Category Archives: tastings

#WineGems

Posted on by
Reply

Last night was the first Adi and Jasper show (as Justin called it) of 2013 – the WineGems tasting at &union.

A full house (Gemma says she takes 18 bookings, but there were at least 30 people squeezed into the bar) tasted both the Secateurs, the Family Red and White blend, the funky white and were also treated to (another) sneak peak of Jasper’s first offering – a red blend and a chenin blanc.

DSC07600 DSC07599 DSC07594From what I see on twitter the crowd really enjoyed it. With Adi on top form – full of jokes and stories – and Jasper taking his time to tell the Muskeljaatkat story in detail – there were lots of laughs.

Some feedback on twitter:

Batonage: Awesome evening of wine tasting. @AABadenhorst wines and some Muskeljaatkat white and red @andUnionwine. Adi most amusing winemaker in SA.

Blackdelilah: Did I mention we had an AWESOME wine tasting @andUnionwine last night? Wines by @AABadenhorst & his able-bodied assistant, Jasper #goodstuff

JustLisa_Love: @AABadenhorst @andUnionwine – awesome left field tasting for our first#WineGems of 2013 – loved it!

darrynvdwalt: Best @andUnionwine #winegems in ages – haven’t laughed so much at a wine tasting. Legends! @AABadenhorst

LiLi1866: @AABadenhorst Best #winegems so far last night!! A stand-up comedy show & wine tasting rolled into one – amazing 🙂

I tried to tweet some of the Adinisms and quotes from the ‘comedy show’ – check out our twitter stream if you want to see more.

My favourites:

AABadenhorst: We work on psychological ripeness. You don’t wanna pick on a Friday for instance. – Adi, duh.

AABadenhorst: “This is not a pretty wine but it’s made to drink. We drink LOTS of this” – Adi. #secateurs Red

AABadenhorst: When is harvest over? Well the #oesAf party is on 22 March, so before then…

YES. We put some dates in diaries over dinner (at the ping pong table)

DSC07611 DSC07610I also have dates for two tasting brunches, but I have a long waiting list to inform of that first. But watch this space for more details soon.

Thanks Gemma and everyone who showed up, tasted, laughed, bough wine and and and. Love you guys…

 

Blending in to stand out

Posted on by
Reply

Wine writer Tim James and Wine Cellar recently had a blind tasting of French vs Swartland Shiraz-based blends.

James reports: “Shiraz-based blends, not too complicated ones but fresh and delicious, are my own “house red”. If they were eatable, then something between comfort food and an infallible quick-and easy dish; for when a challenge to tired tastebuds or tired spirits is not wanted. Modest wines – in the best sense of a word that is too seldom appropriate in a world of wannabes, of over-oaked, over-ripe, over-everythinged wines. And not too expensive.

So it was not only with the aim of learning something to pass on to others that I asked Roland Peens of the invaluable Wine Cellar in Cape Town to arrange a small comparative tasting of such wines. Half imported by him from the south of France, others from the Swartland – the region which has most assiduously promoted the style locally (including some grand versions but they were not what this tasting was about).”

He concludes that “Coming second by arithmetic, but first for me, was Badenhorst Secateurs 2011 – beautifully just what I wanted: plenty of flavour, but not sweetly fruity, harmoniously balanced with structure –  a firm but gentle “grip” so the wine doesn’t flop around in your mouth!”

Read more on Tim’s blog by clicking here. The article also appeared in Mail & Guardian, 28 September-4 October 2012

#CapeWine2012

Posted on by
1

Feedback on last week’s Cape Wine event at the Cape Town International Convention Center is looking very positive.

Reading through bloggers and journalists’ accounts of the week in the stormy Cape it seems they had just as much fun as we did.

According to Bizcommunity this year “was the show’s most successful expo to date with producer exhibitors up 15% and visitors reaching a record at just under 1500.”

Says chairman of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), Johann Krige: “Our industry has wowed the international wine community with an exciting and diverse range of quality wines and a fresh and inspiring approach that has demonstrated our world leadership in eco-sustainability and energy-efficiency among wine-producing nations. We showed very effectively that we are making better wines at all price points and that we are making wines, better.”

The Swartland Independent members all had a stall together in the back of the hall. Our funky stand attracted visitors constantly and seemed to be very popular.

with thanks to spit and swallow“In the Swartland corner, it was exciting and very busy, especially with Adi Badenhorst there to make things happen” – John Ford, read more here.

Emile on Winegoggle simply says “dig the Swartland Grand Funk stand. Mohammed Ali poster and other non-vino artefacts. Cool dudes. I order some chickens from Callie Louw, Porseleinberg. Talk boxing with a chick from the Sandveld, goes by the name of Katrien.”

Rebecca Gibbs reports: “The Swartland has also been turning heads in the past five years and quality of the wines can’t be denied. The Rhone-like blends produced from old bush vines in this Mediterranean climate are original and interesting.”

“It was a jolly good wine show,” says Melvyn Minnaar, “Unlike other crowded wine shows where the ‘commercial’ aspects always seem to linger in the background (‘have you tasted this?, wanna buy some?), and tasters sometimes feel trapped by the expected eyes of the pourer, this show seemed to operate to a different vibe. A friendly fraternity.”

We had lots of fun living it up in the big city of Cape Town for a week. With the farm bakkie in rush hour traffic (once in sunshine with Helena, Eben and American buyer John on the back and once in pouring rain with no windscreen wipers…), dinners at Fork and Dias Tavern (just to keep it diverse) and lots of laughs with old and new friends.

spring

Posted on by
Reply

A few words from a man of many words. Adi gives some feedback on our spring day brunch / “Secateurs launch”

“Was a moerse lekker kuier on Saturday, I think we had more fun than the guests!
There was enough wine and food to go around. Some people left their cars in Malmesbury with broken gear boxes and still made it to the farm in time and then pitched in to make delicious salads to go with the late afternoon chicken and rabbit pies!

Harry helped plant tomatoes and beans – he will be back in 90 days to collect the harvest – much like he did with the Secateurs (Harry spent a few days on the farm harvesting in February and then came to drink as much as he could of the new release on Saturday!)
Roland from wine cellar even bought a bottle of wine in case ours was not up to scratch! Thanks for the Drouhin Roland!
Melissas staff brought lovely flowers and we now have a very cool collection of Melissas hand-me-down cafe chairs in and around the old house.

In general it was a fantastic bunch of people gathered together on a beautiful Swartland day.”

So there you have it, thanks for all the support and look forward to seeing you all at the next one!

Some photos with love and thanks to Maree Louw, I am sure she snapped pictures while husband Callie braaiied the chickens?

 

See more photos on Maree’s naturallight photography Facebook album.

Tasting Brunch Saturdays – the pilot

Posted on by
3

On Saturday 26 May we hosted our first ever “Tasting Brunch Saturday”.

Adi’s cousin (always keeping it in the family) and her wine club from Cape Town came through with all their husbands, kids and questions. The morning was a great success and soon we will be hosting these on a regular basis.

Glass in hand we will guide you through the property.

After the rains there are plenty of Shaggy Ink Caps have sprouted up on the grass.

Kids will keep themselves entertained…

while adults enjoy a “cellar tour” Kalmoesfontein style.

Adi: “We don’t make a cap classic, that’s too wanky” – this is the Paardeberg Perle.

the menu:

farm breads and jam
eggs benedict on herb rosti with crispy bacon and hollandaise sauce
roasted ripe tomatoes and fesh herbs
waterblommetjie quiches
boerewors on the braai

tea and coffee

The Swartland will be sad to see you go (and vice versa)

To be informed of the next Tasting Brunch Saturday, make sure you are on our mailing list by emailing Helena at aabadenhorstwine@gmail.com

see you soon!