Jean Vincent Ridon and his SA national blind tasting team showed the way forward for SA tasting panels at the recent World Blind Tasting Challenge, organised by Revue du Vin de France. Captained by Ralph Reynolds, sommelier at Karibu, the SA team 2015 consisted of Veronica Plaatjies from Restaurant Mosaic, Joseph Dhafana from La Colombe and Anita Streicher-Nel from Morgenhof. No winemakers. No Masters of Wine. Not even a Cape Wine Master. No Platter pensioners. But a refreshing cultural diversity. Members earned their place on the team through competition, not connections. No bank sponsored the team, either.
SA was placed a creditable 12 out of 20 national teams that participated in Chateauneuf du Pape on Saturday. Spain won, with the final result Spain (140 points), Belgium, Sweden, Andorra, France (105 points), Russia, UK, Poland, Portugal, Quebec, Finland, South Africa (98 points), China, Argentina, Luxembourg, Italy, Japan, Monaco, Switzerland, USA. Interesting to see Quebec impersonating a country.
Wines tasted blind also told a story with Chamonix Pinotage proudly waving the SA flag.
- Pinot noir France Champagne Bollinger Grande année 2005
- Sauvignon New Zeland Hawke’s Bay Te Mata 2013
- Riesling Germany Pfalz Friederich Becker Sonnenberg 2011
- Malvasia Croatia Istria Kabola Unica Réserve 2009
- Assyrtiko Greece Santorin Gaia Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2014
- Sangiovese Italy Chianti Classico Felsina Berardenga 2012
- Mourvedre France Bandol Château Vannières 1998
- Pinotage South Africa Franschhoek Chamonix 2012
- Grenache France Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007
- Tempranillo Spain Castilla y Leon Quinta Sandoria 2006
- Sémillon France Sauternes Château Climens 2008
- Grenache France Maury Mas Amiel 2006
When will SA competition sponsors wake up and smell the coffee? The status quo of winemaker dominated clubs of old farts and chiskoppe are way past their sell-by dates. Results are hilariously contradictory, events boring and deeply unsexy and a huge turn-off for SA consumers. Which is the whole point.
