Wine of the Day #34: Rawbones Wishbone Sauvignon Blanc 2010

How much? R45;
Where? Oak Valley Wines, turn left at the gnarly Elgin oak, 27 (0)21 859 4110;
Why? The launch of this wine at Mzoli’s, a township butchery cum tourist attraction in Gugulethu late last year, became something of a cause célèbre for Cape Town’s chattering classes as the launch went down a month after honeymooning Anni Dewani was murdered near the same venue, under mysterious circumstances. The internet was saturated with breathless postings about the event and even identities not invited, tweeted their dismay at being ignored. But among the nigh on 100 descriptions of this wine, I discovered the fatal flaw of social media – there is no content.

Mzoli's

Mzoli's

Everyone blogged the same tasting note: ”The Rawbones 2010 Wishbone White offers the same cool climate flavours for which the regular Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc is renowned – yet with an appealing fruitiness and clean flavours of gooseberry and some apple.” Well how would anyone know as the 2010 Oak Valley Sauvignon is not yet released? To my palate, this Wishbone is more pineapple than apple, more tropical than the usual Elgin granny smith elegance and was most definitely a food wine whereas I prefer my Oak Valley more as an aperitif.

Platter was no use with Angela Lloyd’s opinion of the 2009 Oak Valley was also totally devoid of content: “Striking 09, with 3% sem, epitomizes both origin & excellent vtge. Vivid in its purity & length yet, with still tight-knit depths, it is also a wine of grace & poise.” Huh? But what does it taste like? Fruit? Minerals? Vegetables? Hello? This isn’t tasting, it’s aggregating appropriate adjectives.

Rating: ***

*****: Soweto
****: Mamelodi
***: Umlazi
**: Khayamandi
*: Blikkiesdorp