When Tracy Chapman sang about a Revolution “Don’t you know you’re talkin’ about a revolution, it sounds like a whisper…” she clearly did not have a wine revolution in mind. There was no whispering at this one, anyway.
The actual Swartland begins some 50 kilometres north of Cape Town and consists of the regions between the towns of Malmesbury, Darling, Piketberg and the twin towns of Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel. Some serious viticulture is being done here by the “Young Guns” in the SA wine industry. Eben Sadie and Adi Badenhorst immediately spring to mind as wine makers who’ve earned their reputations in the Swartland on the back of some of the oldest vines in the country. But they are not the only guys producing some of the most exciting wines in SA, with its old vines expressing the concept of terroir brilliantly.
The organisers of the event probably had in mind the serious business of a revolution, in terms of educating us (the general wine drinking public) in the unique product the area has to offer while also launching the Swartland Independent and the SA Sommelier of the Year Awards. (This was done, by the way, by a very relaxed Michael Fridjhon – uncharacteristically dressed in “Out of Africa” field jacket, sans the usual bowtie replete with revolutionary style neck bandana).
The 2 day event was jam packed with information and WINE. Serious stuff too: we tasted 8 wines by Michel & Stephane Ogier from Côte-Rôtie in the Northern Rhone area of France. Stephane flew all the way here (no doubt wanting to revisit SA after doing 2 harvests here 12 years ago) and impressed with his 3 Syrah’s, Viognier and Rousanne and of course the €150 per bottle 1999 Côte-Rôtie (Syrah blend).
More serious wine tasting followed with the “Eben & Adi Show” moderated by Tim James – his moderation had no effect on Eben, who promptly did a cartwheel to open the proceedings (the result of a lost bet the previous evening).
We tasted some of the pre-blended components of the Columella (R612 at cybercellar) by Eben Sadie and the Adi Badenhorst White Blend (R210 ex cellar). All were a reflection of the unique terroir of the Swartland, especially the Syrah planted in clay soil – you could actually taste the soil and the iron in it. This forms the backbone of the Columella while the Syrah planted in slate and granite is the perfect addition to complete the “body” of the wine. The Roussanne planted in granite soil was my favourite Badenhorst white component – fresh and aromatic with white peaches everywhere.
In between all this seriousness we had some fun; there was eating (a Reuben Riffel BBQ Extravaganza and the festival feast at Bar Bar Black sheep) and there was drinking – wines by Sequillo, Badenhorst Family Wines and Mullineux Family Wines were practically on tap everywhere we went.
We loved the branding of the event – it showed up everywhere: the glasses, the wine, water and our great revolutionary satchels (or man bags, depending who you are talking to).
The end of the festival was a festival in itself: “Real men ferment wild”; wine tasting by wineries from the Swartland who use (mostly) wild yeasts in the alcoholic fermentation process. We tasted Nativo White from the Hughes Family, great red and white from Rall and Dean David’s 2 Mile² and of course the big guns from Lammershoek and El Bandito. All producers went the extra mile to talk to all the people jostling for space around their wine barrels.
A Revolution was started, we beat the Welsh in Wales and in the words of Tracy Chapman we bid farewell until next time (soon): “…and finally the tables are starting to turn, talkin’ about a revolution…”