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.

This young lass, pictured on the left, was in a huge rush to get down to the Riesling on offer.

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.

Estates that will be discovered include Grangehurst, Hamilton Russell, De Trafford, De Toren, Ataraxia, Waterford, Graham Beck and Iona to name a few.

Bookings are crucial. Each tasting is only R50 per Guest for the month of February. Call 021 438 4391 or email info@undertheinfluence.co.za. We look forward to getting you Under the Influence of the finest!

This time of year men around the world are awakened to the fact that Valentines Day is upon them, usually by a well placed radio or television advert. Women, of course, have been aware of this fact since early January! So, under pressure from the loved one and from a barrage of advertising, there is only one real alternative. Crack open some bubbly!

The question is why do we have such an affinity to this superb liquid? Besides the obvious, “why not”, Champagne has for centuries portrayed elegance and wealth. Like many forms of alcohol, its origins can be traced back to a monk, none other than Dom Perignon. In fact, it was actually a British national, Christopher Merret, who documented the discovery of creating Champagne. This is just another arrow in the quiver to irritate the French!

The still wines from Champagne were traditionally used in the coronation ceremonies of Kings of France. It was only in the 19^th century that the production of Champagne as we know it began in earnest. Before then the glass used would too often explode under high pressure, which did not bode well for romantic dinners in the day, or for the workers in the cellars. It was not uncommon for Champagne houses to don their cellar workers in heavy iron masks to protect them from glass shrapnel!

Champagne has been an incredible success in the world of marketing. As early as the 1800s Laurent-Perrier advertised its tipple as being the favourite amongst royalty. Well known houses of the time commissioned playwrights to write songs and poems extolling the benefits of bubbly. Different labels were sent to different countries, showing patriotic images to suit them, even during World War 1! The aura of romance and pure indulgence has certainly been cultivated by our society but the experience speaks for itself.

The whisper of a Champagne bottle as it opens, for the civilized amongst us, or the pop and shower of delicious liquid, for the formula one driver in us, both immediately excite the senses before the wine is even poured. Then, upon pouring the wine into beautifully elegant glasses, the sound of the bubbles, the vision of golden trails leading up the glass makes for an unsurpassed celebratory experience. So, when in doubt for Valentines Day, break open a bottle of great bubbly, whether it is one of South Africa’s superb Cap Classiques or a French Champagne. Next year you can take it to the next level by dusting off your old saber and opening a bottle using the sabrage method!

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!

Matt Skinner is one of our favourite wine writers and plied his trade as sommelier in Jamie Oliver’s restaurants. Gordon Ramsay takes him to task with a blind tasting challenge here.

Christmas has come and gone and in the wine industry some wine bottles were dressed up like Christmas trees in anticipation. Just how much does that gold sticker on the bottle make you buy? Well, according to retailers, a lot!

Another great catalyst and guide for consumers is the John Platter Wine Guide. This year a record 33 wine Estates received a five star award. While many are all but sold out here is a highlights package for you to consider. Yes, even a list of 33 needs to be condensed!

Kanonkop dominated proceedings being nominated as winery of the year and their Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 as the wine of the year. Certainly, if you were to put together a list of South African Estates that could be classified as our “First Growths” or “Grand Cru”, Kanonkop would be amongst them. A firm favourite, the Thelema Mint Cabernet Sauvignon also deservedly received the award and confirmed its place in the top Cabernet Sauvignon producers in the country. In the red blends, the “best wine never to have received five stars from John Platter”, the De Toren Fusion V, received five stars. “This wine will now be even more difficult to purchase” is the phrase on most loyal Fusion V buyers lips! As expected De Trafford racked up the awards with two five star wines, the Shiraz and CWG Perspective. This is an extraordinary achievement for such a small winery. Another great performer was the Vilafonte Series C, which received its first five star rating and one feels there will be many more from this paddock.

The Ataraxia Chardonnay stormed onto the podium after building up momentum throughout the year with rave reviews from the pundits and consumers alike. Cape Point Isliedh also racked up five stars. They are certainly in the market for more shelves in the trophy room, and this wine is one to get allocation on at least one year in advance. Jordan didn’t fail to disappoint with their CWG Auction Reserve Chardonnay also receiving five stars.

There has been much controversy surrounding the John Platter Wine Guide in recent years. Producers complain that the wines are tasted sighted, so this can lead to prejudice. Consumers are more likely to complain over the encyclopaedic size of the recent releases, as the number of Estates has grown astronomically. While there is merit to rating a wine blind, this has led to embarrassing situations for Wine Magazine and as wine drinkers we certainly don’t rate a wine purely from what is in the glass, no matter what we might say. Either way the John Platter Wine Guide is a mapbook for an increasingly lost consumer to navigate with. Like a GPS that takes you down some one way straights or into a T junction, it is not always perfect, but you keep learning the best routes along the way! It is certainly an important facet of the South Africa wine industry, and until consumers choose something other than Diemersfontein Pinotage as best wine on show at Wine X, one should consider hefting the latest one onto the bookshelf.

Classic economics tells us that the price of a product is a function of the raw materials and labour costs employed to produce it. At least this is the gist of a vague memory from a smattering of first year economic courses! Certainly, many wine drinkers will argue that it can’t possibly cost more than R50 to produce a bottle of wine, how on earth can anyone justify the exorbitant prices?

The one thing all iconic wines have in common is a sense of place. With these wines one is not only sampling an alcoholic beverage or varietal characteristic. You are literally tasting a place; the gravel beds of Pauillac, the limestone of Chablis, the slate of the Mosel. This is the difference between wine made by recipe and wine expressing terroir. In the most expensive wine region in the world; Burgundy, you literally cannot buy land, it is beyond price. This has a lot to do with the Napoleonic era land ownership laws but more to do with the single vineyards, sometimes the size of a living room, producing wines of a signature character.

Further south the wines of Bordeaux are also a function of terroir. But, the Bordelaise have another arrow in their quiver, that of marketing savvy. Even the prestigious first growths, renowned for their rarity and high price, actually produce hundreds of thousands of bottles. They let these trickle onto the market like a desert trecker squeezing the last drops from a water bottle. If the wines were to flood the market, this would have a similar effect of De Beers selling off all their diamond reserves, 5 Euro First Growths!

At the end of the day what you are prepared to pay for something is a function of what you value. Individuals who love nothing better than the feeling of driving powerful vehicle will prioritise this purchase in their lives. A wine anorak on the other hand might opt for a case of Chateau Cheval Blanc over driving a car at all!

The bottom line is; are all expensive wines necessarily good? One needs to look at the brand in these instances. Brand names become so because of consistency of quality and quality is led by terroir and investing in wine making practices. In other words one can’t usually go wrong with a top brand, although you will pay a premium for them. As a wine consumer these are the anchors from which to venture outwards into a variety of different combinations. Perhaps an unknown Estate from a renowned region, or famous wine maker in a new, lesser know region. This is where the world of wine gets especially interesting and new icons are discovered. Happy hunting!

Under the Influence approaches the world of fine spirits in a different manner, one that looks at these products in a fresh and entertaining light. Liquor brands have a penchant to sometimes take themselves too seriously and they can be guilty of using jargon that for many consumers is bully language. Bully language is simply designed to confuse and dazzle clients. I.e. “Through balloon payments we can lower the prime lending rate on your car!” Whatever. Let’s Sell Lobster has been teaching to an understanding, without the bully language, to improve service levels and wine and spirits knowledge at top lodges and hotels since its inception four years ago. Now, Under the Influence is doing the same for consumers. At Whisky Live In Joburg this year the local media were treated to the, somewhat dubious, honour of attending the Bush Logic of Whisky course.

A tour around some of the finest lodges in Southern Africa with Dave Broom was the catalyst for the creation of the Bush Logic course. Dave says it best in the article he wrote for whisky magazine; “So, impalas become fragrant whisky: thin legs, light gold in colour, a dry grassy note on the finish, light and skittish on the palate, an aperitif for human… and leopard. Over the next few days as we travel between Tanda Tula, Lion Sands and Ulasaba, whiskies are turned into elephants, bateleur eagle, zebra, leopard, lion, crocodile. Lagavulin becomes a buffalo, ‘Dagga-vulin’. The ideas begin to cohere, the ark begins to fill. I become Ranger Nkukulu.” Incidentally Nkukulu is Shangaan for broom! So, Whisky Live is now Under the Influence of the Bush Logic course. Keep a look out for our courses and ensembles on the website, maybe you will be next! Visit www.undertheinfluence.co.za

Here are some highlights of a long discussion with Eben Sadie during the first production of Under the Influence’s DVD collection. Enjoy!

It is said that all wine has one thing in common. Many may argue that the commonality lies in the fact that all wines are made from grapes. Taking the fact that grapes create wine as an absolute, the commonality lies in the fact that all wines in the world have an address…a place. Wines are liquid images that give us an understanding of a place. This is why wine has an origin, an address, a place.

With European labels, or for that matter the old world, the importance of the wine is not who produced it, but rather where it is from! For instance, in Burgundy, Mussiny would be large and apparent on the label and the producer’s name, small and insignificant in comparison. Mussiny is a place with a certain soil. These producers produce places, not certain percentages of alcohol with certain stylistic flavours.

Soil is where a plant roots itself; a vine puts its whole life, its anchor, in the soil. The whole neurological system of the vine is placed in the soil.

In the late 70’s wine became like fashion. Everyone wanted to be a famous superstar of the wine world. Producers started pushing wine making as a determinant factor for wine styles. Before the 70’s, the soil, the history and the community were the driving factors. In the late 70’s and early 80’s a shift in wine toward prestige and excellence was apparent, moving away from the importance of soil and into the cellar. This saw the birth of great winemakers, the great winemakers portfolios, and consumers opting for varietal wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, which became a function of branding. Hence, more important than the vines grown and the soils grown in, was the need to produce a varietal wine of fashion.

In retrospect, we have lost so much in the last 20 years. Many wines were made by people who put their own importance above that of the region or address. All wineries use the same barrels, the same consultants and the same university textbooks; hence it is only normal to assume that most of the wines are starting to look the same.

Now we drink a Cabernet in Australia, Bordeaux and Napa and the differentiation is minimal in many cases. What is important, in these wines, is precision viticulture, precision wine making, precision barrels, precision yeasts and precision clones while in the end it is no surprise that many of the wines have no character of soil.

In Burgundy there are vineyards the size of a dining room in a large house, a soil with an expression. Within a stone throw of this aforementioned vineyard you have a similar sized vineyard, however one wine is priced at 5 Euros and the other at 300 Euros. Not because the light is better, or the climate is so different, but because the soil is superior and everything is working in harmony.

The New World is developing its wine regions where everything needs to occur instantaneously. The development of viticultural land is determined by the economy, excel spreadsheets, the financial manager, profitability and real estate values. Europe’s wine regions were developed around 500 years ago, and before this they had a thousand years without these modern day pressures, such as marketing and branding. The varieties growing in Europe were planted first and foremost as a function of the development of time. These grapes are best suited to their chosen soils, not because of the economy, nor profitability, nor a fashion created by newspapers 18000 kms away. These producers looked at their climate, their disease pressures, their soil behaviour and cultural values and this information determined that specific plants, varieties and vines on their soils would make the expression of their place.

Eben Sadie’s unique philosophy on wines and their expressions of their place have yielded world acclaim through two of South Africa’s most rare and most highly rated wines, Columella and Palladius.