Die Sommelier - GP Terblanche - 'n Boek Resensie

As enige skrywer ‘n boek die lig wil laat sien wat afspeel in Suid-Afrika se na-apartheid era, veral as die storie polities geinspireer is en veral as die boek ook nog in Afrikaans geskryf is, Afrikaans sal mos altyd nou gekoppel word aan apartheid, dan verwag die Afrikaanse leser sosiale kommentaar.

In sy debuutroman, Die Sommelier, stel GP Terblanche dan ook nie teleur nie, tewens hy gaan verder en soos ‘n beelhouer skep hy uitstekende en kontrasterende Suid Afrikaanse karakters wat amper uit klip gemaak is: In Oosterbeek, die tipiese sekuriteitsbewuste, werkgefokusde, diknek Afrikaner spioen wat nog glo dat blanke mans ‘n bydra kan lewer in ‘n polities gebaseerde intelligensie apparaat, en in Lev Engelbrecht, ‘n wyndrinkende, natuurliefhebbende, maar ontnugterde en marginaliseerde man wat opgegee het om binne die raamwerk van die na-apartheid, swart gedomineerde intelligensie netwerk te probeer in pas.

Die Sommelier is ‘n spioenasieriller wat af speel teen ‘n agtergrond van internasionale radikale-Moslem terrorisme, transformerende restellende aksie en Swart Ekonomiese Bemagtiging (Black Economic Empowerment). Maar dis ook ‘n verhaal van Lev Engelbrecht, ‘n man wat voorraad neem van sy lewe en probeer uitvind wat hy moet doen in die toekoms, en van Johan Oosterbeek wat wil vasklou aan wat hy het en waaraan hy gewoond was. Dan is daar nog die knoeiende Amerikaners, 'n groep tipiese Suid-Afrikaners wat op 'n wilds-oord werk, en nasionale intelligensie werkers met hul eie agendas van korrupsie en afpersing.

Die roman begin stadig, amper te stadig, met terugflitse na ‘n vorige lewe en liefde, maar die tempo neem toe soos verskillende karakters die ingewikkelde aksieteater betree. Die rol van wyn (sensueel beskryf), die beskrywing van Suid-Afrika se natuurskoon, die insig tot onbevoegheid van staatsamptenare, en die kortsigtigheid en selfverrykende aksies van die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse politici verdiep die storielyn.

En ja, dan is daar die sosiale kommentaar oor die politiese verlede en hede van Suid-Afrika. Dit maak nie afbreek aan of trek nie die aandag van die storie nie. Soos enige Alan Furst roman verbreed die sosiale kommentaar die storie se agtergrond en skep dit atmosfeer rondom die karakters, al kom sommige van die sosiale kommentaar van die pragtige Amerikaanse spioen, Jane Turnbull, wat nie groot insig tot die Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis het nie:

“Hulle sê dis die Afrikaners wat die [Voortrekker] monument gebou het om hulle trekgeskiedenis te gedenk. Sy wonder wat hulle oorreed het om ‘n brutale stelsel soos apartheid jare later te implementeer. Hoekom was hulle so wreed? Wat was hulle motivering? Was of is hulle in werklikheid inherent slegte mense. ‘n Klomp konserwatiewe, primitiewe mense. Bybel in die een hand, voorlaaier in die ander.”

Maar dis nie net sosiale kommentaar wat van buite na binne kyk nie. Lev Engelbrecht ken Suid-Afrikaners, weet hoe dit binne hulle koppe lyk, veral in die nuwe Suid-Afrika:

“Ek stel niks meer belang nie. Ek’s lankal klaar! Hoe kan jy anyway saamleef met die middelmatigheid…Ek hou nie van die fôkken regering nie en nog minder van hoe hulle die land bestuur. Ek het geen lojaliteit nie!”

Daarteenoor is Oosterbeek nog steeds die gelowige in die nuwe stelsel:

"Nou goed! Ek werk vir die fucked-up spul! Ek sien die fôkken middelmatigheid! Dink jy ek is blind! Dink jy ek weet nie wat om my aangaan nie? Dink jy dis lekker vir my om al die kak elke dag op te vreet? …Maar, fôk! Wat as ons nou elkeen tou opgooi en wegloop! As ons nie dinge ten minste prober beter maak nie!”

Dis die eerste keer in seker 15 jaar dat ek ‘n Afrikaanse roman gelees het, en dit was beslis die moeite werd. Daar is genoeg legkaart-storielyne soos dit behoort te wees in ‘n spioenasieriller en baie byspelers om die geheel interessant te hou. Die karakters kom lewensgetrou voor en die gebeure is verteenwoordigend moontlik van die tydperk se koerant opskrifte. Ek het die boek baie geniet. Was ook lekker om weer ‘n slag Afrikaans te lees.


Lees meer oor die boek by die skrywer se blog:
http://boerinballingskap.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/binne-elkeen-van-ons-skuil-daar-n-boek/

of Rapport se review van die boek. 

Die Sommelier - GP Terblanche
Uitgewer: Rosslyn-Pers Prys: R140
Die boek is verkrygbaar by Protea Boekwinkel in Stellenbosch en moontlik nou ook landwyd.

Die Sommelier omslag foto krediet: GP Terblanche

Midweek Musical Muse XII - Johnny En Die Maaiers

Na aanleiding van die eer wat Die Antwoord, die Suid-Afrikaanse white-trash, zef-rap-rave musiekmakers, toegeval het die week toe die bekende kuns ondersteuners en eienaars van verskeie moderne kuns museums, die Guggenheim Foundation, aangekondig het dat Die Antwoord se video, Zef Side, een van die Internet se 25 bestes videos van die afgelope 2 jaar is, plaas ek graag ‘n alternatiewe blik en skyfies van die Afrikaanse musiek geskiedenis vanaf die sestigerjare tot en met die Voëlvry beweging.

Oor hierdie reeks videos sal ek Jamie Oliver aanhaal: “Delish”. Die Antwoord sal natuurlik sê: Geniet net die fôkken musiek doos!

Omdat ek self van agter die Boereworsgordyn kom verkies ek liewers wat Francois Badenhorst van Coke van Fokofpolisiekar en Van Coke Kartel-faam gesê het: “Ek laaik van Afrikaans praat” en Hunter Kennedy, ook van Fokofpolisiekar en Die Heuwels Fantasties-faam beaam het: ”Ons is Afrikaans, there is no way around that.” So praat die monde van die Bellville manne van agter die Boereworsgordyn. En dis van agter hierdie gordyn wat die Afrikaanse musiek se volgende evolusie gekom het rondom die einde van die Twintigste en gedurende die begin van die Een-en-Twintigste eeu.

Vat hom Fluffy!

Die Intro



Deel 1 - Die Sestigerjare



Deel 2 - Is Afrikaans 'n genre?



Deel 3 - Musiekfeeste



Deel 4 - Die Jare Sewentig



Deel 5 - Die Voëlvry beweging verander Afrikaanse musiek vir altyd



Talmtyd

Na ‘n supermaan-Saterdagaand(*) is ons op die eerste dag van lente geseën met ‘n pragtige sonskyn-Sondag om ‘n bietjie litte los te maak in die tuin, vere reg te skuif vir die beter dae wat voorlê en die beste skemeraand in maande buite op die agterstoep deur te bring.

Aah…Talmtyd!

Terwyl die Chinaman vir my ‘n Venetia skemerdrankie en vir M ‘n glasie Chardonnay getoor met tropiese vrugte op dien, sit ons sommer net so en hard op droom oor alles wat ons graag wil doen in die tuin die somer, wêrldreise voordat ons te oud word, opkomende musiekvertonings in Louisville van Elton John and Steely Dan wat ons graag sal wil gaan kyk, (Steely Dan is ‘n no-brainer, dis ‘n moet-doen) en alles en nog wat.

Aandete was ‘n vinnige, saam gevlansde vleisbraaitjie en slaai. Wie wil nou lang ure in die kombuis deurbring terwyl die weer so lekker saamspeel. ‘n Vuurtjie dans rooiwarm en die rooster word skoon gebrand. Die skemer-son skilder die westelike lugruim geel-oranje-en-rooi soos dit agter die bome verdwyn en gereed maak om nag te sê suid van die horison. ‘n Skaaptjoppie vir elkeen, die laaste van Spekkies se lekker tuisgemaakte bees boerewors, ‘n vinnige oudtydse aartappelslaai, stroopsoet spanspek en ‘n geroosterde knoffelbotter broodjie.

Saam met aandete ‘n glasie Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon van Chili se Colchague vallei, een van vele goedkoop maar uitstekende wyne van Chili wat deesdae in ons drankwinkels beskikbaar is. Hierdie een is definitief ‘n lekker-drink wyntjie vir min geld, slegs $10-12 per bottel. Een van daardie wyne wat wynliefhebbers by die doos koop. Ideaal vir vleisbraai aande.

Die wyn het een van die mees interessantste en innoverenste etikette wat ek in ‘n lang tyd op ‘n wyn bottel gesien het. Dit vertel die storie van oorsponklike druif wortelstamme wat nog in Chile gevind kan word in teenstelling met verente wortelstamme wat in die res van die wêrld gebruik word weens die Phylloxera plaag wat die wynbedryf lamgelê het in die laat 1800’s en vandag nog steeds verhoed dat Europese wyne, Vitus vinifera, die Cabernets, die Grenaches, die Merlots, die Viogniers, ensovoorts, nie sonder verente wortelstamme geplant kan word nie. (Nota: Selektiewe oorsponklike wortelstamme kan ook nog in Australia gevind word). Daar is sommige wynbemarkingsagente wat ons wil laat glo dat wyn gemaak van oorsponklike worterstamme vrugtiger en beter is as wyn van verente wortelstamme. (But it is nothing more than a matter of taste and palate.)

Aah…Die stadige leef lewensstyl! Maar ongelukkig net soms.

Geen beter manier om die week af te eindig of te begin, afhangende van die siening of Sondag die einde of die begin van jou week is.

(*) Weens die feit dat die maan op Saterdagaand slegs 221,567 myl vanaf die aarde was, het dit glo 14% wyer en 30% skerper vertoon as normaal. Dis is die naaste wat die maan aan die aarde was sedert Maart 1993. As if it's important!

A Silent Cry For A Decaying City

Surrounded by its numerous mountain peaks, the city, apparently peaceful in its bowled cradle, is a picture of serenity and prosperity. The morning air is still crisp; the sky is still baby blue, edged gold by the rising sun, cloudless and still clear without any smog. The smog usually comes later in the morning, mixed with the white dust from the semi-desert beyond the mountains the sky then turns a dirty white-yellow. But the serene scene is a misrepresentation of what is happening in Monterrey, Mexico. Underneath the superficial beauty, seeped in through every seam and thread of this city, organized crime, kidnapping and murder, whether systematic or by random opportunity, is changing this beautiful city into a crate of rotting fruit. Slowly, the one rotten fruit is infecting another and another as the spores of decay travel from one neighborhood to another, decimating social structure after social structure, and taking its toll on the citizens of the city. Inflating all the statistics for which a city, any city, does not want to be famous for.

And it is not just narcotic gangs against other gangs, trying to establish and entrench their territories, nor is it just normal criminal gangs against the police. So many policemen have been killed or fired by the city or the state because of corruption or for working with the narcotic gangs that police presence in neighborhoods and on the highways have disappeared. This enabled petty criminals to become far bolder than they would have dared before to commit more serious crimes, especially home burglaries, car theft, holdups of restaurants and businesses, and kidnapping innocent people for small random amounts.

Monterrey from an airplane. The airport in the bottom and

in the center, in the bowl surrounded by mountains lay the city  

Just yesterday the sister-in-law of one of my programmers here was in a car theft-kidnapping incident. For an hour the woman had to negotiate, successfully I must to add, with the thieves/kidnappers to take only her car and not her 5-year old boy too that was in the backseat. Imagine, a desperate woman, facing into the barrel of a gun, picking up her son from school, seeing in her minds eye how someone else in broad daylight wants to drive off with her child and then later call back for a ransom. And they had all the information to do so because they took her handbag with all the things that women usually keep in their handbags. Today, when I spoke to the lady again to ask how her family is doing she told me the adults are worried, quite naturally, because the thieves can get so much information from the things in the handbag and that the little boy is quite traumatized.

A few months ago another one of my employees’ brother was kidnapped. For 2 days near Christmas they didn’t hear anything from him, only from the kidnappers. As she told me the story, she said it was worse than death because of the uncertainty of not knowing whether you will ever see the kidnapped person again. They paid the ransom, gathered from various family members, and the kidnappers dropped the man off on an empty parking lot. They were lucky, very blessed, because many times the kidnapped persons are never returned. Their dead bodies are dumped like trash in isolated spots in the Chihuahuan desert to rot like a dead mouse and turn into dust and to blow back into the city at a future time as a fine white mist carried upon the hot Santa Ana-like winds that race through the canyons of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains or the Cerro de las Mitres (mountains of the Mitres). Car theft and kidnapping is fast becoming the new regional sport here.

South of the city lies the picturesque village of Villa Santiago. I drove there a few years ago and wrote about it in a previous post. Today a trip to Villa Santiago by a foreigner all by himself is a suicide mission. A few months ago its mayor was kidnapped and killed. Now it seems 6 policemen, working for the drug cartels, were involved in the killings. Who can you trust here?
At work I can see the effect this situation is having on the people of this city. At lunch tables the laughter is less, the decibels lower, people smile with their lips but their eyes stare vacantly ahead of them. Worrying. Is my house being burgled at this moment? Is someone in my family being robbed or kidnapped now? Will something happen to me today, tomorrow, when?

Looking out towards the Lindavista area of Monterrey

with the Cerra de la Silla (Saddle Hill) on the left

All of this is so reminiscent of what I and many others experienced so many years ago in South Africa when the escalation in crime and violence drove hundreds of thousands from their homeland to the far corners of the world. It is so reminiscent of what happened in Colombia when the cocaine cartels ruled portions of that country and caused mayhem for the population. Different time, different geography, different circumstances, but the results are always the same, innocent people, just seeking their little piece of sunshine on earth, get caught up in the middle of this murderous and criminal orgy.

Gone are the evenings I would drive into the city center in search for new restaurants to experience the local cuisine in the Barrio Antiguo or in San Pedro. Gone are the days I would go and see the latest modern or contemporary art exhibition in the MARCO galleria or take a stroll on the Macro Plaza, drift off to the narrow side streets and tiny open plazas and do people watching from alfresco restaurant tables while savoring a cold cerveza Bohemia.

Now it is just going from hotel to work and back and driving after dark is only if I really have to, an emergency, and going into the city is strictly prohibited. The bad elements roam at night; like modern day Count Draculas or evil Batmen. Now I stay in different hotels than before, in “safe” hotels, in “safe” areas, where an armed guard stands inside the lobby watching everyone that is coming and going. Now it is more eating in, in the hotel’s restaurant, which usually doesn’t have anything more but the basic fare, than eating out, except if there is a restaurant next door or in very close walking proximity of the hotel.

Monterrey is not Baghdad or Kabul. Not yet in any case. Nor is it Ciudad Jaurez, Chihuahua, yet. But how bad is it going to get before it gets better again, before normal is normal again. Because today’s Monterrey is not normal anymore. Today’s Monterrey is not the Monterrey I got to know and like the past 10 years I have coming here.

Midweek Musical Muse XI - Movies of 2010

This week’s Midweek Musical Muse is a tribute to the editing skills of the editors at Genrocks, the directors and actors in the movies of 2010 and some great music to back it all.

Osso Buco With Port Wine

A good wine needs good food and visa versa. In a recent post I mentioned that I will not be keeping my wines for longer than 10 years anymore after what happened to a bottle of 1990 Delheim Grand Reserve that I had for 13 years. I simply do not have the perfect storage conditions and although I can created the right conditions, living in Kentucky with its Internet wine buying restrictions and being far away from good wine producing regions like California, it just doesn’t seem worth my while creating an area for aging wines. So during the past two months since coming back from South Africa I didn’t look for a specific special occasions to drink my aged wines, I simply spoilt myself whenever the mood for a good bottle of wine overcame me. Since then I have consumed a 1996 L’Ormaris Optima, 2001 Glen Carlou Grand Classique (a double gold Veritas medal winner) and a 2001 Rust en Vrede Shiraz.

Quick review:

The L'Ormarins Optima was over its best, but still drinkable. Not worth reporting on.

The Glen Carlou, is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 3.5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 0.5% Petit Verdot. I think I opened it slightly too early. I struggled getting the cork out, kept on breaking up (I eventually had to push half the cork into the bottle and decanter it through a wine strainer), and it had a lot of “sifsels” and was slight murky. The wine was “not too bad.” I am probably being harsh, but I was put off by the fine residue. The wine was slightly complicated as can be expected from a Bordeaux style blend. It tasted much better the next day, more fruitful on the nose and palate and much smoother with less tannins than when I opened the bottle.

Digging up the Past of Rust en Vrede

The historical town of Stellenbosch has a winemaking history which stretches back to the last quarter of the 17th-century. The mountainous terrain, the cool breezes from False Bay and good rainfall, the deep well-drained soils and diversity of terroirs make this a perfect grape-growing and wine-producing region.

The detailed history of Rust en Vrede is rather vague and seems to intertwine with the neighboring farm Bonterivier. Based on my research the farm Bonterivier was granted to Willem Jansz van de Werelt in 1684 by the then Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, Simon van der Stel. In 1694 the farm Rust en Vrede was granted by Willem Adrian van der Stel, Simon’s son and successor, but to whom it was granted I cannot find any direct notice of. It seems that Bonterivier was divided in the early 1700’s into two farms and one of them became Rust en Vrede while the original farm stayed Bonterivier. Today Bonterivier houses the Bilton Wine estate.

Notes: Some sources on the Internet claims Rust en Vrede was originally granted to a Huguenot named Jacques de Savoye, but I think these websites are wrong. Historical documents show that Jacques de Savoye was granted a different farm, named Vrede en Lust in the Drakenstein (now Franchhoek) region. (The closeness of the words Lust en Rust could easily have led to the incorrect recording of history.)

See The First Fifty Years Project and My Huguenot Heritage, Huguenot's and farms in Cape, South Africa, by A.M. van Rensburg, for why I believe Jacques De Savoye was granted Vrede en Lust and not Rust en Vrede. After all, the modern day Vrede en Lust Winery sells a wine they call Jacques De Savoye Classic.

The websites that quoted this history incorrectly are A different history of Franschhoek and the Drakenstein district and the book Historic houses of South Africa by Dorothea Fairbridge, published in 1922.

Seeing that the first house on Rust en Vrede, “Rest and Peace” in Dutch, was only built in 1780, it seems the farm at the foothills of the Helderberg mountain was initially used only for planting grapes (around 1726-1730) and not for producing wine. This probably changed after 1780 because a barrel cellar was built in 1785 and is still standing. Today the cellar houses one of South Africa’s best fine dining restaurants. In 1790 a larger manor house was built, but in 1823 a fire destroy the gable of the manor house and it was rebuilt in 1825, hence the date of 1825 on the current gable.

Rust en Vrede views

Photo from Virtual Tourist.com (Off the beaten path)

A Wine Needs To Stand Up To The Food

Because I planned to open the 2001 Rust en Vrede Shiraz I thought a good osso buco made with beef shanks instead of veal would be the ideal. The food and the wine have to standup to each other. I had a bottle of Rooiberg Winery port which was on its last legs so to speak and I used 1 cup of that, together with some onion, garlic and black pepper to marinade the meat for a few hours. Overnight will be even better. The Rooiberg was beyond drinking but still good enough for the marinade. I was not going to use my Boplaas port for the marinade and then throw it away again. It was bad enough that I had to use some Boplaas in the stew. I am always stingy to use a good wine in food preparation.

Making Modern Classics

The modern history of Rust en Vrede and the production of top quality wines on this estate starts in 1977 when Jannie Engelbrecht, a well known Springbok rugby player purchase the farm. Apart from restoring all the old buildings, he also replanted the vineyard and decided to focus just on one type of wine, namely red wines.

This specialization and concentration on just red wines would be further refined when his son, Jean Engelbrecht took over the management of the farm. Jean Engelbrecht, who worked for several years in the United States, would base his vision for a future Rust en Vrede on the way they produce quality top class wines in Napa Valley, California. In an interview with George M. Taber during the research for his book, In Search of Bacchus, Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism, Engelbrecht said: “I just stole what the Californians did and brought it over here and made it fit with what we do.” Especially from the Silver Oak Cellars, which then produced only one type of wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, which is high-quality and low volume.

Another issue that Rust en Vrede had to overcome was to make a wine that would satisfy both the European and the American palates. This was very important because Rust en Vrede exports most of their wine to Europe and America. They had to find a middle way seeing that these two palates differ in taste preference. Today Rust en Vrede has achieved that middle way.

Entrance to Rust en Vrede in Stellenbosch

Photo from Trip Advisor

On the twisting road that takes you to Rust en Vrede wine estate you get the distinct impression of quality from the smoothly paved road, the immaculately maintained vineyards, and the well manicured patches of flowers that enhance the views of the surroundings. The impression of quality is not surprising if one consider that the wines of Rust en Vrede have won the highest accolades in South Africa, was the first wine estate in South Africa to produce a wine that scored 90+ points by the Wine Spectator magazine, are now ranked in the top 100 best wines in the world and their wines were selected to be served at a special dinner in Oslo when Nelson Mandele received his Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In 2010 Rust en Vrede’s restaurant won all the major top awards at the annual Eat Out Awards ceremony when it was named the Restaurant of the Year, and received the Service Excellence award. Its chef, David Higgs, was named Chef of the Year.

Here is the recipe I used.

Osso Buco with Port Wine


Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large beef shanks on the bone (about 300g each, marinated)
2 onions, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and shopped
410 g tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine (I used a Vidal Fleury Cotes-du-Rhone)
1 cup port wine
2 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoon South Africa Braai (Barbeque) spices
(I used Robertson Steak and Chops spices, but any good steak spices can be used)
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups of beef stock

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven, heat EVOO over high heat. Remove meat from marinade, season with the spices, and transfer to Dutch oven and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. I didn’t dry the meat but left the marinade and some of the onions on them. Remove shanks to a plate and set aside.

Now make the soffritto, the Italian version of the famous flavor trinity that is the basis for so many dished, especially stews; onions, carrots & celery. (If you use butter instead of olive oil you would be making a mirepoix, the French version of this flavor base.) Add a little more EVOO to the Dutch oven, if needed, then add the onion, celery, carrots and cook, stirring regularly, until vegetables are soft and caramelized, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add the red wine and the port and stir well with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits. Add tomato paste, the tin of tomatoes, the beef stock, and salt and black pepper if desired. Stir well to combine.

Return shanks to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, or until shanks are tender. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary. The sauce must be rich in taste and have a smooth, gelatinous texture. I usually remove the bones, scrape out the marrow and add it to the sauce, if it makes it past my taste test.

I let it stand for a while because stews are always better if the flavors have time “to get to know each other better” in the “afterplay” process.” It also gave me time to prepare the rice, steak fries and spinach that I served up with the osso buco.

And the Wine?

And what a wine it was!

In the glass the Rust en Vrede 2001 Shiraz was a deep and very dark burgundy in color with blackish purples on the rim. On the nose the aromas were strong and distinct and it was a mixture of plums, black currents and leather with hints for mocha, dark bitter chocolate and smoke. All of those were transferred from nose to palate with the addition of the typical Shiraz pepperiness… very distinctly peppery and spicy. But it was very smooth with a long full body after taste.

I feel the wine was opened at a perfect time. The tannins had just the right length of time to do their mellowing, of course, helped on by the 18 months it spent in the barrel, 50% in new American oak barrels and the rest in second fill oak barrels, before the different batches were blended and then matured a further 20 months in the bottle. Thereafter it spent another 6 years in my wine rack. It certainly had time to mellow and get melodious.


From start to finish the wine was a seamless balance between fruit, wood and tannins. It was truly complex in taste and, being from South Africa I might be a bit biased here, but it was one of the best wines that I ever tasted. Now that doesn’t necessarily say much, because I am not a sommelier, but I have drunk enough bottles of wine to know the difference between a good wine and a bottle what I call glug-glug wine.


If I consider that the 2004 and especially the 2006 vintage of Rust en Vrede Shiraz are rated even higher than the 2001 I will be on a shopping spree to look out for these.

What Do You Know?

Got this magazine last week in my inbox and was pretty surprised to see a South African passport on top of what look like a heap of Japanese passports regarding an article about immigration. The article did not actually mentioned anything about South Africa. It exclusively discuss the immigration situation in Japan.

Abuse or simply convenient?

Midweek Musical Muse X - Hypnotic Hindi Rhythm

One of the most enchanted Hindi songs and a true adrenaline pumper with a hypnotic rhythm and beat.

Composed by A.R. Rahman and sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi, this well choreographed version is from the 1999 Indian movie Dil Se. The dancers on the train in this video are the highly successful Indian actor Shahrukh Khan and Malaika Arora Kahn. Personally I prefer the hip-hop remixed of this song by Panjabi MC, called 'Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint', which was used as the closing credits of the 2006 film by Spike Lee, 'Inside Man'.