I suppose all wine writers are asked the question: "You get to taste a lot of wines, so what's your favourite wine of all?"
The diplomatic answer is: "My favourite wine is the one that's in my glass. All the rest are just memories or unknown to me."
Actually, it's an impossible question to answer briefly. There are wines for all occasions. Sometimes a dry rosé is perfect and at another time you may prefer a bold red blend or a frivolous bubbly.
I'm known for my love of sweet fortified muscadels and jerepigoes for winter drinking.
But as far as red grape varieties go I will stick my neck out very cautiously and say I am seldom disappointed by a South African shiraz. Most of our winemakers seem to have got shiraz right.
Our pinotages are improving dramatically every year and winemakers agree pinot noir is a challenge for those brave enough to face it. We produce some world-beating red blends.
But if I were to pick a red wine from an unknown selection of South African labels, I'd probably play safe and choose a shiraz.
Shiraz can be quite a versatile grape, too.
Hartenberg Estate has a long association with shiraz. They produced their first shiraz in 1974 and their present winemaker, Carl Schultz, has been working with their shiraz grapes for the past 17 years and now makes three distinctly different shiraz wines; an estate wine and two single vineyard wines.
The Hartenberg Gravel Hill Shiraz was first made in 1995 for the Winemakers' Guild Auction and has been a popular seller ever since. The latest addition to the range is The Stork, which has been praised in American and British publications and scored an impressive 92 points out of 100 in the Wine Spectator.
These wines have been seen to age very well and some of the earliest vintages are still delicious after 20 years. Schultz keeps them maturing for at least four years before releasing them for sale.
They're well worth a try.
If you're interested in buying excellent wines for your collection, make a note of the Nedbank Cape Winemakers' Guild Auction pre-release tasting at the CTICC on August 12.
Here you will be able to sample all the wines on offer at the auction, which takes place at Spier in October.
Unlike the wines offered for general sale by members of the guild, the auction wines are specially made for this event and selected at a blind tasting by guild members. They're not available in wine shops.
The pre-auction tasting begins at 6pm on August 12 and ends at 9pm.
Bookings can be made by calling 021 852 0408 or e-mailing bookings@capewinemakersguild.com. There will also be tickets available at the door.
Tickets cost R150 each and the price includes a tasting glass and catalogue.
A feature of the October auction is the "silent auction" held to raise money for the Nedbank CWG Development Trust, which helps with the education and training of promising young winemakers.
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