News> Bites - 09 May 2003


Beef and the beefy

Meat was on the menu at Rosebank's Park Hyatt, Johannesburg, during an April wine dinner featuring the reds of Stellenbosch's Rust en Vrede Estate.

Wild boar to start and beef tenderloin to follow were brilliantly matched with a fragrant 2000 cabernet and a silkily opulent blend from the 2000 harvest, which proprietor Jean Engelbrecht calls "the best vintage we've ever produced".

Engelbrecht's address to guests, including Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa, dealt with the thorny issue of high wine prices (the blend retails at R200/bottle). For once, Engelbrecht was at a loss for words when a question from the floor focused on the disparity between price and quality assessment in local wine guides.

Inconsistent show judging was Engelbrecht's explanation, though since 80% of Rust en Vrede's production is exported, hometown idiosyncrasies should not be a problem. Of the 20% sold locally, 80% finds homes in Gauteng, underlining the important role the smallest province plays in the fine-wine game.

Rust en Vrede's marketing team has been (literally) beefed up with the appointment of Springbok water polo captain Duncan Woods. He aims to pitch the estate's Guardian Peak range of wines to fellow twentysomethings who have tired of alcopops and energy drinks.

-- By Neil Pendock