LIQUID INVESTMENTS
MICHAEL FRIDJHON: A mere crow’s flight apart, but a flock of different fruit figures
There’s an opportunity for wine buyers smart enough to focus on wines produced from grapes grown in Paarl-Simonsberg vineyards
There’s a curious bit of geography (and geology) around the Simonsberg. Driving east from Stellenbosch towards Paarl, tracking the north side of the mountain, are a number of prestigious properties, including Kanonkop, Uitkyk and Delheim. As the road curves alongside Klapmuts and Simondium, a gateway to the Franschhoek area of origin, there are several equally well-known estates – Glen Carlou, Backsberg and Plaisir de Merle. Whatever motivated the demarcation commission to determine that at a point along that road, the properties were in Paarl and not Stellenbosch is of less relevance than the consequences of that decision: Stellenbosch fruit commands a higher price than grapes harvested from the Paarl area. Since much of the Paarl appellation lies to the north and east of the town (closer to much warmer Wellington) this is understandable. You are entitled to expect more nuanced wine from grapes grown close to the town of Stellenbosch. It’s not certain, however, that this particular...
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