"The Roadworks..."
The 'pedestrianizing' (or 'pedestrianisation'?) of our part of High Street is in full swing. Along with the paving, there have been a few Syzygium guineense (waterpear) trees planted which are certainly making it look better already and we're looking forward to seeing how the trees grow to give shade over the (soon to be constructed) benches.
One of my favourite cities is Barcelona, and while our little High Street will never be able to compete with it, here is a pic of the famous Las Rambla (photo credit: barcelonayellow.com).
This Weekend's Tasting
"Baleia" is the Portuguese word for "whale" which is appropriate for the Cape, particularly the Cape South Coast, which is where you would find boutique producer Baleia Wines. Close to Stilbaai, their lime-rich soil makes for unique terroir and with Gunter Schultz as winemaker, the range of wines are all of excellent quality. We will be tasting their Chardonnay, Sebastian Red Blend and Tempranillo this weekend so please do pop in.
Momento Chenin Blanc Verdelho
“To me, Chenin Blanc without Verdelho is like dancing without music. Verdelho adds the zing and zest to this blend, giving it that extra twist of freshness, energy and rhythm." - Winemaker Marelise Niemann
2019 Momento Chenin Blanc Verdelho: The Chenin blanc grapes come from 40-year-old, dry land farmed bush vines in the Swartland and a 36-year-old vineyard from Bot River, called ‘Langbene’ (Long legs) - named after the unique and extremely long trunks of the vines. A soil combination of Bokkeveld shale and clay from Bot River, and decomposed granite from Swartland. The Verdelho grapes come from Voor-Paardeberg, grown in decomposed granite and clay as well as a vineyard in Bot River grown in Bokkeveld shale. The decomposed granite soils produce a rich, generous and broader palate, while the shale and clay soil from Bot River produces an austere, focused, and texture-driven wine. A combination of these two regions, together with the Verdelho that adds the freshness, combine to create a well-balanced wine, both rich and generous and elegant and well-poised, with a mineral focus and bright acidity.
Tasting Note: A nose of white peach, lemon rind and jasmine with green melon, green apple and a crystalline, wet stone minerality adding freshness and focus. Crunchy, puckering acidity supports a full-bodied, mouth-coating palate with brioche and tart lemon curd leading to a long, pithy finish.
Winemaking: The grapes were gently whole bunch basket-pressed without adding enzymes. Natural fermentation was allowed to take place in 400L & 225L French oak barrels. Some fine lees were added back to the juice in barrel to allow for more complex characters and textures to develop during its time in barrel. Time in old oak: 10 months. 100% malolactic fermentation. No fining. (74% Chenin Blanc, 26% Verdelho)
Winemaker Marelise Niemann
Discover the Momento Wines
Thanks again to everyone who purchased our vouchers! We will continue to donate 5% of the voucher value to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Pre-school, in addition to offering a 5% discount of the voucher value to in-store purchases.
Purchase a Wine & Co voucher to donate to the School
A reminder of our website: Wine & Co Online
Please note that our website does not show the complete range of wine that we have in stock, so please do contact us if you are looking for something not listed online, especially those that are 'allocation' only. We offer free shipping to major centres around South Africa for orders over R1500 and obviously have free deliveries in Hermanus. Please contact us for international shipping rates.
COVID-19 "Level 1" shop hours (until further notice):
• Monday to Saturday: 10am - 6pm.
• Sunday & Public Holidays: 10am - 4pm.
• Thank you for your support - stay safe - see you soon!
About Us
Have you ever heard about a great wine but could never find a bottle for yourself (to share with friends, of course)? Well, the team at Wine & Company do all the hard work for you! We visit wine farms and attend tastings to find, taste, and then stock wine from the smaller Estates and independent winemakers who buy grapes and produce outstanding wine under their own labels – much the same as the French negociants have been doing for centuries. Given that these winemakers make wine in such small quantities, sometimes just a single barrel, their wine will never be found on the shelves of the major retailers, but only in specialist shops like Wine & Company on High Street, Hermanus.
In addition to the great selection of well-known wines and MCC's, we also stock local craft gin and beer, French Champagne, Belgian Ales as well as whisky and other spirits. Wine & Company (established in 1998 by Bartho Eksteen) has a well-earned reputation for stocking hard-to-find small-batch wines and we strive to continue this great tradition. If you purchase a bottle of wine from us and it is faulty or you are not satisfied with the quality, we will gladly replace the bottle and return the faulty wine to the winemaker.
Feel free to contact Wine & Company if you need a particular wine and we will do our best to source it for you. We are also able to ship wine locally and to most countries so do ask about international shipping.
