THE SCOOP

Guaranteed to put a bit of pep in the step with a tasty passion fruit twang is the newest member of the Score energy drink range.

Score, the energy drink with attitude, has launched a new flavour to fuel your passion and boost vitality to the next level.

New Score Passion provides a blast of sparkling passion fruit with a double shot of Guarana for that natural caffeine kick and a healthy dose of B Vitamins. It’s a tasty way of discovering the re-energising power of Score when beginning to flag, pulling an allnighter or out with friends.

One suggestion of adding more than just an energy boost is by taking it up a notch by making some really tasty mocktails with Score Passion as the base element. It could become a handy party trick!

Taurine free and big on taste, Score Passion is the ultimate energy drink to help you reach your potential. It’s available in mega 500ml cans in leading outlets.

25ml fresh lime juice 25ml fresh orange juice 3 to 4 basil leaves

Score Passion energy drink

Add lime juice, basil leaves and orange juice to a mixing glass, fill with ice and shake. Strain over cubed ice into a glass and top with Score Passion.

Half passion fruit, orange slice and basil leaf.

25ml fresh lemon juice 15ml fresh granadilla pulp 15ml vanilla syrup

Score Passion energy drink

Mixing up the look and feel of its product, Fitch & Leedes has relaunched its glass bottle collection of premium mixers with a nod to the past.

Evoking a sense of nostalgia is more than just a marketing gimmick since the underlying message is to be reminiscent of a time when things were carefully made by hand, with great craftsmanship and skill.

Bitter or sweet, classic or fruity in regular or sugar free – Fitch & Leedes has a premium mixer for every taste and it’s frequently the preferred choice of top mixologists. Enjoy it on its own over ice as a refreshing alcohol-free alternative or as the perfect mix to your favourite gin or vodka.

Even more good news is that Fitch & Leedes has trimmed off some of the calories in their extensive range of mixers. The sugar free Indian tonic boasts less than 1 calorie (4kJ) in a 200ml can!

So anyone worried about keeping the kilogrammes at bay should consider switching their current brand to Fitch & Leedes. Coming in at just 5 calories (22kJ) per can, sugar free pink tonic and bitter lemon will also help in the campaign.

The Fitch & Leedes range includes Indian, pink, blue and coral (grapefruit flavoured) tonics as well as a variety of mixers – lemonade, ginger ale, club soda, bitter lemon to cheeky cranberry, spicy ginger beer and peach lemonade.

Add vanilla syrup, lemon juice and granadilla pulp to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice and top with Score Passion.

1/2 cup water 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add water and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let it cool, then stir in the vanilla extract. Strain into a jar or bottle and seal tightly with a lid.

While trying not to sound like the inside of a Chappies bubble-gum wrapper, did you know that market research shows that one of the fastest growing segments of the whisky fraternity is female?

According to market research conducted in the United Kingdom by Kantar, women drink 40 million more glasses of whisky a year than they did a decade ago – whereas the consumption rate for men has declined by 6% over the same period.

This should have come as no surprise to those in the whisky industry because there are an increasing number of women in key production positions.

Rachel Barrie (pictured top right) is the master blender at BenRiach, the firm which was revitalised over the past two decades by former South African owners. Laura Davies is the head distiller at Penderyn distillery in Wales – and took over the position from Gillian Macdonald who was a familiar face at the local Whisky Live events some years back. Macdonald is now head of whisky creation and analytics at Glenmorangie.

Davies was quoted in The Guardian newspaper recently as saying it’s not just on the consumption side where women are making their mark. “Nowadays, the scene is completely different. We have a lot more females in the technical and the frontline roles. A lot more distilleries have got those females as the figureheads of their business. Not because they’re nice to look at, but because they know their stuff.”

And last year it was announced that Dr Kirsty McCullum (pictured alongside) was taking over as the head of whisky creation at Glen Moray and is now responsible for maintaining the standard and flavour of Cutty Sark, for example. No sweat for the trained chemist who previously handled Distell’s whisky portfolio of Bunnhabhain, Deanston, Tobermory, Black Bottle and Scottish Leader.

For all intents and purposes the rich, sweetly decadent fortified wine style that South Africans love to drink during winter is Port – but due to a trade agreement with the European Union which came into effect in January 2012, local producers are not allowed to call their wines by that name.

So to easily identify the “Port-style” wines just look for the following on labels: Cape Ruby, Cape Vintage, Cape Tawny and Cape Late Bottled Vintage. What’s the difference between these wines and true Port from Portugal, other than the geographical area of origin?

Calitzdorp producer De Krans penned this handy explanation: “Port is a style of wine and classified as a fortified dessert wine. Port is higher in both sugar and alcohol compared to a regular wine. This is achieved by stopping fermentation halfway through fermentation by adding unmatured brandy spirit (which raises the alcohol content and stops the fermentation).”

While these wines are usually the accompaniment to a cheeseboard at the end of a meal, De Krans has a host of suggestions. Make the most of winter by adding a splash of De Krans Cape Ruby to a potjie or a hearty meat stew. “Next level,” is the promise De Krans makes.

“Don’t be afraid to experiment!” Some other De Krans port-style wine based inspirations include the Cape Pink honey glazed pork chops served with mustard mashed potatoes, Cape Vintage glazed oxtail served with rice, as well as a Tawny Port Pecan Nut Pie.

Ireland is experiencing a boom in whiskey production with consumers increasingly appreciating the spirit from the Emerald Isle.

With Brian Nation moving from Irish Distillers’

Midleton distillery to tackle the challenge of starting up a new facility in the United States, the post of Master distiller became vacant. It was recently announced that Kevin O’Gorman would take up the reins at Midleton. Pronouncing himself “delighted” chairman and CEO of Irish Distilleries Conor McQuaid said O’Gorman’s “exceptional leadership and talent as Master of Maturation has impressed the whiskey world ever since he took on the role in 2007”. A Cork native, O’Gorman is a master craftsman having started his career in Midleton in 1998, working as a distiller under the tutelage of Master Distiller Emeritus Barry Crockett. From there he moved to Maturation where he honed his skills under then Master of Maturation Brendan Monks before assuming the role of Master of Maturation on Brendan’s retirement in 2007. His roles and responsibilities see him tackle the enormous task of overseeing the production process from brewing to distillation. He will now be responsible for protecting the rich heritage of the world’s most famous Irish whiskeys such as Jameson, Powers, Redbreast, Midleton, Method and Madness and the Spot range, ensuring the quality of all new pot and grain distillates produced at Midleton which go into these brands while at the same time supporting future innovation.

Sotheby’s is a venerable auction firm – and it recently had the honour of handling the sale of one of the oldest Cognacs to ever go under the hammer.

One of only three bottles remaining in the world, the 1762 bottle of Gautier Cognac – still with its original label! – was sold to an unnamed Asian buyer for the world record sum of $144 525, or R2.45 million.

Exceedingly rare, the spirit is believed to still be eminently drinkable according to Sotheby’s spirits specialist Johnny Fowle.

“Yes, this should still be drinkable. While the liquid will certainly have aged in the bottle, the ullage (level of liquid inside) is still very good, suggesting that the seal has not been compromised and the evaporation is minimal,” he explained. “High ABV liquids like this preserve themselves very well although I would expect there to be discernible ‘O.B.E.’ This stands for Old Bottle Effect, which is how we describe the development of spirits over time. Sometimes this can impart very pleasant tropical notes and at other times less appealing porridge-y notes. It can also be assumed that the glass used to bottle this cognac wasn’t entirely inert, and so will have imparted some flavours of its own.

“Judging by its level I would expect this cognac to be in remarkably good condition,” he said. “To imagine how this Cognac may taste would be pure speculation, but the depth of flavour imparted from grapes grown on ancient root stock could give the spirit a complexity that is harder to come by in the modern era.”

Providing context, this Cognac would have been bottled when Mozart was a boy of just six years old, George Washington turned 30 and Catherine II became empress of Russia while Britain entered the Seven Years’ War against Spain and Naples.

Whisky still remains supreme in the collectability stakes, however with the world’s most expensive whisky sold for almost $2 million (R34 million) in 2019.

Robertson Winery became the first large commercial wine producer to commit to wine in a can shortly before alcohol sales were suspended due to lockdown in March.

The single serve 200ml wines in cans are ideal for picnics, parties and any outdoor event, Robertson Winery believes, joining the swing to this packaging format which smaller producers have trialled recently.

The stylish, convenient and environmentally friendly wines come in white and red: a Sauvignon Blanc which already has an established track record as a pocket and crowd-pleaser and ripe, rich and smooth Merlot – also from the 2019 vintage – which offers up oodles of black berry fruit flavours.

The wines are identical to Robertson Winery’s bottled Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, wines consumers know and trust. The cans provide an excellent oxygen and light barrier, protecting the wine, keeping it fresh, and retaining the aromas and flavours. There’s no metallic taste transfer from the can, thanks to a lining that stops the wine’s acidity from interacting with the metal.

Always embracing innovation, Robertson Winery’s unique single serve 200ml convenience adds to the strength of the brand, providing the perfect one-glass serving – beautifully chilled and fresh from the first to the last sip. With consumers knowing exactly how much they are drinking; the smaller can size is ideal for those following health conscious and lower alcohol lifestyles.

Lockdown put the skids on many a planned wedding, shattering brides dreams of walking down the aisle, surrounded by family and friends, to a life of happily ever after.

It might still be relatively new to the South African market but Bloom gin hopes to instill a bit of hope and restore happiness by offering one lucky couple the chance to win Bloom ready-to-drink serves when the wedding finally does go ahead.

Not only that but Bloom will also provide its on trend London dry gin for cocktails to toast the special day.

For couples to enter the draw for the complimentary Bloom ready-to-drink serves for their wedding favours, they need simply

visit www.bloomgin.co.za/bloomwedding and register their details.

To be eligible for the offer, entrants must be over the age of 18 and have had their wedding date scheduled between 20 March and 30 September 2020. The competition is open from 1 June 2020 and will close on 30 September 2020. (Terms and Conditions apply – more on the Bloom website.)

While it’s no consolation for all of the hard work, planning and saving that has gone into making their dream wedding a reality, Bloom Gin hopes that the small gesture will lighten the load of couples across the country and help to put a smile back on their faces.

Ethical and eco-conscious producers the world over are trying hard to tread as lightly on the planet as possible – and Van Loveren wines in Robertson is no different.

Van Loveren has not only taken the step of packaging its Tangled Tree wine in bottles which have a 60% reduced carbon footprint than standard glass equivalents, but they even share suggestions of how to re-use and upcycle the bottle once its contents have been drained.

The story of how the wine range came to get its name is a romantic one – and ideally suited to this eco-friendly range by the Retief family. It was inspired by a pair of trees on the Robertson family farm which sinuously entwined around each other.

In 1941, matriarch Jean Retief ordered a Rhus Lancea tree from the then Natal province. Her husband Hennie believed it was the same as the Karee trees that grew along the river. He planted a local shoot next to hers and as they both grew, he was ultimately proven right.

Tangled Tree wines comprise Tropical Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp and fruity wine with aromas of tropical fruit; Butterscotch Chardonnay, defined by expressive aromas of butterscotch and crème brûlée and balanced by the subtle intensity of the fruit; the delicately pink Moscato

Rosé, which has a luscious nose of upfront Muscat and rose petals; Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon, characterised by chocolate and mocha aromas, elegantly layered with notes of cassis and blackberries; and, Spicy Shiraz, which has a rich and powerful red-berry essence. While Tangled Tree PET bottles are free of the industrial chemical BPA and highly recyclable, they offer another great way to minimize waste which can be a fun way to relax and get creative. They’ve been re-used to make costume jewellery, trinket-holders, furniture, bird feeders and even vertical gardens.

Until now, the Survivor range of wines has had a specific focus on the Swartland – after all, that is where the intrepid Nguni cow leaped off the back of a truck transporting her to pastures new!

The latest Survivor Chardonnay to be released is now from the cooler terroir of Elgin with grapes sourced from the apple growing area.

“Survivor wines are terroir driven, so it’s important for us to source our wines from the best sites. Elgin is one of the sites where Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay express their true character, while our signature Chenin Blanc and Pinotage will always remain firmly rooted in the Swartland,” said winemaker Ben Snyman.

Given the inevitable effect of climate change, the winemaking team is also being proactive in venturing beyond the Swartland for varieties that are better suited to cooler climes.

Survivor’s low-yielding Swartland vineyards grow in deep red Oakleaf and Hutton soils, fanned by cooling afternoon and evening breezes from the Atlantic, while the cooler dryland Elgin vines grow in sandy loam soils.

“The Elgin vineyards fit perfectly with our single minded focus on crafting site specific wines that express their true sense of place and authenticity,” said Snyman.

In addition to the new Elgin origin, Survivor Chardonnay 2019 is the first wine in the range supported by an interactive web-based augmented reality (AR) device. Activated by a dedicated QR code on the back of the bottle, the Survivor journey comes to life when the label is scanned on your smartphone.

The AR capability takes consumers into the 3D world of Survivor and can be found on all the new vintage releases. You’ll have the freedom to explore the Survivor vineyards of the Swartland and Elgin, guided by winemaker Ben Snyman, and watch Survivor’s sense of place unfold.

South Africa is home to only a handful of certified biodynamic wine producers, and Elgin Ridge Wine Estate happens to be one of these. Located in the Elgin Wine Valley, the estate owned by Brian and Marion Smith is known for producing a small range of outstanding wines, which includes their new release Elgin Ridge 282 Sauvignon Blanc 2017 and 282 Pinot Noir 2015, respectively. According to winemaker Kosie van der Merwe good rain received in the winter resulted in a well-balanced crop with healthy Sauvignon Blanc fruit. After natural fermentation the wine was left on the lees for nine months. Its distinctive fruit aromas were further elevated as a result of the small percentage of oak added before bottling. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc with an exquisite pale yellowgreen colour and aromas of ripe pineapple, blackcurrant and Elderflower, which carries through to a palate with lime undertones. These flavours make for a wine with a rich, textured finish and a beautifully integrated acidity. Perfect on its own, or paired with a seasonal salad, seafood or poultry dishes. Regarded as the queen of South African red wines, Van der Merwe firmly believes that the 282 Pinot Noir 2015 vintage deserves all of the hype it has received. Although released slightly later than anticipated, this vintage made it through a cold and wet winter which was met by a cool yet moderately dry summer.

It resulted in wine with a deep, rich garnet colour, with aromas of dark cherries, roasted cocoa beans and nuances of pine needles. The palate is an amalgamation of green olive tapenade, dark cherries and dry Ceylon tea flavours. As Pinot Noir is one of the most versatile red wines it is also the perfect food wine, and can be enjoyed throughout the seasons.

Another fresh release from this biodynamic estate is Crunch! Pinot Noir 2019, a bright, fresh and engaging berrypacked mouthful.

Made with whole bunch natural ferments (50%), the wine was aged in concrete eggs for seven months, resulting in an everyday drinking wine. The process that the wine goes through is perfectly described as a combination of natural, old-school and innovative techniques – a harmonious partnership between old and new. Another stand out feature of the Crunch! is that, although bottled under cork, there is no foil or wax wrapping. This has been done deliberately to best illustrate Brian and Marion’s philosophy of their “feet on the ground” approach.

One of the issues which became apparent with the reduction of coronavirus enforced lockdown levels permitting the sales of liquor was the sudden spike in alcohol-related incidents, one of which was motorists driving under the influence.

An effective tool in the kit of enforcement authorities was the use of breathalysers – but due to the aerosol nature of Covid 19 transmission this has become problematic and has been suspended. Vice president of corporate affairs at SA Breweries, Zoleka Lisa said the company’s unwavering support of the more stringent National Road Traffic Amendment Bill of 2019 remained.

The bill, submitted to Parliament at the beginning of 2020, is poised to completely prohibit the consumption of alcohol if driving. SAB has already undertaken to put its money where its mouth is, having partnered with the Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to establish SAB’s Alcohol Evidence Centres (AECs). Lisa said these “AECs are SAB’s best effort to help equip law enforcement with the tools and support they need to effectively curb road accidents”.

An indication of the benefit of these Alcohol Evidence Centres, the first one implemented in Pietermaritzburg in April 2019 has shown impressive results. A 44% reduction in road fatalities in the area was noted by November 2019, Lisa reported. In the five months between March and July last year, there were also more than 420 arrests in the area related to drinking and driving. More importantly, there were 70 successful prosecutions.

“Due to the nature of viral transmission, the use of breathalysers and blood tests has been put into question and more stringent regulations will be put in place. As our partners at the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), and local authorities update procedures surrounding BAC testing in line with developing Department of Health regulations, we will continue to work with them to ensure our AECs remain operational and effective during these unprecedented times,” said Lisa.

“SAB is fully committed to curbing the threat of drunk drivers on the road and does not want AEC momentum to fade, even with Covid 19 on the rise across the country. Working with our partners is going to be key to this. The suspension of breathalysers should never be a reason to drink and drive. We will keep up the pressure, and do it within the boundaries of the law,” said Lisa.