Wine knowledge and news was in plentiful supply at the MMI’s stylish stand at this year’s Dar Wine Festival held at Southern Sun Dar es Salaam Hotel.Stephi Said, owner of MMI in Tanzania, began the conversation at the Oysterbay store on the eve of festival weekend with special tasting to welcome three special guests from South Africa: renowned winemaker Ken Forrester; Tertius Boshoff, the winemaker and proprietor of Stellenrust Wine Estate; and Herve Delabesse, export area manager for Concha y Toro. Over the course of the weekend, the three wine experts shared their insights and wisdom with MMI patrons and festival attendees. Visitors to MMI’s stand were treated to an array of wines and the opportunity to capture expert insights from the three visiting experts.
Ken Forrester reported that the 2015 growing season in South Africa was a huge success. “The grapes harvested at the very start of last year gave us one of the best vintages in my lifetime,” explained the Stellenbosch vineyard owner, “you will see these great wines on sale over the next few years.” The grapes for the 2016 harvest, however, have been affected by drought in Southern Africa. “The grapes are smaller than normal,” Ken commented, “The juice is more concentrated and the window for picking them is very short. Yields are down, from 6 tons per hectare to 4 tons.” To mark the 10th anniversary of the Dar Wine Festival the ‘King of Chenin’ recommended Ken Forrester Reserved Chenin Blanc 2014. This is a top wine, it tastes complex but is very balanced. It is great with food but also to simply share with friends.
Tertius Boschoff, winemaker at Stellenrust, one of the oldest family-run wine estates in South Africa, believes this heritage gives the wine a distinctive quality. “We have been producing wine for over 50 years,” said Tertius who has some 250ha of vines in Stellenbosch, “our vines are very established and have been cultivated over the decades to achieve the consistent quality we desire.” His vines range from 4 to 50 years of age. Tertius is especially pleased to have his entry-level Kleine Rust Chenin Sauvignon being offered to wine lovers in Tanzania. The wine maker explained it has a blend of 80% Chenin Blanc with 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The result is an attractive, easy drinking wine. Tertius said: “It is a lovely blend and I am very proud of this wine”.
Hervé Delabesse represents the world’s third biggest wine brand with interests in Chile, Argentina and California. “We have always focussed on balancing quality and value. Wines from Concha Y Toro offer great value for money,” explained the Cape Town-based manager. “We continually work to showcase how wines from our region offer great satisfaction for the money you spend.” said Hervé who revealed that the entry-level Frontera range from Chile is their most popular brand in sub-Saharan Africa. He was especially proud to have the Chilean Casillero del Diablo ‘Reserva’ Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile) and Chardonnay 2013 on sale in Tanzania. This Chardonnay does not have the ‘typical’ taste profile for wines made from this grape. It has a great balance of fruitiness and minerality. It is somehow ‘complex’ yet easy-drinking.
At the festival stand, MMI had the staggering 39 wines to sample including 4 sparkling, 3 rosé, 15 white and 17 red. Here are my personal favourites:
It was great to discover Casillero Del Diablo Sparkling Brut Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley, Chile. Made from the Chardonnay grapes, this affordable bubbly has rich acidity and fine bubbles making it a refreshing and pleasant medium-bodied wine. A steal at only 22,500 Tsh.
I thoroughly enjoyed tasting The Stellenrust Chenin Blanc Barrel Fermented. The full-bodied, super rich Chenin has vibrant acidity and complex flavours of citrus, honey and spice. This wine is consistently placed in the top ten ratings for Chenin Blanc from South Africa. It is worth every shilling at 57,100 Tsh.
The Sancerre region in central France is beloved by many wine lovers the world over. Famous for its crisp aromatic Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre has increasingly high-quality Pinot Noir and rosé too. MMI treated its patrons to the Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Rosé, a rare and distinctive offering made exclusively from Pinot noir grapes which has delicate strawberry flavours with a long clean, bone dry finish. Treat yourself or a loved one to this ultra-premium wine for 75,800 Tsh.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State, is medium-bodied, balanced, juicy and easy to drink. The flavour profile is a blend of dark fruits and chocolate. The finish is dry with palate friendly tannins. This is wine for lovers of easy-drinking but complex reds. Price 51,100 Tsh.
Many festival goers, including myself, marvelled at one of Ken Forrester’s premium range offerings: Ken Forrester Renegade. It is an elegant Rhone-style blend of Shiraz, Mourvedre and Grenache grapes. The palate is medium-bodied and oozing with intense elegant spices and savoury black olive on the finish. It’s a delicious, high quality red. It should be on every red wine lover’s list. Price 49,900 Tsh.
The absolute superstar wine at the stand was the Chris Ringland North Barossa Vintners Shiraz. Chris Ringland has been dubbed as one of Australia’s greatest Shiraz makers by Robert Parker, acclaimed as one of the most influential wine critics in the world. So you can imagine my delight at getting the opportunity to taste one of Ringland’s masterpieces! This wine is rich, powerful, sweet-fruited and supple-textured with flavours of Christmas cake (yes, really!) amongst other flavours. You have to taste it to make up your mind if you like this style of wine or not. I found it perfection! It will set you back 119,00 Tsh. One to impress the father-in-law.
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