Delarey

He sure does. Not exactly cheap but damn good. He is a passionate wine maker and a very interesting guy. Listening to him passionately taking about the artist he got to “paint” his wine labels or going on about the difference between Swartland Chenin and Paarl Chenin is really something. I have many irrational passions but he takes it to the next level. We need more of his caliber.

Pleasantly surprised by this one. Received it as a present and did not have high hopes based on the label. I have no idea about the price, but I suspect it is punching way above its weight. Will have to try and source some more.

I love this kind of stuff! While I am an engineer so probably on the opposite of the spectrum with regards to the social sciences field, I find the "science" of happiness fascinating. This one is one of my favourite Ted talks:

Ironically the Cape Town Good Food and Wine Expo at the CTCC used to have a public voting system where attendees voted for their favorite wine at the expo. Almost every year a Coffee Pinotage won....

South Africa is such an unequal society that any metric that compares it to other countries is basically meaningless. Still an interesting analysis though.

Nr. 1 in Africa! That is something considering we hardly ever make the Afcon finals these days!

I think its a very misunderstood cultivar. In my opinion there are three different styles: plummy cheap Pinotage, Coffee Pinotage, and then the more expensive Pinotage (Pinot Noir style). I am not a fan of coffee Pinotage (although it is quite popular) and the cheap Pinotage is like any other cheap red wine. There only a few estates that make the nicer one and they definitely don’t come in under R100/bottle. When done well though, its one of my favorite cultivars. I do think it blends well though. There are a number of Cape Blends that punches way above their weight.

I love his analysis and he is incredibly knowledgeable. He might need some Ritalin though. I find myself constantly rewinding and pausing to catch everything he says (with subscripts).

I have noticed that Pinotage is not receiving any love on this thread, so let me do my part.

Some daytime drinking with a view to match.

I am sure you have all seen Squidge’s video on the Boks’ world cup win which he released just after the tournament. Probably one of the best analysis videos ever. I have watched several times already and still get goosebumps. (If you have not seen it, do yourself a favor) Here is a new one with a bit more analysis which he made a few months ago. Just stumbled across it yesterday for the first time. https://youtu.be/DDrUMVI7oQM

By the way, most of you have probably seen this documentary before, but in case you haven't, it is an absolute must for any wine enthusiast:

Some of the best wines are made by winemakers who do not actually own the vineyards. I might be wrong but I would be surprised if Eben Sadie actually own that vineyard in Clainwilliam where the Skurfberg Chenin comes from. I know Albert Ahrens buys most of his grapes from single sections of blocks of vineyard from the farmers. Apparently in France they have a systems where people can own a single row of a vineyard. The key difference between the Coop system of buying grapes and the way people like Sadie and Ahrens does it is that they are intimately involved in the working and harvesting of those vineyards, while the Coop just pays per ton delivered. Every winemaker I have ever spoken to says that the quality of the wine starts in the vineyard and in particular the soil. Connecting the type and style of wine you make to the type of soil and location of he vineyards is what makes great wine.

I have not tried either, but also saw the article. I found it fascinating that the Chenin is from the Olifants River area. On their website I see it's from a vineyard in Clainwilliam. I love the old vine Chenins from Swarland. Apart from the big names like Eben Sadie and Adi Badenhorst there are a number of smaller producers with brilliant Swartland Chenins (Albert Ahrens, Jacques de Klerk, Jocelyne Hogan Wilson).

That song makes me proud to be Afrikaans! There are several good versions of the song and it's difficult for me to pick a favourite. The original by Koos is probably one of his best, but I think the Dozi version might be my favourite:

My goto song when I was living in Budapest and missing SA on a Sunday afternoon (after a few wines).

Cool pic!

One of my favourite Metallica songs happens to be a cover. My goto song for barreling down G-Spot with more bravery than skill.

A very unique wine which I am enjoying way more than I expected

Another beauty from my W2W stash. Perfect in this weather.

Lomond Sugerbush Sauvignon Blanc!

Same here. I believe life is ultimately a pursuit of happiness and in my case, wine (and in particular, interesting wine) brings me a lot of happiness. I have a few other such vices, but wine is definitely in the top 3. I am also particularly sceptical of any decision which is made purely for the purpose of acquiring more money, especially when it involves giving up something that is the source of happiness. Sadly almost everything has a price for most people. That 1990's movie called Indecent Proposal comes to mind. My gut tells me that the choice to take the money almost always ends up in misery of some sort. I do enjoy thought experiments though.

Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blendAbsolutely love white wines from Elim.

The Berrio: Weather Girl