you will probably notice when tasting is the relative sweetness or dryness of the wine in question.. This is normally determined by the amount of natural sugars in the wine. Is it very pleasant or overbearingly sweet, i.e. cloying? The higher the alcohol content the sweeter the wine will taste.

Acidity- Another sensation you will notice almost immediately taste is the tartness or acidity of the wine. Think of the difference between grapefruit juice and mineral water. Acid may sound unpleasant but its vital in making wine taste fresh and crisp. Too much acid and the wine will taste bitter and unpleasantly sharp. Not enough acid will make the wine taste flat and flabby like stale beer.

Tannin– when drinking a red wine, you may also taste the tannins in the wine. Tannin is the chemical that comes from the stalks, pips and skins of red grapes. It tastes astringent and dries out your mouth making your mouth pucker. There are several different types of tannin. Some taste bitter and are most noticeable in young red wines. As the wine ages, the tannins soften and give the wine a certain full-bodied weightiness that makes it very pleasant.
Alcohol - , of course, is found in all wine. The taste of a moderate amount of alcohol in wine adds sweetness. If the alcohol content is too high and out of balance with the tannin and fruit, then the wine will feel hot in your mouth, like a dash of Chili powder and will be unpleasant to drink.

[Ming]

To many of us it is just a "papsak" by name, but wine lovers will be pleased to hear that while authorities have decided to ban the controversial bags of wine, boxed wine is to remain available.

The proposed new Liquor Products Act states that the papsak, a 5-liter foil container of low-end wine, will in future be banned.

Papsak wine is cheaper and also of poor quality, it has been blamed for increased alcohol abuse and as a major cause of fetal alcohol syndrome.
This type of wine has earned the industry the reputation of dumping inferior quality wine on the poor.

But while boxed wine also is packaged in a foil bag, this type of wine is usually of a much higher quality, costs more and will not be affected by the proposed ban. An industry player said the ban on papsak wine could result in job losses and cost the industry millions.

The chairman of the Standard Price Wine Association, said the organization's 15 members distributed 12 million liters of affordable papsak wine every year, which is priced between R30 and R40. There is no longer such a thing as cheap wine. Instead of banning the papsak, there should be better policing and tighter regulations to eliminate the fly-by-night distributors of inferior quality wine.

The association says that it obtains its wine from the same cellars as the upmarket wine distributors, the only difference is in the packaging.

[Subzero]

Hi

Have any of you ever been to Ernie Els's wine farm?

I hear it is quite nice

Cheers

[Ming]

Jean and Ernies aim with the wine was to capture everything that Ernie stands for:big in stature and gentle in character. The Engelbrecht Els 2003 wine seems to have achieved that judging by the awards it has won:

Gold medal at International Wine Challenge (UK)
Gold medal at Mundus Vini (Germany)
4½ Stars John Platter Wine Guide 2005
88 Points in Wine Spectator Magazine

[Ming]

Spectacular new Winetour with great wines and fine dining!

Opstal Estate would like to promote the opportunity to visit the Breedekloof area, every Tuesday to Friday.

We are the youngest wine route and only 80 km from Durbanville just beyond the Du Toitskloof Mountains.We still have true country hospitality with great facilities and fantastic wines.

Option 1:

Estate Tour - R250 p/person

Include the following:

Tasting @ Deetlefs Estate - 10:00
Tasting & Cellar Tour @ Jason's Hill Private Winery - 11:00
Tasting & Lunch @ Opstal Estate - 12:30
1 Complementary bottle of Opstal Estate wine on departure.

Option 2:

Winery Tour - R250 p/person

Include the following:

Tasting @ Badsberg Cellar - 10:00
Tasting & Cellar Tour @ Slanghoek Cellar - 11:00
Tasting & Lunch @ Opstal Estate - 12:30
1 Complementary bottle of Opstal Estate wine on departure.

Lunch will be served in Opstal Restaurant with it's panoramic views over the Slanghoek Valley. 3 Course Menu is available on request.

Tour Guides receive a free meal if there is 4 or more guests in the group.

Wine Tasting @ Opstal only:

R15 p/person - please pre-book

Mondays - Fridays
09:00 - 17:00

Saturdays
10:00 - 14:00


Please contact me for any bookings or other information.

Kind regards

Francia Bothma
PRO
OPSTAL ESTATE
PO Box 27
RAWSONVILLE
6845
Tel: +27 (0) 23 344 3001
Fax: +27 (0) 23 344 3002
E-mail: wine@opstal.co.za
Web: www.opstal.co.za