The Beer Secretary And Why You’ll Be Drinking More Wine At &UNION.

If you hadn’t yet noticed the appearance of @andUnionwine on The Twitter Global Network of Misinformation & Nonsense and haven’t spotted her at Cape Town’s Favourite & Only Beer Bar, let me be the one to inform you that &UNION has appointed someone in a more wine-focused role. She’s Gemma Smith, a devout wine-lover and recovering sommelier from the fine-dining scene who sports an English accent. And yes, she’s a woman – they finally hired a woman. Since I’m partial to smashing a prego/pulled pork/hot dog with a Berne/Dark Lager/Touro Blonde at &UNION on a regular basis, and do love my wine in indecent quantities, I cornered her to ask some blunt questions…

What exactly are you doing at &UNION?
I’m focusing on artisanal wines, finding the weird and the wonderful, then promoting them, and getting only the best onto the wine list.

So when do people taste these wines if they’re not on the wine list?
We’re doing winemakers evenings to promote them. Saturday nights where we’ll showcase wines that are either very boutique, one-offs or old vintages. That sort of thing.

What’s on the agenda?
There’s going to be lots, all with unforgettable wines, wines people don’t know about. We’ve got a great ‘golden oldie’ evening with winemaker Peter Finlayson from Bouchard Finlayson where we’re drinking vintage Chardonnay, going back to the early 1990′s.

And I’ve noticed you’ve started tastings on certain evenings during the week?
Yup, these are wines that I get to taste as either options for the featured winemaker evenings or potentially taking on the list. A good bottle of wine going to waste is a terrible thing, so we share it out with you guys, the plebs, people who know nothing about wine. (this last bit is directed at me, personally)

What sort of wines?
There are some gems, but I get sworn to secrecy on some, especially when there’s 200 or so bottles left and we don’t want someone else snapping them up.

How do you find these wines?
I spent three years as a sommelier so connected with loads of winemakers. Winemakers get bored easily – they’ve all got a barrel of sneaky something on the side. That’s what we want.

What’s the most interesting you’ve tasted so far?
A wine made from litchis, definitely the strangest wine. (I happened to taste it and found it sweet ‘n nasty!) The most interesting, probably the Elemental Bob wines. They’ve got a Barbera and Shiraz blend. Also a Barbera and Gewurztraminer blend called “The Turkish.” The winemaker, Craig Sheard, is here for our first winemaker evening actually.

So there are some cool vinous benefits to the customer?
Well, we’re doing 3 free tastings of wine per week., including the Saturday winemaker evenings. We’ll be introducing them to new wines they wouldn’t find, the wine list will expand with some more intriguing wines, listing around 40 wines eventually

Traditionally, the public is scared to ask about wine, which is wrong. But, that said, what is the worst thing you’re asked by people?
If you had to pick one wine to drink for the rest of your life, what would it be?

If you had to pick one wine to drink for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Okay, fine. German riesling. The JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ’94.

What does “Wehlener Sonnenuhr” mean to the layman, aka almost everybody else but you in Cape Town?
It’s just the name of the wine. It’s the sundial at the vineyard the wine is named after. And ’94 is a year all South Aficans know pretty well.

What are drinking a lot of at the moment?
Beer actually!

Which of the beers you drinking the most of?
Berne probably.

What do you make of Versus Goliath?
A lunchtime wine – I mean lunchtime beer! People see it as smaller, but then they end up having two. Go figure. It’s the little brother. Everyone needs a little brother.

What are you eating mostly here?
A lot of soup. With bacon, of course.

What’s your middle name?
Elspithelia Horriblis*

I call you ‘The Beer Secretary,’ but what’s your official title?
I haven’t got one yet. I drink beer and wine for a living now, so I guess i’m just a beverage specialist.

Mmm, that title sounds like you need a lab coat.
Well, the initials are also ‘B.S.’

Ah, that makes more sense then.

Find out more about the upcoming wine evenings and other fun happenings at &UNION via their website www.andunion.com.

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* I might have changed this from the more acceptable and truthful ‘Anne’ for editorial interest reasons.