Three days in Upington last week were too much for the liver, so I missed the announcement of the Perold Absa Cape Blend winners in Hermanus on Friday (below). So not only did I miss the whales – and I’m not talking about the pathetic Teutonic troll who haunts the Cape blogosphere hurling abuse, exclamation marks and inanities in her substantial wake – but also the Summaridge Epitome 2009 which is a special wine indeed if its a blend of 64% Pinotage and 54% Shiraz as the press release vouchsafes. 118% of pure pleasure!

I’m not surprised to see the KWV Abraham Perold Tributum 2011 among the five winners as I had a bottle of the Orchestra 2011 and Canvas 2011 on Friday night. That Johann Fourie can surely make wine. On a point of order, do all Johans in the wine industry spell their name Johann as in Rupert and Krige as opposed to a common or garden Johan? Still it is an improvement on the days when everyone was called Thys. And great to see a wine called Perold actually made from Pinotage unlike KWV’s previous one which was a single vineyard Shiraz. Talk about misnomers!

Of the two, the Orchestra was my favourite as I’m a sucker for fragrant Cabernets and clarinets. The Canvas is perhaps so named as the booming Shiraz flavours of cherry and spice will knock you to the canvas, figuratively if not literally. KWV is making some of the best reds around at the minute which must rile the spitterati who drink labels and find the KWV heritage upsets their sensitive stomachs. Poor didums.

Source; TimesLive – Neil Pendock