Gewürztraminer polishes Nederburg's Ingenuity White

"I always like to play with the very last component," says Nederburg cellarmaster Razvan Macici of the eight-way Ingenuity White blend, now in its third vintage as the apex of the Nederburg range. It has just been released onto the market.

"For the first time, we have introduced Gewürztraminer - just 2% - but it adds just the faintest trace of sweetness to this very complex, sumptuous and layered blend. It's so slight as to be almost elusive, but it polishes the palate."

Capacity for originality and innovation

The Nederburg team conceived and created the debut Ingenuity White blend in 2007 as a way to highlight the winery's capacity for originality and innovation. They used Verdelho as the last word then and Muscat to round off the wine in 2008, but wanted a different cultivar for the current release 2009 vintage to give it its own je ne sais quoi.

"The Gewürztraminer, grown in Stellenbosch, has a very pleasing floral aroma and a subtle palate that reminds me of Turkish delight. But that is just one small detail in this multi-faceted and plush but zesty wine that is fresh, fragrant and food-friendly," said Macici. "It is also surprisingly nuanced in a way that lets you discover a new quality every time you try it."

The blend has changed slightly

While the other seven varietals featured in the 2009 vintage of the wine are the same as its predecessor, the composition of the blend has changed slightly. "The lead variety is still Sauvignon blanc for the crisp, mineral notes it lends to the wine, and accounts for 30%. For added depth, we fermented a small portion in small oak. Next is Chardonnay, at 25%, from Durbanville and Paarl. The grapes were fermented in 228 litre French oak and then left on the lees for eight months, stirred regularly. As no malolactic fermentation was induced, it brings vibrancy with lovely creamy citrus aromas and flavours.

The Semillon, also wooded, is the bridge that binds the Sauvignon and the Chardonnay, giving the wine a firm and well-integrated structure. It represents 15% of the blend, as does the Chenin blanc, which comes from intensely flavoured bush vines growing in Darling and Stellenbosch to give a lively acidity and a gorgeous hint of raisin."

A few months in wood

The 2009 Ingenuity White also includes Nouvelle (6%) that spent a few months in wood, Riesling (5%) and Viognier (2%). "This Viognier also spent some time in wood. It's big, bold and ripe, so all we needed was 2% for its delicious peach, apricot and vanilla characters."

The result, says Macici, is an arresting, but elegant, blend that unveils its depth with an array of herbaceous, citrus, stone fruit, spicy and floral aromas, echoed on the palate. "The integration of all its components gives it poise and grace."

Nederburg's winemaker for white wines, Tariro Masayiti, said: "We've made a wine with enough structure to hold its own for eight to 10 years. Its fusion of mineral, fruit and oak characters gives it complexity to complement a variety of seafood and red and white meat dishes."

The 2008 vintage was rated five stars in the 2010 edition of the Platter South African Wine Guide, while its predecessor featured as a five-star wine in the 2009 guide.

This wine retails for around R150 per 750ml bottle.

Technical analysis

Alcohol: 13.64% by volume
Residual sugar: 2.65 grams/litre
pH: 3.35
Acidity: 6.8 grams/litre