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Fort Greene Clinton Hill Wine Coop
24 March 2005 by Brian Robinson
South African food and wine tasting at Madiba
Dear members and friends of the Fort Greene Clinton Hill Wine Coop,
22 people attended the South African food and wine tasting at Madiba on February 15, 2005 and 19 submitted scorecards. Unfortunately, there was a little mix-up with the menu. We were told that they would extend the Valentine's Day menu for us, but when we arrived we were told that they were out of some of the ingredients. In the very cooperative spirit of the wine coop, I told them who had dietary restrictions and we agreed that they would just bring out food from the kitchen at their discretion rather than start taking orders. This plan seemd to work fairly well, but the portions were a little small and many people expected another dish between the fish and the dessert. It was also a little bit hard to pace the wine tasting when didn't know whether or not another dish was coming out.
However, when you consider that the coop pays the restaurant $30 (tax and tip included) for dinner and they don't make a penny on beverages, it's not a bad deal.
Of all the tastings we've done, this was the one I anticipated the most because it was the region I was most unfamiliar with. Fortunately, we had a ringer in Fiona Jack of Flagstone wineries and a true ambassador of South African wines in general, to select the wines and lead us through the tasting.
Overall Winners
Best Taste: As is often the case, the sweet dessert wine or the most expensive wine steals the show. That was with certainty the case with the 1999 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance which won the taste category by a landslide with an average score of 3.3 points. In 2nd place, winning the 'dry wine' category was the 1999 Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon with a very respectable average score of 2.7 points, edging out the 2000 Flagstone Dragon Tree which came in at 2.6 points.
Best Value: At $50 per bottle, the Vin de Constance had no chance at all of a sweep. The best value winner was the Graham Beck Non-Vintage sparkling wine with an average score of 2.6 points at a very reasonable $12.95 per bottle. Following closely in 2nd place was the 2004 Flagstone Noon Gun with 2.5 points and a cost of $9.90 per bottle.
Scoring System:
Taste: 0=undrinkable Value: 0=rip-off
1=average 1=fair
2= good 2=good
3=very good 3=very good
4=exceptional 4=outstanding
Wine #2 2004 Flagstone Noon Gun: white crafted blend ($9.90)
Taste: 2.2 Value: 2.5
A blend of Riesling 30%, Chenin Blanc 30%, Sauvignon Blanc 19%, Pinot Blanc 9%, Barrel-fermented Chardonnay 9% and Semillon 3%, this wine surprisingly proved to be better than the sum of its parts - a difficult feat when combining so many varietals. The riesling and chenin blanc dominated this wine with ripe pear and melony flavors, while the sauvignon blanc added crisp acidity and structure. Often, when so many ingredients are thrown into the mix, it proves the old adage that 'less is more,' but in this case, they managed to create a cohesive, very enjoyable summer white. One person rated this wine exceptional for taste and 2 gave it a perfect score for value.
Purchased at Big Nose Full Body - 382 Seventh Ave (bet 11th and 12th), Park Slope
Wine #7 2000 Flagstone Dragon Tree, 54% Pinotage, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon ($18.00)
Taste: 2.6 Value: 1.9
This wine was a full-bodied, intense, fairly exotic wine with rich ripe flavors and tannins. Pinotage is a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Cinsault that was developed in South Africa in 1925. Little is planted outside South Africa. It had a reputation for being a coarse wine with wild, candied fruit flavors, but more recently, better winemakers have managed to coax a little finesse out of the varietal. I think the addition of Cabernet helped tame the wine without compromising body and concentration. It received no perfect scores.
Purchased at Big Nose Full Body - 382 Seventh Ave (bet 11th and 12th), Park Slope
Brian Robinson
Robinson Wine Consulting
brian@robinsonwine.com
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