18 Mar Online Encounter with Vergelegen Wines
On Thursday, 18 March, a group of wine lovers joined Wayne Coetzer, MD of Vergelegen, and Andre van Rensburg, winemaker extraordinaire, for an online sundowner experience from the comfort of their own homes.
A sublime hamper was delivered to the door of all participants consisting of Vergelegen Sauvignon Blanc, Vergelegen Red DNA, and a delicious dinner box.
Guests were conversation with Andre and Wayne and an inspiring and insightful evening was had by all.
On the evening, we also learnt why Vergelegen is certainly no ordinary estate. Vergelegen is one of the few wine estates with the privilege of being able to recork older wine. In March this year, the cellar team completed the painstaking process of recorking 126 bottles of 20-year wine with corks guaranteed not to taint the wines.
As a natural product of the cork oak, the cork has long been the faithful servant of fine wine for the way its sponge-like flexibility allows it to develop complexity in the bottle. However, cork does not last forever. After 10 to 15 years, corks start to go downhill, even the best corks will begin to dry out or decompose and oxygen getting into the bottle will be destructive. As a result, the once-tight seal will be compromised, and the wine will slowly evaporate. Oxygen moving in to fill the void is destructive and will, over time, spoil the wine.
Relevant bottles were re-corked in March this year, resulting in a limited release of Vergelegen GVB Red 2001, available from the estate for R1500 per bottle.
Each new cork has a number linked to a recorked certificate on the bottle. “Out of 126 wines we recorked, only two were spoilt. Totally unbelievable for a 20-year-old wine,” remarked van Rensburg, who tasted every single bottle for faults before recorking. Vergelegen has launched a new website with an online ordering facility – have a look at it here.