This was towards the end of a wonderful private tasting with Nico Van der Merwe ( owner, winemaker of MAS NICOLAS and ROBERT ALEXANDER wines, Stellenbosch, South Africa in his cellar/winery ) , John Morrison ( president of Boutique Vineyards' Collection with his wife Theresa Morrison ) late Tuesday evening, March 17th, 2009 and into the evening. Dark had descended upon us as we got ready to drive back into Cape Town to have dinner in a lovely restaurant there on the outskirts of the town.
As we got to SAXENBURG Wine Farm :winery/restaurant/park or sanctuary for wildlife, too where Nico is the chief winemaker. As we drove up we saw both Springbok ( the white albino as well as the regular ones? clarify this for me John, will you please? ) and zebras there. They are pictured here to tell a more complete story. And I do love animals and I have two children and a wife that love them, too.
Nico, John and I tried many wines from whites to reds and I will find my notes shortly to include here.
Many of these photos I took with an artist's regard as I am an artist and like to find new angles and perspectives on things. I also like to find ones I believe with all my heart that should be documented but which sadly often are not. I want to have more of the total picture for you all to enjoy.
After all, you were not here tasting with John, Nico and I and so I have only words and pictures to make both the wine and our surroundings come alive for you. I hope I have succeeded a wee bit here. I know I sure had fun trying as I framed one picture after another, was pissed that I missed many good ones that I saw but did not have enough time to capture as so often they are fleeting.
I also enjoyed sipping the wines, rolling them over my tongue, holding my breath, swallowing slowly and in stages, closing my eyes momentarily to better concentrate ... ahhh, the joys of tasting and drinking wine. I was most happy that John was our designated driver and had to worry about getting us to our next appointment on time, as well as safely!
I like Nico's wines : they are full of strong character and personality, never wimpy, always classic and for me best when served with food from a simple meal to a fancy one as well as everything in between.
We at Cleveland Park have been selling his wines now - mostly the ROBERT ALEXANDER Merlot - and we have just added some more within the month and intend to add more as we have our BIG THEME monthly South African wine-tasting at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel : 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 ( from 5:30-8:30 PM ) two days after South Africa's Freedom Day. You should all come and join us. Everyone is welcome, bring some family, friends, business associates ... whoever ... the more the merrier! John and Theresa will be on hand pouring a broad selection of their wines as they are our special guests for the evening.
More to follow soon, as well as more pictures. Stay-tuned, ...
Wow, look at our broad smiles at the end of this tasting : what a lot of wee-little bits of wine can to to one as they add up to quite a whole lot by the tastings end! Like I say, I was happy, upbeat and not driving anywhere.
Cheers, TONY
Here are some more pictures of Nico, John Morrison and me. Cheers, TONY
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