Wine aficionado Malu Lambert on Cape Town

I would describe myself as a wine journalist who also writes about food and sometimes travel.

I was born and raised in Cape Town.

What I love most about Cape Town is the proximity to anything you want to do, from beaches and forests to mountains, and naturally, the Winelands and access to an incredible variety of fine wines – I don’t think we know just how lucky we are. I love exploring the Winelands with my husband. He’s originally from Paarl so when we first started dating, we spent most of our time under the oaks on historic estates sipping wine and dreaming of the future.

I fell in love with wine when I worked as a waiter to pay for my studies; this saw me going overseas at one point where I worked in a high-end London restaurant. Every Friday we tasted wines from all over the world at “Table 17”, and soon I not only fell in love with wine itself, but also the story-telling aspect of it.

Bottled in every wine, is a lost summer, hopes and dreams of human endeavour and, of course, the story of the very soil itself. It’s difficult to pinpoint a wine, but I was completely seduced by Meursault (French Chardonnay) – what appealed to me about the wines was how utterly effortless they seemed – almost weightless – but at the same time so intense and complex. Almost an abstract taste sensation, wines like that are as much for cerebral pleasure as they are to simply drink and enjoy.

My happiest spot in the Cape is where I live on the southern peninsula in the beautiful, bucolic neighbourhood of Noordhoek. There’s nothing better than a Sunday spent walking on the beach with my family, followed by a beer and a hotdog at our local craft brewery, Aegir Project. They currently have a roasted marshmallow stout, which I think about at least five times a week before Sunday finally rolls around.

The coolest wine region in terms of climate, let’s say Elgin. Hands down my favourite wines there are made by Spioenkop Wines. The wines are so singular and distinct, I rate them all, but for a point of difference, try his “new wave” pinotage – vinified with respect to its pinot noir parentage; also try his riesling, that’s the benchmark of what we can do with the variety in this country – aromatic, defined, spectacular acid, and pure, crystalline fruit.

In terms of the coolest people and experience, I have to give a shout out to the team from Fryer’s Cove, deep in the West Coast about a four-hour drive from Cape Town. The winery and cellar are located on what was once a fish factory with a jetty running into the ocean. The vineyard for the Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc is located nearby (bamboes is the Afrikaans equivalent of kelp) and has the honour of being the smallest wine of origin in South Africa. You can taste the sea, the salt, the umami of kelp in this wine; I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise.

Every wine region has its charms. I love Stellenbosch for its history and the sheer number of experiences – you can spend days exploring the region, and still have more to discover. I love the beauty and the wines of the Hemel-en-Aarde, from Newton Johnson Pinot Noir to Bouchard Finlayson and Hamilton Russel Chardonnay – and to the inspiring people at Restless River, whose wines have brought a compelling energy to the region.

A dream day for me is having a view of the ocean, a plate of Saldanha oysters and a bottle of Chris Alheit Chenin Blanc. Or, going from cobwebby cellar to cobwebby cellar tasting wines out of the barrel with one of our many gifted winemakers while listening to their stories – luckily I get to do this as my day job.

I find inspiration in people who think creatively – not just in the arts, but really in anything in life. I’m drawn to ideas that are shaped through creative problem solving, or people who have created something completely new or so niche you never would have thought it would work. I also read, a lot. Around five to six books a month. And my best ideas come from being in the shower; I always leap out with a headline or a story pitch and run straight to my computer.

Like all trends, wine goes through cycles. At the moment there’s a move away from using too much new oak, and wines that are in favour are the more restrained, elegant styles, using older oak, or vessels such as amphora or concrete tanks that don’t impart flavour.

Millennials these days are apparently shying away from alcohol and are actually looking for alcohol-free options – there’s a bit of a boom in booze-free beverages, from dealcoholised wines to virgin ciders and gins. But the ones that still imbibe? I’m finding they are often more attracted to the packaging and story that come along with a wine – millennials are consciously looking for ways to interact with the world around them, there’s a search for authenticity, which brands have taken notice of.

The winery I’m watching at the moment is not a winery per se… but a region, I want to see Franschhoek doing more with their incredible resource of old vine semillon and semillon gris. Why don’t we hear more about it?

If I could live anywhere in the world I would live in Cape Town! We have the most wonderful life and wines here. If I had to leave, then a small village in France, for the wine and cheese, of course.

My dream lunch date is Wolfgat! I diligently waited for the bookings to open up this summer, but when they did, it was booked out immediately. I will have to wait till next year.

Recently, I’ve enjoyed two memorable wines I had the privilege of tasting. First up was Chris Williams of The Foundry (his day job is cellarmaster of Meerlust, and The Foundry is his own label). The man is a poet, he thinks so deeply about his wines and how to express them. The Foundry wines are linear, intense and so full of intrinsic energy. The range at the moment focuses on Rhône varietals. The Roussanne 2017 is so distinctive and characterful; floral and stony, textured and crystalline. Chris thinks the variety has a future in the Cape, and if its been made in this way, then I think he’s right! The other wine, was a Kanonkop Paul Sauer, vintage circa 1995! Kanonkop is widely known as SA’s first growth, and rightly so. Tasting this wine was drinking living history, and alive it was.

Malu’s Cape Town favourites

My favourite sushi spot is Obi.

One of the most memorable restaurant meals I’ve eaten recently was at La Tête, which is a wine-lover’s haven, and the food is a perfect foil for wines too, so a win-win.

The best places to hike are the wild beaches and coastal walks of Cape Point.

My favourite weekend getaway is the land of the mystic red gods! The
Cederberg is balm, and we are so lucky to have such an incredible natural heritage site on our
doorstep. It’s an amphitheatre of ancient rock art and crystal night skies. I was lucky enough to
stay at Bushman’s Kloof recently and I can’t recommend it enough.

The most important and impactful annual event is The Cape Wine Auction, which raises
money for education in the Cape Winelands, to date R86 Million…

Malu Lambert is a freelance food and wine journalist. She held the title of Veritas Young Wine Writer in 2015 and has been nominated as Emerging Wine Writer of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards 2019.

The rest of the time she runs, FABLE, a story-telling, social-media and copywriting company.

She also helps husband James Copeland in his craft rum and distilling project, Copeland Rum.