Extreme and Unusual
Wine Cellar is known for their fine taste of luxury wines on offer. Their newest ventures see them bringing the Moët Hennessy luxury wine portfolio to South Africa. Lucky for us the fine wines in this portfolio includes wines from Numanthia (Spain), Cheval des Andes (Argentina) and China’s ‘First Growth’ Ao Yun. Is this the start of a new wine wave?
Grapes are grown under extreme conditions and in a climate different to what is generally believed to be optimal for wine. This signifies extreme wine growing, from Toro’s 100-year-old ‘desert vines’ to wines from the foothills of the Andes and Himalayas. Cheval des Andes is considered Argentina’s ‘Grand Cru’ while Au Yon, produced near Shangri-La, is China’s most ambitious and luxurious wine ever.
Roland Peens, Director of Wine Cellar – fine wine merchants, says: “We are only seeing great wine being unearthed from these vineyards now, however these type of vineyards have been spread throughout the world for very long time. In fact, the vines that produce wine today, ‘vitis vinifera’, have been traced back to the 4th century in China. With globalisation of the economy and spreading admiration for fine wine, especially in China, old regions are being rejuvenated. Much like the forgotten vineyards of Spain, Argentina and Chile, it has taken large investment to unlock the quality that lies dormant within.
He feels that these new age wine producers could mark the start of a new wine growing era, saying: “Much like old vineyards in South Africa have only recently been revived and realised, Europe’s dominance of fine wine may not last forever. The more investment in new and forgotten vineyards over time, the more the wine world will change.”
Speaking about the differences and impact that “old world” and “new world” wines have on each other, Roland feels that France and the Old World will, at least for the medium term, be the hallowed ground for fine wine. He says: “As Baron Philippe Rothschild says, ‘Winemaking is easy, after the first 200 years!’ Time will tell, as the New World develops its own wine culture and traditions.”
About Wine Cellar
Wine Cellar tries to offer authentic wines in every segment, including luxury wines. Their aim to is import and sell both imported and local authentic wines that offer their customers enjoyment, unique experiences and value. The team at Wine Cellar “lives wine” in order to make this happen, usually involving a lot of tasting – even up to 5000 wines per year!
This brand new, luxury portfolio of wine is exclusively available at Wine Cellar.
Written by Mart-Marié du Toit
Images: supplied
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