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Best Wines from the Paarl Valley - Cape Town

Paarl is situated just over fifty km from Cape Town and the superb wines are so popular that Paarl Tourism is booming with international and local wine lovers. The vineyards of Paarl are distributed across three main types of soil. In the area along the Berg River they are grown in sandy soils of Table Mountain sandstone origin - while in the town of Paarl and the surrounding lands they are planted on granitic soils. The third soil type is of Malmesbury shale origin and the vineyards planted in the north-east grow mainly in this kind of soil.


Simonsvlei wine estate

Set against the foothills of the magnificent Simonsberg Mountains, this estate has been honoured at the highest levels for the quality of their wines. The Paarl area is renowned for its high quality Shiraz wines and even though Simonsvlei focus on a combination of terroir and grape varietals, they have the added bonus that Paarl's terroir is perfectly suited to Shiraz production. They plant their Shiraz on the eastern slopes of the valley in order to promote optimum photosynthetic activity. This activity is the determining factor in the accumulation of sugars and flavour components. Aromas inherent to Paarl Shiraz are spicy; resembling cloves, green peppers, smokiness and rich ripe plums. This grape is also known as Syrah. It makes a soft and rich wine often characterized by smoky and chocolaty aromas. It matures faster than cabernet and is sometimes blended with it to speed accessibility.


Pinotage-the unique South African grape

On an almost equal footing to Shiraz regarding the production is Pinotage; the only true South African grape varietal. In the cooler parts of the valley the grapes tend to have more floral flavours, whilst the Pinotage planted in the warmer areas bear more berry or plum aromas. It is a unique South African grape made from a cross of pinot noir and cinsaut. It is hardy in the vineyard and generally produces a wine that is full bodied with good fruit flavours and a distinctive spiciness. It is often referred to as possessing a "sweetish acetone" flavour. Previously thought to be early maturing, it is now believed that Pinotage benefits from extended maturation.


Award-winning wines
Simonsvlei was established in 1945 on the initiative of a group of leading grape farmers. They were determined to provide the area's farmers with the facilities and expertise to produce quality wines. This vision has been fulfilled and quality, affordable wines have become characteristic of Simonsvlei who now export wine to a wide range of countries, amongst which Germany, Sweden and Denmark are the biggest. Simonsvlei was the first regional cellar to be crowned with Superior awards for red (1973 Cabernet Sauvignon) and sweet wine. More recently the Hercules Paragon range earned double gold, and gold at Veritas and Michelangelo's as well as Silver at the International Wine Challenge.


De Zoete Inval-family wine estate
Another wine estate in the Paarl region that has superb credentials is De Zoete Inval; a shining example of the Boland's traditional family estate. The Frater family has been making wine here for more than 115 years. Today, the fifth generation on the estate continues to produce fine wines of singular character - an art developed through 3 centuries.


Here tradition sets the pace with the tasting room being managed exclusively by a family who offer personal attention, opinions and advice, and good value for money; especially when it comes to well aged Cabernets. De Zoete Inval was originally granted by Simon van der Stel in 1688. Robert Frater arrived here in 1878 to find the original cellar (which today houses the tasting room) and vineyards in production on the farm. For many years, Port was made here for KWV. One of the farms' highlights was winning the General Smuts trophy for the grand champion wine of the South African Wine Show in 1955. Cabernet Sauvignon was planted on quite a big scale and with some pre-1920 vineyards, dry red wines have been produced on De Zoete Inval. More Chardonnay has been planted and some interesting white wines are now made which last five to six years. New planting of Shiraz, Merlot and Petit Verdot were planted in August 2001.


Cabernet Sauvignon - A South African specialty
Wine Recommendations include the medium-bodied Shiraz, Maiden release of De Zoete Inval Estate's second label, Eskdale. This medium-bodied juicy red has upfront cherry and raspberry flavours, followed through by hints of spice and vanilla, ending with a racy finish. The Cabernet Sauvignon 1980 is an Old Clone Cabernet Sauvignon fermented dry in open fermenters - matured and bottled with old-style earth/tobacco whiffs, dry sweet and sour tannins with a menthol-like finish. Most of the great red wines of Bordeaux and some of the finest wines of the New World are based on Cabernet Sauvignon. It is often blended with Cabernet Franc and Merlot and its flavour is reminiscent of blackcurrants or cedarwood. It demands aging in small oak barrels, and the best wines require several years of bottle age to reach their peak.

About the Author

Oak Tree Lodge is ideally situated for tourists in search of a memorable Cape Town winelands stay-over. While stocking up on your favourite Shiraz, Pinotage or Cabernet; why not stay at this renowned Cape Town Guesthouse/Boutique Hotel in Paarl. The beautiful garden setting - enhanced by mature oak trees - provides the perfect ambience in which to sit and imbibe from your cache of superb wines.

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A Featured Wine Vineyards Article

The Wines of New Zealand

It?s easy to assume that New Zealand is a lot like Australia with its geographical proximity to the Outback: visitors may often be on the lookout for crocodile wrestling and Nicole Kidman sightings. Despite this assumption, New Zealand is a country all its own. Located halfway between the South Pole and the Equator, this nation is divided into the North Island and the South Island, with several smaller islands peppered in; it is a country filled with culture, history, and, of course, flora. Due to recent advances, it is now a country also filled with wine.



In the book of wine history, New Zealand hasn?t had much of a place, exiled to the small font of the index page. With diseases, poor quality grapes, and inexperienced farmers all serving as factors, its wines have been kicked out of liquor stores and booted out of bars. Nonetheless, these wines refused to stay out, sitting behind their vines and sulking; they decided to try again.



Perhaps it was the perseverance of the winemakers, or the zeal that partly makes up the nation?s name, but something kept the New Zealand wine industry going. After a hundred and forty years of poor quality wine, things changed: vineyards became more innovated and the lessons from experience began to stick, giving this nation's wine a second chance. By the early 1990?s, New Zealand wine had found a place: their grapes shed their former skins and emerged into something special.



The four years between 1994 and 1998 were literally a time of growth for the New Zealand wine industry: the number of winemakers increased from 31 to 293, the number of wineries tripled, and the amount of land reserved for viniculture nearly doubled. But the wine industry, as a whole, still remained small: presently, New Zealand produces an annual amount of wine that is one twelfth of Australia?s stock.



Greatly influenced by the English, Scottish, Irish, Asian, Polynesian, and Maori cultures, New Zealand as a country is a bit of a melting pot, and this shows in its wine: there are as many kinds of grapes as there are kinds of people. Over 20 varieties of grapes are grown in the ten main growing regions located all across the country. These grapes are made into wines at wineries that range from large to small.



New Zealand is known in particular for white wine, with 75 percent of wine produced being of this type. One white wine, the Sauvignon Blanc, is very much the grape of this country?s eye; it is the wine that put this nation on the map. With a flavor and a sharpness said to trump all others, this Sauvignon Blanc is one the most well-liked wines around. Many people attest that New Zealand produces the best Sauvignon Blanc in the entire world.



Red wines are, however, not absent; they are starting to be produced more frequently. Cabernet and Merlot are helping the red wine industry by climbing up the corporate vine, but the true red wine of New Zealand is Pinot Noir. This wine is becoming increasingly more and more popular; soon it may rival Sauvignon Blanc for prom queen.



New Zealand is home to vineyards extremely close to the ocean. When this is coupled with a southern location, possessing vineyards that are the southernmost in all the word, a different kind of climate is introduced to the grape. With a different kind of climate comes a different kind of wine. Marked by weather that is cool and consistent, the grapes of New Zealand are able to ripe at a slow, steady pace. This produces a wine that is intense, sharp in flavor and tastes like no other.



The rocky start behind them, New Zealanders are looking to the future of wine with their chins, and their glasses, held high. With the production of Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir, not to mention the hype the Riesling is creating, there is no knowing where the New Zealand wine culture will sit in the future. Chance are, it will sit among the best wine cultures in the world, known as one of the greatest lands for wine anywhere, not just north of the South Pole.

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A Featured Wine Spectator Article

Buying French Wine

The French wine industry, as well as the rest of Europe is in a bit of a spin. Over production, together with a drop in consumption, has lead to millions of litres of French wine and others, being turned into alcohol or vinegar and vines being grubbed up

Not only that, but we are being flooded by wine from the USA, South America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand plus the stuff from the new EU members from the Eastern Bloc. If that is not enough, India is starting to expand it?s small but long established wineries.

It has been said that the French wine producers have, to some extent, brought this problem on themselves as they were resistant to change when it came to marketing their wine, preferring to remain with their traditional labels on the bottles which featured the appellation and vineyard, rather than promoting the grapes used.

This new method has been used to great effect by the rest of the world, aided and abetted by the supermarket chains, where the knowledge of the products they are selling is pretty sketchy on the shop floor.

Although the new producers are making some very good vintage type wine, so good that they are beating the French at their own game, their first concern is for a product that is consistent from year to year and so there are vast swathes of vines being used. That is the problem, the whole magic and mystery of wine making and drinking is being sanitised for supermarket profits by the big multinational companies.

Just as the artisan butchers, bakers and the rest have been marginalised by the stack?em up and sell?em cheap, so the winemakers are going, some might say have already gone, the same way. Just look along any supermarket shelf and you will see rows of Cabinet Sauvignon, Cabernet Merlot, Chardonay etc., coming from the USA, Australia, Chile, Roumania, et al., and a couple of the most well known areas such as Bordeaux, Rioja, Frascati, Chianti, Etc..

Even the large off-licence chains are playing the same game because they are staffed by low paid workers whose knowledge of wine is woefully thin.

The only place to go is to specialist wine shops but the trouble there is that they will be concentrating on the pricier end of the market, that said, they may have some interesting wine that won?t break the bank, although it probably won?t be as cheap as the supermarket. What you loose in the financial swings you more than make up on the knowledge roundabout. In the main, these people are passionate about wine and will be able to give you expert advice. If you become a regular customer, you should get invited to wine tasting sessions, which is the best way to understand the differences in the wide variety of grapes and winemaking.

There is always the internet where buying wine is a click away and there are many different wines available often with tasting notes and personal revues. The latter is the key to buying on line although somewhat time consuming. Check through the reviews and see who is posting reviews and if they are good or bad. You will need a degree of faith as you cannot be sure that it is not the proprietors? brother or wife writing the review.

Start with the cheapest wine and get a selection covering a few people, then when the wine arrives do a tasting and see how much you agree or disagree with the review. Don?t forget to make notes as you will need to refer back at a later date. Don?t just take one wine as a comparison, but rather use a selection so that you can build a profile of those reviewers that you can trust and whose taste in wine matches yours. Then you will be able to buy on line with a reasonable certainty that if you buy the same wines, you will not be disappointed.

The absolutely best way to buy French wine, or indeed any wine, is to get in a car and drive around the countryside looking at the little vineyards and tasting here and there. Take some large flagons, at least 5 or 10 litre capacity because some of those smaller places sell only to the locals who bring there own containers.

The joy of finding a great little French wine from a farm house tucked away out of sight, talking to ?Le Patron? about how it was made, what the year had been like etc is one of the best you can get.

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