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5/17/2006 South African Braai A Braai is a meat fest, a barbeque with large quantities and a variety of meats. According to our web resources, an authentic Braai consists of such meats as wildebeast, venison, and snoek. (Giving rise to the famous expression “slaat my dood met ‘n pap snoek”, feel free to google the phrase on your own time…) We made do with more local beasts: three kinds of sausage, lamb, chicken, beef, and bison. Some of it was marinated, some of it was skewered, some was in links and some were steaks. We grilled everything and it was extremely good. The traditional wines that go with this meal is Pinotage. According to our research, Pinotage was created in South Africa in the 1920s by crossing Pinot Noir and a local grape called Cinsaut (Hermitage). Cinsaut is a lightish red wine (according to Karen McNeil, The Wine Bible) and Pinotage is the wine of local fame. As usual, our guests were instructed to bring a bottle of SA Pinotage or Cabernet Sauvignon, $20 or less. When they arrived we got 4 bottles of Pinotage, 2 bottles of SA Shiraz, and a single bottle of SA Cabernet. Southern Right Pinotage, Western Cape, 2002. 14%, $18. This wine was both my favorite and the group favorite. We enjoyed the “intense aftertaste” and Cassis aroma. This wine was good on its own and improved with food. Warthog Pinotage Western Cape, 2004. 14%, $10. This was scored second best by the group and 5th by me. In fact, the group score missed tying for first by 1/10th of a point! It had a very assertive fruit flavor, and it is clearly a very good value. It went well with the meat, and it is fine drinking without a meal. For my tastes, it was too fruit forward and lacked some of the complexity of the other wines here. But, to each his or her own. Sincerely Shiraz, Western Cape, 2004. 13.5%, $13. This was the first bottle opened, and it ranked in the middle. There were definite black pepper flavors, and it set the tone for a nice evening. Kumala Shiraz, Western Cape, 2004. 14%, $10. The group ranked this wine fourth, and there was a noticeable alcohol note that we tasted which wasn’t pleasant. There was a nice currant flavor, and it developed well with food. Several people commented on a nice aftertaste. Warwick Pinotage, Stellenbosch, 2003.14%, $22. This was my second favorite, after the Southern Right. The group ranked this wine last. Several people noted a banana flavor, and thought that it lacked body. This wine was clearly better with food than standing alone. I really liked the flavor, an intense berry that developed over time. KWV Pinotage, Western Cape, 2003. 13.5%, $10. This wine was a complete surprise because it was corked. There was a noticeable mustiness, and as we went back and forth between other glasses the “corkiness” became even more pronounced. It was useful as a learning opportunity, but it was too bad because we looked forward to tasting it. Perhaps another time. I mentioned earlier that there was one bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon which a guest brought (following directions, which specified either a Pinotage or a Cab… not a Shiraz.) We drank the Cabernet but I failed to capture drinking notes. We have had a lot of fun with these tastings. I use them – selfishly – to learn more about different varietals. By tasting a handful of wines of the same grape I get a sense of what the grape is all about, at least in our price range. And we have learned a lot. I have designed these events so that there is some structure, making my guests fill out spreadsheets about each wine. That part is totally artificial, but the result of focusing on what we like and learning to describe it is very useful. Mostly we just have fun. Recently one of my guests said to me that he used to drink wine as a simple beverage. After these evenings he thinks about wine as a part of the meal, as coming from a place and as offering a complement to the meal in a unique way. That’s more eloquent than I could have said it, but that is clearly my goal as well. Thanks. As we learned to say in South Africa, “slaat my dood met ‘n pap snoek.” |
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