When I started this vinous voyage through the alphabet, I realized there would eventually come a time where I might struggle to find an appropriate link; I thought that Q,X, & Z, all the 10 point Scrabble letters, would probably tax the grey matter, but they were far enough way not to have to worry for a while.  I certainly wasn't reckoning on getting stumped at E!  Egypt, Estonia and East London just don't seem to warrant a mention in the world's wine-production league tables.

So, I had to come up with something else, and hey presto, there is a world renowned name – perhaps even an icon? – with a strong wine connection, and the double benefit of being connected with another E, in Jean Engelbrecht, and all of a sudden it became Easy!

Ernie Els Wines, aka Engelbrecht-Els, are to be found at a magnificent setting on the slopes of the Helderberg, along the road containing arguably the most prized red wine-growing real estate in the country.  When your neighbours consist of Annandale, Bilton, Alto, Rust en Vrede, Webersburg, Hidden Valley and the up-and-coming Uva Mira, you've got to know that this is Cabernet-heaven!  Add in sunshine, mountains, sea-views, Table Mountain in the distance, and Cape Point on a good day, and you start to get the picture that the location is Excellent, and Ernie must be Ecstatic!

It must certainly help to ease the trauma of not winning a couple of majors this year.

And so to the wines themselves – do they live up to their proposed iconic status?

The Ernie Els, a Bordeaux-style blend, has warranted a 5* rating in John Platter for the 2004, the Engelbrecht-Els Proprietor's Blend cracked 4½*, and the Cirrus Syrah 4*.

The Proprietor's Blend contains all the Bordeaux varietals, plus a healthy dollop of Shiraz, a reflection of JE's Rust en Vrede heritage, and the Cirrus is a joint venture with California-based Silver Oak Winery.

Of course, not only do these wines achieve sky-high ratings, but also carry fairly stratospheric prices, and people will argue ad infinitum and ad nauseum, the fact that you can get 6 other 4* wines for the price of 1 bottle of EE, but you can also get 6 burgers for the price of a good steak, and 6 Citi Golfs for the price of 1 Merc; value is in eye of the wallet-holder!

For those who don't want to have the status of a bottle of EE on the dinner table, you can still have the Guardian Peak range from the same stable, all rating 3½ or 4*, and priced for us mere mortals to enjoy on a regular basis.

As for icon status, in my opinion, only time can determine whether a wine will perform so consistently well, that the public recognizes it as a benchmark for quality and excellence, themselves the two words which underscore the Ernie Els/Jean Engelbrecht philosophy.

So if you want to try something Els(e), pay a visit to your nearest Manuka Fine Wines Boutique, or swing by our website at www.manuka.co.za

Stephen Digby
Manuka @ Southeys