Tuesday the 12th November saw the St Francis Bay Wine Club hosted by the Tops at SUPERSPAR Village Square, gather for the Veritas/Deloitte Wine Tasting under the guidance of Bennie Howard, a legend in the industry.
Bennie qualified as a Cape Wine Master in 1983 and was amongst the first group to achieve this prestigious qualification. His career has seen him involved with Stellenbosch Farmers Winery and organising the Nederburg Wine Auction (1989-2005). He is currently the Public Relations Officer for Meerendal Estate in Durbanville, where he also applies his passion for wine education at the Meerendal Wine Academy. Bennie is currently the vice chairman of Veritas, the longest-running and biggest wine and spirits competition in South Africa.
The selected wines included a Vintage Cap Classique, Jacques Bruére Brut Reserve, five white wines and three reds.
As usual, all the wines were noteworthy and preference depended on individual taste and imagining a suitable dish to accompany the wine. Bennie’s exceptional wine knowledge, anecdotal information and pearls of wisdom were undoubtedly a highlight of the evening.
Jean du Plessis, Richard Moolman, Jean Pierre du Plessis, Brett Botten, Mark Johnson, Lizelle Botten and Chrissie Johnson.
While presenting the Kleine Zalze Vinyard Selection Chenin Blanc 2023, Bennie shared that the Chenin Blanc varietal had its roots firmly based in the 1959 Lieberstein wine, which is said to have changed the wine-drinking habits of many South Africans. Lieberstein broke all sales records in 1964 by shipping 31 million litres of wine, making it the world’s largest-selling bottled wine of its time.
He described the South African journey of the Cinsault grape, from its humble beginnings in 1936, when, with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, it was presented as Tassenburg, to the more refined products, such as the 2023 Piekenierskloof Cinsault of today.
Other interesting facts about wine history include the fact that South Africa boasts the largest population of old vines in the world.
“A day without wine is like a day without sunshine,” explained Bennie while mentioning that “life is too short to drink bad wine!”
SUPERSPAR Team – Morgan & Mickey Lindsay with Rue Masabalala
The St Francis Bay Wine Club hosts at least 20 tastings per year, with three special events towards the end of the year. This was the second of the three special events with one to go. If you are interested in participating, leave your details at the Tops at SUPERSPAR Village Square for Mickey Lindsay’s attention to include you on the WhatsApp group.
All the wines tasted are available at the Tops SUPERSPAR Village Square, St Francis Bay, while stocks last.
See more: Another Season Memory Maker! – Wine Of The Week At The SUPERSPAR
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