The “Eye of the Storm” is a miracle wine – but the full explanation you’ll have to wait for another day (or inevitably a future newsletter!). For now, please find below my notes and comments on the wine:
“Eye of the Storm” is a blend of 90% Shiraz 2007 from Schapenberg (same mountain that Vergelegen’s on, just on the opposite side), and 8% Zinfandel and 2% Viognier from Wellington. The Shiraz was made at a winery in Stellenbosch and aged for 15 months in second and third fill French and American oak barrels. When blending started I had the Shiraz as my base wine, which was fantastic in itself, but I decided to add a different component. I mostly try to blend my wines as, to me, wine is all about dimension. I decided to make a Rhone style blend (actually, come to think of it, I didn’t decide it in advance, it rather sort of evolved). I tasted various possible blending wines and after some very valuable insets from my council of many: winemakers, the regular consumer (friends & family) and a lot of prayer, I decided on a bit of a controversial blend of the 3 cultivars. I classify the wine as controversial as the wine has a unique twist which adds a bit of risk to it. (I’m not giving it away yet, so keep reading those newsletters!) We blended the Zinfandel and Viognier from Wellington with the Shiraz from Somerset West and bottled the batch. Immediately after bottling the wine took a slight dip, which can be attributed to a combination of factors. But I still believed that we did the right thing and our faith had to step in. I waited patiently. One month after bottling the wine had improved significantly; two months later it was even better and 3 months after bottling the true potential started shining. At this present moment (4 months after bottling) the wine is only beginning to step onto the palate. I personally think that this is one of my best so far.
I then decided to release the wine without a price again, as I did with “Moment of Silence” in 2007. 47 consumers all accepted a case of wine to decide what they would be willing to pay for it. They tasted the wine and paid me what they decided it was worth to them. The objectives of this exercise were threefold:
- What is the emotional value I’m adding to my clients’ lives by producing this wine? This is all about enjoying the wine with friends, food pairings and giving them a story to tell. (Indeed life is all about your stories!)
- What are my clients personally ABLE to pay for this wine? This is influenced by their financial position, philosophies on wine buying, the current economical climate (even the petrol price) etc.
- And ultimately: What do they feel is the Market related retail value of this wine?
I published all their comments and suggestions on the internet. And without fail: what an interesting mix of opinions and ideas! Click here to read what they had to say. The price suggestion averaged at R45 a bottle. The highest price I got was a Sommelier that said he would pay R120 per bottle. Most important of all is that my clients are able to pay R45 a bottle even though the value it ads to their life is so much more. My price is therefore R45 a bottle. So, there you go! I didn’t decide the price, YOU did!
I asked The Ultimate Winemaker for wisdom when creating this blend, so we will see how this story turns out. This wine is different: you might love it or hate it - decide for yourself. Although I’ve had awesome feedback from clients, my personal opinion is that this wine will be at its even better in another 6 months from now. It will then be best in the year thereafter - therefore until the end of 2010.
The best way to enjoy this wine: decant, let it breathe for 10 minutes and the wine will come alive. (Remember to chill the wine before drinking – especially in this February heat!) Works well with spicy food, braai chops, curry, and steak with a pepper sauce. In fact, almost anything will complement this wine, except something with a heavy tomato-based sauce.
The true testimony of this wine is to read what the others have to say. And then watch the movie!
OFFICIAL ANALYSIS LABORATORY REPORT
Alcohol Vol% 14.29
Total extract g/l 33.6
Residual sugar g/l 2.4
Sugarfree extract g/l 32.2
Total acid g/l 6.0
Volatile acidity g/l 0.87
Free SO² mg/l 25
Total SO² mg/l 112
pH 3.84
