Actor and presenter Colin Moss
Actor and presenter Colin Moss is no longer the face of reality TV programme Pop Idols, but he has a busy schedule nonetheless. He was recently an Apartheid-era cop in the art movie World Unseen, and has also appeared in Surviving Evil and Ex. He reveals that what he misses most during filming is his wine. Interview by Jeanri-Tine van Zyl.
What was the first bottle of wine
that all made sense and why?
A bottle of Shiraz at the Splashy Fen
Music Festival in the foothills of the
KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg. For some
reason my sense of taste was heightened,
but I have forgotten why...
What is your most memorable wine
experience?
I remember sharing a bottle of 1976
Cabernet with two buddies at Storms
River Mouth and opening a bottle of 1977
Taylors, given to me by friend Nyal Cowan
who was the food and beverage manager
of the Savoy Hotel in London at the time.
I didn't wait for an occasion to open
the Port as opening the bottle was the
occasion in itself.
What wine do you most want
to taste?
I have a rare bottle of Pontac lurking
in my cellar-cum-storeroom. I am very
curious to know what it tastes like but
can't bring myself to open it because
it is probably one of the last bottles in
the world - apparently from the last
crop made in the Cape before the vines
succumbed to a fungus. I will save it for a
very special occasion unless I hear that the
story is just a legend....
What was the last wine that you
bought?
Hartenberg Estate's flagship red blend,
The Mackenzie 2004.
How big is your wine collection and
where do you store it?
I don't have a particularly large wine collection
as I don't have the discipline not to
drink the wines I buy. I probably have 30
or 40 bottles in my storeroom downstairs.
What are your favourite wineries?
L'Ormarins, La Motte and Flagstone for
the Writer's Block Pinotage.
Most embarrassing wine moment?
Raving about one of my favourite wines
to friends while opening a bottle, only to
find it was really gross. Sometimes wines
disappoint.
What do you like least about wine?
The snobbery that often accompanies it.
What is your favourite meal?
There is nothing better than a slice
of premium steak in a Port reduction
accompanied by a full-bodied red.
Which three people would you like
to have over to a dinner party?
Ricky Gervais, Robert Downy Jnr and
Eddie Izzard.
What is your current state of mind?
Feeling a bit like it's time for another
music festival.
What is your most treasured
possession?
My 1965 Ford Mustang.
What is your greatest
extravagance?
My 1965 Ford Mustang.
How do you relax?
I drink wine, obviously!
Photograph courtesy of Quirky House
