A question of style 1 August 2006

Saxenburg and Meerlust issue press releases….

You'll have to forgive me this time for forgetting to be a mere scandal-monger and pretending to be a proper journalist - or even an editorial-writer. But I've been thinking about press releases (you know, the sort of thing that some newspapers, magazines, etc offer undigestedly as news). Tone, of course, is crucial: some just rub you up the wrong way. There’s plenty of rubbing right now, as the awards season gets well under way, with wineries sending round their exultant emails to journalists – who have mostly learnt to yawn and press the delete button every time another one pops onto the screen announcing ‘Another triumph for x...’ or ‘y scores gold...’.

I was struck, though, by a pleasing contrast in style between two recent announcements of awards made at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, and thought them worth sharing.

Here’s an extract from the clichéd mass of verbiage in the first:

Saxenburg Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 caused a stir at the IWSC in London this week, when it walked off with not only the prestigious Gold Medal in the Cabernet Sauvignon category, but also with the Best in Class Medal and the Warren Winiarski Trophy for Cabernet Sauvignon.…

Adding to his ever-increasing list of awards and trophies, winemaker Nico van der Merwe said: ‘This is arguably the highest accolade in the world for Cabernet Sauvignon.’

Well done, Nico!…

’It is a truly noteworthy achievement to see Saxenburg’s Cabernet Sauvignon back where it belongs – achieving international recognition,’ says Nico of the award winning wine that is cloaked in its brand new slimline French bottle and sporting Saxenburg’s new cardinal red, black and gold colours.’

Um, yes, well done indeed, Nico – but I’d bet a lot of money that pomposities like that never passed your lips, or those of any other normal winemaker. (And I’m rather sympathetic that you must grit your teeth while they’re ascribed to you!) On the other hand they sound just like the tired phrases that some PR people seem to fling about without realising that they reek of implausibility and insincerity.

A much shorter announcement came from Meerlust, which first quoted the IWSC’s statement about the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande Trophy for Best Blended Red Wine, which Rubicon had won. Then came what is perhaps a world first – a winery acknowledging a winemaker who had left a few years earlier:

The Rubicon 2001 was made by the previous Cellar Master at Meerlust, Giorgio Dalla Cia, who was responsible for creating the first commercial Rubicon blend in 1980 together with Nicolas Myburgh, the father of the current owner, Hannes Myburgh. Giorgio worked as the Cellar Master at Meerlust for 25 years.  Hannes says ‘I am extremely proud of Giorgio and the team at Meerlust.  To receive this international award is a great honour.  We have been receiving congratulatory notes from around the world since the announcement was made on the 20^th July and to receive an endorsement of this stature is flattering, particularly as there are currently so many good wines being produced in the world.’ 

Meerlust is as sussed as anyone when it comes to marketing – but how nice to be able to take that sad necessity and combine it with simple words, avoiding vulgarity and also showing a bit of quiet, though proud, modesty.

Meanwhile, back at the judging bench

Talking of awards and suchlike, it’s getting very close to the time when SAA is meant to be doing its annual selection. Trouble is, the organisers been having a spot of trouble finding local judges willing to participate. Not really because prospective judges share the bemusement and irritation about why ordinary passengers are usually still unable to get anything nice to drink out of their plastic tumblers on board our beloved national airline. No, rather because the airline is too mean to treat local judges like professionals who should get paid for their work. So any number of plausible judges have been more or less politely declining the honour of spending a few days working hard for SAA for free (while no doubt well-paid SAA employees and exorbitantly paid consultants look on….) I’m eagerly looking forward to see who eventually agrees to do it for nothing!