During a visit to the Garden Route last year to investigate emerging wineries, I was introduced to Ganzerkaal, home of The Goose wines - a joint venture incorporating top-golfer Retief Goosen as namesake and partner. What struck me on my first account was the scene of thriving vineyards in an otherwise rather parched-looking landscape. Proteas, fynbos and karoobossies are the natural vegetation in the Upper-Langkloof appellation, and I remember thinking that winemaking should have seemed like an obscene idea to regional boere more focussed on ostrich-breeding than wine. The Goose team is well aware of regional realities and follows a mindful approach to terroir. By nurturing “pockets of excellence” the team has managed to disprove cynics and is now set on scoring an Eagle.

 

When an opportunity to meet with the team (including Goosen) presented itself I naturally jumped at the chance - not least because a flip in Goosen’s PC 12 Pilatus to George was part of the itinerary.  Unfortunately on the day, our group of eight journalists had to make do with an impromptu minibus trip down the N2 when George airport called a ground to all flights and closed the tarmac for inbounds due to unfavourable weather conditions.

The flutter quickly returned to our clipped wings during the night’s procedures at Fancourt’s Country Club on the Links golf course. Winemaker Alwyn Liebenberg and co-partners Morné Jonker and Werner Roux were flanked by The Goose himself, who was in high spirits in spite of his own detour by road via Port Elizabeth to George.

The Goose wine portfolio currently includes a Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz-based blends bottled under the Expression label. The name, Duracell-charged marketer Morné Jonker explained, is linked to Goosen’s media-title as “the quiet golfer”. The name plays on his focussed demeanour on the course, where he is often referred to as being “expressionless” – none of that in the wines however, as both the 2007 and 2008 red blends have definite expressive characters, showing plum, mushroom and perfumed spice on the nose with fine tannins and a structured mouthfeel. The whites are equally expressive with the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc clearly mineral-driven with bracing acidity providing a solid finish.

Goosen earnestly declared that he “would not put a bad product on the market with my name” to which the journalists in attendance nodded in approval. Drawing a lot of attention was the newly launched The Gander 2009, a Shiraz with a dollop of Viognier. The wine has appealing hints of vanilla and fynbos on the nose and a genteel mouthfeel, which is perhaps why Sunday Times wine writer Neil Pendock termed it “feminine”. It trades for the surprisingly low price of R75! When asked about price positioning in comparison to other golfer labels, Roux said that the “premium does not need to mean ultra-expensive” which is great for the enthusiast wanting to acquire a little, or a lot, of the celebrity-profiled wine.

Festivities continued well-into the night, with Goosen disproving all media allonyms with his jovial presence. Wine talk aside, I had to ask the big Tiger question… and no, says Goosen, no-one knew. “The true question is where did he find the time?”