Five Flies and Eight Wines
Posted by ymartiny | Filed under White Stick Sips
Slip off the vibrant Long Street and you will find Five Flies Restaurant & Bar. Like the name, it sets itself apart from the ordinary and mundane. As you enter from Keerom through the historic façade, the modest entrance running into the foyer looking into the kitchen, the courtyard (which could be in the country side) and the various private dining rooms; it all contributes to the charm and uniqueness of this place. That’s me putting this horse in front of the very ‘gay’ cart. . .
We all met in the bar which felt as any bar should, like a bar. Surrounded by pictures from when Cape Town was truly a ‘town’ one could easily spent the evening here.
Drew Master brought along the celeb for the night. With hands still soiled from the earth, you could see that this newly appointed Assistant winemaker from Camberley, Louis Krog was indeed the salt of the earth and knew how to earn an honest living.
Time to move and off we went to our tasting room. A few years back we celebrated a friend’s birthday in the same room we did the tasting in and even though it has gone through a recent minor facelift (more like Botox), everything still seemed the same.
Hopefully the tasting wouldn’t suffer. Here’s my notes:
* Whites:
Warwick Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc 2009 @ R185
Grassiness of a Sauvignon Blanc (Garlic?) which tickles me and ten a sip: smooth finish and a softness to it that tickles me once more. Then I remembered the last time I was tickled so much. It was the Warwick bloggers picnic where copius amounts of Sauvignon Blanc were consumed. With the second highest score in this category it is proof that you can be brainwashed into liking something. Grappie – I really liked this one and the fact that I scored it 15 which was the same as at the Mama Africa tasting (before the picnic) is proof that my bourgeoisie toungue can make some distinctions.
Hartenberg Chardonnay 2008 @ R165
More wood in this woodchuck than the first. If I could sap an elm though, this would be it. Also buttery and there is something deep and dark waiting to make my buddys jump. I scored this one the highest for the evening and (Garlic?) probably cause I like my matured wood so much: a glorious 17.
Paul Cluver Gewürztraminer 2009@ R135
Cheniny, bursty, bubbly, fresh and overpowering. If I was speed-dating I would give you a pass. No, it’s not you, it’s me!! A 13 for you while I sip on Hartenberg to forget you.
Mulderbosch Chardonnay 2007 @ R185
Another wine tasted before at Osetra not long ago. Suprisingle I scored this one a 15.5 then and this time around a 13.5. I blame it on Paul. Anyway, Chalky with little character save the one singular flavour on the nose and palate – I still cannot put my finger on it. “Pass this whitey to the left” – it makes me gaga … and not in a good way.
Reds:
Dornier Pinotage 2007 @ R165
As this one was poured, strawberry yoghurt jumped from the glass and I immediately liked it. Strawberry and I are tight like that! (Garlic?) Then the first gulp which struggled past the front of the palate. Then swallowed and the scarlet harlot decided to take revenge in the back of my throat. Scored it a 14 (if it wasn’t for the nose which saved your sorry tannins).
Raka Quinary 2005 @ R185
Next up was a dark one. This is going to sound weird (like so many other comments on this page) but I got iron on the nose. Like Dracula that needs to get out of his dark and gloomy French/American coffin and tell Pharaoh to let those grapes free from the bounds of oakiness because they are suffocating. Broccoli. Silk Worms. Reds shouldn’t be leafy (?) running havoc and I guess that’s why I scored this one the highest of the reds @ 15.5; (Garlic?) it was the geriatric nose and the rugby-shorts-after-a-hectic-game-on-a-newly-mowed-field palate that attracted me so much to this one.
Leopards Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 @ R115
Gummy Bears jumping here and there and everywhere. Karoo Lamb. (Garlic?). Milktart. Maybe I’m hungry. This was an easy red, found nothing ‘bad’ (personally) and scored it a 14.
Stellekaya Merlot 2006 @ R185
I was shocked to find that this was a Merlot. Shocked like when you find a grey hair for the first time! Nothing grabs me in terms of character and this is definitely not an easy drinking wine so I scored it a generous 13.
On a sad note, it did seem that, in this case, flies were the agents of decay and death. Everyone seemed so depressed and despondent and all they had to cheer them up was the ‘happy’ paintings. Michelle smiled on queue and I can’t take anything away from her programmed professionalism. Your soul can suffer, I guess, if you are surrounded by financial and judicial magnates all day long.
After so many years in the business of fine dining, you would have to ask yourself what contributes to their longevity. Is it the décor, staff and service, the food, their ‘happy hour’, interesting layout or its perfect location? I think one factor stands out more than the rest. The rest is merely necessary for operational requirements …
Another probable indication of how the surrounds have contributed to the running of the restaurant is the fact that the wine list is broken down from cheapest to most expensive. You would have to know your wines, as I’m sure Five Flies’ patrons do, if you are planning to impress your better half here. Other than the layout of the wine list, the wines seemed a bit more expensive than what we have seen at other establishments but nonetheless still an impressive variety.
A wine-fly myself, I looked forward to visiting Five Flies, but with the chilled reds we were served and the Tupperware glasses they came in, I can see why this wine-fly and many others will stay far away. With so many other wine bars and restaurants with similar concepts rising from creativity and the contemporary, I don’t see the buzz in this one lasting for much longer. On the other hand, it might be your kind of vibe (sorry Harry), so please don’t take my word for it. Try it and let me know what you think.
I had a ‘Whale’ of a time. Sorry guys.
* has no reference to the current political climate in South Africa or imply any form of hate speech
3 Responses to “Five Flies and Eight Wines”
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Kari Halgren Says:
April 7th, 2010 at 23:22Hi There, I just spent a little time reading through your posts, which I found entirely by mistake whilst researching one of my projects. Please continue to write more because it’s unusual that someone has something interesting to say about this. Will be waiting for more!
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ymartiny Says:
April 8th, 2010 at 09:06I’m glad you approve Kari. It’s like people are stuck with a grape vine up their you-know-what when it comes to writing about wine. It such a beautiful art. Why would you want to constrict yourself with industry terminology?
Thanks for the support. -
406 Says:
April 8th, 2010 at 20:34Awesome review
