A flavourful Biriyani that’s great for weekday nights.
This recipe serves 4 people.
To assemble
Beer is probably best suited with biriyani but a Chardonnay or wooded Chenin Blanc will also work well – both will play a conciliatory role with this full-flavoured dish having both sufficient texture and freshness.
I was strolling past the supermarket wine shelves, idly wondering if I should try to find some more bargains that would be acceptable to demanding, but possibly hardpressed, winelovers. A label jumped out at me (as they say), saying “give me a chance!”, but I now have a feeling that it was, rather, something in my mind that magnetised it. A slight feeling of anxiety, or guilt. I’ll come back to that. Anyway I noticed a bunch of chardonnays, some of them of a cheapness that surprised me.
The surprise maybe reflected my ignorance, but I do know enough that I should have been very wary of plunging into the sub-R100 depths with this variety. The quality of good Cape chardonnay has become impressive (though I take the point that Christian Eedes made to me not long ago that a lot of the top end is still too rich and oaky). And I have a liking for serious-minded unoaked versions (I mentioned the Glenelly recently as a good buy at around R150). But cheap ones that readers of this website might find acceptable, seemed rather unlikely, going by what experience I had. And there was that intriguing label that I thought I owed it to buy. So, optimistically I bought three of them, well under R100.
With the first one I tried, I thought I’d made a real mistake in my quest. I’d been quite hopeful about the Chardonnay 2024 from the Ken Forrester Petit range (about R80), but found it rather awful, and didn’t get far beyond a sniff (which was fruitily promising) and a tiny taste. Richly round to the point of flabbiness, squishily ripe and rather sweet, with a little taste of pickled citrus on the short finish the only bit of interest. This seemed to me to sum up the kind of dumbing down in an “entry-level” range that I deplored recently.
But then things got a little better. At the same sort of price, Porcupine Ridge 2024, also had pleasantly fruity aromas, though still quite a bit of fermenty yeastiness, and a hint of toast (it’s “lightly oaked”. It’s decently dry, rather fresher and grippier than the Petit. Not particularly chardonnay-ish, really, but drinkable.
Best of the three was the cheapest, the one that had jumped to meet my tinge of guilt: Four Cousins Chardonnay 2024. Guilt because I’ve recently been unabashedly rude about the saccharine boxed wines that are the main cousinly offering to South Africa’s sweet tooth; I thought I should at least try something a bit more vinously ambitious. There is a little bit of sweetness offered here, but it’s well balanced and altogether rather succulent, the whole not too plush. The only wine in this experiment what didn’t give its origin as Western Cape or Coastal: perhaps the fact that this was all from Robertson grapes helped account for its quality and that elusive touch of something one might call character. So I think I must apologise to the label and admit that I should have been a bit more discriminating in the range before damning the name. I said last week that I couldn’t see how drinkers could escape up a ladder from the sickly depths of sweet stuff. But perhaps Four Cousins is providing a few rungs of the ladder themselves by offering better wines to those who have come to trust the name but want to dry something a bit pricier, more smartly packaged. Mea culpa.
I thought then that I should try another cheap chard, but one a bit closer to R100. I found Hartenberg’s unwooded Doorkeeper Chardonnay (also 2024, WO Coastal Region, but the only one with cork rather than screwcap), which gave me one cent change from that crucial hundred buck point. More genuine chard notes here, easy-going and hardly elegant, but rather brighter and grippier than the others. Certainly the best I tried and worth paying that bit more for.
Could I, though, finally recommend sub-R100 chardonnay? (Incidentally, doing a bit of googling, I find that prices of these wines can vary from those I’ve given – there are often specials on somewhere; I’ve just noticed the Doorkeeper for R89, for example.) At this price level I’m tempted to say rather go for chenin, or sauvignon that at least has the merit of all tasting pretty much the same down here. I think that “brand chardonnay” seems to be still associated with ripe, soft richness (while spicy oakiness is not there at this price level), and some people clearly want that. So it might depend on your mood and the circumstances. If you’re eating a bowl of creamy pasta and watching television, one of the above (for me not the Petit!) would be fine. But if you’re paying a bit more attention to the wine and chard is what you want, grit your teeth and spend another R50 or so.
Though it’s been open since 1987, I only recently (very much) enjoyed my first lunch at Decameron in Stellenbosch. Named for a 14th-century collection of short stories by Giovanni Boccaccio, the food is correspondingly Italian. It immediately made my running mental list of places that wine-people frequent. Restaurants with curated pairing menus, and places where wine people actually eat are often two different things. Decameron fits the latter description perfectly. The food is unpretentious, the service warm and welcoming – and, of course, they have a banger of a wine list.
Over steaming, cheesy cannoli washed down with two chenins, one French, the other, Secateurs from AA Badenhorst Family Wines, I took in the ambience. Waiters studying oenology at the universtity, family photos and sentimental art on the walls, a shelf stacked with owner Mario Ladu’s homemade chili sauce. Fittingly this lunch was with two of South Africa’s wine fraternity stalwarts, wine and tourism consultant André Morgenthal and former Chenin Blanc Association manager Ina Smith, among other things we talked about the premiumisation of Chenin Blanc.
Still family run, Mario’s daughter, Rosie Ladu is the front-of-house manager. “When Decameron opened, Stellenbosch didn’t have many restaurants and so it became a good spot for business meetings, especially for the wine industry,” says Rosie.
Before becoming a restaurateur, Mario built Bergkelder’s wine tanks. “I’m sure his connections got the place going,” adds Rosie. “And they just never stopped coming.”
Unsurprisingly, Stellenbosch has a few of these places. There’s the Fat Butcher across the road, long attended to by local vinophiles. More recent additions to the list are nearby De Warenmarkt, which is quickly gaining a wine following, as is De Eetkamer. Of the latter chef-patron Marco Cardoso reckons those in the trade like coming to his restaurant as there ‘aren’t any rules’ when it comes to ordering from his small plate menu and they tend to enjoy the variety. “It’s a lovely sight to see a table full of dishes with numerous different bottles of wine.”
Another institution, Genki, serving sushi and Japanese tapas, is hidden in a courtyard just off Church Street. Open since 2009 the unassuming restaurant is charm personified, tables outside are scattered under the oaks, the food is precise, fresh and clean and the owners Richard and Charlene Waite are hands-on.
“They all tend to be purists at heart,” says Charlene, referencing her wine industry guests. She knows her clientele well. “André Morgenthal loves hamachi. Coenie Snyman [Rock of Eye], nigiri. Charl Ellis [Neil Ellis Wines] loves the Tako Sunomono [octopus salad], and Nic van Aarde [Oldenburg] is partial to the chicken and celery dumplings. While Ken Forrester opts for sushi but when he has guests he adds bao buns…”
Speaking of, Ken’s restaurant 96 Winery Road is an oenophile fixture. “It’s known locally as La Cantina, as in the industry canteen,” says Ken. “We were the first South African wine list to be recognised by Wine Spectator in their awards. We’ve always supported multiple wineries – at one point we had 550 different wines.” He says their first list was organised under ‘Local’ for Stellenbosch and ‘Foreign’, which had everything from Paarl to Portugal.
As for estates only offering their own wines at their restaurants, Ken declares this ‘nuts’, ‘why would you limit the experience like that?’
Another estate who subscribes to the philosophy of more is more, is Joostenberg. Fifth generation owner Tyrrel Myburgh posits that ‘wine people are all foodies at heart. Everything we do is real, we don’t skimp on flavour and ingredients, and we’re welcoming to our neighbours – and stock their wines.’ Joostenberg is made up of two farms on opposite sides of the N1; Klein Joostenberg features a bistro, brewery and deli, while Joostenberg Estate is home to the tasting room and The Kraal Restaurant.
“Ian Naudé bring all his dogs and you see them running around on the big lawn, the Griers have been a part of the furniture for the last 25 years… There’s this appreciation of real food and real people.” Case-in-point, the ed (Christian Eedes) celebrated his 50th birthday at The Kraal Restaurant.
Heading into town, there’s A Tavola in Claremont, an Italian restaurant beloved by the wine cognoscenti – and of course, the legendary Magica Roma in Pinelands. This must be the ultimate wino den; with its quintessential ristorante feel; cosy booths, wood-panelled ceilings and dimmed lighting.
Magica Roma was opened in the ’80s by chef-patrons Franco Zezia, originally from Lombardy and Piedmontese Ezio De Biaggi, and has been going strong ever since, with a focus on seasonal ingredients – porcini season is a highlight – and classical cooking.
“Our relationship with the industry goes way back to Wine Magazine days with Mr Eedes senior, who often would bring guests to do tastings and pairings,” says Ezio.
“Today we are blessed to call Christian Eedes, Jacqueline Lahoud, Michael Fridjhorn and Emile Joubert, among many others, as regular guests in our backroom with its wall of wine bottles.”
Emile is also perhaps the most famous of all regulars at Dias, the iconic Portuguese taverna in the inner city, established in 1988 (they now also have other locations). “The only crisis is when they are out of Casal Garcia, a wine that tastes different, better in culinary establishments such as these. Under usual conditions, a bottle is already waiting on my table as I slip into the plastic chair,” says Emile. “An exception was when Schalk-Willem Joubert joined me, bearing a bottle of Pichon-Longueville, an unexpectedly good match with trinchado and buttered rolls. It’s the kind of place that reminds me what wine is made for. Tasty food, conviviality and the guilt-free pleasures of indulgence.”
“The food speaks for itself with most regulars choosing the same meal through the decades,” says Ramon Goncalves, a junior partner in the company. “We find this lack of change means those that are inclined to the vine end up returning with different cultivars to pair with their favourite dish.
“On a few occasions wine has acted as a commodity for those unable to pay the 10 per cent service… We won’t name and shame.” Ramon says that ‘uncle Roy’ was tasked with approving the wine presented as Fiat currency. Uncle Roy, ‘Cape Town’s longest-serving barman’ is a wine-lover himself and was known to finish his shift with a bottle of ‘Drostdy Hof Grand Cru’.
It would be remiss not to mention Chapman’s Peak Hotel in this vinous roll-call. Featuring a Portuguese menu, a wide terrace with ocean and mountain views – and one of the best wine lists in the country, with certainly the most interesting selection of chenin on it. Choose one of those with the famous calamari and you won’t be sorry.
Our last stop takes us along Chapman’s Peak Drive to beachy Noordhoek, and to my local, The Foodbarn. Domain of celebrated chef and owner, Franck Dangereux. Not only does Franck host regular winemaker events and tastings, but he collaborates with producers to bring out Foodbarn-branded wines. His list of collaborators is impressive, with the likes of John Loubser of Silverthorn, Trizanne Barnard, Rudi Schultz of Thelema and Schultz Family Wines, Catherine Marshall, Roger Burton of Constantia Royale, Ken Forrester all bottling wines with him from specially selected barrels and sites.
When asked why producers flock to his deep south haven, Franck simply states: “I respect their wine without getting too pompous.”
That’s exactly it, Franck, wine people tend to appreciate an authentic experience – and stripping away the pomp has the advantage of making fine wines shine all the brighter.
Let’s take this to the comments—any cherished memories or favorite dishes from these wine haunts? And who have I overlooked?
Abrie Beeslaar stood down as head winemaker of high-profile Stellenbosch property Kanonkop last year to concentrate entirely on his own label. First bottling was a Pinotage from the 2012 vintage but as of 2022, he added both a Chardonnay and a Cape Bordeaux blend to his portfolio. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:
Chardonnay 2023
Price: R460
Grapes from Stellenbosch, Barrydale, Kaaimansgat and Robertson. Matured for 12 months in barrel, 20% new. Less than 20% MLF. The nose shows pear, peach and citrus, an attractive note of vanilla and a hint of struck-match reduction. Dense fruit, bright acidity and a savoury finish – tightly wound with more clarity and poise than the maiden 2022 vintage released last year. Alc: 12.88%.
CE’s rating: 92/100.
Pinotage 2023
Price: R720
Matured for 20 months A compelling and complex nose of red and black berries, floral perfume, dried herbs, liquorice, vanilla and oak spice. The palate is full but equally shows excellent composure – pure fruit, bright acidity and firm but fine tannins. Structured and detailed, this is a very strong vintage of this wine. Alc: 14.5%.
CE’s rating: 96/100.
The Sacrament 2022
Price: R1,150
NEW. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon from Helderberg, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot both from Banghoek vineyards. 30% whole-berry fermentation with a view to making the wine accessible earlier. Matured for 19 months in barrel, 100% new. Enticing aromatics of red and black berries, violets, a certain leafiness and pencil shavings. The palate is medium bodied with fresh acidity and fine, supple tannins. Juicy on entry, the finish long and dry. Elegant and understated. Alc: 14.5%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
Here are seven most highly rated wines of last month:
Iona Kloof Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 – 96 (read original review here)
Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2023 – 95 (read original review here)
Iona Fynbos Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 – 96 (read original review here)
Mother Rock Platteklip Paying the School Fees White White blend 2023 – 95 (read original review here)
Terra.Loci Fé Chardonnay 2022 – 95 (read original review here)
Terra.Loci Planted by Chance Chenin Blanc 2023 – 95 (read original review here)
Vilafonté Series C Red blend 2022 – 95 (read original review here)
Winemag.co.za’s Report schedule is here! We’re gearing up for another year of expert panel tastings and both wine enthusiasts and producers can mark their calendars accordingly.
For full details concerning entry dates, download the following: Winemag Full Calendar 2025
To join our producers’ mailing list for updates on competitions, click here.
Werner Muller of Elgin property Iona says that 2023 was a wet vintage necessitating a “proactive approach” in the vineyard. Cool temperatures and unusually high rainfall in February and March required various viticultural interventions such as opening the canopies and dropping bunches. One advantage of the inclement weather was that the ripening process was delayed giving the resulting wines a “restrained tightness”. Tasting notes and ratings as follows:
Elgin Highlands Chardonnay 2023
Price: R405
The nose shows a top note of orchard blossom before pear, lime, lemon and herbs while the palate is medium bodied with racy acidity and a pithy finish. A poised, less forceful vintage. Alc: 12.5%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Kloof Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2023
Price: R650
From a site on quartz. Subtle and alluring aromatics of pear, peach, lime, green apple and fynbos with some smoky reduction in the background. The palate is linear and tight – lovely clarity of fruit and fresh acidity before a super-dry finish. A triumph given the difficulties of the vintage. Alc: 12.5%.
CE’s rating: 96/100.
Fynbos Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2023
Price: R650
From a site on sandstone. Lemon, a hint of orange plus leesy, waxy notes on the nose while the palate shows good depth of fruit and well-integrated acidity, relatively cream in texture. More immediately seductive than its counterpart above but an iota less intricate. Alc: 12.5%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
Asking me what my favourite wines are is like asking Neal Martin what his favourite album is to listen to while drinking Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1929. An almost impossible question to answer, which is why, over the years, I have preferred to answer this question with… “it depends on my food and mood.” That sounds simple enough, but nowadays, I would almost certainly add “that it also depends on the time of year and season.”
While not the fullest bodied, most robust and wintery of all wines, the allure of a young or mature Pinot Noir in the autumn or winter months is simply irresistible. Perhaps it’s the earthy, broody, contemplative nature of Pinot Noir’s brambly, forest berry fruits or the more ethereal perfume and cerebral nature of the wine that appeals most in the dark, cold, gloomy months of European winter. Throw in a brace of newly shot grouse and the scene is almost perfect.
In her seminal tome on food and wine, The Wine Dine Dictionary by Victoria Moore, she begins on the opening pages with:“I love to eat and I love to drink and I love to do both together. Ever since beginning to buy wine and cook my own dinner, I have thought about the flavours in the glass and the flavours on the plate as being part of the same experience. I mean that in the same way that sun (or rain) is part of your day on the beach, or that you might feel happier choosing different clothes to go to a football match than you would put on for a dinner in a restaurant.”
These opening words very much epitomise my own sense of what I feel like drinking and what I feel like eating… and when. A time and a place for everything dictated by the specific moment. But it is also these powerful words from Moore that had me thinking deeply once again after a recent fine dining experience in London at the prime Michelin Star restaurant, Frog by Adam Handling MBE, run by the star British chef and acclaimed restauranteur.
Meeting a friendly Bordeaux producer for dinner ahead of a trade tasting in London the following day, the setting at this restaurant of Handling’s was simply British perfection, as we tucked into the tasting menu with its delicious accompanying wine matches. Indeed, Handling started out at Gleneagles 16 years ago where he was the first ever apprentice chef, before he went on to become Fairmont’s youngest ever Head Chef. Handling has a number of impressive awards under his belt, including Scottish Chef of the Year, British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year, Chef of the Year in the Food & Travel Awards. Handling was (and still is) the youngest person to be one of the Caterer’s ‘30 under 30 to watch’ in the 2013 Acorn Awards. In 2020 Adam received Restaurateur of the Year in the British GQ Food and Drink Awards voted both by the public and a selection of esteemed industry judges.
In 2022, Handling was appointed Ambassador to the UK Government’s GREAT campaign, promoting Britain’s hospitality talents on an international scale. In 2023, he was crowned BBC TV’s Great British Menu ‘Champion of Champions’. He was also selected by the BBC’s One Show as one of four British chefs to create an official recipe for the Coronation celebrations of King Charles III. Last year, he was awarded an MBE for services to hospitality and international trade. Undoubtedly, impeccable credentials to woo a new prospective French Bordeaux supplier.
But are the days of wonderful food and wine matching experiences like this numbered? With a new YouGov report out this week detailing how over 9 million Brits participated in dry January, things seemingly go from bad to worse for the alcohol industry as research also reveals that almost half of all young people, or 43% of 18 to 24, as well as one in three middle aged adults have quit drinking as the rise of “abstinence influencers” reshapes Britain’s relationship with alcoholic beverages including wine.
In The Portman Group’s sixth annual survey in partnership with YouGov, 18 to 24-year-olds have been labelled as the UK’s “most sober age group”, with 39% avoiding alcohol altogether. 44% of the age group consider themselves as either an occasional, or regular drinker of alcohol alternatives – a rise of 13% compared to 31% of respondents answering the same way in 2022. For many in the wine industry, research figures like these make terrifying reading and cast a definite shadow over the sustainability of much of the wine trade.
Perhaps the alarm bells should be slightly tempered by anecdotal research such as the recent ‘sound boarding’ Winemag columnist Tim James carried out on his own professional tasting group. Those inclined to drink are perhaps drinking a little less but are also definitely striving to drink better. So, no imminent signs of abstinence on the horizon for them just yet.
But the wider signals coming from research such as the YouGov poll fails to mention what many other research studies reveal, that many of the same 18 to 24-year olds polled often report feeling more depressed and worried about “an uncertain world”, claim to increasingly suffer from metal health problems, and feel increasingly overwhelmed by the role of technology and AI and its influence on society… something I have also pondered and written about in these columns with a specific angle for those working in the modern global wine industry.
We all need to eat to survive, like we need to breathe to live. Deconstructing and reconstructing our entire relationship with food and wine, removing the creative, fun paring part, seems to me a very dangerous activity that could very well have substantial negative long-term effects on our wider culture and our enjoyment of fine cuisine. So, before we throw the baby out with the bathwater and embrace a joyless life of abstinence, lets encourage this new generation of consumers to responsibly explore the joys of food and wine matching.
The Frog – being Handling’s first restaurant, was of course a big step to take but he had the determination and passion to create something fun. At the time, he said, ‘frogs live in water, so they are either going to sink or swim. Frog is what I will call my restaurant, as this is my test.’ He believes that if you adapt when you need to, you will never fail and so, luckily for all of us, he definitely swam. Let’s hope that all the wine producers out there are as keen to embrace the new challenges that undoubtedly lie ahead for all of us.
Momentous times. The first wines bearing a “W.O. Piket-Bo-Berg” designation have been released. Johan Meyer acquired virgin land at the top of the Piketberg in the northern part of the Swartland in 2016 subsequently establishing Platteklip Vineyards. Convinced that growing conditions were sufficiently different from the rest of the district, he applied for, and was granted, the demarcation of a new ward and he has now released his first wines from own grapes. Tasting notes and ratings for his new releases as follows:
Liquid Skin Chenin Blanc 2024
Price: R255
From a Paardeberg vineyard planted in 1984. Made with the cap submerged for five months. Orange, pineapple, potpourri, fynbos and ginger on the nose. The palate is relatively lean with fresh acidity and some firm grip to the finish. Alc: 13%.
CE’s rating: 93/100.
Platteklip Paying the School Fees White 2023
Price: R330
39% Sauvignon Blanc, 23% Chardonnay, 23% Grenache Blanc, 15% Chenin Blanc. Skin macerated, matured for 22 months (“two winters”) in barrel. Exotic aromatics of citrus, peach, potpourri, herbs and spice plus some waxy, leesy notes. The palate has dense fruit and punchy acidity before an intensely savoury finish. There’s no shortage of concentration here but the wine has a thrilling tension about it, even so. Alc: 12.8%.
CE’s rating: 95/100.
Brutal! Red 2024
Price: R255
Made according to the tenets of the Brutal! movement that began in Catalonia – wines to be made on an experimental basis, one per harvest, and no added sulphites. This vintage is Pinot Noir topped with Cinsault and entirely fun-filled. The nose shows an intensely floral note as well as red berries and Rooibos tea while the palate is light and fresh with a savoury finish.
CE’s rating: 90/100.
Cuvée Carbonic Pinot Noir 2024
Price: R255
Grapes from Elgin. Carbonic maceration used to achieve elegance of extraction. Matured for 11 months in concrete diamonds. The nose is very primary at this stage with notes of raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate and earth. The palate is light and fresh with fine tannins, the finish savoury. Fruit to the fore – not massively structured. Alc: 13.5%.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
Platteklip The Building Blocks 2023
Price: R330
53% Grenache, 31% Pinot Noir, 16% Mourvèdre. Mostly whole-bunch fermented. Red and black berries, musk and herbs on the nose. The palate is medium bodied with excellent clarity of fruit, lemon-like acidity and tightly packed tannins, the finish wonderfully dry. Alc: 13%.
CE’s rating: 94/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
Here are two scenes I witnessed recently. One was a conversation my wife and I had with a sommelier. He brought the bottle we ordered and told us all the technical details: the soil and exposition, vinification, maturation, ageing, together with the varieties and the aromas and flavours – he knew it all. The other scene was a conversation I overheard in a restaurant. A guest, enjoying a tasting menu with wine pairing, with palpable delight and considerable surprise said loudly to a sommelier: “Gosh, all those wines taste different.” The two scenes describe a powerful clash of expectations.
As they go through their training, sommeliers are asked to showcase their knowledge and analytical skills. In training or in competitions, they are required to offer the kind of wine description and assessment the sommelier offered my wife and me. It is a formalised description of a wine, starting with the technical stuff and followed by the co-called ‘deductive tasting grid’. And yet, I keep wondering how useful such skills are for a sommelier in a real restaurant with a real customer. Like the one astonished with different wine flavours.
I think it is safe to assume that the expectations of the delighted customer were different. Here you had someone, probably with little experience of wine, who was on an enjoyable discovery of the vastness of wine tastes and aromas. I bet my bottom dollar, the guest could not care less about any technical details, probably meaningless to him anyway. The man was simply enjoying the wine and waiting for another glass to see whether it would taste different again. Indeed, as a committed wine drinker, I was not interested in a crash course in vinification. I just wanted to enjoy a bottle of wine with my wife over a meal.
And that is the clash. The sommelier sees the wine as an object of analysis, trying to excel in the analytical task, the guest wants to enjoy wine, possibly also discovering its tastes and aromas. How do we bridge it?
Let me tell you about one last scene. In an independent wine shop, a customer wanted to buy champagne. The proprietor offered two bottles, expertly describing the organoleptic differences between them…. and then it happened. One of the cuvées was made to celebrate the producer’s son’s birthday. The moment the customer heard about it, his hand reached out for the bottle. Gosh, I thought, the power of a little story. It makes a connection.
When sommeliers tell me about the soil, the variety, the ageing, I politely listen. Well, I interrupted the lecture once, as I just could not bear the peacock-ego strutting on the slopes of the Mosel. But as I listen, I keep thinking: will I hear anything I could be mildly interested in? Even though I am a committed wine drinker and reader, I come to a restaurant to enjoy myself and not for a lecture on carbonic maceration! I cannot accurately (and politely) render how much my wife does not care for such lectures.
Here is the sad ending of our interaction with the sommelier. The wine we ordered was a Donnafugata; the producer’s name translates as ‘woman on the run’. And so, we asked where the name came from. No, to our disappointment, the somm did not know.
And this is how he could have made our wine experience more enjoyable. A story of a noble woman, a widow from Navarre, escaping to Sicily to avoid unwanted courtship from an obnoxious suitor. Much like a story of Ernie Loosen not knowing which vineyards are his and waiting for others to harvest. Or perhaps one about the abbot in Gobelsburg opening his cellars, so the Tradition 50 cuvée could be made. Wine in a restaurant is not about technicalities, it is about stories.
Oh, you advocate for anecdotes, I can almost taste the scorn. No, I advocate for connections – two kinds, in fact. First, the stories I suggest make a connection between the guest and the wine, they make it more real, put them in cultural and social contexts. Who cares about limestone, if you drink wine from a vineyard which was already mentioned in 742 AD? And this is how you drink Rolly Gassman’s wine! And for good measure, you can add the story saying that the Gassmans start harvest when they see birds going away for the winter.
The second connection, and more important probably, a story offers is between the sommelier and the guest. Narrative theory’s bottom line is that storytelling sets up a link between the storyteller and the person you tell it to. It is a connection that made and continues to make us human. There can hardly be a better subject of a story than wine.
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