As part of my integration into South African culture the Department of Home Affairs have informed me that my braaiing skills are not up to scratch. Needless to say my attempt to improve them was a complete and utter disaster. During my efforts I encountered every single braai mishap known to mankind. Not being able to light the fire properly, wet wood, too little wood, having to start the fire again, lots of hungry guests and the pom speciality of incinerating the outside while undercooking the inside. Luckily for me, a true braai veteran stepped in and saved the day. My braai was rescued and I was saved from being lynched by the hungry mob.  

While my braai efforts bordered on the disastrous, thankfully there was plenty of decent wine to keep us company. The Lutzville Sauvignon Blanc (wine of the week) ticked all the boxes and was crisp and refreshing. However braais are a forum for red wines and our lineup for the evening also  consisted of a Veritas Gold Medal winning Allesveloren Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, the Meerhof Quartet Shiraz (from a young winemaker in the Riebeek Valley - I will get details) as well as the Alto Rouge 2007.

Allesveloren Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - this particular vintage was hiding on the shelf behind all the 2008s so I plucked it out of anonymity to give it a whirl. While the nose was encouraging, overall the wine lacked the fruit intensity of old and was on the wane. Despite this, it had lovely soft tannins and an appealing blackberry and mocha flavour but just lacked the edge the wine would have had in its prime (around R70).

Meerhof Shiraz Quartet - this wine was discovered during an outing to Riebeek Kasteel. Off the beaten track, this wine is a combination of 4 vintages of Shiraz and made using a solera style system (used for producing sherry in Spain - click here for more detail). The wine is big and bold and had characteristic notes of white pepper spice, liquorice and blackcurrants. For my taste, this was a little too tannic but nevertheless a great partner to my (unburnt) boerewors roll (around R80).

Alto Rouge 2007 - a Bordeaux blend with a dollop of Shiraz for good measure, the Alto Rouge is a delicious braai wine mainly for its smooth tannins and infinite drinkability. With summer fruits on the palate, complimented with vanilla spice, cigar box and a single espresso finish this is a real crowd pleaser. Although not unique, it does the simple things well and delivers a decent fill to your empty wine glass (around R60).

So onto my next challenge...the potjie. Watch this space!

So Happy New Year everyone! Spending my first Christmas in the southern hemisphere was certainly a challenge for a naive young pom. Having to battle the likes of a scorching temperature, sleeping in the wild (ok it was a tent in the garden), combating the daily food orgies bestowed upon me and finding time to take vital breaths from the continuous flow of wine was certainly enough to put a few hairs on my baby smooth chest. In between all this mass feeding and celebration, one of winepom's new friends offered up an absolute treat. Right in the inner reaches of a cavernous wine cellar lay a bottle of Rust en Vrede bottle dating from 1988. 1988 saw Ben Johnson  win 100m gold and then get pulled up for doping at the Seoul Olympics, Nelson Mandela turned a regal 70, Tracy Chapman released Fast Car, ladies still wore shoulder pads and Tom Cuise was still cool.

So was the 23 year old (!!!)  wine going to shape up as well as Rihanna? Well, the initial inspection boded well. The colour of the wine was legendary with a bright ruby core graduating to a mature brick rim. Classic. Moving to the nose, surprisingly fresh, developed notes of savoury meats and dried prunes. But like a Russel Crowe movie the good start eventually petered out to a disappointing finish. Although the fruit flavours were there, it lacked the intensity, complexity and fruit the wine should have in its prime. Ho hum, but all the same I helped gobble down the rest of the contents. As Bryan Brown stated in Cocktail: Let's just drink it.

What better way to celebrate winepom’s arrival onto South Africa’s shores than a fizz tasting! On a sunny 5th of December, winepom embarked on a voyage through the tree line boulevards to the picturesque little town of Franschhoek. The Magic of Bubbles tasting is a celebration of South Africa’s finest MCC bubbles. MCC stands for Methode Cape Classique and is South Africa’s version of Champagne. MCC means that the bubbles in the wine are created in the bottle (for a fuller explanation click here).

The theme of the event was black and white although it was far too hot for black tie. There was a fabulous marquee tent complete with a chess board style dance floor. Live entertainment kept the punters happy with a mixture of blues, jazz and a South African version of the Corrs. The Saffa Corrs managed to fill the dance floor with their catchy beats and accumulated a gaggle of enthusiastic dancers. A few were so enthusiastic that they inadvertly displayed their underwear to the crowd – always nice to know that posh girls also make a bit of a fool of themselves sometimes.

Attending the glitzy event were 38 different producers, showing over 100 wines from all the usual suspects plus examples from less well known spots such as Hout Bay, Plettenberg Bay and even some genuine Champagne houses from the land of the cheese eating surrender monkey (but which were very tasty all the same).

Before winepom left with the fairies and tap danced badly on the chess board to a Rod Stewart cover (Baaaabbbyyy Jaannnee...), winepom’s top 5 fizzes of the day were (in no particular order):  Silverthorn, Andre, Morena, Francois La Garde Semillon & Christina Van Loveren (as well as learning about the mysteries of Kosher sparkling wine from Backsberg!). Prices are estimates.
 
Silverthorn, The Green Man – new winery based in Robertson specialising only in sparkling wine, this is a 100% Chardonnay howitzer with plenty of soft green apple, peach fruit, crisp, biscuit complexity and a delicious finish. About R120 bucks but limited production so ideal for someone special (or just for yourself if you are greedy like the winepom). More info: www.silverthornwines.co.za

Morena Brut Rosé – a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 2 years on the lees. Wonderful, light pink in colour (the pros like to call this pale salmon), nice bubbles, straight forward strawberry freshness. Perfect for summer, sat in an ice cold bath full of fresh strawberries. Website says R90 / bottle (I paid R100 – the cheek). More info: www.morena-mcc.com.

Francois La Garde Semillon – Semillon is not normally used as a grape to produce bubbles, but the great thing about this wine is it is infinitely approachable with its easy going simple lemony style. It’s light and refreshing and the ideal partner to a plate of sushi. Price: R75 / bottle (www.francois-lagarde.com).

Andre – a real gem of a wine, this is a bottle of fizz, with 6 years maturation! 100% Chardonnay (from Constantia) and made with expert knowledge gleaned from the Champagne region in France. The long maturation of the wine gives it great depth and complexity. The normal apricot and apple are complimented with biscuit, baked apples and a touch of vanilla spice. Yummy. About R140 – more info: http://www.chabivin.co.za/chabivin/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=3

Christina Van Loveren MCC – new to the MCC game, Van Loveren have launched a Chardonnay dominated, peach & lime busting bottle of fun for R75. It isn’t the most complex wine out there but is elegant and top value for money. Cost: about R75. More info: www.vanloveren.co.za

Banished abroad, winepom set sail for the sunny coast of the Cape of Good Hope to experience the hospitality of the Southern Africans. Nearing the treacherous shores, winepom's vessel capsized amidst the fearful breakers of Milnerton and winepom had to use his limited swimming abilities to stumble ashore from shark infested waters. Tired but elated to be on shore, the winepom now faces a plethora of wine offerings from the natives - different from the First Cape and Kumala's he knows from England's green pastures. And so the journey begins...