My Kind Of Wine
John Platter
(Pawpaw Publishing)
Cape Town - Good to see the Platters in print again, this time with a readable and entertaining update of the Cape wine scene, one which reports on the exciting, vibrant world of our wine in the 16 years of the new century.
Platter’s ramble through the winelands involved seeing many old friends on farms and in cellars, along with making several new ones as he digested the huge rise in quality of the Cinderella cultivar – as chenin is often dubbed – sampled the brilliant white blends now available by the dozen, and applauded the increasing number of good cab francs, a personal favourite.
He explored the growing number of organic wines and those made from organic grapes, and the trend to unearthing ancient vineyards in remote areas and nursing them back to tiny, but intense harvest yields.
Platter has managed to include about 250 of the many wines he sampled, along with the stories of those in the cellar and vineyard.
He and his wife Erica must have covered an impressive number of kilometres during the compilation of these appealing stories. Talking of Erica, the concept, editing and marketing of this title is her contribution, and I notice she is listed as Erica “The Chief Whip” Platter.
As I know too well from chasing up info from recalcitrant chefs at deadline, there has to be a chief whip if you want a book to appear…
John categorises his tales into cultivars, starting with his favourite cab franc and working alphabetically through to viognier and white blends. The two groups of talented independent youngsters, the Swartland Revolutionaries and the Young Guns, are given their own chapter, as are the redoubtable Rosa Kruger and Robert Parker – who share a legal background but whose approach to wine could not be more different.
There are 40 pages of well-illustrated recipes collected under the heading of Wine Country Food. Actually, some of them hardly qualify as such – Gyles Webb’s Best Braaied Lamb Chops is one such – but they add up to an appetising collection of country fare that winemakers cook and enjoy. Not only does this make a delectable finale to the vinous text, but it is certain that the culinary aspect will help sales when browsers are looking for gifts that will be relished by wine-lovers and keen cooks.
All in all, a great read from a writer whose relaxed, contemporary style adds to the title’s charm, as do the excellent photographs both of the wineland characters and their workplace, the most beautiful winelands on the globe.
I do have one gripe, however, and that is the lack of a title page. Certainly space was not the reason to axe it, as there are pages of photographs at the beginning and end of the book that could be regarded as surplus to the content. Call me old-fashioned, but if this omission is a new trend in book production, it’s one I can do without.
Cape Argus