Best of the holiday hiccups

It is inevitable that over the holiday season, we indulge. I did my fair share of alcohol consumption -enough to make a very, very long blog post. I have decided, however, to pick the absolute best wine I drank over the last few weeks and share my appreciation.

Best Red
The wine farm, Boschkloof, is situated in Stellenbosch, one of South Africa's foremost red wine producing regions. The family owned farm along with their exceptionally talented wine-maker, Jacques Borman, have chosen to produce a limited quantity of superior quality wines that could easily be classed within the echelons of fine wine.

Their Syrah is fairly renown in local circles but I have not yet been lucky enough to try it although it is on my wine-to-taste list. I was however, lucky enough to sample Boschkloof's Conclusion, suggested to a friend by Mr. Borman himself and it did not disappoint! This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Shiraz, carefully matured in French oak for 2 years is a truly outstanding wine. It has a perfectly balanced chocolate and vanilla approach with a soft fruit overture that lingers pleasantly.

The black label with the gold embossed Grail and the inscription "inconcessum persequor" -I pursue the unattainable- hugging the wine bottle is almost just as striking as the wine itself. When gazing at the label, whether you think about the legendary cup used at the last supper, medieval legends like those of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table or the adventure and immortality sought by Indiana Jones in his last crusade, you can't helping thinking about one quest or another. Perhaps Boschkloof's quest is to endlessly pursue wine perfection?

For those of you who don't know me, you need to know that Champagne is my baby. I love it. It is my favourite thing. Ooooh, the bubbles..... That said, I am always on the hunt for Champagne I have never tried. Over the festive season, I found one (or I should say, it found me).


Best Bubbly
High Constantia is located in the fertile Constantia wine valley and although it is one of the smallest producing wine farms in the area, it has a very large following especially for its champers and Cabernet Franc.

Clos André bubbly is produced using the old French traditional method called remuage (or riddling) where new bottles of Champagne are placed at a 45º downward angle and turned a one quarter turn every day for 2 months. This ensures that the lees, or sediment, can settle near the cork and then be manually disgorged. The Champagne is also presented in an elegant, French-styled bottle with the classic old-style label.

Clos André is exceptionally dry, so it is not for the sweet tooth. It has a full-bodied, mature yeasty personality that is satiny smooth while textured with lively bubbles. It is a rewarding experience to taste the patience and time it took to produce such a fine beverage. It is a must try for the Champagne connoisseur.

Lusting barefoot with Cape maidens

For those of you who suffer from OCD (or elements thereof) as I do, you will hate this post! I tend to remove wine labels soon after enjoying the wine and in the morning I often find that my handy work is... less than precise. Hey, at least the labels aren't torn.


This lovely, easy-drinking and fairly cheap chardonnay is alive with apple and lime aromas. In fine Cape wine tradition, it's a crisp and charming wine, worth a try when you feel like enjoying something light and tangy.

The labels for Juno Wines are fantastic. The winemakers take their inspiration from ancient mythology. The Roman goddess, Juno was the patron goddess of Rome and the protector of women, marriage and fertility. She was also the wife of Jupiter (Zeus in Greek mythology), making her queen of all gods.

According to the label artist, Tertia du Toit, the Juno Cape Maidens wine labels "...create an integrated visual meeting between the predominantly male winemaking traditions and the sensual nature of the wine itself.” Bold women and striking colours adorn the bottles enticing anyone to indulge in the ancient tradition of drinking wine. Bacchus would be proud.

Have a look at some of their other wine labels here.

Sauvignon is from the French word 'sauvage' meaning 'savage'. It has always referred to wines that are strong, intense and almost wild. Many of my friends have used other words to describe Sauvignon blanc in the past including: smokey; grassy; heartburn stuff; yuk and my personal favourite, cat pee. I tend to agree and am not a fan of the cultivar.

Barefoot is an inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc - even if you are sitting in California. This label was brought back from the States by my mother who visited there recently. She claims that the wine is pleasant, light and crisp and worth the few dollars she paid for it. Nothing like cat pee.

I love the label. It makes me want to enjoy the wine on a remote beach somewhere. And strangely enough, the winemakers are very much involved in something called the Beach Rescue Project.



My Sunday night drinking friend brought this bottle of wine to dinner last weekend saying that it would 1) be a great bottle to drink and 2) be a nice label for my blog because anything with LUST on it, must be a winner. He was right.

The wine is spicy and rich with berry overtones. As a date, it's easy to open (screw top) and at around R65 per bottle, it makes for a fairly cheap date that satisfies every time.

Go for it!


For those of you who don't know, the wine farm Vrede en Lust is located in Paarl and derived its name from the Dutch meaning "peace and eagerness."

Route 62

Route 62 is a scenic stretch of road that meanders from Cape Town in the Western Cape to Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The route cannot be equated with the famous decomissioned highway or "Mother Road" of America but, to be honest, if that is what you are looking for, I don't think you will be disappointed. Much like Route 66, Route 62 connects rural towns with urban cities via an east-west throughfare offering ample things to see and do along the way.

Map courtesy of http://www.route62.co.za/route62map.htmlute62.co.za/route62map.html

This route is all about wine and majestic scenery and well worth many trips. In fact, you will need many, many trips to adequately visit all the wine farms (specially if you intend to drive...) and discover the hidden adventures that the route offers. Besides honouring Bacchus, the area protects a variety of indigenous flora, offers tourists a vast amount of activities including hiking, game viewing, museum-ing and ostrich riding to name a few and a chance to see some magnificent landscapes.

The region is home to some of South Africa's most fertile valleys. So, this is where the wine comes in. The route passes through all the important wine producing areas including Paarl, Stellenbosch, the Robertson wine valley (my favourite) and the Karoo. If wine is not really your thing, you can also catch the brandy and/or port trail on route 62 where you can taste some of the world's best fortified goodies. However, if you just want a beer and a chance to meet the locals you can stop in at this rather famous pub.

Monkeys by starlight

Apparently, Merlot is America's favourite wine and therefore, its bestseller. It is very popular on my side of the world, too. I love a Merlot when it's fruity and full-bodied. The Night Harvest range is just that: full of fruity flavours including cherry, raspberry and strawberry. The wine also has a oak and coffee undertone making it a well rounded wine that can be enjoyed with almost anything.

The interesting thing about the production of this wine is that the grapes that produce it are, in fact, harvested at night. The brothers who started the winery have been harvesting their grapes by starlight for over 25 years. I have no idea if it actually influences the taste of the wine in any way but it's rather innovative and romantic, don't you think?

EOH sent me this label ages ago after a fun night he had with a few friends. I hope it was as tasty as the reviews say it is!



I love this label! It fits in very nicely with my academic field and shows that you really can put absolutely anything on a wine label.

For those of you who don't know, baboons are African Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. These baboons are the largest non-hominid members of the primate order and include for example, the Chacma baboon - the buggers who steal your sandwiches at Cape Point!

As for the wine, this Chardonnay is all about the fruit. It's crisp with an in-your-face citrus blast. Yum!

What I want most

More than a decade ago I was privileged enough to taste and fall in love with that sweet, precious nectar that is: Le Petit Liquorelle Petillante. This special 200ml drop bottle of rich amber champagne liqueur was first made by Moet and Chandon in the 1980's. It's composition is a guarded secret but apparently it's a clever blend and fermentation of champagne and brandy. After a process that takes many years, a delectable and ever-so-slightly-bubbly liqueur is produced.

To my horror and disgust, this wonderful drink was discontinued in the mid 1990's and I have been without ever since. I have often kept track of the sale of a lonely bottle here and there on eBay and recently found 9 bottles for sale from a reputable cellar in Spain - way out of reach and price range! Each bottle is priced at a mere 16 Euros, which is more than affordable. The postage per bottle to South Africa, however, is 32 Euros which puts the cost per bottle at around R600. I found these precious bottles a few days ago and have been dreaming about that taste (I can remember it as if I had a sip yesterday) ever since. The only thing keeping me from purchasing a bottle or two or three is a short mantra: "I have rent to pay, I have rent to pay, I have rent to pay."

If you are ever lucky enough to find, buy and enjoy one of these rare treasures of bottled poetry, be sure to have one small sip in honour of those who will never taste that sweet, decadent pleasure and to those who might never taste it again.

Surname celebration

I have been trying to change my surname for ages. I applied for the change in April 2006 and was told that it could take anything from 3 to 9 months for the paperwork to go through. 17 months later, I am still waiting. For academic purposes, I really need my new surname legalised and because of this, over the last year, I have contacted home affairs almost every week and pleaded, begged, lost my temper and begged some more in the hopes of getting this sorted out.

Today, miracle of miracles, not only did someone answer the phone, but someone helpful answered the phone! I was told that all I have to do is take my proof of payment for said change of surname (thank goodness I kept that for 17 months!!) to any home affairs office. I then need to fax this person a copy of the receipt (along with some other details) and she will pass it on to yet another person dedicated to dealing with just such problems. I have been told that my surname change will be sorted out within 2 days. Sounds unbelievable, huh? Well, I am very hopeful. So much so, that I have decided to celebrate the possibility with a dinner with good friends and a bottle of my favourite bubbly.


Not the greatest photo, I know, but I was in a hurry. This is a fabulous bottle of champagne. I know it says "sparkling" but it is made using the cap classique method, so it's legit. It is unusual because it is a proper red champagne, made from pinotage grapes. It is apparently very difficult to get bubbles in a heavy red wine without adding tons of sugar but Graham Beck has successfully created a gem. It is rather odd, as you might expect but it has a lovely berry palate with a heavy red wine follow through. It tastes just like a pinotage, with bubbles. It is not for everyone and some red wine fans don't really like it. It is difficult to assess this champagne because it is the only one of its kind that I have tasted (or seen?) so all I can tell you is that I love it! If you can find it, I recommend that you try it.

Wreckless endangerment

I received my first wine label in the mail! Wreckless was kind enough to substitute wine for usual beer-and-sport afternoon to provide me with this interesting label. How strange it was to get a label sent to me from the United States with the name 'Johannisburg' when a major city in my country is Johannesberg. The city's name is derived from an Afrikaans name still commonly used today, albeit a shortened form (Johan). How odd to see that name (or close) on an American wine label. It's a small world. Anyway, thank you Wreckless for enjoying a wine-and-sport afternoon.

Many visitors to my site have asked how to get the labels off the wine bottles. Here are some tips.

1. The method I use the most often involves steam. I take a steam iron and hold it over the label for a few minutes. The label usually peels right off. Sometimes the labels are really sticky and a bit stubborn often resulting in a label that is not pristine, but most of the time this method is successful. Just please beware of that hot steam. The bottle gets quite hot!

2. Many people just peel the label off directly. It is good to test this method but don't persist if the label does not start coming off immediately unless you want to buy another bottle to enjoy...

3. Some people soak the bottle in hot water for a few hours. I have had limited success with this method but find it annoying because it just takes too long!



Seeing as I am writing about wine and drinking, I thought it was appropriate to talk about driving. Leaving varsity a few weeks ago, I found this note on my car. A younin' had rear ended my vehicle and driven away. I was not impressed. I contacted the good Samaritan Mike, who told me that she reversed into my car twice as if it was done on purpose. So dramatic! I don't have enemies that I know of. My guess is that she was either a stressed new driver or had enjoyed some intoxicating nectar.

I am still waiting for our local police to actually contact her and tell her that "I know what you did last month" but that might take a while.