Diamonds are forever - and wines for drinking now
By Wine Atlas, Wednesday 5 October 2005 :: Wine - New-Zealand :: #69 :: rss
Winemakers from the Olifants River Valley came to Cape Town during WineX in a balancing act of all dimensions great and small, and to show the versatility of the terroir of the far-flung wine region - from Koekenaap in the north to Trawal in the south, from warm Karoo vineyards to cool sandy Strandfontein on the coast.
Diamonds are a woman winemaker's best friend - and are forever unlike any wine. Winemaker Joan Wiggins bottled fifty diamonds in fifty magnums of her maiden Seal Breeze Shiraz 2004 to add an extra sparkle to the occasion. You have to admit it's a smart marketing spin for a new wine label. She explains, 'It's a world-first. We live on the diamond coast - and my husband's trade is in diamonds. You should pour the wine very slowly. Every drop is pressed with my own hands and feet the traditional way. The vineyards are near a seal island - cooled by the afternoon breeze.'
Seal Breeze is one of a crop of new boutique wineries coming out of the Olifants River Valley - along with Fryer's Cove, Melkboomsdrift, Rosslo, Stoumann's (Excelsious), Teubes and Wilgenhof. In a David and Goliath act, they have joined forces with a trio of South African wine giants - WestCorp, Klawer and Lutzville - to promote the newly branded Olifants River Vodacom Wine Route. Throw in an organic producer like Stellar Winery with its delightful Firefly, Sensory and Live-a-Little labels (and a Rather Revealing Rosé) and you've got the whole spectrum.
Continue reading : news.wine.co.za
