In Vino (What's the opposite of Veritas?)

by Cliopatria

I am not certain how many oenophiles we have reading Rebunk, but I thought I'd share this story about shenanigans in the South African wine industry.

I am pretty much a wine dilettente, but since my DC days I have been able to bask in the reflected glory of my friends, many of whom are connoisseurs of the fruit of the vine. Plus, through my travels in South Africa I have become something of a cheerleader for Southern Hemisphere, and especially South African wines (though Chile and Australia also have wonderful wine industries, and wines from south of the equator tend to present drool-inducing bargains as well as some pretty cool labels).

Apparently South Africa's biggest and most prestigious producer of wine and brandy, KWV, has been adding"flavourants" to its 2004 sauvignon blanc. (When I did a wineland tour in the Cape in 1999 I visited KWV.) South Africa is now the world's 6th largest producer of wine, and this scandal has rocked the country's burgeoning industry, which has in recent years gained a global foothold after the end of apartheid. KWV appears to have dealt with the problem as admirably as possible, but the aftershocks will likely linger.

The lesson? Stick with reds, of course.

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More Comments:

Derek Charles Catsam - 12/10/2004

David --
Ned (to whose comment you responded) is one of the great wine afficionadoes of all time and I owe him most of what i know about the grape. He has consistently shown me good whites, but givena choice, I'll almost always go red. i absolutely agree with you that price does not tell us a whole lot and I am very much a pragmatist -- wine is to be enjoyed first and foremost.
dc

David Lion Salmanson - 12/10/2004

Tampering with wine to acheive better flavor (or mislabeling bottles or a whole bunch of other things you can do)is an ancient practice. There is a good book on this "Wine: A History" that is written for a mass audience and is quite fascinating. Did you know the Greeks used to mix their wine with sea water? Blech!!!

Anyway, by not drinking whites you are missing out on some wonderful experiences. If all you know is California Chardonays that taste like an oak tree, you haven't tried some of the great whites that are out there. I am a sucker for Vouvray at the moment.

Moore Brothers in New Jersey and Delaware is an absolutely great wine store that emphasizes that there is absolutely no correlation in price and quality with wine. And that killer Rose from Languedoc they sold me for 9 bucks proves it.

Stephen Tootle - 12/9/2004

I was in Llandudno a few years ago and I don't remember having a good meal there. I did buy an raincoat at a surplus store though. Still have it. I also have a vague memory of taking riding to the top of a hill overlooking the city. Very nice time. For a good time, go visit the Romans in Chester.

Edward Suffern Johnson - 12/9/2004

How nice! Of course, the French have not been above this sort of thing themselves, despite their vaunted viniculture. Heavens know how foolish it is to emulate the French on so many other things. One would have thought wine would not have been among them. In Vino Venality?

chris l pettit - 12/9/2004

Ahhh DC...what you are missing...

I must say that I like the South African wines better than any in the world...

Simonsig...Nederberg...a couple of the best...

Nice thick dry reds with a woody taste...not too spicy...

Hmmmm...I think I will definitely be toasting you tonight with a bottle of the best after getting back from the nice 6' waves hitting off Llandudno that I am off to as we speak...surfs up dude....

I am sorry to hear about the scandal...

Oh...one last thing...when I was a student at UCT we used to love to get the box wines (I forget the name) where they bought all the excess grapes from the major vineyards and squashed them all together...you would either get a truly epic box or a truly horrible box...I still do this experiment once in a while...good fun

peace and solidarity

CP
www.wicper.org