Chardonnay, queen of white wines

Chardonnay is undoubtedly one of the great wine producing grapes of the world, with statistics showing that it is the 5th most planted cultivar globally (second if you exclude red wine cultivars). It is popular with producers and consumers alike – demonstrated by the facts that it is planted in more grape growing areas than any other grape and is the most widely recognisable cultivar internationally.

This March will see Creation Wines celebrating Chardonnay – the Queen of White Wines – with a notable South African chef (watch out for the announcement in next week’s newsletter) featuring food ideas and recipes to pair with the Creation Chardonnay 2013. The Creation Chardonnay has garnered a number of awards across multiple vintages and the 2013 vintage was recently a trophy winner in the What Food What Wine? competition where it was paired with a South African classic: pumpkin fritters! This once again confirms the food friendly nature of this exceptionally well-balanced wine.

Carolyn Martin, co-owner and marketing director says of the 2013 vintage: “On the nose glorious layers of sun-kissed pear and peach are enhanced by fresh minerality and a hint of piquant vanilla. The full-bodied palate is in perfect harmony: generously fruity and subtly spicy, with well-judged acidity contributing excellent balance and a lively, lingering aftertaste. I can’t wait to see what our guest chef comes up with, crayfish season is over but our Chardonnay lends itself to a wide range of cuisines.”

From the winemaker’s perspective Chardonnay is easy to work with and has the potential to produce excellent, quality focussed wines in a wide range of styles, while remaining terroir-expressive. Jean-Claude Martin, owner, cellarmaster and viticulturist of Creation Wines, says of Chardonnay:

“Chardonnay is generally regarded as quite a neutral cultivar and this is why the terroir seems to impact more on Chardonnay than on other white cultivars, which have very specific characteristics, such as the fragrant nose of Viognier or the tropical fruit tones of Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay is most expressive of site which has an impact on the minerality of a wine.” On the hotly debated subject of minerality Jean-Claude says: “For us it is the effect of terroir which influences the growth pattern of the vine and therefore has an impact on the quality of the grapes as well as the winemaking style.”

It may be interesting to note that ‘site’ includes altitude, aspect, weather and soil conditions, while ‘terroir’ covers site, vineyard practice and winemaking.

Click here to read more on our blog.

THE NATALIE CHAPMAN CONCERT
Thanks to terrific community spirit and a can-do attitude the Natalie Chapman 90 Days 90 Towns 90 Gigs charity concert held in the tasting room at Creation was a resounding success, with a full house attendance in support of Natalie’s [campaign] – video. Creation would like to extend a word of thanks to the following members of the community, without whom it would not have been possible:

All the individuals who made donations
Smart Octopus
Burgundy Restaurant
Okasie
Radio Overberg
Whale Coast FM
and all members of the Creation team who contributed.

The funds collected will be donated to the co-ordinators of ProjekHoop – a locally run initiative that aims to upgrade the trauma rooms at the police station and provincial hospitals – on 21 March at the Festival of Hope event. Please note that donations are still welcome until this time. Contact Salome on 028 212 1107 or e-mail [email protected].

MILES FOR STYLE
Creation Wines is pleased to announce that we have been selected as a member of Miles for Style. Miles for Style is an exclusive online community, marketing and promoting premium aspirational brands from a select community of supply partners to the general public and, in particular, members of Voyager, South African Airways’ loyalty programme. Miles for Style has positioned itself as theonly online shopping experience where shoppers and Voyager members can earn miles on the purchase of wines and diversified value-added lifestyle offerings.

The two Creation wines featured on the Miles for Style online store are:

Creation Sauvignon Blanc 2013
A generously aromatic wine rewarding with intense guava, ripe pineapple and minerally whiffs. On the full-bodied palate the tropical fruit is joined by juicy notes of cassis and hints of green pepper. Crisp acidity contributes to the allure.

Creation Syrah 2011
This highly rated wine impresses with aromas of maraschino cherry and peppery spice interwoven with whiffs of violet. It is lusciously ripe on the silky palate with vibrant minerality to offer exciting complexity. Lingering echoes of anise and clove add to the attraction.


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