“Remember Cinsaut and Chenin Blanc? Deemed workhorse varieties 20 years ago, they are now trendier than a waxed beard in a Bree Street coffee shop. So what’s to stop the trendy crowd from rediscovering the beauty of Colombard?” —Lafras Huguenet.
By Lebbie Musavaya
So much is happening at the same time. It’s getting warmer every day, the third and final school term for 2016 has started and several students will be sitting for exams they’ve been working towards for four or more years. Even as I say all this, I have to take a moment to catch my breath. Having children in school, last Monday was a whirlwind of a day, filled with school-opening preparations and a wine-tasting of just one wine, thankfully. Yes, I was glad to have that diversion and even more, the variety, a Colombard.
Cape Wines — distributors of the popular Orange River Cellars range and other brands — are in possession of the prestigious South African Airways (SAA) On Board Wine Listing, White Wine of the Year 2016 award, for the Orange River Cellars Colombard 2015. These awards are held annually. Several wine submissions are received from various wine farms and SAA selects 24 wines each from the red and white entries. The nominated wines are served on SAA’s flights and in their business class lounges. Independent judges do the wine-selection process, for awards, blindly. Colombard, or Colombar, as it is known in South Africa, is a white grape variety mostly used in the production of brandy. In most wine-producing regions, including South Africa, it is used for bulk wine production and is also a popular blending partner. According to Lafras Huguenet on South Africa, “…15 Colombard producers are listed in the 2015 Platter’s Wine Guide.”
The Tasting: Orange River Cellars Colombard 2015 ($5,30 Bon Marché Chisipite)
Chilled well, this wine makes for a good aperitif and easy accompaniment for meals on the lighter side of life. Its youth was visible and inviting. Summer fruit of guava, green apple and pineapple surprised me and jolted my thoughts to a bowl of layered fruit bursting with a generosity of mixed flavours. One sip, and my palate filled with an ease of refreshing youth. The fullness of the fruit brought on a familiar “sweet illusion” delight of profoundly delish flavours. I was left with a smile of sensual enjoyment. This wine screams pick-me-up.
I don’t know whether the hustle and bustle of the day attributed to this enjoyment, but I have to say, three hours later, I still enjoyed it with my dinner. Orange River Cellars Colombard is a simply friendly wine, that’s easy to fall in love with. With a few trips lined up for these last few months of the year, I know what wine I’ll be having on board. Wine lovers, let’s swirl, sip and enjoy. Like Lafas Huguenet says, “…there is no reason why this cannot be South Africa’s next big thing, wine wise…”
Until next week, it’s wine-filled and fruit fun with a glass of Orange River Cellars Colombard.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
It retails for anything between $6 and $7 from OK stores, Pick n Pay and Spar. What wine are you having today, wine lovers?
— Pictures downloaded from www.google.co.za —[email protected]
