It is impossible to separate preference from aesthetic judgment: you can compensate for your known biases but at best you are applying an adjustment factor to balance out the result. American uber-critic Robert Parker likes intensely flavoured, plush red wines. He tacitly admits to not fully understanding appellations whose hallmarks are delicacy and finesse. He no longer focuses on Burgundy, in whose nuances he has more than once stumbled into a minefield. He is clearly more comfortable rating old-vine Shiraz from Barossa or applying his 100 judging system to the super-ripe reds of Napa.

At a recent tasting I was presented with two wines which were stylistically completely different. One was the 2006 vintage of Alex Dale’s Gravity, the 2005 of which won a Platter five-star accolade. The other was Martin Meinert’s 2005 Cabernet.

It was easy to see why the Gravity is such a successful wine: made with Shiraz (50%), Cabernet (30%) and Merlot (20%) in what is called an “international” or “New World” style — hyper-ripe fruit, sumptuous textures, plump and polished, it was a Strasbourg goose of a wine. It exudes a sense of mollycoddled luxury: you know you are getting a bottle jam-packed with fruit and flavour, with care and craft. There’s almost no need to look at the label to know that it packs a not inconsiderable 15% alcohol — you don’t get that weight and clout from shaded canopies and early harvesting.

The Meinert is not as immediately attractive: it is less showy, without the rich intensity of taste and texture of the Gravity. There is more than a hint of leanness, restraint, almost austerity to Meinert’s Cabernet, and this has more to do with the source of fruit and the winemaking than the dedicated use of Cabernet. To make the Gravity you need the right — very healthy — fruit. Only then can you push ripeness levels to the hilt, extracting maximum colour and tannin in vinification, building texture with oak, and then “buffing” the wine prior to bottling.

It comes as no surprise to find that the Meinert is 13,5% — a full 10% less alcohol than the Gravity. It is more savoury, less accessible, harder work at present though easier to consume: the Gravity is impressive, the Meinert (for me) more interesting. Both producers knew what they were doing and both are clearly satisfied with the result.

Both styles are legitimate — but it is impossible to assess them without taking account of stylistic preferences. Dale’s formula works very well for him: his Winery of Good Hope has consistently been among the country’s more successful super-premium exporters and its partnership with Australia’s Yalumba business is a tribute to this achievement.

Meinert, Vergelegen’s first (modern) winemaker, is perhaps better known for his role in producing the Forrester Meinert Chenin Blanc (FMC) widely regarded as one of the top wines made from this varietal in the Cape. His reds are infinitely less showy: they generally don’t garner prizes but they have a loyal following among people with a more “Old World” or “classical” frame of reference.

Both sell, which shows that their producers have correctly read the expectations of the market. Nevertheless, they are as different as a Volvo is from a Porsche Cayenne. They can be described, and even reviewed. You can have a perfectly happy time test-driving them both, but only you know which one you’d rather take home.

From Business Day 8 April 2009