The Great Schalk Burger Senior Presents Some New and Old Welbedacht Estate Releases in London with Importer Sporting Wine Club…

October 12, 2024October 12, 2024 ~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

The Schalk Burger and Sons Welbedacht Wine Estate is found in the stunning region of Wellington where wine making and grape cultivation has been an essential part of the landscape for decades. It is also home to the Burger family, one of the country’s most recognized sporting names with both father and son having long illustrious careers playing Springbok rugby as loose forwards.

While the Welbedacht farm was bought in 1997, the original historical farm dates back as far as the 1830’s. In 2000, Schalk Senior decided to pursue his dream of producing his very own range of wines and the 1,200 ton Welbedacht cellar was completed in time for the 2005 harvest. Since then, the estate has produced some of the finest quality grapes in the whole of Wellington and their wines are now among the quality leaders for the region.

Enjoyinge a glass of the Welbedacht 1861 Cabernet / Merlot 2018 Blend that celebrates 50 years of the Richmond Heavies, part of the Richmond Rugby Club.

Schalk Burger Senior was recently in the UK to play in the Dunhill Pro-Am golf tournament in Scotland and kindly hosted an enjoyable wine dinner on his way back through London with his importer, The Sporting Wine Club.

Schalk Burger & Sons No.6 Shiraz 2016, WO Wellington, 14% Abv.

The rugby legend of the great Burger sporting dynasty lives on in the form of the Schalk Burger & Sons No.6 red Rhone blend, a true tribute to the legendary No.6 loose forwards of Schalk Burger Jnr. & Snr. Syrah based with splashes of Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, Grenache, Pinotage and Viognier, the aromatics scream opulence, verve and vigour, packed full of sweet black berry compote, bramble berry spice, sweet earthy cassis, black olive tapenade and a seductive salty melted liquorice depth. Full, rich and creamy on the palate, the structure shows the same power and stature of its Welbedacht namesakes with ripe sweet tannins, bright tangy acids and a long, salty, maritime note on the finish. A textural masterclass that’s simply delicious. Drink now and over the next 5-8+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Welbedacht Wine Estate Pinotage 2023, WO Wellington, 14% Abv. (Tank Sample)

An early preview of the soon to be released Welbedacht Estate Pinotage shows why this Wellington property is so suited to producing premium examples of this cultivar. The 2023 offers up fresh, ripe aromatics of red cherry, toasted macaroons, bramble berries, tannery leather, and red plum jelly with a kiss of vanilla herbal spice. Already fleshy and open-knit, the palate shows a sumptuous breadth and depth of dark cherries and sweet black plums with a subtle hint of earthiness over exotic Christmas spices. Voluptuous and medium to full bodied, the showy concentration is accompanied by soft fine grained tannins and succulent acids on the long, persistent finish. A delightful Pinotage from the vintage. Drink on release and over 8-10 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Wines of the Welbedacht Estate are imported into the UK by The Sporting Wine Club.

http://www.sportingwineclub.com

Another Fantastic Charitable Colaboration Between Schalk Burger, Sporting Wine Club and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – Tasing the Doddie’5 Cap Classique…

November 18, 2022November 18, 2022 ~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

In 2020, during the dark days of the pandemic, ex-international rugby players Kenny Logan, Simon Halliday and Schalk Burger Snr. decided to create a wine to help in the fight against MND, in the name of MyName5Doddie Foundation. The Doddie5 was born and this amazing red blend (5 grape varieties) has been enjoyed throughout the UK, raising significant funds for the Foundation.

Then came the sad news of Rob Burrow’s MND diagnosis, and the 7&5 Gin was created reflecting his and Doddie’s rugby shirt numbers. This raised more funds and awareness of their commitment to research to combat this disease. Now Sporting Wine Club brings you the third project, the Doddie’5 Cap Classique Brut Blanc de Blancs.

Welbedacht Wine Estate may be more renowned for their bold, premium reds but it’s a slightly better kept secret that they actually produce some excellent Cap Classique or Method Champenoise-styled bottle fermented sparkling wines from the Cape. Normally produced under the Mon Rene Blanc de Blancs Brut label, Welbedacht have offered their sparkling wine expertise to produce the latest creation in the Doddie’5 charitable range. A project worthy of every sportsman’s support!

Doddie’5 Cap Classique Brut by Welbedacht Wines, Schalk Burger & Sons, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv.

An alluring pale gold colour with a vibrant energetic mousse, the aromatics are seductively complex boasting layers of dusty white citrus, green Granny Smith apples, warm buttered brioche and honey glazed pastries. Produced as a pure varietal Chardonnay, this Brut Cap Classique has all the sourdough, lemon biscuit and leesy savoury white toast nuances that make traditional bottle fermented sparkling wines so tantalisingly appealing, suitable not only for celebrations but also food and wine pairing. The palate is sophisticated and elegant with a beautifully creamy mouse, a fresh mouth watering acidity that adds extra structure to the mouthfeel, finishing with hints of chalky minerality, lemon peel and white peach bon bons. A classical expression that will seduce a lot of fizz drinkers. Drink now and over the next 2 to 3+ years.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Wines are available from Sporting Wine Club in the UK at £24.95 per bottle inc.

https://sportingwineclub.com/product/cap-classique/

Tasting the Gregarious High Quality Value Red Blend from Welbedacht’s Meerkat Wines Range…

September 28, 2017 ~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

One thing having large vineyard holdings affords you is fruit selection. The Schalk Burger & Sons Welbedacht farm in Wellington in the Western Cape is a classic example of this. I’ve always enjoyed the premium wines of Schalk Burger Snr, especially the Cricket Pitch red blend and the Bohemian Syrah. But tasting today with Schalk Burger Snr and his UK shipper, it was the modest £9.99 Meerkat Burrow Blend 2015 that came up trumps.

Other than Schalk fulfilling his long term ambition to include the word “Gregarious” on the front label, he has also succeeded in creating an exceptionally delicious, quality focused, unpretentious red.

I can often be heard complaining that South Africa does not have quite enough value reds of high quality that are suitably priced or positioned for independent merchants. But this is a very impressive creation that ticks so many boxes and keeps you coming back for another sip, and another!

Schalk Burger & Sons Meerkat Burrow Red Blend 2015, Wellington, 14.5 Abv.

The nose is seductively wild, with black forest berries, oodles of bramble berry spice, black currant compote, and a sweet, cedary, vanilla pod dusting. Key to the palate is its light weight opulence, succulent texture, fleshy breadth and a juicy long mulberry fruited finish. I can’t remember what grapes go into this blend, and I suspect it changes every year anyway, but the 2015 is thoroughly delicious and impressively well made. For me, 10/10 in the drinkability stakes, this is a perfect BBQ red that will add much cheer and enjoyment to any social occasion.

(Wine Safari Score: 88+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)