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March 12, 2004
By David Biggs
There's a great deal of talk in Cape wine circles these days about the need (or not) to produce a typical "Cape blend".
France has become known for its "Bordeaux blend", which consists, usually, of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. South African winemakers have long been trying to copy this blend.
Surely we should have a "signature" Cape blend as well. And the rule that has been agreed on is that the Cape blend should contain a significant percentage of pinotage, which is, after all, our own Cape grape varietal.
Seymour Pritchard of Clos Malverne has long been a champion of the pinotage grape and has been producing pinotage-based blends for many years. His Auret Cape blend is the only one to have been awarded five stars in the John Platter wine guide.
The latest of these is Clos Malverne's Devonet 2003, which is a merlot-pinotage blend, very reasonably priced at just below R40 a bottle.
"We launched this wine," says Pritchard, "because so many of our customers have been asking for an 'entry-level' Cape blend."
Devonet 2003 contains almost equal quantities of the two varieties, both of which were grown in the Devon Valley around Clos Malverne.
The wine was matured for just four months in second-fill oak barrels.
Winemaker Isak "Ippie" Smit says he designed it for for early drinking and it certainly is a soft, enjoyable wine for informal occasions, with a lovely mouth-filling fruitiness.
Seymour bought the 10ha Devon Valley farm Malvern Heights in 1969 and changed the name to Clos Malverne when he started making wine there in the late 1980s.
Before that he had used it for growing grapes
. Clos Malverne is a pleasant and informal farm to visit and is open to the public for tastings and wine sales from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm.
A charge of R13 a head is made for tastings.
With the proliferation of new cellars and wine farms in the Cape, competition is becoming very keen out there in Wine Country. It's no longer enough just to make the wine and sit back, hoping the customers will come rolling in.
Active marketing is needed if you're to survive. Wine farms are introducing all kinds of added attractions to draw the customers to their tasting rooms. The wine routes of the Cape are better value than ever before.
This could be the reasoning behind the opening of the first wine estate restaurant at Cape Town's Waterfront. If your customers don't come to you, you can always go to them.
Avontuur Estate has opened its restaurant in the historic old Queens Hotel near the V&A entrance.
The day-to-day running of the new restaurant will be handled by Albert Robertson, founder of the Famous Butcher's Grill group, and a partner in the new venture.
Part of the venue consists of an existing cellar, which will be used as an unusual tasting area and private function room that can seat 22 people.
A full bar will be available to diners, but only wines produced on Avontuur will be on the wine list. The restaurant is open every weekday from 6.30am for breakfast until 10pm for late-night diners, and on Sundays from 8am to 6pm.
dbiggs@glolink.co.za
  
 
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