Melvyn Minnaar Wine
Versace probably would have liked this. While certainly not flamboyantly haute couture, Versus would have appealed to him and Donnatella, who would not have turned down a glass or two of this prt- a-porter wine. And not only because it too goes under the same name as their garments and potions for the people.
Like the designer who turned the fancies and verve of popular culture into fashion, this brand-new wine – or should one say, “quaffing product” – cuts right into the contemporary nerve of flaunt and fun. Versus is simply a brilliant drinking idea. The concept is so sussed, it is going to be the cool hit of the coming summer.
First and foremost there’s the packaging. Sized at a cool, full 1 000ml (note: not a guzzling, greed-implying one litre) as against the ordinary 750ml bottle, this container stands tall on any table, proclaiming its presence and offering just that extra when needed at an all-round pocket-suiting price.
Clear as a bell, the vinous green glass with deep punt at the bottom (denoting social sophistication) and double lip at the neck (intimation of the bacchantic amphora) bears no label clutter other than a discreet back sticker with need- to-know info and a neat horizontal diamond in front with the words: “1998 Versus Stellenbosch 1 000ml”.
If the trend of less is more and fashion needs but simple slogans, this is it. One is talking about clever marketing to drinkers who matter: those who feel comfortable with style and getting into wine. This is, in other words, also a politically correct focused “wine-for- the-pretty-people”.
Versus is the first product from a relatively new collaboration between a number of established co-operative wineries in Stellenbosch who now plot and plan together as Stellenbosch Vineyards Ltd.
With pooled resources and the right people running the making and marketing, they came up with the inspiration of Versus.
With its bold, in-your-face presence, reasonable price and smart promotion, it seems set to be a progeny of those great names of popular wine culture in South Africa. If Lieberstein was the humdinger of the vino revolution of the 1960s, Tassenberg the name on every student’s lips for generations and impersonators like Graa kick-started another round of playfulness in drinking circles everywhere, Versus is set to play its role to the full.
Stellenbosch Vineyards have taken a leap into the future with the launch of this wine. The bottle was specially designed and is exclusively made by South African Metal Box Glass -hardly a cheap venture.
But what is this new designer wine for the populace, chic and cool, out there like?
These guys were not going to get it wrong with what’s inside the bottle and with their blending instruments well tuned to the common, but appreciative palate of today, they made up a crisping, fresh recipe using Stellenbosch chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc. It’s a sprightly and even elegant blend with good, full character and won’t be just a walk-on at the dinner or party table.
With a name that evokes a cocky, youthful presence, Versus is pure prt- a-boire wine fun for the late 1990s.