Wine blending success
2005-12-14
TWO Bordeaux sommeliers, working in different teams, added a special French touch to a wine blending contest to create two limited edition wines for exclusive sale at the Nederburg Auction in aid of charity.
Eight top sommeliers, working at fine dining restaurants and hotels in the Western Cape, and six students or new graduates from the University of Stellenbosch’s Department of Viticulture and Oenology, were recently invited to make up two blends - a white and a red - from components produced and selected by Nederburg’s winemakers.
Working in teams of twos and threes, they sniffed, tasted, swirled and repeated the process until they were satisfied they had produced the best possible recipe.
Some team members worked independently of one another and then selected their best blend for submission to the judges. Others worked in unison from the start.
Tatiana Marcetteau, who is sommelier at the ArabellaSheraton in Cape Town and is originally from Bordeaux, created the winning red blend with Danie Keulder, from Malmesbury, who is studying for his Masters in Oenology.
The winning white was the work of Vincent Modet, also from Bordeaux, who is in the Cape as part of an exchange programme working as a sommelier at Cellars Hohenhort in Constantia, and Tania Kleintjies of Worcester, who has just graduated with a BSc in Viticulture and Oenology.
Says Tatiana of the winning red: “We were tasked with making a Bordeaux-style wine and that’s exactly what we set out to do. It is also a wine style I know well, because I have grown up with it.
“Danie was worrying about pH levels and the wine’s ability to age. I was thinking about what consumers would enjoy, but together we worked it out.”
The blend of 2004 vintage cooler-climate Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (20%), Merlot (10%), Malbec (5%) and Petit Verdot (5%) was described by the judges as “showing juicy red berry fruit with an excellent mouthfeel and good tannin structure with the ability to mature.”
The 2005 white is a blend of wooded Chardonnay (50%) and wooded Viognier (40%), and cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc (10%). The judges praised its rich golden colour, complex nose and crisp, fresh palate, as well as its good ageing potential.
The white will be sold on the 2006 Auction, when both Tania and Vincent will appear as special guests to see it go under the hammer. Tatiana and Danie will attend the 2007 Auction, when it is time for their wine to be sold.
Proceeds from the sale will be shared equally amongst HIV/AIDS support and other charities.
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