Eben Sadie | Sarah Ahmed - The Wine Detective

Beat the clock: Eben Sadie, a man on a mission

Posted Thursday 19th January 2012

You only have to turn the clock back a dozen years to date the Sadie Family’s first wine, Columella 2000, yet Eben Sadie has the air of the wise old man of the Swartland. As well he might. In his quest to identify the best terroir and do it full justice, the man works double-time, [...]

Is the west coast the best coast? Getting fired up with Swartland’s revolutionaries, next stop Olifants River?

Posted Friday 12th August 2011

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I’ll be heading out to South Africa in November. Top of my list of things to do – indeed things that I’ll be doing – are the Swartland Revolution and International Chenin Blanc symposium. Chenin is a common thread. Old vine Chenin from the Paardeberg is the much sought after backbone of Swartland’s revolutionary white [...]

Two Cape icons: 10 years of Columella with Eben Sadie

Posted Thursday 16th June 2011

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It was obvious even from the maiden 2000 vintage of Columella that here was an ambitious wine with a difference. Eben Sadie’s sensitively sculpted Rhone-style blend of Syrah with a dash of Mourvedre has put Swartland, its region of origin, on the map. And not without good reason. Looking back over a decade of Columella (reported in [...]

Pictures of the stairway to heaven a.k.a. Sadie Family Columella & Blandy’s Vintage Madeira verticals

Posted Saturday 11th June 2011

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A memorable week just gone by with Tom Cannavan’s 50 Great Portuguese Wines (reported here) and two top flight verticals – Sadie Family Columella 2000-2009 and a vertical tasting of vintage Madeira in celebration of Blandy’s bicentennial year. I’ll be writing up both verticals soon as. Meantime, a few pictures to whet your appetite! 10 green [...]

Palladius & pumpkin, a PS

Posted Sunday 13th September 2009

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Hey, hot tip for a Palladius food match – have just confirmed in the most delicious way that its honeyed sweetness, girth and complexity find a perfect match in roast squash with porcini. Halve the squash, remove the seeds and fibre, smear the flesh with butter then fill with porcini (I’m no Rockefeller, of the [...]

High Timber!!!!!!

Posted Sunday 13th September 2009

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I presented my South African Rhone blends with a twist tasting at High Timber restaurant in July, reported here. The Sadie Family Palladius 2008, the 2007 of which was voted favourite white of the night, has recently been crowned White Wine of the Year in the 2010 John Platter South African wine guide. Made by [...]