ABOUT OUR BARREL TASTINGS
Andre's Right Bank vs Left Bank Barrel Tasting
"Don't worry," he sighed, amused by our obvious concern of getting less on the one side than on the other. "You'll all get to taste the same wines. And everybody's going to taste the 'V'." And so we did indeed, and enjoying every single one of the wines. Some were exclusive French wines, specially handpicked by Andre for us to compare with Vergelegen's own.
The wines we tasted on the Right and Left Banks are the Vergelegen 2006 Franc Merlot – 2007 Merlot – 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon – 2002 Estate Red – 2003 Estate Red – 2004 Estate Red and the French 2002 Chateau Lynch Bages. (Visit the wine list for tasting notes)
The pleasure was not only in the wine though, but also in the enjoyment of jolly good company and 'lekker'* South African food served in the cellar. Many of the guests appeared to be 'return guests'. "We've attended 7 barrel tastings with friends, but this is the first time it's just the two of us," one of the guests said. "It's such fun tonight, the interaction is so much greater when you're on your own."
The conversations covered all sorts of topics, from certifying how ICU patients are offered red wine right after having undergone open heart surgery to the cheapest and fastest direct flights from South Africa to the US, evening courses and... toads. "It's a matter of 'soek en vang'," Andre's wife explained to an animated audience. "Dis moer swaar!" **
The beautiful wines did not only loosen the tongue – we learned a lot of interesting things about each other – the wines also loosened the purse – some of us didn't want to leave without taking a few crates back home...
* Afrikaans for delicious
** translated from Afrikaans: "It's a matter of searching and catching and it's darn hard work."
