All you have to do is identify the 8 wine farms featured in the collage below (click on the image to enlarge). All of these photos appear in the Estates pages on our website. To find them, navigate to the estates by scrolling through the “Search by Estates” drop down box, click on “Pictures” and begin discovering!

Click on image to enlarge

To enter, send an email to mida@undertheinfluence.co.za with the subject: UTI August Competition. In the email, include your name and telephone number, and your answers numbered 1 to 8.

The competition closes on Wednesday, 31 August 2011. The winner will be announced on Thursday, 1 October 2011. The judge’s decision is final.

Good luck!

Under the Influence recently caught up with Dax Villanueva of the lifestyle blog Relax with Dax to get some pointers on how to tackle this daunting task, and to have a little peek at what wines Dax is enjoying this winter. Besides being a “stunningly good looking guy”, Dax is a prominent restaurant reviewer and a walking encyclopaedia on what’s what in Cape Town. His blog and twitter feed offer daily updates on restaurants, bars, wine estates, shows and festivals. He is often to be found in his natural habitat – with friends at a restaurant table, glass of wine in hand, deftly navigating his way through menus and wine lists.

Dax, relaxing in a cellar.

What would you say constitutes a good wine list, Dax?

A wine list doesn’t have to be long, but it needs to have wines for various tastes and occasions. So some less expensive, some more expensive and a selection of varieties. My big thing is that I like interesting wine lists, it’s so boring seeing the same wines on every second list.

What is your approach when it comes to choosing a wine from a wine list? Any pointers from the pro?

This will depend on the occasion. Sometimes I choose on value, but there are occasions when I don’t worry about the price and choose something that I know will be really special. Then I really appreciate and pay attention to every sip. One mistake that I still see often is people choosing their wine before their food. Pairing the wrong food and wine can really reduce the enjoyment of both.

What are your views on taking wine along to a restaurant and paying corkage? When is it ok to do it?

This is a tough one. I’m actually not a big fan of taking wine to a restaurant because the restaurant needs to make money and taking your own wine means you get the enjoyment of the venue and the service but you don’t pay for it. However, on the other side of the coin, many restaurants are charging some ridiculous markups on wine. Which means that you can’t order more than one bottle without the bill becoming excessively expensive. So I would probably buy one bottle at the restaurant and take one or two more myself. Other restaurants have such terrible wine lists that I wouldn’t eat there without taking my own wine.

Is there a particular region or style of wine or variety that you find exciting at the moment?

I’m particularly enamoured with the Nebbiolo from Steenberg but haven’t had any others to compare. My favourite variety is shiraz and right now (maybe because it’s winter), I’m really enjoying my reds big and bold.

What is your favourite every-day drinking wine this winter? 

Every day? I’m not an alcoholic you know. I bought myself a case of Scaramanga (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Malbec, Tempranillo) from Nabygelegen and that’s what I’ll open when I’m cooking up some dinner.

What wine do you have in your fridge at the moment? (or the cupboard in the corridor)

Because of my blog (www.relax-with-dax.co.za) I get sent a lot of samples so my fridge is actually fairly devoid of food and jammed with a variety of white wines. My wine cupboard is also overflowing with a selection of red wines. For a special occasion or special guest, I might bring out my bottle of Veuve Clicquot NV, or the Mullineaux white blend, and from the red selection, perhaps the Oldenburg Cab Franc.

And there you have it folks, straight from this foodie’s mouth!

It is only a handful of winemakers that would even attempt to harness this temperamental and unpredictable variety, and on Wednesday this week, we had the pleasure of tasting some of the finest examples that South Africa has to offer. Under the Influence hosted two tastings concurrently, one in Cape Town and one in Johannesburg, with the following wines making a special appearance:

• Paradyskloof Pinot Noir 2010
• Creation Pinot Noir 2010
• Sutherland Pinot Noir 2009
• Paul Cluver Pinot Noir 2009
• Newton Johnson Pinot Noir 2009
• Bouchard Finlayson Gapin Peak 2009
• Ernst Gouws & Co Pinot Noir 2007
• Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2007

There were some clear favourites, with Paradyskloof, Sutherland and Hamilton Russell getting the most nods of approval.

Twitter was all aflutter with live tasting notes, becoming progressively more flamboyant as the evening wore on. Here are some gems:

@vanclark ”tastes like my mother’s roast lamb” Susan, cape town tasting

@SuckTheMarrowZA Paradyskloof Pinot so far the gold from a dead mans pirate chest – feels like I’ve been searching for years

@UnderInfluence Pinot noir is for romantics of the world – they often fall for flawed yet fascinating characters

Some photos from the event:

A few of our treasured regulars

What's On Eatery on Watson, the Cape Town venue

Little parcels of Pinot, nicely wrapped and waiting to be poured...

It was another evening of learning, tasting some amazing wines and general merriment. And an absolute pleasure for the Under the Influence team to meet some new faces and reconnect with old ones!

For a looks through the eyes of a fellow wine enthusiast, have a look here.

Similar passions exist for wine, and Under the Influence had the wonderful opportunity to combine the bushveld and great South African wine in our latest wine safari at Lion Sands Ivory Lodge. This was an exploration under the stars and lit by firelight, a complete sensory overload!

Mood lighting. On.

For this occasion a cellar raid was necessary and the team at Lion Sands had to restrain me from hauling out ALL their vintage wine. I was like a kid after three packets of nik naks unleashed on a sweet store!

Puh-wease can we open the Ashbourne Pinotage 2001?

Well, my powers of persuasion won the day and here is the lineup and some comments on the wines.

Veenwouden Merlot 2001

Paarl. This small property focuses on Merlot, and does an incredibly tidy job of it! A soft an elegant Merlot, which still shows off lovely red fruit. I might have bought some home in my hand luggage.

The lady of the lamp. Merlot.

Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Constantia. Aged Cabernet Sauvignon takes on a beautiful cassis; smoke and pencil lead character as the tannins smooth. This wine showed off those characteristics and packed quite a lot of tannin.

Klein Constantia Shiraz 2001

Constantia. This wine showed off the unique tertiary flavours often found in aged Shiraz, with earthy, gamey aromas and some liquorice and dark fruit flavours.

Meerlust Rubicon 1999

Stellenbosch. Made by the legendary Giorgio Dalla Cia. An iron foot in a velvet veldskoen, the Cabernet Sauvignon shows it’s strength in this traditional Bordeaux style blend.

A silky but powerful wine

Rust en Vrede Estate 2000

Stellenbosch. From the Northern slopes of the Helderberg mountain, this region is famous for its full bodied and powerful red wines. Even after eleven years in the bottle, the wine shows remarkable full flavours and complexity of fruit, oak and tertiary flavours. Delicious!

Now, here is the moral of the story. If you are at a lodge, restaurant or hotel and you are having a squiz through their wine list without much inspiration ask to see the cellar if they have one. You are more likely than not to find a cheeky aged Rust en Vrede, or a Vin de Constance or even an aged Chateau Libertas! Drinking older wines is very rewarding. It’s the difference between having a conversation with a young spotty teenager or an interesting well travelled older individual. Leagues apart.

So whether it’s Lion Sands Ivory Lodge or your local steak house, have a browse and you might be surprised as I was! Remember, the BEST wines should always be drunk with the top company you can find. Who better than yourself!

Just me, myself, and my glass

Click here to see what our future tastings hold. Come and join us!

But since the culture of sharing is so deeply ingrained in the art of enjoying wine, we thought we’d share with you a glimpse of a little spot of paradise that this “new project” took us to on a crisp, cool Tuesday morning.

Hamilton Russell Vineyards is located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in the Walker Bay region, just over the hill from the town of Hermanus. Located only 1500m from the cool Atlantic Ocean as the crow flies, the microclimate is ideally suited for grape growing, allowing a long, slow ripening of the gorgeous orbs, which results in a wonderful concentration of flavour and expression of place.

The intrepid Julia doing some extreme filming at Hamilton Russell overlooking Hermanus.

After spending some time becoming familiar with the unique terroir, proprietor Anthony Hamilton Russell recognised a striking resemblance of the growing conditions to those of Burgundy in France, particularly its clay-rich soils. This led to the decision to focus exclusively on the production of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the two archetypal Burgundian varieties.

Mr Hamilton Russell himself

The vineyards taking a well deserved winter break.

Beautiful clay-rich soils, similar to what you'd find in Burgundy.

Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay. Ripe pear balancing on a mineral tightrope!

Hamilton Russell Pinot noir. Dark, spicy, alluring. Pure hedonism in a bottle!

Hamilton Russell Vineyards celebrated their 30th vintage last year, consistently producing some of the finest examples of Pinot noir and Chardonnay from the New World.

They are a little over an hour’s drive from Cape Town and seriously worth a visit! As are the handful of other wineries in the area, from Bouchard Finlayson and Newton Johnson, to Creation and Ataraxia a little further along the strikingly beautiful winding road towards Caledon.

The first step in this regard (there are a couple on the horizon) are our Winemaker Video Soundbites. The name says it all. 1 minute typically of seeing where an Estate is and hearing an elevator pitch about the wines, just to give you a little insight into what you might be buying or thinking about buying. Here are a couple of recently added Soundbites. Enjoy!

Nativo Wines -- Swartland

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7o1jwDppmI

AA Badenhorst Wines -- Swartland

Ernie Els Wines -- Stellenbosch

This year’s Wacky Wine Weekend, which takes place 2 – 5 June, promises to be just as fun, with the festival being extended from the conventional weekend experience to include four festive days, each day with a unique wine theme, to cater for all palates … . Whether you are a fun-seeker, novice or a wine connoisseur, there is something for everyone with ‘Seriously Wine Thursday’, ‘Wine Up Friday’, ‘Full On Wacky Saturday’ or ‘Wine Down Sunday’.

‘Seriously Wine Thursday’ promises to inspire wine aficionados with a range of tailor-made activities, like master wine-tastings, wine- and food-pairings, educational wine presentations and private tastings with the Valley’s most esteemed winemakers.

The rest of the days speak for themselves really. For those looking for a bit more of a ‘wacky’ experience, head down to Arabella on ‘Full on Wacky Saturday’ for a live performance by Goldfish and the Wedding JDs. Or for a more elegantly wacky event, there’s Graham Beck’s evening of a’cappella with D7 live, fireworks, sushi, gourmet delicacies and fine bubblies.

And then of course, there’s the actual wine tasting! For a modest fee of R80, you will have access to over 40 wineries in the region over the four day period, including the likes of Springfield Estate, Graham Beck, De Wetshof Estate and Rusticus Vintage Cellar.

As part of the Robertson Wine Valley’s commitment to ensure a safe festival, a Zero Tolerance Policy is implemented towards ‘drinking and driving’. Visitors are requested to make use of the Buddy Bus or the Designated Driver Programme. For more information on the Buddy Bus and other festival details, please visit the website http://www.wackywineweekend.com

See you in Robertson!

Tastings

Our quaint but very functional tasting room!

Last year was the year of the Chauffeur driven wine tastings and we have to extend a massive thank you to Lexus for getting involved on that front. What an incredible experience to get collected at your home, ferried to a wine tasting and driven back in comfort and luxury. We are still working with Lexus on the more fancy pants events planned this year, but our wine tastings are reverting to self drives! Instead we are going to be exploring different venues and working with Apple to create more interactive experiences, and unleashing more food and wine experiences. Wine and food and meant to be together so we are excited about this new focus.

Click here to see more about our tastings and be sure to let us know if you want to book a private tasting or corporate event.

Website

Our website has taken baby steps forward in 2010 and we are excited to take it to the next level this year. The aim with the site is to create an environment where you can interact with the Estates, meet the winemaker and see the Estate through the videos and buy wine at the best possible price. We work really closely with the small and established Estates, so the range is there and our prices are hugely competitive. No need to buy an unlabelled bottle here to get a deal!

Click on our Estates or Shop pages to explore the wines on offer and the Estates in our portfolio. We will be growing this list massively in the next month, as we get around to adding them to the website.

Videos

Our tastings have always been relaxed, fun and informative, at least that is the goal! We are extending this to our Wine Videos. We have various wine videos being produced. One of them is a Great Places to Drink Wine range of videos, showing off wild and beautiful places to enjoy a glass of vino. Another is a Wine Estate Focus where we interview winemakers at their property and get a better understanding of wine from the horses mouth as it were. Every Friday we will also be shooting a Discover Wine video where one of the team will be exploring a wine and an Estate. Guest tasters are welcome!

Where's Wally?

Project X

This project is so Top Secret that even Wikileaks couldn’t crack it. Sorry Julian. All we can say is it involves learning a heckuva lot about wine, in an easy and fun way…

Sshhhh....

All will be revealed mid-year. Hold onto your bottle openers!

Please keep in touch by following us on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks for being a part of Under the Influence and here is to a year filled with great wine!

Excuse the picture and sound quality. Everything is filmed using a little flipcam. Apparently Zim doesn’t like full on camera kits!

Starting off with Chitwa Chitwa….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRx8fuvUd1U

Moving onto Londolozi….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5F9daRUwlQ

And Kapama….

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Aniruskjg4