There almost always seems to be a thread of the past running through my articles, a hankering for the "good old days".  I really don't understand this, because several years ago, I vowed not to look back, not to try and fool myself that the past was brighter than the future.
Yes, I know SOME things were better once upon a time, back in the days when banks were there to serve us, and not vice versa; when politicians were honest (or at least weren't found out); when petrol was 3d a gallon or something like that.
But, there was no TV, no Sky Sports, cars were black, uncomfortable, slow and needed hundreds of gallons just to get to Durban, and worst of all, the only wine was Lieberstein, which in its heyday was the biggest selling wine in the world!  My, how times have changed!

Not that everything is great today either, of course.  Many children, and even adults, have practically no spelling or numeracy skills because they are no longer taught their "times tables" or given daily spelling tests.
People cannot multiply by 10 without the use of a calculator; spelink is sumfink the kidz don't haf to wurry about, cos teecher can't spel either.

But all of this has nothing to do with the main point of my article, other than the decidedly weak link to A B C.
In vinous circles, as any good wine anorak will tell you, this stands for Anything But Chardonnay.  The ABC brigade, of which I readily admit I was a fully paid up member, has been vilifying Chardonnay for the last 5 years or so.  And not without some justification, as early attempts, especially at wooded Chardonnays left many of us with mouthfuls of splinters, or mouth-puckering acidity, or in the worst cases, both!  They were like trying to eat great dollops of sour lime marmalade on thickly buttered planks of wood.

Ah, but you see, those were the good old days!

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting of what had been selected by a panel of local and overseas fundis as the 10 best South African Chardonnays, followed by a lunch which was accompanied by the next 20, all wines which had been nominated for the Top 10, but hadn't quite made it.

What an eye-opener! Here were wines both young and old, which showed finesse, balance, complexity, wines which delivered layer upon layer of citrus fruit, some with slightly more tropical fruit tones, creamy vanilla, butterscotch, even a little honey on a couple of the older wines, but all in perfect harmony with their wood components.

Yes, they are all at the upper end of the price spectrum, but in this world "you gets what you pays for" and if you are willing to invest in hand-crafted, rather than mass-produced, you will certainly be rewarded.

Personal favourites were the Springfield Méthode Ancienne 2002, Glen Carlou Reserve 2004 and the De Wetshof Bateleur 2003, but other stars included Hamilton Russell, Thelema, Jordan Nine Yards, Rustenburg Five Soldiers, Vergelegen, Bouchard Finlayson, and Mulderbosch.

So my eyes have been re-opened, my tastebuds revitalised, I have torn up my ABC membership card and re-joined the ANC, A Nother Chardonnay please!

For the best selection of Chardonnays, and other fine wines, please contact your nearest Manuka Fine Wine Boutique.

Stephen Digby
Manuka @ Southeys
021 851 6060