Last night’s launch of the Boschendal 330 2013 red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec confirms that Malbec is fast becoming the secret ingredient in Cape blends. Panzi those iron banana flavours of Pinotage. Those alarming peach notes of Viognier. That Australian sloppiness of Shiraz. Malbec brings a funky perfume and fruit sweetness to the party that transforms the tomatoesque character of Stellenbosch Caberet – and make no mistake, this is a Stellenbosch Wine of Origin – and makes it more Wellington in flavour without the jam.
But this 330th birthday party was no boringly awkward Stellenbosch sokkie. There were black people and I’m not talking waitrons here who seem to have been flown in from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The music was gypsy jazz and no dad dancing was allowed.
Guests wore designer rags because they were designers.
The plates were from Meryn Gers and it was brisket on the menu, not lamb shanks. Boschendal raised the bar for wine functions so far into the stratosphere it resembled that 20Km tall tower the Canadians are building to shoot lumberjacks into space.
Susan Huxter, the Queen of Franschhoek, was in fine fettle and singing the praises of Analjit Singh who will take Le Quartier Francaise to the next level. Listing the Boschendal 330 is a good place to start.
And to celebrate the exit of the appalling Whale Cottage troll from the valley, Le Quartier is hosting a whale hunt weekend at the end of the month with harpoons to be tossed at an effigy of the beast. All proceeds to go to charity. A sell out crowd is expected as the Whale has to be the most hated social media aberration on the interwebs.
Speaking of bizarre statues and installations, Stellenbosch Wine Routes has excelled itself with the new hot dog blow job statute outside the garage at the Klapmuts interchange while the question on everyone’s lips, is what happened to the giant Queen of Sheba who would welcome visitors at Zettler Berries. Hopefully relocated to Dorp Steet outside the plush offices of WOSA.
