… saving Tinta from Barocca!

In the good old U S of A today (U.M.A.?) it’s Thanks Giving Day! 

I know that they all have a few days off and love a bit of the oven roasted Turkey shmallarky. I am not sure what they actually drink with it all, but being an historically proper sensible bunch and of course the country that invented Jazz, I am sure that they will come up with something good to wash it all down with. California maybe?

Down here, we are celebrating an old chum´s birthday today with a barbecue and each guest is asked to bring a bottle (or two) to the table. My chum is a ‘wylie’ old wine fellow and a bit fussy to boot. Not keen on the over produced, or for that matter the over-oaked or the over sulphurated! (very trendy)

I dug around in the dark, downstairs cupboard, and there it was, a bottle of Eben Sadie´s Treinspoor 2017 vintage, Swartland, South Africa. Perfect I thought, a curious enough of a wine to have my chum sit up a bit and take notice. With the juicey beef & entrails it should be dam terrific. A touch of the old decanter to let it breath, and we are off. There where also wines from Spain, Argyland, Italy and France on the table. But that´s all for another day.

Before going to the lunch, I thought that I had better gem up a wee bit on the Treinspoor. And this is what I came up with. It’s not just bog standard Tinta Barocca (Portuguese style) it’s an old vineyard, called Treinspoor, and was planted back in 1974, lies on the western side of Malmesbury, en route to Darling. Historically, Tinta Das Baroccas (the earlier pronunciation in S.A.) has always had a good, prominent place in the Swartland (blacklands) region. The vineyard is located next to the old railway line (treinspoor in the local lingo) and was named accordingly, all grown on decomposed Granite and Table Mountain sandstone soils with yields of around 18 hectolitres per hectare.

The story goes that Eben found this vineyard when he was driving past on his way to a meeting in Darling. He saw a large J.C.B. digger about to rip up the old vineyard. He stopped his car and asked the fellow there what was up and whose land was it? After some discussion with the owner, Eben offered to farm it for him offering a considerably higher grape price than the owner of this plot was used to receiving for his harvest, and so the farmer decided to save the vineyard, not dig it up, and let Eben have a free hand and a good go of it. Well done!

In Portugal the relatively dark thick-skinned Port grape variety thrives there producing gentle wines with fruity aromas. Excellent root-stock for drought conditions. In South Africa the same grape variety, Tinta Barocca, thrives with a fragile thinnish dark skin, and is prone to sunburn, but in this case, the old bush vines or Die Ouwingerdreeks had formed a great framework to keep the bunches sheltered from the intense Swartland sun. Roots deep enough to sip what’s needed to aid the fruiting process.

The good colour and firm acidity of this variety have made it a favourate component in blends from the outset. However, once a Tinta Barocca vineyard has grown into old & wise age, it then shows all the complexities and qualities to be bottled on it´s own. On the Sadie Family website, Eben Sadie suggests this wine can easily age for up to 18+ years.

On this current showing at almost 9 years old, I would suggest this is a super conservative assessment. “The reality is that Tinta Barocca is a big temperament grape with the demeanour and makeup to age. The entire being of this grape and liquid construction is made for the future. It drinks well young with a big steak and a plate of crunchy potato chips, but as a wine on it´s own or down a white tablecloth and some fine dining, it requires the wait.” explains Eben.

Sadie Family Wines Die Ouwingerdreeks ´Treinspoor´ 2017,  Swartland (13% VOL)

This is a really impressive wine that shows an incredibly vibrant red cherry and red plum skin colour in the glass. The aromatics continue to evolve over one, two, three hours with top notes of gentle spicy leafy sapidity, hints of crushed Granite dust, red currants, red plum skins, dried herbs, and freshly sawn oak notes. On the palate, the wine shows an intricate juxtaposition between a gently mellowing textural savoury bottle age alongside fresh, vibrant pithy cherry fruits, red plums, and salty red liquorice candies. You get the sense that the tannins were once fairly rustic, but now with the benefit of time, show a chalky liquid minerality. Fine grained, creamy and soft but still an imposing element of the wine’s structure. This is a beautiful expression of Tinta Barocca.

If you are lucky enough to still have a few bottles in your cellar, start drinking now and over the next 10+ years. But certainly no rush! I am very pleased I managed to “lose” a case of this wine in my cellar. This was the last bottle of six…there is however a little more (other vintages to play with) in the ´´BOND´´ please do give them a go:

Sadie (Eben) Die Ouwingerdreeks´Treinspoor´2017
Swartland (13% VOL)
2021 – 2 bottles @ £85bt/ib
2018 – 7 bottles @ £95bt/ib
2017 – 1 bottle @ £reserved
2016 – 1 bottle @ £reserved
2015 – 19 bottles @ £105bt/ib
2013 – 1 bottle @ £reserved

– Stock as of today, offered subject to remaining unsold, as usual –

”A Very Merry Christmas 2025 to you”

Thank you for your messages, enquiries and wine orders over the  past year. We got there in the end eh! and we will be back in 2026 to taste, drink and hopefully have some wine fun too.

Ciao for now!

Will Hancock (head honcho)

”Please feel free to send messages (wine orders), enquiries over the Festive period, as there is always somebody popping in to the office to feed the cat!”

last year’s Christmas lunch after the cat had done his bit!

Wine Orders: william@worldwineconsultants.com