OWNER OF THE NOSE RESTAURANT & WINE BAR, CATHY MARSTON REVEALS HER FAVOURITE SECRETS OF THE WINELANDS
One of the joys of wine-buying is finding those sneaky little specials winemakers have ‘under the counter’ – a little something they’ve knocked up out of nothing, a new block of vines they think might be a little too young but are going to be fabulous, an experiment that went better than expected and has them wondering about what to do with it. Ask what delights lurk under the counter and you may find it’s better than anything on show.
Take the Newton Johnson Pour Mes Amis Sauvignon/Semillon for instance. Made as the name suggests ‘for my friends’, this is a really racy little number with a dash of oak and plenty of nerve and verve – it’s well worth travelling out to Hermanus to get your hands on a case. Some winemakers, like John Loubser from Steenberg, love making wine so much they even spend their spare time in the cellar. Try his new baby The Green Man from his own label, Silverthorn. This is a Cap Classique from 100% Chardonnay and is handmade with love and care – and it shows. Quantities are so small that John has to be really picky about who he sells it to, so a bit of schmoozing is in order here.
More love from Thelema in their Ed’s Reserve, a tribute to sadly missed matriarch Edna McLean and in high demand. Also 100% Chardonnay from an unusual clone and beautifully, delicately, sensitively oaked.
When a winery only makes 140 cases of wine per year, it’s almost not worth their while selling it, so you’ll have to try very hard to persuade Cape Rock to give you some of their handmade, hand-bottled, hand-labelled, hand-sealed-with-blobs-of-red-wax Shiraz/Viognier blend. Wonderfully elegant with aromatic perfume and a soft, lingering finish. Try some bribery.
And if you want to push the boat out and get in on the next big thing in South African wine, you should go and see Bruwer Raats, of Raats Family Wines near Stellenbosch, and Mzo Mvemve, of Sagila (and winemaker for Cape Classics), and plead for a bottle or two of their sublime De Compostella. Made from all five Bordeaux cultivars and heavily featuring Cabernet Franc in their maiden vintage, it’s as near to heaven as you’re going to get and that’s the truth! If you can lay your hands on some, squirrel it away in a cool, calm corner for five years and then drink a toast to me for giving away my top secrets and letting you in at the start. Cheers!