Favourite Flagstone Wine Competition
Flagstone Music Room is a wine which will spoil you for life. Any other deep purple wines pale into oblivion after having that marvellous smooth, fruity wine on one's palate. It really is heaven on earth.
Irene Bush
Our favourite Flagstone wine is Fish Hoek Dry Rose 2005. Why? It is fruity and chewey, and it reminds us of rose wines we enjoyed while barging on Canal du Midi. Fish Hoek Rose is as good as any of the French rose wines!
We look forward to enjoying more soon.
Peter and Jacqui Robinson
In 1982 I went to Melbourne on business and had the pleasure of sampling typical Victorian culture (of the Australian variety) when my clients took me to dinner. A bottle of Hunter valley Lindeman's Burgundy was selected by my host, but I found it a bit tart. Sort of clutched at the back of my tongue. On reflection, I think perhaps it was a bit young. I mentioned this to nobody in particular at our table, but my host grabbed the bottle, stopped the neck with the palm of his hand and said "Let's just give it a shake mate," and proceeded to do so.
I don't know what it did for the wine because I didn't try any more. You see my host was the same fellow who rebuffed the pretty little waitress's recommendation to try the Morton Bay crab by saying; "Ah no love. Can't have crabs. They go straight to my crutch." How then could I possibly have taken seriously his recommendation to shake the bottle? And who knows where his palm had been anyway.
All these years later, I went into Macro in Woodmead in search of a Dusty Road four way blend. Had shared one bottle whilst out flyfishing with some buddies and really enjoyed it. Victor, the knowledgeable name dropping attendant (yours included) directed me to a Flagstone Strata. "Here's a good four way blend." He said, totally ignoring the possibility that the amount of cab in the blend may well have wafted off in the Highveld breeze immediately the cap came off. Impressive fellow though, even made unsolicited reference to BK5.
I bought a case and uncapped the first bottle that very night. Very tart! Sort of clutched at the back of my tongue. I mentioned this to Adam and he suggested I try decanting the bottle, so I did. That night we had guests and I served the two bottles, having poured it back into the bottles from the jug, out of sight, so nobody knew of the post winery process anyway.
It was stunning!
Subsequently I've increased my tasting sample to include the remainder of my one case investment, but rather than decant it, I resolved rather to "give it a shake mate" and it's a really great drop. Amazing how far ahead of his time my Ozzie host was.
Thanks for a great wine.
Gus Mason
For me the best I have tasted of the Flagstone range is Dragon Tree Cape Blend. I recently shared a bottle at a lazy Winter Sunday lunch in the KZN Midlands. On a cold winter afternoon it was a superb wine that engendered in me a feeling of great contentment. There are not many red wines around in this price category that leaves one feeling that one has received great value for money - but Dragon Tree certainly hit the spot - well done!
Peter Abrahams
My first encounter with Flagstone was in Arniston at Die Waenhuis - I was being a tour guide for my parents visiting from England and this was an overnight stop along the Garden Route. We choose the Noon Gun as the description sounded interesting - and found that the first bottle slipped down very well, so much so that a second bottle was quickly needed - maybe it was the eclectic atmosphere of the restaurant, with its visitor book all around inscribed on the walls like modern cave art, but what was one of the more economical wine buys of the trip was one of the most memorable - especially as it seemed to be loaded with cannon balls at least so it seemed when we left the restaurant to navigate back to the B&B - maybe Bruce had added something in that blend because it definitely had some extra kick - even now, if my family hears mention of the Noon Gun, they will always remember the bottles in the Arniston - and the struggle to walk home. Now, I buy my Noon Gun from Oddbins, and just occasionally as I sip a glass, I can close my eyes and be back in a very unusual Waenhuiskrans restaurant, probably writing something erudite on their walls.
After that, my next Flagstone encounter was the mythical Dragon Tree. Someone sent me an email suggesting that the last cases of 2000 vintage were worth obtaining and just a few months before I returned from Johannesburg to England I took possession of said vintage. It certainly lived up to its billing and half the case went in the few weeks before departure. The rest came with me to England and were parcelled out sparingly to others who would appreciate it, notably my mother from the previous story. Searching for the Dragon in England produced the 2002 version, which is now almost done. But perhaps the most interesting evening was with Bruce and Sarah and the newly released 2003 - in the cellar at Vivat Bacchus - when Bruce convinced me that 2003 had far more to offer than 2002 had delivered. So now the story continues - 2004 is announced so that will be the next one to taste - whenever it reaches these shores that is.
Peter Webb
