Lourens can’t seem to put a foot wrong when it comes to his wines and Woolworths wholeheartedly agrees. His 2010 Shiraz will be the second addition to the Arendsig range in Woolworths and will be in stores in September this year.  We are crazy about this wine and of course we had plenty of opportunity to taste this again, and again, and again.. We are confident that you will agree.

 All will be revealed soon…

To follow up on the huge success of Giant Mistake, the band together with the guys from Hands on Wine are hard at work on perfecting this fabulous white blend called Push me to the Floor.

Go have a look in our photo section to get a first hand view on just how hard the team has been working (and tasting).

The wine is in the final stages and will be available in Woolworths stores in March.

(The official launch date will be announced shortly)

1. Giant Mistake Red Blend 2008 R79

2.Stellenbosch Hills Polkadraai red Pinotage/Merlot 2009 R29

3.Barista Coffee Pinotage Pinotage 2009 R60

4.Maastricht Sauvignon Blanc 2009 R60

5.Mooibly Chenin Blanc 2009 R40

6.Perdeberg Chenin Blanc 2009 R23.50

7.Neethlingshof Malbec 2008 R65

8.Lourensford River Garden Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 R40

9.Rietvallei Riesling 2008 R33

10.Diemersdal Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2008 R102

When Kahn Morbee, frontman of indie rock band the Parlotones, was filming a video for the band’s new wine in the Wellington vineyards of Jannie Bosman, his Twitter unleashed an avalanche of fans jamming the Woolies switchboard. As Jabulani Facude, Woolies’ wine category manager recalls: “We hadn’t nailed down all the details of the deal yet, so we had to deny everything.”
With the deal put to bed and wine in the bottle, Travel & Food was offered the media scoop, so I started off with the Parlotones’ Wikipedia entry, to discover “the band is due to release their very own wine. Named after their number 1 hit single ‘Giant Mistake’ it will be available in September 09.” No scoop, but at least I got to taste it along with the team that put it together: Woolies’ wine consultant Allan Mullins and winemaker (and Kris Kristofferson look-alike) Pieter Walser from BLANKbottle, a value-for-money négociant tracking down bargains when not surfing at Pringle Bay.

According to the Platter sighted wine guide, Mullins is the best winemaker in SA as his Woolies blends account for 10% of the guide’s five-star stunners for 2011. After tasting Giant Mistake 2008, it’s hard to disagree. For this blend is consummately commercial (”smart” in winespeak) and with popular coffee and mocha notes, will appeal to the Parlotones fan club. The wine is rich, with generous soft tannins and an edge from the 11% Cabernet Franc component which hails from the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch. As does the 23% Shiraz.

A four-way blend (just like the band), Cabernet Sauvignon (54%) and Pinotage (12%) hails from Bosman’s Bovlei vineyards where Corlea Fourie is winemaker. Husband Bertus invented coffee Pinotage at Diemersfontein, a recipe he took over to KWV in Paarl with Café Culture, today a 1.5-million litre behemoth. His latest Starbucks sally is called Barista, made at the Val de Vie golf, polo and wine estate for plutocrats in Paarl.
Fourie is more of a Killers fan and will have the US band performing at his winery in December. Although with Killers front man Brandon Flowers a teetotal Mormon, perhaps Giant Mistake would be a more appropriate brand name for his Barista brand than the Parlotones, who look like they know how to party.

Priced at R79 a bottle, it was cheaper than any starter on the blackboard at La Colombe restaurant on Constantia Uitsig, the venue chosen for a sneak preview of the Giant Mistake. Mullins started with the kudu tartar but was stumped by the choice of palate cleanser: lemon and celery or orange and Cointreau, as he was worried about clashing with Mistake’s vibrant fruit.
I assumed palate cleansers were complimentary (they’re not and are billed at R30 a pop) in spite of being told PCs are not PC by Michelin three-star chef Johnnie Boer at dinner at Rustenberg in June. “In Europe we stopped serving palate cleansers years ago as the flavours f-up your palate” (well he is Dutch). Another Giant Mistake at a wonderful lunch.

At last the day has come, where Rockers released a wine that keeps a perfect tune. Who would have guessed that this would be possible a few years ago? The Parlotones have done it! They took the giant leap by creating an exclusive wine that is only available from Woolworths, called Giant Mistake.

But a there is no mistake about this rocking red number. Neil Pendock has confirmed this when he voted Giant Mistake as his number 1 wine in his Sundays Time Top Ten. This list is compiled by Neil from suggestions made by independent retailers, supermarket chains and wine bars.

Let’s go down memory lane and paint you the bigger picture of who, what where and when.

Who:
Creating this vibrant star was a combined effort from experts in different fields looking for a challenge to create a devilishly gorgeous vino. Let’s give a round of applause to the following individuals and their sparkling talents.

Allan Mullins, Cape Wine Master from Woolworths is ‘The Boss’, kind at heart, but as stubborn as a bull when it comes to wine quality.

Rohan Strydom, from a company called it, always has great innovative ideas, but is no one’s butler-boy.

Pieter Walser, from BLANKbottle, the mad wine scientist that eats, sleeps and yes defiantly drinks wine. Blending, tasting and creating the perfect symphony were not as easy as he made it appear.

Xaver Walser, the film dude from Sub Gravity Productions, making kick-ass films is what he does best. But keeping the heard together and making sure everything goes according to schedule is a hidden talent that needs to be revealed in the lime light.

Hugo Truter, Johan Truter and Pieter-Neil Rossouw, from Wamakersvallei Winery, they are the glorified winemakers that picked-up all the strings, combined the notes and making sure everything falls in place.

But let’s not forget the voices behind the wine, or rather the music, ladies and gentlemen we give you the Parlotones.

Kahn and his band have the following message about their temptress. ‘As this wine spills over your lips you will experience spontaneous bursts of juicy berries with a splash of aromatic coffee chocolate. A subtle hint of exotic spices will tickle your tongue and your mouth will become engulfed with vibrant personality. You will be consuming a little portion of this amazing dance we call Life, the perfect companion for both the good and the bad times. Thank you for being part of this glorious adventure.’

What:
We’ve got your mouth watering and hands trembling for our sexy little red lady in a bottle even though you have no idea of what she is made of. Let the mystery unfold. Giant Mistake 2008 is a combination of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Shiraz, 12% Pinotage and 11% Cabernet Franc; each one of these cultivars represents a band member.

Pieter Walser explained who is who in the Giant Mistake Zoo: ‘The Cabernet Sauvignon is the drummer or bassist that provides the core of the wine on which the rest of the cultivars will play. The Cabernet Franc is the lead guitarist; it provides the edge to the wine and rounds it off. Like the lead vocalist, the Shiraz adds the exotic spices to the final product, whilst the Pinotage with its plums and ripe, juicy berries is the boss, the producer that brings it all together.’

Where:
Head off to your closest Woolworths or give them a call to confirm if they stock this devil in disguise, for only R79 this is the bargain of the century. Serious!

When:
You can enjoy the exclusive wine notes anywhere, anytime and any pace. Take a sip and experience your taste buds having a fiesta, while tapping your feet and rocking to the sounds of the Parlotones. We give this wine a standing ovation and we cry out load: ‘Encore!’