South Africa, Wineries   Waterford, Stellenbosch    Rustenberg, Stellenbosch       Fairview, Suider Paarl    Seidelberg, Suider Paarl     WATERFORD, STELLENBOSCH Despite being a very young winery, Waterford is a pleasure to visit. The car-park is a beautifully manicured fruit orchard. Getting out of the car we were greated by Belle a Staffordshire Bull Terrier (apparently with the personality of the Warthog in the 'Lion King') and Shiraz; a statuesque (and probably 50+kg) Rhodesian Ridgeback. We also have a Ridgeback at home, and despite this being a friendly greeting I imagine that if you only kept a goldfish, Shiraz might be a little intimidating. Later we also met Chenin, the lady Ridgeback of the house. The winery is less than 5 years old and was the brainchild of Kevin Arnold together with the backing of a South African IT 'mogul'. The whole place is stunning, set at the end of a dirt road and built in a Tuscan/Hacienda style of stone dragged from the local vineyards. Waterford have segmented their range into the 'Pecan Stream' easy-drinking wines and their more serious Waterford range. Prices are at the winery, but they export if you want to contact them directly. Tasted in the order written : TASTING NOTES 2001 Pecan Stream, Chenin Blanc  R26.00 Medium yellow. Nice appley, malic nose. Light bodied with good acidity. Easy drinking. Not bad. 2002 Waterford, Chardonnay  R60.00 Only 5 months in oak. Medium gold. Citrus and lime on the nose. Good citrussy palate too. No obvious oak. Good. 2001 Pecan Stream, Cabernet Sauvignon  R35.00 100% unwooded. Medium ruby colour. Earthy nose, with green asparagus. Medium body and fruit concentration with perhaps a green element again. Not bad length. Not bad. 2000 Waterford, Cabernet Sauvignon  R85.00 We already enjoyed the 1999 at the Den Anker restaurant in Cape Towns V&A waterfront. This wine was a deep ruby colour with a cherry edge. Deeper aromas give way to dark cherry and chocolate tones. Not a blockbuster style but good acidity and furry tannins support much denser fruit than the previous wine, and no green notes. Refined cabernet from SA. Leave for a couple of years then enjoy a very good wine. 2001 Waterford, Kevin Arnold Shiraz  R102.00 Medium-full cherry colour with a purple edge. Understated nose has a hint of wood and deep black cherry notes. Good acidity and medium-plus tannins. Again not a big, fat, New-World style - refined with subtle vanilla on the persistent finish. Another very good wine. Waterford, Family Reserve Heatherleigh  375ml R65.00 Sauvignon blanc and Muscat with 8 months of wood. Medium gold. Beautiful sweet nose of faint botrytis, peaches, nectarines and lime. There's honey on the palate which is very long. My preference would be for a little more acidity to carry the wine's persistent finish better. Very nice.       WATERFORD       Stellenbosch       tel. +27 21 880 0496       email Waterford       site Waterford RUSTENBERG This is a gorgeously picturesque estate. With not just excellent wines, but a 1,000 strong Jersey cow herd for milk and cheese production. Like Waterford, this is a place which really looks after the casual visitor with superb (free) tasting facilities. Unfortunately the whole of the 'top wine' the 2000 Rustenberg Peter Barlow was lost due to smoke damage from fires in the Stellenbosch region that year. However a case of the 1999 will wing its way to Switzerland for me at half the price I would normally have to pay. As you read this, they should have released the 2001. TASTING NOTES 2002 Brampton, Sauvignon Blanc  R38.00 Very pale yellow. Grassy and gooseberry nose. Concentrated on the palate with lovely, long acidity. Lovely cold in the garden on a hot day. 2002 Brampton, Chardonnay  R38.00 An unwooded wine. Very pale colour with a melony nose. Good acidity and medium intensity fruit. Quite good, but I prefer the sauvignon blanc 2001 Rustenberg, Stellenbosch Chardonnay  R73.00 This cuvée sees 12 months in wood, with 40% in new barrels. Darker colour with a little toast on the nose. A sweet palate, buttery too. Despite the description so far, actually quite a nice balanced wine. 2001 Brampton, Old Vines Red  R44.00 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 13% Carignan and 12% Shiraz. Medium-plus cherry red colour. Redcurrant and cherry nose. Fruity with medium body, good acidity. Not a bad wine for current drinking. Okay. 2000 Brampton, Cabernet Merlot  R45.00 A 52:48 cab:merlot blend. Medium-plus cherry red colour. High toned fruity nose. Medium bodied with a little vanilla on the tongue. Again not a bad wine for current drinking. Okay. 2000 Rustenberg, Stellenbosch John X Merriman  R130.00 The 1999 was one of my best wines of 2001. This wine sees 20 months in oak. Medium-plus cherry red colour. Concentrated cherry and red fruits on the nose. Succulent, red fruit on the palate with good acidity. Very good but leave a couple of years first. 1990 Rustenberg, Vintage Port  R90.00 This wine is not produced every year, and new name is on the way for this wine to open up export markets. Has a nice deep nose. The palate is more like a concentrated wine than 'Port' - which means I actually quite enjoyed it ! 2000 Brampton, QF2  375ml R70.00 A botrytis Sauvignon Blanc which spend 20 months in oak. Nose has medium botrytis and a lovely apricot palate. Lovely acidity in this wine - I bought some !       RUSTENBERG       Stellenbosch       tel. +27 21 809 1200       email Rustenberg       site Rustenberg FAIRVIEW After the previous two wineries Fairview is on much less 'grand' scale and perhaps in need of a lick of paint here and there. They are famous of course for their goat tower from which they derive their cheekily named Goat Rotie and Goats do Roam wines. The tasting area is pretty much like a public bar. You pay a fee and recieve a sticker (Official Fairview Taster!) which shows you are entitled to taste the wines and also the cheeses. Actually I preferred tasting the cheeses as I didn't need to fight for a place at the bar! There was quite a range of wines available for tasting, though none of their 'better' shiraz's. These were still available for purchase though, so I bought their 'Solitude' shiraz - or at least I think it was as I can't find my note(!) We drank it later and enjoyed it very much; to the best of my memory a concentrated, quite sweet wine with aromatics leaning towards the Australian style with much plum and mulberry fruit. I also don't remember the vintage - sorry! Despite being able to purchase the wines and cheeses we couldn't get any bread for our sandwiches which is how we came to visit the next place . . .       FAIRVIEW       Stellenbosch       tel. +27 21       email Fairview       site Fairview SEIDELBERG Literally a few hundred metres further up the road from Fairview was a sign that we couldn't ignore - Lunches! This was the Seidelberg wine estate. Some construction was underway for the car-park (next to the helipad!) and the adjoining house. They have a lovely atmospheric eating area with vaulted ceilings where you can also taste the wines - though we chose to eat on the grassy terrace and enjoy the views across the valley. Normally there is a small charge for tasting the wines, but this was waived as we had eaten lunch. Over twenty wines were available, some under the cheaper 'De Leuwen Jagt' label and the rest under the Seidelberg label. Prices are at the winery and they are happy to export if you want to get in touch. I'd be happy to cellar any of these below - and they all require it. The consistent style was high extract, high acidity and strong tannin. A serious style which successfully distances itself from the sweet 'New World' stereotype. TASTING NOTES 2000 Seidelberg, Roland's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon  R75.00 Deep colour. Concentrated blackcurrant nose. Very tannic with good fruit intensity and strong acidity. Very good, but to lay down 2001 Seidelberg, Roland's Reserve Pinotage  R85.00 Deep purple colour. Some oak notes on the nose. Again very tannic with high acidity, but lots going on here, excellent concentration. An interesting and again very good wine. Also for laying down 2001 Seidelberg, Roland's Reserve Syrah  R120.00 Deep ruby colour. The nose is high toned and floral, very nice. After the pinotage this has medium concentration berry fruit. High acidity and medium tannins. Once more very good and for laying down. 2000 Seidelberg, Roland's Reserve Merlot  R75.00 Deep ruby. Plum and white pepper on the nose. Very concentrated palate. Again good acidity with medium-plus tannin. Becomes a little astringent on the finish, but still very good       SEIDELBERG       Suider-Paarl       tel. +27 21 863 3495       email Seidelberg       site Seidelberg © nanson.ch 2000-2002