Striking a balance

Monday, March 18th, 2013

‘Cape Townis quite a drawcard; the eyes of the world are on you with your excellent wines and food.’ This compliment, paid by English MW, Nancy Gilchrist, came at the end of an exploration of a selection of Backsberg Black Label wines and how they react with a variety of ingredients.

This was the second such event, the first a week earlier having proved so popular that Simon Back, in charge of marketing at the family farm, decided to hold another.

It was certainly an eye-opener to all there; mainly, of course, wine stewards, sommeliers and restaurateurs, the people with whom all those international and local visitors rely on to help with a wine choice to accompany their meal.

Faced with trays bearing everything from lemon grass, soy sauce and brie to nectarine, lemon and salt, Gilchrist described our event as ‘playing with fundamentals’; we would progress from tasting and analysing a wine to trying an ingredient (usually three or four per wine), then re-tasting the same wine to assess how the ingredient affected taste and structure.

The goal, says Gilchrist, is to attempt ‘to achieve a balance in the combined structural characteristics – acidity, saltiness, sweetness and bitterness/tannin – and also in their effect on perceived alcohol.’

This we did with ten different wines, including three-vintage verticals of Pumphouse Shiraz and the Bordeaux-style blend, Klein Babylonstoren; there were many levels of success or failure and not the same for everyone.

Backsberg John Martin 2012, a partially wooded sauvignon blanc faced up to green apple, salt and coriander leaves, on the basis that acid decreases the perceived acid in wine, as can salt, while coriander is a complementary flavour. There was no difference with the salt, the coriander flavour swamped the wine; only the apple worked for me, not for others.

The Klein Babylonstoren vertical threw up interesting differences: fruit in 2007 was enhanced by brie but mint highlighted tannins; not so in 2005, where mint lifted the fruit but the brie didn’t. So it’s not only down to which wine but which vintage. Confusing?

The good news, Gilchrist pointed out in her notes, is: ‘Firstly, there are no rules; only tried and tested observations and generalisations.’ In other words, if it doesn’t do it for you, it doesn’t mean you’re wrong, but it was encouraging when the partnership did work and gave the anticipated effect.  As in pepper emphasising alcohol in 2007 Klein Babylonstoren and lemongrass lifting fruit in the subtle, fresh Hillside Viognier 2009; the latter a grape often paired with Thai food.

Talking of rules, it appeared there were none for the wines; both Back and Gilchrist were bemused by how different they tasted from the previous week; ‘quite a bit less expressive’ according to Back. ‘It’s a leaf day,’ Gilchrist suggested, referring to the biodynamic calendar, where ‘fruit’ and ‘flower’ are considered best days for tasting.

Even with no conclusions, there was plenty of discussion and everyone discovered how ingredients can affect wine’s structure and taste profile, for better or worse.

– Angela Lloyd