Guests will be welcomed to the experience with a sensorial tasting experience of a selection of Champagnes, which unlocks the senses of smell and taste for the evening.

Guests will then be given a pure understanding of the influence that time in the bottle and the growing conditions in a specific year has on the character and flavour of a great wine by comparing the following vintages:

• De Toren Fusion V 2000
• De Toren Fusion V 2001
• De Toren Fusion V 2002
• De Toren Fusion V 2003
• De Toren Fusion V 2004
• De Toren Fusion V 2005
• De Toren Fusion V 2006
• De Toren Fusion V 2007

Each vintage has a unique story to tell both in terms of the conditions that the vines faced in the land and the way the grapes were handled in the cellar. Under the Influence can also offer the Guests of the evening special pre-release offers on the De Toren Fusion V only available to Under the Influence members.

First of all, most Bordeaux reds are made up of at least Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc with some vignerons adding Petit Verdot and Malbec for good measure. Left bank wines tend to be dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and since Cabernet Sauvignon has more intense flavours and tannin owning to its smaller berries these wines tend to be stylistically bolder. The higher level of tannin in Cabernet Sauvignon gives Left bank wines incredible structure and aging potential. Some names to remember on the left Bank are Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and the Leovilles.

On the right bank, the cooler, more inland climate tends to suit Merlot better as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to fully ripen. Right Bank wines therefore have more Merlot, which offers rounder dark cherry flavours and lower tannins. The cooler climate also tends to express fresher more fruit driven wines. Stylistically these wines spell out finesse, yet make no mistake, the complexity and aging potential is still very prevalent. Some producers to visit include Chateau Angelus, Chateau Petrus and Chateau Fleur du Bouard.

The object of this tasting is to experience eight incredible wines, two from the left bank in Bordeaux, two from the right bank of Bordeaux and two South African wines that are left bank and right bank representations in their own respect. Guests will first be given an understanding of their palate and how they taste wines. Guests will then taste the wines blind and try to ascertain which bank / style they represent and whether they are from France or South Africa. The final question will be, where would you bank? Which wine would you buy? We will unveil the wines and their values and their investment potential.

• Beautiful fresh West Coast Oysters served without any accompaniment.
• Oysters delicately infused with a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction, offering a richer and more rounded flavour experience.
• Oysters with a beautifully fresh salsa dressing, giving a hint of spiciness to the palate.
• Asian style Oysters with a savoury soy based infusion.
• Oysters with a delicate pancetta, adding a smoky flavour to the fresh oysters.

These flavours will be paired with varying bubblies from a range that includes:

• Lallier
• Duval-Leroy
• Taittinger
• Steenberg
• Graham Beck
• Villiera

Champagne is the ultimate food wine and in this tasting we will uncover the different styles of Champagne and how these can be paired with different flavours of cuisine.

Guests are then given a brief and interactive understanding of Scotch Whiskies, especially the different regions and how these climates and distilling methods influence flavour.
The blending competition begins and the Guests are split into teams of four. They are given the four blending cask strength whiskies, mineral water and a science kit to measure precise amounts of each ingredient to create a 50 ml whisky, which they must label and name. The whiskies are tasted and judged by the Hosts of the tasting and a winner announced.

The Guests are then introduced to the Compass Box Range, created by the world whisky innovator of the year John Glaser. Through tasting these beautiful whiskies an understanding of the intricate task of blending whiskies is taught. The whiskies in the Compass Box Range each have a unique story to tell and their flavour is directly compared to their origin and innovative aging and blending methods.

• Napoleon represents the finest French Cognac.
• Jesse James represents the finest American Bourbon
• William Wallace represents the finest Scotch Whiskey
• Rob Roy represents the finest Irish Whisky
• Speedy Gonzales represents the finest Mexican Tequila
• Bob Marley represents the finest Caribbean Rum
• Che Guevara represents the finest Cuban cigars

The next step is to do a blind tasting of the spirits trying to pick the different types based on the simple descriptions given. The brands we will use are:

• Oak Cross Whiskey – not readily available Scotch Malt Whiskey. A blend of four Highland whiskeys.
• Bushmills 16 Whisky – A superb example of a fine Irish whiskey
• Blanton’s – the first single barrel bourbon to be marketed commercially.
• Frapin font Pinot – this cognac is discerned the “very rare” Chateau denomination in France.
• Patron – this is rated as one of the finest tequilas in the world.
• Pyrat – this rum is a blend of the finest Caribbean rums available.

We then unveil what the different spirits were. Each guest will then enjoy a Partagas Serie D no:4 cuban cigar, a world renowned Habanos. We will teach the art of preparing and smoking a fine cigar and then match the different spirits to the cigar, deciding as a group which matches the best.

The Wine Enthusiast Magazine unleashed an article on the Riesling Celebrations recently held in Cape Town. Angela Lloyd reports… Click here to view the full article.

Guests were welcomed by “ridiculously good looking” Lexus Chauffeurs and driven down in style in the GS range of vehicles. David Donde, pictured above, was keen for some back seat action on the day in his GS450.

Many thanks to Dylan and the Lexus team who did an incredible job getting the Guests down to the Roundhouse from Kloof Nek in style and comfort. As head parking attendant, I was pleased to report that the only hiccup I encountered was “cloudy weather” sunburn.

Upon arriving at the Roundhouse Guests were welcomed by a bevy of friendly and fantastic ladies… and our Austrian MC, Ferdinand. With Lexus glass in hand, complimented by a “hands free wine glass neck holder” (there is certainly a better name for that), Guests ambled down to the Under the Influence stand for their first taste of Riesling. The grape that keeps on giving!

No Rob, that is a Spatlese, not a Trocken Riesling.

It really hit home for me whilst doing some light reading after the festival. Hugh Johnson rates Riesling as the peak of evolution when it comes to white grapes. Their electricity and purity are unparalleled and so are their ability to speak of the place from which they are grown. In his Chapter on Riesling he starts off talking about Egon Muller, who coincidentally was pouring Riesling for Guests at his stand at the festival. Jorg Pfuztner did an incredible job of getting the likes of EGON MÜLLER, ERNST LOOSEN, PHILIP WITTMANN, HERMAN DÖNNHOFF, DIRK VAN DER NIEPOORT, WILL BRÜNDLMAYER, WERNER MAYER-NÄKEL,ROBERT WEIL REICHSGRAF VON KESSELSTATT to join the premiere South African Riesling producers.

Making your way from stand to stand you were inundated with beautiful international and South African Rieslings, all paired with canapes prepared by Harald Bresselschmidt of Aubergine, Bertus Basson of Overture, Peter Tempelhof of the Collection Group and PJ Vadas of the Roundhouse.

All of the dishes were designed to pair with the crisp Rieslings. We were witness to this day of preparation 2 weeks before where an extended tasting by the Chefs ended up with a raiding of the superb Raith butchery in the garden centre for “research purposes”. It was well worth it, have a look at some of the food creations here.

After the food and wine pairing exercise Guests literally spilled onto the lawns of the Roundhouse to enjoy a picnic and more incredible Rieslings. Ice buckets were filled with international wines and local greats like Jordan, Paul Cluver, Thelema, Klein Constantia, Hartenberg, Buitenverwachting and Jack and Knox.

Guests had the opportunity to recline and count the 12 Apostles as the Riesling flowed until the lawn was lit in a more romantic fashion.

Sitting on the top of the Roundhouse roof in the late evening was a great vantage point to see the Festival unfold below. South Africa has incredibly beautiful locations, warm weather, top Chefs and incredible wine. On this day the combination came together and we look forward to many more Under the Influence Wine Festivals ahead.

We are very proud to announce that in conjunction with The Riesling Club, Golf und Wein Magazine, Under The Influence and Lexus South Africa, we will be hosting the world’s top Riesling producers at a wine lifestyle festival taking place from 20 – 21 February 2009 in the beautiful surrounds of the Roundhouse Restaurant in Camps Bay Glen.

You are invited to attend this exclusive event limited to 300 local & international guests.

The Under the Influence of Riesling Festival: Driven by Lexus has managed to secure the attendance and participation of the following internationally acclaimed winemakers, who will personally be representing their wines at the festival’s events along with top South African producers:

EGON MÜLLER

ERNST LOOSEN

PHILIP WITTMANN

HERMAN DÖNNHOFF

DIRK VAN DER NIEPOORT

WILL BRÜNDLMAYER

WERNER MAYER-NÄKEL

ROBERT WEIL

REICHSGRAF VON KESSELSTATT

The festival which will be held over two days, is comprised of three special events:

RIESLING WORKSHOP AND FINE DINING EVENT

Wine lovers will participate in a rare and interesting presentation from each individual wine maker on his vineyards and wines, encouraging discussion and allowing interaction around these wines at the beautiful Stans Halt Tasting Room overlooking the Twelve Apostles and Camps Bay. A six course degustation dinner paired with the wines of these same producers will follow and will be presented at The Rumbullion Restaurant.

Friday 20 February 2009 (18h00)

The Rumbullion

Tickets: R2350

RIESLING WORKSHOP FOR WINEMAKERS AND ENTHUSIASTS

An extensive, in-depth two hour workshop will be held for local winemakers and ardent wine enthusiasts over two hours where the international winemakers will go further into their wine producing techniques.

Saturday 21 February 2009 (11h00 – 13h00)

Stans Halt Tasting Room

Tickets: R450

THE RIESLING FESTIVAL

Setup on the grounds of the Roundhouse, the Riesling exhibition will take the form of food and wine pairings designed by four chefs: Harald Bresselschmidt of Aubergine, Bertus Basson of Overture, Peter Tempelhoff of The Collection Group and PJ Vadas of The Roundhouse. Four outdoor stands will be offering guests the dishes of the selected chefs paired alongside wines of winemakers both local and international. Each dish will be carefully crafted to match the fruity and dry Rieslings. Thereafter guests will recline on the lawns of the Roundhouse overlooking Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles and enjoy a picnic served with varying Rieslings throughout the meal all accompanied by live music from Sven Meyer, Hamburg based producer.

Saturday 21 February 2009 (15h00 – 21h30)

Terraced lawns of The Roundhouse

Tickets: R500 all inclusive

We have 100 tickets allocated to Under the Influence members to this exclusive lifestyle event and invite you to take up the offer of joining us for one of the superb occasions.

To book tickets, please contact Jörg Pfützner on 072 467 5943 or email info@rieslingclub.co.za or Jenny Lowin on 021 438 4391 or email info@undertheinfluence.co.za.

We hope to see you at this promising international event!