Smartbuy issue dated March 30, 2011

Smartbuy Business Line

G A D G E T S

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A U T O |

L U X U R Y

New Hyundai Verna driven To scorch Indian roads in May Page 8

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Laptops that stand by you

www.blsmartbuy.com

WHAT’S HOT this week

Team Smartbuy Editorial Anushya Mamtora anushya@thehindu.co.in

Ketaki Bhojnagarwala ketaki@thehindu.co.in

Mahananda Bohidar mahananda@thehindu.co.in

S. Muralidhar muraliswami@thehindu.co.in

Design Bryan Gaughan aqua@thehindu.co.in

Balakrishnan designkbala@thehindu.co.in

Advertising Contact R. Diwakar ramdiwakar@thehindu.co.in

Web Advertising Contact N. Amarnath amarnath@thehindu.co.in

www.blsmartbuy.com Become a fan of our Facebook page: BL Smartbuy Follow us on Twitter

Cover photo: S. Muralidhar

Black gold TAG Heuer Gulf MERDIIST Inspired by Gulf Oil, this limited edition, vintage style MERDIIST phone features a soft touch black body finish, which has been applied using a PVD surface treatment, making it virtually scratch-resistant. The battery cover is made of black rubber, and is lined with two stripes each of orange and light blue, signature Gulf colours. The phone is internally customised with five wallpapers and animation referring to Gulf style. It comes with a protective leather case.

Rs 3,95,000

Melts in your hands Acer Liquid Metal This sleek smartphone from Acer is the latest in the Liquid series, and is based on the Android 2.2 OS. The phone features a 5-meg camera with digital zoom and LED flash. It is also capable of 720p HD video recording. An LED signal on the chrome top panel notifies you of alerts.

It has a 2.6-inch TFT multi-gesture capacitive touch screen, and three popular keyboard layouts.

Users will also experience Breeze, Acer’s new interface, which adds to the Android experience.

Rs 20,500

A powerful start Lenovo IdeaPad Z570 The latest from Lenovo, IdeaPad Z570, features a 15.6-inch HD LED glare display and is based on the Intel Huron River platform. Powered by a Core i3 processor, the laptop features the AccuType keyboard. Integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics and Nvidia GeForce GT520M card makes it gamer-friendly.

Rs 33, 190 onwards

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The right click Amkette ELEMENT

The latest smartie HTC Incredible S

This luxury mouse from Amkette has been launched especially for laptop users.

With a scratch-resistant body, piano finish and rubberised sides, this mouse is ideal for travel. 2.4 GHz wireless technology makes it easy to connect up to a 30 ft radius, and the Plug & Forget Nano receiver can be placed under the mouse during travel. A 1,000 DPI high-precision sensor makes it easy to use.

Rs 795

The latest smartphone from HTC features a bright 4-inch WVGA Super LCD display clubbed with stereo surround sound technology that brings cinematic experience to the palm of your hand. It boasts of an 8-megger with dual flash and easily enables videos, photos and music to be shared from the handset direct to a TV using DLNA technology.

Rs 28,900

Spring to life Haier LE55A310 This 55-inch 3D LED TV from Haier is paired with Full HD 1080P and 120Hz full motion, to offer amazing picture quality with minimal motion blur. It comes with SRS TruSurround XT technology, which gives any movie a live-performance quality. The telly has three HDMI connections to let you hook up multimedia gadgets. You can also playback media from the USB 2.0 input by plugging in USB flash drives, hard drives and card readers.

Rs 1,99,990

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LAPTOP line-up

A palette of portable performers

This material is translated or reproduced from T3 magazine and is the copy

Commuters, backpackwearers and business nomads are now able to enjoy the power of a desktop computer of just a few years ago, compressed into a machine that’s light and slim. These laptops offer superb portability without too many sacrifices. You can organise your life, use Office docs, edit films – even in HD – and perhaps enjoy a little gaming, all on the same svelte little head-turner of a laptop.

Improved battery life means you won’t be running to the nearest socket every few hours, too. More powerful than a netbook, more versatile than a tablet, these are 2011’s hot tickets…

right of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under license. All rights reserved

Aesthetics meets usability Apple MacBook Air The original MacBook Air was a gorgeous piece of kit, but its lust-inducing design was hampered by equally distinctive, sluggish performance. That’s changed with the addition of a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor and the use of a 128 GB solid state drive (SSD), rather than the traditional hard disk.

You’ll now fly through most applications with ease and, although the Air lags behind some of the other laptops here on paper, it’s still more than powerful enough to allow multitasking of everyday tasks.

Furthermore, the similarly beefed up NVidia graphics card provides enough muscle for editing HD films on the move and even a bit of light gaming.

So now there’s brawn to match the Air’s beauty. The seamless, aluminium unibody chassis ensures the MacBook Air is as durable as it is striking and at 17mm thick it’s also perfect for slipping into a manbag. At 1.32kg you’ll barely notice it’s there. The 13.3-inch screen serves up razor-sharp images as long as you keep its reflective face

Small yet power-packed HP When HP announced the Envy range in 2009 it was aiming to dethrone Apple’s MacBook Pro. This latest version of the laptop is, at 14.5-inches, the smallest Envy yet but still delivers Pro-style performance. At 2.5kg this is the heaviest laptop on test, thanks in part to its machined aluminium design. This extra weight isn’t wasted as the Envy 14 is a true multimedia powerhouse, packing a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor that offers more power than the average portable laptop.

If you’re a gamer or use graphically demanding software packages this extra power and the ATi graphics card will make multimedia tasks a breeze. We easily got Call of Duty: Black Ops running smoothly. The 14-inch screen is very bright, crisp and clear, with a 1366x768, hi-def resolution making the most of content from games to HD movies.

The full-size, backlit keyboard is comfortable to use, but the touchpad is terrible – we regularly brushed it while writing this review.

There’s a 500 GB hard drive for storing photos, movies

out of bright sunlight. The keyboard is one of the best around, while the large touchpad offers Apple’s peerless multi-touchpad control, making web navigation easy. Battery life is respectable at up to five hours. What really gives the Air an edge is Apple’s superb Mac OS X operating system and the bundled iLife software suite, with apps such as iPhoto and iMovie making your digital life that much easier. As with the original Air, connectivity is lacking – there’s no HDMI-out or Ethernet – and the price is a little high.

However, its mix of graceful design and impressive power is still very hard to resist.

Love - Unparalleled portability and usability. Decent performance. Mac OS X and iLife. Stunning looks Hate - Expensive. Limited connectivity and storage. No optical drive We say - A highly desirable, ultra-portable combination of grace and power Rs 79,900

Envy 14

and your music collection, which will sound especially good on the Envy 14. HP has collaborated with Dr Dre’s Beats Audio to produce a dedicated speaker system for the Envy range. The result is great, well balanced audio through the powerful built-in speaker, giving musical clout that’s rare indeed from a laptop. The only major weaknesses of the Envy 14 are its weight, rather ugly looks and relatively poor battery life – you get just under four hours per charge. Those things aside, it’s an impressive machine.

Love - Impressive graphical performance and fast processor. Plenty of storage space. Rugged, aluminium design. Beats speaker system Hate - Infuriating touchpad. Heavier than most ultraportables. Runs very hot We say - An action-packed and extremely powerful laptop with a host of extra features. Only poor battery life and its sheer weight let it down Rs 75,000

The luxe lappy Sony

VAIO VPCZ13M9E/B

The Sony Z Series continues to beautifully combine the holy trinity of power, portability and usability. It’s ridiculously expensive, but for those after features and power at any cost, this is as good as it gets. The design lacks the super attractiveness of the MacBook Air but is similarly light, and the Z Series beats Apple’s device to claim the crown of best screen on test. You rarely get such fantastic colour reproduction on a laptop, and the lack of a shiny screen coating means there are no irritating reflections in direct sunlight.

The keyboard is spacious, with backlighting controlled by an ambient light sensor that makes using it in low light conditions no problem.

There’s a Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory, and the battery life also impresses, helped by the presence of two graphics cards. Controlled by a switch above the keyboard you can toggle between the battery-friendly integrated Intel graphics card and a far more powerful Nvidia chip if you’re dealing with HD video or getting down to some gaming. The Z Series can play all the latest gaming titles,

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from Fallout 3: New Vegas to Call of Duty: Black Ops, but you may have to turn down the resolution for a smooth experience. You can set the Z Series to automatically decide on the most appropriate graphics chip to use at any given time.

The 128 GB solid-state drive provides speedy if limited storage and there’s a 3G module included that lets you insert a SIM card – for which you will need to sign up for a data plan with a network provider. Naturally, if you’ve bought something as lush and expensive as the Z Series, you don’t want to besmirch it with a cheap-looking 3G dongle…

Love - Very powerful, with switchable graphics chips.

Class-leading screen.

Backlit keyboard. 3G connectivity Hate - Ludicrous price. Limited storage We say - The Z Series offers brutally efficient performance… but what a price!

Rs 1.5 lakh

Pocket-friendly portable Toshiba

Satellite R630

Toshiba laptops tend to offer good portability, reliability and keen pricing without exuding too much of a Poundland vibe and the Satellite R630 is no exception.

The R630’s tough magnesium chassis is light and slim.

It’s fractionally heavier than the Apple and Sony laptops, but very manageable at 1.5 kg. Despite the low price it boasts the same Intel Core i5 and 4 GB of RAM as the Sony, for less than half the price. The 398-minute battery life betters anything on test.

Where the Tosh falls down is in terms of graphical power. The integrated Intel chip offers basic graphics compared to the other laptops here. Although there’s enough punch for entry-level photo editing and streaming clips from YouTube, it will struggle with video editing and gaming.

The 13.3-inch screen is slightly underwhelming, not coming close to matching the Apple and Sony laptops for colour and clarity. Similarly the keyboard doesn’t pass muster, with an irritatingly spongy action and slippery plastic keys that make typing for longer periods of time a chore.

A classy touch Samsung Combining the power of the Sony Z Series – well, near enough – with the price tag and portability of the Toshiba R630, this is a bona fide, copper-bottomed, militarygrade bargain. Everyday performance is excellent thanks to the Intel Core i5 processor and 4 GB of memory on board, while the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics card allows quite a bit of play on the go as well as work.

We’re not talking highend gaming, although it is possible to run Call of Duty: Black Ops smoothly and HD movie editing is well within its reach.

The crisp, bright screen has a 720p resolution and makes the best of photos and films. The spacious keyboard is another impressive feature, with none of the spongy cheapness of the Toshiba R630. The 320 GB hard drive is about what you’d expect for the price and you also get a DVD-RW drive – something you won’t find on the MacBook Air. There’s a good spread of ports, including three USBs as

A 320 GB hard drive provides adequate space for your data, music, films and what have you and there’s a healthy number of ports, including an eSATA interface for transferring data rapidly to an external hard drive. You also get both VGA and HDMI video out.

The R630 is not as slim as the MacBook Air, but it has some more powerful components and is still very light and easy to carry around However, while the R630 looks like a bargain at first, its lack of graphical oomph will put off leisure users while more casual/business users won’t like the keyboard or screen. It’s a laptop you tolerate rather than love, we’d say.

Love - Attractive price. Excellent battery life and portability. Good performance on non-graphicallyintensive tasks Hate - Very poor keyboard. Graphics are not up to HD video or gaming We say - It’s hard to knock the Toshiba’s value for money, portability and battery life but it lacks versatility and style Rs 58,000

SF310

well as both HDMI and VGA. As with all the laptops on test, N Wi-Fi ensures fast wireless networking in hot spots across the country.

The ivory white lid and gentle curves of the chassis make this an attractive, as well as functional, laptop. The palm rest features a brushed aluminium finish and the touchpad reflects light in a swirling pattern. It’s far better looking than the HP Envy, if not the Air. One minor caveat is that at 2 kg it’s by no means the most portable thing here. However, with battery life of over seven hours, allied to the impressive spec, this laptop is an absolute steal.

Love - Great everyday performance and decent graphical ability. Very affordable price tag. Very good battery life Hate - Slightly chunky design. Not the lightest of laptops, although it is still fairly portable We say - The price is exquisitely low for the spec. Add a slick design and long battery life and this is a killer laptop Rs 58,000

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AUTO focus

Leaving the City in rear view?

S.Muralidhar t seemed like the summer had advanced upon us and had hit the sands earlier than expected. Just into the early hours of the noon and the wide roads were already throwing up wavy mirages. The glinting white sun shone fiercely outside, though inside, I was sitting within the comfortably air-conditioned confines of a familiar car.

The setting was in Dubai late last month and I was there to experience the new Hyundai Verna. The land of the Burj Khalifa and the Palm islands was certainly letting slip some signs of the slowdown, but of course, there were no effects of the turmoil that many other parts of the midwest are going through.

As for the new, 7th generation Verna that I was driving, there is bound to be turmoil… amongst the competition that is. The new Verna, also sold as the Accent in many other markets of the world, will make its India debut by May this year. And the transformation is huge.

This is the 25th anniversary, so to say, for the Verna, a model that was first introduced as the Pony in 1976. The new (seventh-gen) Verna was in development for five years and last year it was launched in a few markets abroad.

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hotel in the Jebel Ali area in Dubai to Fujairah on the shores of the Indian Ocean, a distance of about 380 kms.

The new Verna looks more compact than the predecessor, even when you step up close to it. There is none of the awkward appearance of bulkiness to the front of the car. And instead, the new Verna joins the trio of Hyundais that have already adopted the Korean company’s Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy.

The Verna’s design now joins and nicely carries forward the defining character lines of the new i10, the new Sonata and the new Tucson. Hyundai says that the design philosophy adds sophisticated, dynamic angles and elegant design lines that resemble calligraphic ‘orchid strokes’. With the new Verna, Hyundai designers are said to have employed the design concept ‘sleek on dynamic’ for both the

Sultry in the sand I was part of a bunch of journalists from all over the world, who had been flown into Dubai to drive the new Verna (the photos you see are of the Accent-badged, left-hand drive version of the Verna). We drove the Verna from our

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exterior and the interior of the car.

What this has translated into is an exterior design that gives it a very coupe-like profile, which is also found in the latest iterations of other Hyundai models like the Sonata.

The new Verna is sleeker. Gone are the languorous lines of the predecessor. Instead the lines surround the new model with a certain sense of hurried purpose. The new Verna exudes a new elegant, sophisticated attitude.

That doesn’t mean that there are no examples of Hyundai’s trademark novelty in the new Verna. The large hexagonal front grille, the new Hyundai design signature that the current i10 also showcases is one of the first design elements at the front that strike you. The eagle-eye twotone bezel headlamps and the unique L-shaped fog lamps are the other features that catch the eye at the front.

Just below the sleek grille is a three-slatted airdam. The new Verna’s design is more cohesive. All the body lines connect and culminate into creating a more ‘wholistic’ image compared to the previous models. The inverted bonnet crease and the side running lines are visual highlights that catch the light even in the shade.

A strong shoulder line, a coupe-like glass area and the curvaceous roofline will also catch the fancy of buyers in the premium sedan segment.

At the rear, the new Verna’s simple and flowing, but tight design theme continues.

A stubby boot is dominated by petal-shaped wraparound tail-lamps. An over-sized rear bumper is cut deep by the boot door ensuring a low loading height and easy access into the cavernous luggage area.

Photos: S. Muralidhar

Changing dimensions The Hyundai Verna has had its work cut out to some extent by its predecessor - deliver as much value, but in a package that is larger and smarter.

The new Verna is built on a 2,570mm long structural platform, which is about 70mm longer than the outgoing model.

Most of that extra length has gone into leveraging extra space for the front and rear passengers. The legroom for the front seats is said to be now on a par with that of a medium sized car at 1,112mm. It is also wider and longer overall than its predecessor by 5mm and 90mm, at 1,700mm and 4,370mm respectively.

The overall height, however, has been marginally reduced by about 13mm to 1,457mm. Hyundai designers chose to do that to ensure that the car’s sporty coupe-like profile is maintained, though they have also ensured that the head room in the cabin is not reduced.

But the best part of the design of the new Verna is its ability to compress itself into you when at the wheel. So, despite the larger proportions, the overall design makes you feel that you are actually driving a smaller car.

Also worth remembering here is the fact that most of the new Verna’s key dimensions are more than the current segment benchmark – Honda City.

electrically folding door mirrors (which also have integrated LED indicators) are some of the exterior changes for the India-spec model.

Inside the new Verna the additions will be chrome aircon vents, a rear seat audio remote control, wood grain inserts for the door panels and special storage space in the rear seat arm rest.

The one other addition to the India-spec model’s list is the more delicious bit – a new U II 1.4-litre diesel engine.

For the first time in this segment, the new Verna will be offered with as many as four engine options – two petrol and two diesel units.

The new Verna I drove at Dubai featured the new 1.6-litre Gamma engine. It is a DOHC, inline four-cylinder

Smart interiors To take the fight further, Hyundai is also making some significant India-specific changes to the Verna both inside and out. A dual disk horn, a twin-tip chrome muffler,

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engine with multiport fuel injection and continuously variable valve timing (CVVT). The new Gamma engine is more powerful with an output of 123 PS at 6,300 rpm compared to the outgoing Verna Alpha engine’s 103 PS at 5,500 rpm. The new 1.6-litre engine is also more torquey generating as much as 15.8 KgM at 4,200 rpm compared to the Alpha engine’s 14.9 KgM at 3,000 rpm.

The other petrol engine that will be offered will be the 1.4-litre Gamma that will put out a peak power of 108 PS and peak torque of 13.9 KgM. Both the engines are expected to be mated with a choice of two transmissions – a four-speed automatic and a five-speed manual.

The 1.6 Gamma I drove was paired with the automatic transmission. It is a very refined, quiet and vibe-free engine.

Though the engine has ample reserves of power, it felt a little hamstrung by a slightly slower shifting auto gearbox.

With the manual gearbox, I am sure the 1.6 Gamma will outdo the others in the segment.

The Dubai-Fujairah stretch was chosen by Hyundai for the varied terrain it offered. The highway runs through a healthy mix of straights, hilly/curvy and city driving conditions.

By the time the Verna is launched here, it will be offered with two other engines. Claimed to be quiet, clean and responsive, the Verna will get a U-II 1.6-litre VGT (variable geometry turbocharger) diesel engine with peak power characteristics of 128 bhp and peak torque of 26.5 KgM. It will also be offered with a U-II 1.4 VGT diesel engine that will generate 90 bhp of power and 22.5 KgM of torque.

Lasting impressions I found the quality interior of the new Verna to be another step up by Hyundai. A Y-shaped, symmetrical dashboard layout is simple and pleasing to the eye.

The quality of plastic and other materials used is above average for the segment and there is a general sense of symmetry and proportion to the position of all the controls and panels.

For improving the ride and handling, Hyundai engineers have also replaced the old style sub-frame at the front in the Verna and have instead now give it a H-shape

sub-frame for making a lighter structure overall and to assist the independent suspension. At the rear, a coupled torsion beam axle set up does the job of optimising the suspension. Steering is motor driven and helps in precise control. The new Verna is yet to be rated for fuel efďŹ ciency, but it is expected to be better than the predecessor’s.Other features in the new Verna include a Bluetooth system for the music system that allows the driver to both make hands-free phone calls and also stream music wirelessly to the cars speakers.

The Verna will also be offered with an optional back

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warning system and a back-up camera with a hidden LCD display in the electro-chromic rear-view mirror to help the driver park with ease while reversing. The new Verna will certainly be a force to reckon with when it is launched later this year. With the new styling and powertrain packages Hyundai will surely look to the Verna for bridging the gap in numbers with its competitors. But, pricing will still remain a key factor in ensuring that it tops the list. I expect it to be in the range of Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Two months to go‌ muraliswami@thehindu.co.in

MELANGE luxury redefined

The right curve TAG Heuer’s new line of sunglasses for women has the stylish persona of Maria Sharapova weaved into its sleek and futuristic designs in chic colours with gradated lenses. Available at Johnson watch boutique, New Delhi.

Price on request

Summer glances For those bling lovers, Elle’s sunwear pieces in trendy floral and jewel encrusted designs are ideal for a bit of picky shopping at the farmer’s market or a fun day out at the beach. Head to leading optical stores across India.

Rs 3,950 to Rs 4,850

Cool steps With Denim and Sportswear lines for macho and dainty feet, Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring Summer footwear range has some fun slip-ons, loafers, sneakers and boat shoes to sink into.

Available at its stores.

Rs 1,400 onwards

Spotless treat Vichy has launched the Bi-White Deep Cell-Whitening Spot Intervention that treats and corrects existing melanin and helps reduce dark spots and acne scars.

Available at select pharmacies.

Rs 990

Colour play Letting you have fun with colours in a special way is William Penn with its range of 46 exclusive colours of inks from Private Reserve, CDA & Sailor and Lamy.

To make a splash, head to its outlets.

Rs 495

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PREMIUM interiors

Add a desi dash to your décor Movie magic Bring the grandiose of tinsel town home

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he glamour and glitz of the world of cinema has dazzled and influenced Indians since time immemorial.

In fact, we have temples dedicated to some of these celluloid stars too. “The allure of cinema is enduring in this country. So, this bar set-up is dedicated to all movie buffs,” offers the stylist.

Pulsating in pillar-red, the show-stopper, here, is the starstudded acrylic wall — featuring icons such as Rajnikanth, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson — that looks just as impactful as a 70-mm screen. It’s a perfect way to get your favourite celebrities home. “The wall becomes a huge canvas that you can play with.

You can add a frame to highlight your favourite star, such as the matte-gold ornate one that outlines Jackson’s poster; subtle yet effective,” adds the stylist.

The sea-green, recycled-wood furniture offers a nice rustic counterpoint to this otherwise high-spirited decor. In this setting for four (two would work just as well), the furniture arrangement has been kept tight.

The accessories have been kept to a minimum, to let the backdrop to the talking. An oversized, fibreglass bulb lends soft lighting, while a transparent glass vase, made hip with balloons and tiny fairy lights squeezed between them, adds more glamour.

The Dhaba effect Kitsch works its magic on this lounge setting reminiscent of rural India

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ruck drivers laze on charpoys, devouring lip-smacking fare with their fingers. Villagers stop en route for some masala chai and fresh, juicy jalebis. A group of teenage boys hang around as dusk softly approaches. This set-up celebrates small town India, the essence of our country, where the urgency of ticking clocks doesn’t exist. “This is a great way to put up an informal entertainment zone, bringing a dash of rustic charm into your fast-paced metropolitan home,” remarks the stylist. Resembling a dhaba, you have a khaat/charpoy for furniture and a bucket that doubles up as a loose seating option.

Here the dining table is replaced by the distressed-finish haath gaadi replete with golas and nariyal paani that transport you to vivacious melas. But, why let the creative improvisations stop here? Go ahead and bring the abounding colour, sweet irony and quirky reality of this country to your space. Testimony to this are the cushions that draw inspiration from pulsating streets and jazzy pop art graphics on the back of trucks and auto-rickshaws; the striking flora and fauna prints that turn an everyday cart and trunk into a piece of art; bizarre store signage that sometimes strikes a humorous note, etc.

Better Interiors

TASTER’S choice

South Africa’s ‘wild’ wine revolution

Photos: Bloomberg

Elin McCoy ben Sadie pours glasses of red and white, brushes back sun-bleached hair and starts talking about his wine revolution. The South African’s nonstop philosophising seems part vision, part spin until I taste his brilliant, original wines.

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Swartland district “I’m a soil maniac,” says South Africa’s most outspoken winemaker (a term he hates). “Some people bet on horses, I like to walk into a vineyard and say, “I bet this will be the one.” Sadie focuses on getting terroir - a taste of the climate, soil, and tradition of where the grapes are grown into his wines. We’re in the Sadie Family Wines office above his small winery, a room with orange walls, maps of Burgundy, and crate shelves lined with empty bottles that once held the world’s greatest vintages.

In this cluster of whitewashed buildings in the Swartland district, the opinionated Sadie is making some of the most fascinating wines I tasted during a recent trip through South Africa’s vineyards. An hour north of Cape Town, Swartland is the country’s latest buzz wine area, a Wild West compared to the famous Stellenbosch district, whose sophisticated shops, flashy architecture and wealthy French investors remind me of Napa Valley.

first serious ventures, then branched out on his own in 1999 with $12,000, 14 barrels, and a German partner.

“The cellar doesn’t excite me,” he says. “What really affects me is the angle of the plow.” Still, he constantly experiments, even aging wine in clay amphora.

What stands out in Sadie’s several bottlings is their surprising purity and complexity. I give the edge to his luscious, mineral-and-orange blossom white, 2008 Palladius ($60), a blend of 10 white grapes. His dark, earthy 2009 Columella, a syrah/mourvedre red ($90) is plush, seductive. Of his $30 “Monday to Friday” wines, I prefer the creamy yet fresh 2009 Sequillo white to the 2008 Sequillo red.

Not Cabernet Swartland’s revolutionaries prize blends over single varietals, syrah over cabernet. They like organic grape growing, natural yeasts, and above all, old vines - all to show off the region’s unique terroirs.

At 6 pm, I arrive at nearby Babylon’s Peak (first vintage

Baboon land Long known as wheat-growing country, Swartland has a history of bulk wine cooperatives. The name means ‘black land’, for the native rhino bush that turns the dry, spare landscape dark part of the year.

In the past decade, a small group of maverick winemakers has been changing that image. “Here,” says Sadie, 38, “is where you can make the greatest South African wines.”

He ticks off the region’s virtues: the temperature swings (40 degrees centigrade by day, 15 degrees by night), the schist and granite soils, the many old vineyards, high altitude grapes growing in baboon habitat.

A wine perfectionist in baggy cargo shorts and scruffy canvas shoes, he got his start in Swartland as winemaker at Charles Back’s Spice Route winery, one of the district’s

2003) on the slopes of Paardeberg mountain, more than an hour late. Owner Stephan Basson assures me that’s the norm when you’ve been visiting Sadie.

We bump up a long rutted jeep track to a spot just below the mountain’s 700-metre peak for a drink and the view, passing a steep vineyard of 40-year-old Chenin Blanc vines that look like thick trunked bushes.

Like many growers, Basson considered pulling them out because of low yields and prices. Now he makes his own lively wine from some of the grapes, and serious winemakers like Sadie are willing to pay top dollar for the rest.

Leopards return The family set aside part of the mountain on their huge farm as a natural preserve, one example of the recent efforts in the South African wine world to preserve biodiversity. The Western Cape is the smallest yet richest plant kingdom on earth.

“We know the leopards are back,” Basson says. I keep my eyes open, but spot only unusual birds. Later that evening, several producers turn up for a tasting and braai (barbecue) at the winery of another rebel, Adi Badenhorst, former winemaker at a high-profile Stellenbosch estate.

Badenhorst, 40, wears flipflops, a TinTin t-shirt, and a short grey ponytail. He carries a wine bottle in one hand and his sleeping daughter on his back. The 1930s winery, abandoned until he and his cousin bought it 3 years ago, is almost restored. “Every farmer had one until the cooperative opened in 1948,” he says. Now the cooperatives are becoming unprofitable and the wine scene encourages growers to make their own.

While Badenhorst’s assistant winemaker turns meat on the fireplace grill, I head for the wines, savouring the fresh, citrusy 2008 A.A. Badenhorst white blend and spicy, plushy 2007 red, (both $35), and the Lammershoek winery’s intriguing 2007 Roulette red ($20) and vibrant 2009 Roulette Blanc ($18). Thanks to Swartland’s small band of talented producers, there’s plenty of hype about the wines.

They don’t all live up to it. But, then, the revolution’s barely started.

(The author writes on wine and spirits for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)

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BEVERAGE launch

Edgy vodka With a bold and whacky bottle to tipple vodka lovers over, Allied Blenders and Distillers have re-launched its Class brand as Class 21.

A neutral spirit, the vodka is crafted from highly purified Indian grain. The unique carbon filtration process makes it crisp and smooth on the palate while the subtle grain character offers a pleasant bouquet.

Rs 250 (Delhi)

Bonne santé!

From fashion to wine

Perfect pairing is the key to truly enjoying good wines. But, most often and despite getting the best wines to the dinner table, many of us don’t quite get past the clichés of pairing - white wine with white meat and the red with the reds.

Just to add to the learning curve and to give a taste of experienced pairing to connoisseurs, Rhapsody, the Italian restaurant at the Courtyard by Marriott, Chennai hosted an evening of fine dining with a special three-course dinner paired with new-age wines.

The antipasti platter, served to whet our appetites, brought to the table bruschetta with grilled vegetables, mascarpone and basil pesto, accompanied by tomato and fresh buffalo mozzarella with an aged balsamic reduction, apple and pears salad with mixed greens and minestrone soup. To complement the antipasti was a flute of Sartori Pinot Grigio (2009), a sweet, dry white wine that went down well with the range of flavours that the antipasti presented with a bouquet of citrus, peach blossom and pear.

This was followed by one of the chef’s signature dishes, the mushroom ravioli, presented with a rich, ruby red glass of Danzante Merlot (2008). The nose gives away notes of wild cherry and blueberry, which lead into notes of black pepper and chocolate. The crisp, full-bodied wine, usually paired with prosciutto, vegetables and mushrooms went down amazingly well with the melt-in-your-mouth ravioli.

For the main course we had the option of choosing between spinach and mozzarella stuffed chicken breast and vegetable parmigiana served with Bel Colle Rosso (2008), a mildly spicy red made from a mix of Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes that complemented the main course with its light bouquet of raspberries.

The evening of sublime gastronomical delights paired with young wines was signed off with a helping of irresistible Rhapsody Tiramisu and a shot of Kahlua. Bliss!

Smartbuy

Kimaya, the fashion house has now sashayed into the pleasure of wine drinking with the launch of Kimaya Wines. Along with The Galvanized Wine Group of Australia, Kimaya’s portfolio includes a citrus and youthful Chardonnay 2010, Shiraz 2010 with fresh spices and a palate of berries, a frizzante style Shiraz – Sparkle 2010 and the Moscato 2010 which is light with floral notes.

And thanks to Kimaya’s precedents, the bottle is stylish and chic too.

Rs 1,200 – Rs 1,400

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March 30, 2011