Smartbuy issue dated March 30, 2011

SmartbuyWednesday, March 30, 2011

G A D G E T S | A U T O | L U X U R Y www.blsmartbuy.com

Business Line

New Hyundai Verna drivenTo scorch Indian roads in MayPage 8

+ Laptops that stand by you

2 March 30, 2011Smartbuy

WHAT’S HOT this week

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Inspired by Gulf Oil, this limited edition, vintage style MERDIIST phone features a soft touch black bodyfinish, which has been applied using a PVD surface treatment, making it virtually scratch-resistant. Thebattery cover is made of black rubber, and is lined with two stripes each of orange and light blue,signature Gulf colours. The phone is internally customised with five wallpapers and animation referringto Gulf style. It comes with a protective leather case. Rs 3,95,000

Black gold TAG Heuer Gulf MERDIIST

The latest from Lenovo, IdeaPad Z570, features a 15.6-inch HD LED glaredisplay and is based on the Intel Huron River platform. Powered by a Core i3processor, the laptop features the AccuType keyboard. Integrated Intel HD3000 graphics and Nvidia GeForce GT520M card makes it gamer-friendly. Rs 33, 190 onwards

A powerful startLenovo IdeaPad Z570

Melts in your handsAcer Liquid Metal

Cover photo: S. Muralidhar

This sleek smartphonefrom Acer is the latest inthe Liquid series, and isbased on the Android 2.2OS. The phone features a5-meg camera with digitalzoom and LED flash. It isalso capable of 720p HDvideo recording. An LEDsignal on the chrome toppanel notifies you of alerts.It has a 2.6-inch TFTmulti-gesture capacitivetouch screen, and threepopular keyboard layouts.Users will also experienceBreeze, Acer’s newinterface, which adds tothe Android experience.Rs 20,500


This luxury mouse from Amkette has been launched especially for laptop users.With a scratch-resistant body, piano finish and rubberised sides, this mouse isideal for travel. 2.4 GHz wireless technology makes it easy to connect up to a 30ft radius, and the Plug & Forget Nano receiver can be placed under the mouseduring travel. A 1,000 DPI high-precision sensor makes it easy to use. Rs 795

The right click Amkette ELEMENT

This 55-inch 3D LED TV from Haier is paired withFull HD 1080P and 120Hz full motion, to offer

amazing picture quality with minimal motion blur. Itcomes with SRS TruSurround XT technology, whichgives any movie a live-performance quality. The telly

has three HDMI connections to let you hook upmultimedia gadgets. You can also playback mediafrom the USB 2.0 input by plugging in USB flash

drives, hard drives and card readers.Rs 1,99,990

The latest smartphone from HTC features a bright 4-inch WVGA Super LCDdisplay clubbed with stereo surround sound technology that brings cinematicexperience to the palm of your hand. It boasts of an 8-megger with dual flashand easily enables videos, photos and music to be shared from the handsetdirect to a TV using DLNA technology. Rs 28,900

The latest smartie HTC Incredible S

Spring to lifeHaier LE55A310

LAPTOP line-up

A palette of portable performers

This material is translated or reproduced from T3 magazine and is the copy

Commuters, backpackwearers and businessnomads are now able to enjoy the power of a

desktop computer of just a few years ago,compressed into a machine that’s light andslim. These laptops offer superb portability

without too many sacrifices. You can organiseyour life, use Office docs, edit films – even inHD – and perhaps enjoy a little gaming, all onthe same svelte little head-turner of a laptop.

Improved battery life means you won’t berunning to the nearest socket every few

hours, too. More powerful than a netbook,more versatile than a tablet, these are

2011’s hot tickets…

right of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under license. All rights reserved


The original MacBook Air was a gorgeous piece of kit, butits lust-inducing design was hampered by equally dis-tinctive, sluggish performance. That’s changed with theaddition of a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor and the useof a 128 GB solid state drive (SSD), rather than the tradi-tional hard disk.

You’ll now fly through most applications with ease and,although the Air lags behind some of the other laptopshere on paper, it’s still more than powerful enough toallow multitasking of everyday tasks.

Furthermore, the similarly beefed up NVidia graphicscard provides enough muscle for editing HD films on themove and even a bit of light gaming.

So now there’s brawn to match the Air’s beauty. Theseamless, aluminium unibody chassis ensures the Mac-Book Air is as durable as it is striking and at 17mm thick it’salso perfect for slipping into a manbag. At 1.32kg you’llbarely notice it’s there. The 13.3-inch screen serves uprazor-sharp images as long as you keep its reflective face

Aesthetics meets usability Apple MacBook Airout of bright sunlight. The keyboard is one of the bestaround, while the large touchpad offers Apple’s peerlessmulti-touchpad control, making web navigation easy. Bat-tery life is respectable at up to five hours. What really givesthe Air an edge is Apple’s superb Mac OS X operatingsystem and the bundled iLife software suite, with appssuch as iPhoto and iMovie making your digital life thatmuch easier. As with the original Air, connectivity islacking – there’s no HDMI-out or Ethernet – and the priceis a little high.

However, its mix of graceful design and impressivepower is still very hard to resist.Love - Unparalleled portability and usability. Decentperformance. Mac OS X and iLife. Stunning looksHate - Expensive. Limited connectivity and storage. Nooptical driveWe say - A highly desirable, ultra-portable combinationof grace and powerRs 79,900

and your music collection, which will sound especiallygood on the Envy 14. HP has collaborated with Dr Dre’sBeats Audio to produce a dedicated speaker system for theEnvy range. The result is great, well balanced audiothrough the powerful built-in speaker, giving musicalclout that’s rare indeed from a laptop. The only majorweaknesses of the Envy 14 are its weight, rather ugly looksand relatively poor battery life – you get just under fourhours per charge. Those things aside, it’s an impressivemachine.Love - Impressive graphical performance and fastprocessor. Plenty of storage space. Rugged, aluminiumdesign. Beats speaker systemHate - Infuriating touchpad. Heavier than most ultra-portables. Runs very hotWe say - An action-packed and extremely powerfullaptop with a host of extra features. Only poor batterylife and its sheer weight let it downRs 75,000

When HP announced the Envy range in 2009 it wasaiming to dethrone Apple’s MacBook Pro. This latest ver-sion of the laptop is, at 14.5-inches, the smallest Envy yetbut still delivers Pro-style performance. At 2.5kg this is theheaviest laptop on test, thanks in part to its machinedaluminium design. This extra weight isn’t wasted as theEnvy 14 is a true multimedia powerhouse, packing a2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor that offers more powerthan the average portable laptop.

If you’re a gamer or use graphically demanding soft-ware packages this extra power and the ATi graphics cardwill make multimedia tasks a breeze. We easily got Call ofDuty: Black Ops running smoothly. The 14-inch screen isvery bright, crisp and clear, with a 1366x768, hi-def resolu-tion making the most of content from games to HD movies.

The full-size, backlit keyboard is comfortable to use, butthe touchpad is terrible – we regularly brushed it whilewriting this review.

There’s a 500 GB hard drive for storing photos, movies

Small yet power-packed HP Envy 14

The Sony Z Series continues to beautifully combine theholy trinity of power, portability and usability. It’s ridicu-lously expensive, but for those after features and power atany cost, this is as good as it gets. The design lacks the superattractiveness of the MacBook Air but is similarly light, andthe Z Series beats Apple’s device to claim the crown of bestscreen on test. You rarely get such fantastic colour repro-duction on a laptop, and the lack of a shiny screen coatingmeans there are no irritating reflections in direct sunlight.The keyboard is spacious, with backlighting controlled byan ambient light sensor that makes using it in low lightconditions no problem.

There’s a Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory, and thebattery life also impresses, helped by the presence of twographics cards. Controlled by a switch above the keyboardyou can toggle between the battery-friendly integratedIntel graphics card and a far more powerful Nvidia chip ifyou’re dealing with HD video or getting down to somegaming. The Z Series can play all the latest gaming titles,

from Fallout 3: New Vegas to Call of Duty: Black Ops, butyou may have to turn down the resolution for a smoothexperience. You can set the Z Series to automaticallydecide on the most appropriate graphics chip to use at anygiven time.

The 128 GB solid-state drive provides speedy if limitedstorage and there’s a 3G module included that lets youinsert a SIM card – for which you will need to sign up for adata plan with a network provider. Naturally, if you’vebought something as lush and expensive as the Z Series,you don’t want to besmirch it with a cheap-looking 3Gdongle…Love - Very powerful, with switchable graphics chips.Class-leading screen.Backlit keyboard. 3G connectivityHate - Ludicrous price. Limited storageWe say - The Z Series offers brutally efficientperformance… but what a price!Rs 1.5 lakh

The luxe lappy Sony VAIO VPCZ13M9E/B


Toshiba laptops tend to offer good portability, reliabilityand keen pricing without exuding too much of a Poun-dland vibe and the Satellite R630 is no exception.

The R630’s tough magnesium chassis is light and slim.It’s fractionally heavier than the Apple and Sony laptops,but very manageable at 1.5 kg. Despite the low price itboasts the same Intel Core i5 and 4 GB of RAM as the Sony,for less than half the price. The 398-minute battery lifebetters anything on test.

Where the Tosh falls down is in terms of graphicalpower. The integrated Intel chip offers basic graphicscompared to the other laptops here. Although there’senough punch for entry-level photo editing and streamingclips from YouTube, it will struggle with video editing andgaming.

The 13.3-inch screen is slightly underwhelming, notcoming close to matching the Apple and Sony laptops forcolour and clarity. Similarly the keyboard doesn’t passmuster, with an irritatingly spongy action and slipperyplastic keys that make typing for longer periods of time achore.

A 320 GB hard drive provides adequate space for yourdata, music, films and what have you and there’s a healthynumber of ports, including an eSATA interface for trans-ferring data rapidly to an external hard drive. You also getboth VGA and HDMI video out.

The R630 is not as slim as the MacBook Air, but it hassome more powerful components and is still very light andeasy to carry around However, while the R630 looks like abargain at first, its lack of graphical oomph will put offleisure users while more casual/business users won’t likethe keyboard or screen. It’s a laptop you tolerate ratherthan love, we’d say. Love - Attractive price. Excellent battery life andportability. Good performance on non-graphically-intensive tasksHate - Very poor keyboard. Graphics are not up to HDvideo or gamingWe say - It’s hard to knock the Toshiba’s value formoney, portability and battery life but it lacksversatility and styleRs 58,000

Pocket-friendly portable Toshiba Satellite R630

well as both HDMI and VGA. As with all the laptops on test, NWi-Fi ensures fast wireless networking in hot spots across thecountry.

The ivory white lid and gentle curves of the chassis makethis an attractive, as well as functional, laptop. The palm restfeatures a brushed aluminium finish and the touchpad re-flects light in a swirling pattern. It’s far better looking than theHP Envy, if not the Air. One minor caveat is that at 2 kg it’s byno means the most portable thing here. However, with bat-tery life of over seven hours, allied to the impressive spec, thislaptop is an absolute steal. Love - Great everyday performance and decent graphicalability. Very affordable price tag. Very good battery lifeHate - Slightly chunky design. Not the lightest of laptops,although it is still fairly portableWe say - The price is exquisitely low for the spec. Add aslick design and long battery life and this is a killer laptopRs 58,000

Combining the power of the Sony Z Series – well, nearenough – with the price tag and portability of the ToshibaR630, this is a bona fide, copper-bottomed, militarygradebargain. Everyday performance is excellent thanks to theIntel Core i5 processor and 4 GB of memory on board,while the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphicscard allows quite a bit of play on the go as well as work.We’re not talking highend gaming, although it is possibleto run Call of Duty: Black Ops smoothly and HD movieediting is well within its reach.

The crisp, bright screen has a 720p resolution andmakes the best of photos and films. The spacious keyboardis another impressive feature, with none of the spongycheapness of the Toshiba R630. The 320 GB hard drive isabout what you’d expect for the price and you also get aDVD-RW drive – something you won’t find on the Mac-Book Air.

There’s a good spread of ports, including three USBs as

A classy touch Samsung SF310


AUTO focus

S.Muralidhar

It seemed like the summer had advanced upon usand had hit the sands earlier than expected. Justinto the early hours of the noon and the wide roadswere already throwing up wavy mirages. The glint-

ing white sun shone fiercely outside, though inside, I wassitting within the comfortably air-conditioned confines ofa familiar car.

The setting was in Dubai late last month and I was thereto experience the new Hyundai Verna. The land of theBurj Khalifa and the Palm islands was certainly letting slipsome signs of the slowdown, but of course, there were noeffects of the turmoil that many other parts of the mid-west are going through.

As for the new, 7th generation Verna that I was driving,there is bound to be turmoil… amongst the competitionthat is. The new Verna, also sold as the Accent in manyother markets of the world, will make its India debut byMay this year. And the transformation is huge.

This is the 25th anniversary, so to say, for the Verna, amodel that was first introduced as the Pony in 1976. Thenew (seventh-gen) Verna was in development for fiveyears and last year it was launched in a few marketsabroad.

Sultry in the sandI was part of a bunch of journalists from all over the world,who had been flown into Dubai to drive the new Verna(the photos you see are of the Accent-badged, left-handdrive version of the Verna). We drove the Verna from our

hotel in the Jebel Ali area in Dubai to Fujairah on theshores of the Indian Ocean, a distance of about 380 kms.

The new Verna looks more compact than the prede-cessor, even when you step up close to it. There is none ofthe awkward appearance of bulkiness to the front of thecar. And instead, the new Verna joins the trio of Hyundaisthat have already adopted the Korean company’s FluidicSculpture design philosophy.

The Verna’s design now joins and nicely carries forwardthe defining character lines of the new i10, the new Sonataand the new Tucson. Hyundai says that the design philos-ophy adds sophisticated, dynamic angles and elegant de-sign lines that resemble calligraphic ‘orchid strokes’. Withthe new Verna, Hyundai designers are said to have em-ployed the design concept ‘sleek on dynamic’ for both the

exterior and the interior of the car. What this has translated into is an exterior design that

gives it a very coupe-like profile, which is also found in thelatest iterations of other Hyundai models like the Sonata.The new Verna is sleeker. Gone are the languorous lines ofthe predecessor. Instead the lines surround the new modelwith a certain sense of hurried purpose. The new Vernaexudes a new elegant, sophisticated attitude.

That doesn’t mean that there are no examples of Hyun-dai’s trademark novelty in the new Verna. The large hexa-gonal front grille, the new Hyundai design signature thatthe current i10 also showcases is one of the first designelements at the front that strike you. The eagle-eye two-tone bezel headlamps and the unique L-shaped fog lampsare the other features that catch the eye at the front.

Just below the sleek grille is a three-slatted airdam. Thenew Verna’s design is more cohesive. All the body linesconnect and culminate into creating a more ‘wholistic’image compared to the previous models. The invertedbonnet crease and the side running lines are visual high-lights that catch the light even in the shade.

A strong shoulder line, a coupe-like glass area and thecurvaceous roofline will also catch the fancy of buyers inthe premium sedan segment.

At the rear, the new Verna’s simple and flowing, buttight design theme continues.

A stubby boot is dominated by petal-shaped wrap-around tail-lamps. An over-sized rear bumper is cut deepby the boot door ensuring a low loading height and easyaccess into the cavernous luggage area.

Leaving the City in rear view?


Changing dimensionsThe Hyundai Verna has had its work cut out to someextent by its predecessor - deliver as much value, but in apackage that is larger and smarter.

The new Verna is built on a 2,570mm long structuralplatform, which is about 70mm longer than the outgoingmodel.

Most of that extra length has gone into leveraging extraspace for the front and rear passengers. The legroom forthe front seats is said to be now on a par with that of amedium sized car at 1,112mm. It is also wider and longeroverall than its predecessor by 5mm and 90mm, at1,700mm and 4,370mm respectively.

The overall height, however, has been marginally re-duced by about 13mm to 1,457mm. Hyundai designerschose to do that to ensure that the car’s sporty coupe-likeprofile is maintained, though they have also ensured thatthe head room in the cabin is not reduced.

But the best part of the design of the new Verna is itsability to compress itself into you when at the wheel. So,despite the larger proportions, the overall design makesyou feel that you are actually driving a smaller car.

Also worth remembering here is the fact that most of thenew Verna’s key dimensions are more than the currentsegment benchmark – Honda City.

Smart interiorsTo take the fight further, Hyundai is also making somesignificant India-specific changes to the Verna both insideand out. A dual disk horn, a twin-tip chrome muffler,

electrically folding door mirrors (which also have in-tegrated LED indicators) are some of the exterior changesfor the India-spec model.

Inside the new Verna the additions will be chromeaircon vents, a rear seat audio remote control, wood graininserts for the door panels and special storage space in therear seat arm rest.

The one other addition to the India-spec model’s list isthe more delicious bit – a new U II 1.4-litre diesel engine.For the first time in this segment, the new Verna will beoffered with as many as four engine options – two petroland two diesel units.

The new Verna I drove at Dubai featured the new1.6-litre Gamma engine. It is a DOHC, inline four-cylinder

engine with multiport fuel injection and continuouslyvariable valve timing (CVVT). The new Gamma engine ismore powerful with an output of 123 PS at 6,300 rpmcompared to the outgoing Verna Alpha engine’s 103 PS at5,500 rpm. The new 1.6-litre engine is also more torqueygenerating as much as 15.8 KgM at 4,200 rpm compared tothe Alpha engine’s 14.9 KgM at 3,000 rpm.

The other petrol engine that will be offered will be the1.4-litre Gamma that will put out a peak power of 108 PSand peak torque of 13.9 KgM. Both the engines are expect-ed to be mated with a choice of two transmissions – afour-speed automatic and a five-speed manual.

The 1.6 Gamma I drove was paired with the automatictransmission. It is a very refined, quiet and vibe-free en-gine.

Though the engine has ample reserves of power, it felt alittle hamstrung by a slightly slower shifting auto gearbox.With the manual gearbox, I am sure the 1.6 Gamma willoutdo the others in the segment.

The Dubai-Fujairah stretch was chosen by Hyundai forthe varied terrain it offered. The highway runs through ahealthy mix of straights, hilly/curvy and city driving con-ditions.

By the time the Verna is launched here, it will be offeredwith two other engines. Claimed to be quiet, clean andresponsive, the Verna will get a U-II 1.6-litre VGT (varia-ble geometry turbocharger) diesel engine with peak pow-er characteristics of 128 bhp and peak torque of 26.5 KgM.It will also be offered with a U-II 1.4 VGT diesel enginethat will generate 90 bhp of power and 22.5 KgM of torque.

Photos: S. Muralidhar


Lasting impressionsI found the quality interior of the new Verna to be anotherstep up by Hyundai. A Y-shaped, symmetrical dashboardlayout is simple and pleasing to the eye.

The quality of plastic and other materials used is aboveaverage for the segment and there is a general sense ofsymmetry and proportion to the position of all the controlsand panels.

For improving the ride and handling, Hyundai engi-neers have also replaced the old style sub-frame at thefront in the Verna and have instead now give it a H-shape

sub-frame for making a lighter structure overall and toassist the independent suspension. At the rear, a coupledtorsion beam axle set up does the job of optimising thesuspension. Steering is motor driven and helps in precisecontrol. The new Verna is yet to be rated for fuel effi-ciency, but it is expected to be better than the prede-cessor’s.Other features in the new Verna include aBluetooth system for the music system that allows thedriver to both make hands-free phone calls and alsostream music wirelessly to the cars speakers.

The Verna will also be offered with an optional back

warning system and a back-up camera with a hidden LCDdisplay in the electro-chromic rear-view mirror to helpthe driver park with ease while reversing. The new Vernawill certainly be a force to reckon with when it is launchedlater this year. With the new styling and powertrain pack-ages Hyundai will surely look to the Verna for bridging thegap in numbers with its competitors. But, pricing will stillremain a key factor in ensuring that it tops the list. I expectit to be in the range of Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Two monthsto go…

[email protected]

Spotlesstreat

Summer glancesFor those bling lovers, Elle’s sunwear pieces in trendy floral and jewelencrusted designs are ideal for a bit of picky shopping at the farmer’smarket or a fun day out at the beach. Head to leading optical stores acrossIndia. Rs 3,950 to Rs 4,850


MELANGE luxury redefined

TAG Heuer’s new line of sunglasses for women has the stylish persona of MariaSharapova weaved into its sleek and futuristic designs in chic colours withgradated lenses. Available at Johnson watch boutique, New Delhi.Price on request

The right curve

ColourplayLetting you havefun with coloursin a special way isWilliam Pennwith its range of46 exclusivecolours of inksfrom PrivateReserve, CDA &Sailor and Lamy.To make a splash,head to its outlets.Rs 495

With Denim andSportswear lines formacho and daintyfeet, TommyHilfiger’s SpringSummer footwearrange has some funslip-ons, loafers,sneakers and boatshoes to sink into.Available at its stores.Rs 1,400 onwards

Cool steps

Vichy haslaunched theBi-White DeepCell-WhiteningSpot Interventionthat treats andcorrects existingmelanin and helpsreduce dark spotsand acne scars.Available at selectpharmacies.Rs 990

PREMIUM interiors

The glamour and glitz of the world of cinema has dazzledand influenced Indians since time immemorial.

In fact, we have temples dedicated to some of thesecelluloid stars too. “The allure of cinema is enduring in

this country. So, this bar set-up is dedicated to all movie buffs,”offers the stylist.

Pulsating in pillar-red, the show-stopper, here, is the star-studded acrylic wall — featuring icons such as Rajnikanth, ElvisPresley and Michael Jackson — that looks just as impactful as a70-mm screen. It’s a perfect way to get your favourite celebritieshome. “The wall becomes a huge canvas that you can play with.You can add a frame to highlight your favourite star, such as thematte-gold ornate one that outlines Jackson’s poster; subtle yeteffective,” adds the stylist.

The sea-green, recycled-wood furniture offers a nice rusticcounterpoint to this otherwise high-spirited decor. In this settingfor four (two would work just as well), the furniture arrangementhas been kept tight.

The accessories have been kept to a minimum, to let thebackdrop to the talking. An oversized, fibreglass bulb lends softlighting, while a transparent glass vase, made hip with balloonsand tiny fairy lights squeezed between them, adds more glamour.

Movie magicBring the grandiose of

tinsel town home

Add a desi dash to your décor

Truck drivers laze on charpoys,devouring lip-smacking fare with theirfingers. Villagers stop en route forsome masala chai and fresh, juicy

jalebis. A group of teenage boys hang around asdusk softly approaches. This set-up celebratessmall town India, the essence of our country,where the urgency of ticking clocks doesn’texist. “This is a great way to put up an informalentertainment zone, bringing a dash of rusticcharm into your fast-paced metropolitanhome,” remarks the stylist. Resembling a dhaba,you have a khaat/charpoy for furniture and abucket that doubles up as a loose seating option.Here the dining table is replaced by thedistressed-finish haath gaadi replete with golasand nariyal paani that transport you to vivaciousmelas. But, why let the creative improvisationsstop here? Go ahead and bring the aboundingcolour, sweet irony and quirky reality of thiscountry to your space. Testimony to this are thecushions that draw inspiration from pulsatingstreets and jazzy pop art graphics on the back oftrucks and auto-rickshaws; the striking floraand fauna prints that turn an everyday cart andtrunk into a piece of art; bizarre store signagethat sometimes strikes a humorous note, etc.

The Dhabaeffect

Kitsch works its magic on this lounge

setting reminiscent of rural India

Better Interiors


TASTER’S choice

Elin McCoy

Eben Sadie pours glasses of red and white, brushesback sun-bleached hair and starts talking abouthis wine revolution. The South African’s non-stop philosophising seems part vision, part spin -

until I taste his brilliant, original wines.

Swartland district“I’m a soil maniac,” says South Africa’s most outspokenwinemaker (a term he hates). “Some people bet on horses,I like to walk into a vineyard and say, “I bet this will be theone.” Sadie focuses on getting terroir - a taste of theclimate, soil, and tradition of where the grapes are grown -into his wines. We’re in the Sadie Family Wines officeabove his small winery, a room with orange walls, maps ofBurgundy, and crate shelves lined with empty bottles thatonce held the world’s greatest vintages.

In this cluster of whitewashed buildings in the Swar-tland district, the opinionated Sadie is making some of themost fascinating wines I tasted during a recent tripthrough South Africa’s vineyards. An hour north of CapeTown, Swartland is the country’s latest buzz wine area, aWild West compared to the famous Stellenbosch district,whose sophisticated shops, flashy architecture andwealthy French investors remind me of Napa Valley.

Baboon landLong known as wheat-growing country, Swartland has ahistory of bulk wine cooperatives. The name means ‘blackland’, for the native rhino bush that turns the dry, sparelandscape dark part of the year.

In the past decade, a small group of maverick wine-makers has been changing that image. “Here,” says Sadie,38, “is where you can make the greatest South Africanwines.”

He ticks off the region’s virtues: the temperature swings(40 degrees centigrade by day, 15 degrees by night), theschist and granite soils, the many old vineyards, highaltitude grapes growing in baboon habitat.

A wine perfectionist in baggy cargo shorts and scruffycanvas shoes, he got his start in Swartland as winemaker atCharles Back’s Spice Route winery, one of the district’s

first serious ventures, then branched out on his own in1999 with $12,000, 14 barrels, and a German partner.

“The cellar doesn’t excite me,” he says. “What reallyaffects me is the angle of the plow.” Still, he constantlyexperiments, even aging wine in clay amphora.

What stands out in Sadie’s several bottlings is theirsurprising purity and complexity. I give the edge to hisluscious, mineral-and-orange blossom white, 2008 Palla-dius ($60), a blend of 10 white grapes. His dark, earthy2009 Columella, a syrah/mourvedre red ($90) is plush,seductive. Of his $30 “Monday to Friday” wines, I preferthe creamy yet fresh 2009 Sequillo white to the 2008Sequillo red.

Not CabernetSwartland’s revolutionaries prize blends over single varie-tals, syrah over cabernet. They like organic grape growing,natural yeasts, and above all, old vines - all to show off theregion’s unique terroirs.

At 6 pm, I arrive at nearby Babylon’s Peak (first vintage

2003) on the slopes of Paardeberg mountain, more than anhour late. Owner Stephan Basson assures me that’s thenorm when you’ve been visiting Sadie.

We bump up a long rutted jeep track to a spot just belowthe mountain’s 700-metre peak for a drink and the view,passing a steep vineyard of 40-year-old Chenin Blancvines that look like thick trunked bushes.

Like many growers, Basson considered pulling them outbecause of low yields and prices. Now he makes his ownlively wine from some of the grapes, and serious wine-makers like Sadie are willing to pay top dollar for the rest.

Leopards returnThe family set aside part of the mountain on their hugefarm as a natural preserve, one example of the recentefforts in the South African wine world to preserve biodi-versity. The Western Cape is the smallest yet richest plantkingdom on earth.

“We know the leopards are back,” Basson says. I keepmy eyes open, but spot only unusual birds. Later thatevening, several producers turn up for a tasting and braai(barbecue) at the winery of another rebel, Adi Badenhorst,former winemaker at a high-profile Stellenbosch estate.

Badenhorst, 40, wears flipflops, a TinTin t-shirt, and ashort grey ponytail. He carries a wine bottle in one handand his sleeping daughter on his back. The 1930s winery,abandoned until he and his cousin bought it 3 years ago, isalmost restored. “Every farmer had one until the cooper-ative opened in 1948,” he says. Now the cooperatives arebecoming unprofitable and the wine scene encouragesgrowers to make their own.

While Badenhorst’s assistant winemaker turns meat onthe fireplace grill, I head for the wines, savouring the fresh,citrusy 2008 A.A. Badenhorst white blend and spicy,plushy 2007 red, (both $35), and the Lammershoek win-ery’s intriguing 2007 Roulette red ($20) and vibrant 2009Roulette Blanc ($18). Thanks to Swartland’s small band oftalented producers, there’s plenty of hype about the wines.They don’t all live up to it. But, then, the revolution’sbarely started.

South Africa’s ‘wild’ wine revolution

Photos: Bloomberg

(The author writes on wine and spirits for Muse, the arts and leisuresection of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)


BEVERAGE launch

Perfect pairing is the key to truly enjoying good wines. But, most often anddespite getting the best wines to the dinner table, many of us don’t quite getpast the clichés of pairing - white wine with white meat and the red with thereds.

Just to add to the learning curve and to give a taste of experienced pairingto connoisseurs, Rhapsody, the Italian restaurant at the Courtyard by Mar-riott, Chennai hosted an evening of fine dining with a special three-coursedinner paired with new-age wines.

The antipasti platter, served to whet our appetites, brought to the tablebruschetta with grilled vegetables, mascarpone and basil pesto, accompa-nied by tomato and fresh buffalo mozzarella with an aged balsamic reduc-tion, apple and pears salad with mixed greens and minestrone soup. Tocomplement the antipasti was a flute of Sartori Pinot Grigio (2009), a sweet,dry white wine that went down well with the range of flavours that theantipasti presented with a bouquet of citrus, peach blossom and pear.

This was followed by one of the chef’s signature dishes, the mushroomravioli, presented with a rich, ruby red glass of Danzante Merlot (2008). Thenose gives away notes of wild cherry and blueberry, which lead into notes ofblack pepper and chocolate. The crisp, full-bodied wine, usually paired withprosciutto, vegetables and mushrooms went down amazingly well with themelt-in-your-mouth ravioli.

For the main course we had the option of choosing between spinach andmozzarella stuffed chicken breast and vegetable parmigiana served with BelColle Rosso (2008), a mildly spicy red made from a mix of Montepulcianoand Sangiovese grapes that complemented the main course with its lightbouquet of raspberries.

The evening of sublime gastronomical delights paired with young wineswas signed off with a helping of irresistible Rhapsody Tiramisu and a shot ofKahlua. Bliss!

Bonne santé!From fashion

to wine

With a bold and whackybottle to tipple vodkalovers over, AlliedBlenders and Distillershave re-launched itsClass brand as Class 21.A neutral spirit, thevodka is crafted fromhighly purified Indiangrain. The uniquecarbon filtrationprocess makes it crispand smooth on thepalate while the subtlegrain character offers apleasant bouquet. Rs 250 (Delhi)

Edgyvodka

Kimaya, the fashion househas now sashayed into thepleasure of wine drinkingwith the launch of KimayaWines. Along with TheGalvanized Wine Group ofAustralia, Kimaya’sportfolio includes a citrusand youthful Chardonnay2010, Shiraz 2010 withfresh spices and a palateof berries, a frizzante styleShiraz – Sparkle 2010 andthe Moscato 2010 whichis light with floral notes.And thanks to Kimaya’sprecedents, the bottle isstylish and chic too. Rs 1,200 – Rs 1,400

Smartbuy issue dated March 30, 2011

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Transcript of Smartbuy issue dated March 30, 2011