MICHAEL GREEN’S WINE NOTES #220

Tasting of nine wines and five whiskies!

A tasting of nine wines followed by five whiskies poses a challenge that is rather like running the Comrades Marathon backwards, but a group of Durban journalists survived the experience and enjoyed it greatly.

The unusual linkage between whisky and wine is derived from the fact that some years ago two South Africans, Wayne Kieswetter and Geoff Bell, took over the Benriach distillery in Scotland, a long-established enterprise that had fallen on hard times. With a Scottish partner, Billy Walker, they restored the fortunes of the distillery and then established Adoro Wines at Stellenbosch and placed a gifted and experienced winemaker, Ian Naude, in charge of it.

All these people aim high, and they are producing wines and whiskies of exceptional quality. Adoro wines are all blends of one kind or another, based on the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (an idea propounded by General Smuts a century ago in his philosophy of holism). Ian Naude said at the Durban tasting “Blending is my passion”, and he has achieved remarkable results.

Adoro has no vineyards. All the grapes are bought from what Ian Naude deems to be the best sources and are vinified in his cellar at Stellenbosch. And he is prepared to pay for them, R8,000 a ton for sauvignon blanc grapes from Elgin (compared with a general price of about R5 000 for red wine grapes from Stellenbosch). His wines have straightforward names. The Naude White, 2006 vintage, is a blend of 54 percent chenin blanc, 37 percent semillon, 9 percent sauvignon blanc. The Naude White 2007 has the same cultivars, but the proportions are 72, 19 and 9. In the 2008 vintage they are 55, 20 and 25.

The wines are distinctive and distinguished. They are not typically South African. I think they could be taken for top quality French wines. They are wines to be sipped and savoured, not to be gulped. They are delicious.

Ian Naude has also made three sauvignon blanc wines, and here his preoccupation with blending has led him to source the grapes from different areas. These wines are called Adoro White, and the grapes for the 2007 vintage came from Stellenbosch (35 percent), Elgin (34), Darling (20), Durbanville (7) and Elim (4). For the 2006 vintage the grapes came from the same areas, but in different proportions.

Ian Naude says he composes each blend in his head before he sets to work on it. And he chooses his grapes by the simple method of tasting the fresh fruit. He has been a winemaker for 20 years, and he reckons that by tasting the fresh grapes he can assess what the final bottled wine will be like.

He produces three red wines, and again they have a simple name, Adoro Red, and again they are blends. The Adoro Red 2004 is 62 percent merlot from Stellenbosch, 22 percent shiraz from the Swartland (north of Cape Town) and smaller quantities of mourvedre, grenache and cabernet sauvignon. In the Adoro Red of 2005 shiraz from the Swartland is the dominant cultivar. The blend for the Adoro Red 2006 has yet to be decided.

The name Adoro, a Latinised version of adore, was chosen for the cellar because it is understood internationally and because “I just adore making wines”, Ian Naude says cheerfully.

Considering the quality of his wines, their prices represent good value: about R50 a bottle for the Adoro White sauvignon blanc, R75 for the Naude White and R110 for the Adoro Red. These wines are all rated four and a half stars and four stars (out of five) in the latest John Platter guide. Adoro Wines are trying to arrange a retail outlet in Durban, but if you want them in the meantime you can fax Adoro at 021 880 1585 or e-mail: ian@adoro.co.za

As for the five Benriach whiskies, these were all outstanding. Here are brief notes on some of them: Benriach 16-year-old single malt: bouquet and taste of honey, vanilla, spice, toffee and apples. Price: R750 a bottle. Benriach Pedro Ximinez 15-year-old. Matured in Spanish sherry barrels. Tastes of honey, dark chocolate and, of course, sherry. R680. Benriach Curiositas 10-year-old. Smoky character, nuts, spices. R420. Benriach 30-year-old. Honey, chocolate, Christmas pudding, R3 500 a bottle. Benriach Importanticus (someone in Scotland likes Latin) 12-year-old. Citrus, wild flowers, port. R680.

Footnote: According to Wayne Kieswetter, France is the biggest consumer of Scotch whisky in the world, drinking more Scotch in one month than it does cognac in a year. – Michael Green