wine: idiom journey of the senses

T H E I DI OM C O LL E C TI ON

Journey of the Senses


IDIOM HAS RELEASED

THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF PRODUCTS THAT ARE UNIQUE AND

EVOCATIVE ‘EXPRESSIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA’.

THIS YEAR, A HIGH-END BESPOKE PERFUME INSPIRED BY THE IDIOM CAPE BLEND

MARKS THE FIRST IN A COMPENDIUM OF LUXURY PRODUCTS

TO BE CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH TALENTED SOUTH AFRICAN ARTISANS,

DESIGNERS AND ARTISTS.

IDIOM BY TAMMY BRINGS TOGETHER PERFUMER TAMMY FRAZER OF FRAZER PARFUM

WITH DAVID READE, MASTER GLASSBLOWER, TO CREATE A SENSORY FIRST IN SOUTH AFRICA.

WINE IS A JOURNEY OF THE SENSES: SIGHT, SMELL, TASTE, AND MEMORY.

WHILST MOST WINE BRANDS

FOCUS ON DIRECT PRODUCT EXTENSIONS (LIKE OLIVE OIL, OLIVES & ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS),

IDIOM HAS PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES OF INNOVATION IN THE WINE CATEGORY

BY CREATING A SCENT FOR HAUTE PARFUMERIE SALONS THAT PIONEERS A NEW EXPRESSION

FROM THE IDIOM COLLECTION OF WINES.


The Idea

The Idiom Collection, an exclusive range of South African wines, has partnered with Tammy Frazer of Frazer Parfum, to create a bespoke, wine-inspired scent in South Africa. One of the first of its kind, the limited edition parfum will be called IDIOM by TAMMY.


The Artisans The liquid scent is brought to life through the alchemy of Tammy Frazer, who is the grandchild of the founder of Oil of Olay, to create a unique and seductive night-time fragrance that is wine-inspired and is hand-crafted to appeal to the hedonistic senses. The rare nature of this scent places it in the category of Haute Parfumerie, with a few bottles already having been reserved for the Frazer Parfum collection at Harrods. The bottles are hand-blown by renowned local glassblower, David Reade, who instead of utilizing Frazer’s standard black interior has accentuated the difference in this perfume by using the deep purple, burgundian hue of the Idiom wine, to reflect the vinous nature of the contents. The form of the perfume flacon draws inspiration from the shape of Idiom’s distinctly slender, elegant and elongated wine bottle and the stature of the wine itself.


The Innovation

Frazer was tasked with bringing Idiom wines to life in the form of scent; and immediately saw the natural alignment between Idiom and a bespoke perfume offer, “Whilst the dictionary definition of IDIOM suggests an expression whose meaning is not predictable; a distinct style or character; the etymology of the word is from the Greek, to make one’s own.” IDIOM by TAMMY was created for someone who will appreciate the perfume’s uniquely South African characteristic and value its bespoke nature. Furthermore, whenever a scent is applied it becomes one’s own on the skin. The Bottega family, who own the Idiom Collection, chose to be the first in the wine industry to work with the South African born perfumer. Frazer recently started her elite offering called Frazer Parfum, that has already achieved a presence at high-end department stores internationally and largely caters to a client base of high net worth individuals in South Africa. Frazer took on the project which was briefed by proprietor Alberto Bottega to “blend and craft a perfume that was as evocative as the nature and character of The Idiom Collection of wines”. Much like the process of blending to craft a fine wine, Frazer embarked on a lengthy process to express the essence of the Idiom scent by blending various essences that resulted in a shortlist of ten final scents, with the most compelling chosen to be IDIOM by TAMMY.


The Inspiration

The inspiration used for the perfume was the IDIOM Cape Blend, which is a fragrant blend made with South Africa’s own unique varietal, Pinotage. Frazer has created a seductive aroma that does not use the wine directly but actively extracts the positive essence of the IDIOM Cape Blend wine: in this case the hints of rose petals, splashes of ripe berries, light vanilla and smokey nature of the barrels, retaining the sensual earthy character and a solid backbone. Typical of a good Cape Blend, there is a hint of caramel on the nose, and a bit of fynbos, leaving one with positive, lingering gourmand notes. Alberto Bottega spoke of the blend that inspired this collectors item, “The IDIOM Cape Blend reflects the Cape terroir but rather than the rough South African veld, it is like the gentle slopes of our Helderburg vineyards. It is a smooth rich wine made from the Cape's own grape Pinotage, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In the 2006 vintage, there was also a small amount of Petit Verdot added. It is opulent and long lingering, with abundant aromas of deep red cherry fruit, sweet caramel and fragrant cigar smoke.”


Provenance The perfume is infused with a sense of origin and directly captures the hardy terroir of the farm where the grapes are grown. True to the South African vineyard and maquis, particular attention has been paid to infuse the scent of the wildflower and fynbos that is found near the vines of Da Capo Vineyards that is truly South African. In creating the perfume, Frazer also paid attention to provenance of the Bottega family by using Bergamot from Italy to also evoke the heritage of the owner who was originally born in Northern Italy but moved to South Africa at a young age. Bottega notes, “Idiom is well known for its big, bold blends which have already won numerous accolades and are listed in top restaurants across the country; the Cape Blend is something truly exceptional and uniquely South African and we wished to create a perfume that would compliment and capture the nature of Idiom and particularly this wine.”


Pursuit of Perfection

The point of inspiration for this decadent fragrance is the Idiom Cape Blend that has recently won Double Gold at Michelangelo Awards 2009, Gold at Veritas and a Diamond award at the Investec Winemakers Choice Awards, as well as 4 stars in Wine Magazine.

Alberto Bottega, Idiom Wines PROPRIETOR TASTING NOTE:

“A velvety opulent wine made with the Cape's own grape Pinotage (36%), blended with Cabernet sauvignon (48%),

Merlot (10%) and Petit Verdot (6%). Intriguing multilayered aromas, flavours and textures.

Cloves, sweet almonds, black cherries and cocoa reminiscent of black forest cake.”

IDIOM CAPE BLEND


Sensory Exploration IDIOM is about sensory exploration and being ‘expressive;’ of nature, to launch the perfume in market, a dynamic private tasting session was held at Les Cascades in Bantry Bay that brought together sensory specialists from the coffee and perfume world with proprietor Alberto Bottega, son Roberto Bottega and wine sommelier Jorg Pfutzner to taste the Idiom wines and find new ways of expressing the character of these unique wines and the perfume. .

David Donde, Origin Coffee

COFFEE SOMMELIER TASTING NOTE: “The Cape Blend’s complexity, big mouth feel and enduring body, the ability to linger and hold ones attention with a long, enduring, pleasant aftertaste are the

qualities needed in an espresso blend.”

Tammy Frazer, Frazer Parfum PERFUMER TASTING NOTE:

“The Cape Blend has a deep red velvet start, with honeyed jasmine, earthy tuberose and full bodied cherries. Smoky smooth caramel with spicy undertones

of nutmeg and the familiarity of time past with cinnemonic clove. Followed quickly by the herbaceous sage and violet leaf that develop but do not dominate. The wine actually reminds me of South Africa, a hint of fynbos and green vines. In my opinion comparable to a piece of music it would be something played on a violoncello. Considering the balanced weight of the wine, in flavour it is dense,

abundant and evocative. The gourmand toffee and balsamic coconut is next apparent. The final accord is that of redcurrant buds, blackberry, juniper berries

and cocoa. The chocolate tones are lasting with every seasoned sip.”

Jorg Pfutzner, Under the Influence, The Roundhouse, Golf&Wein WINE SOMMELIER TASTING NOTE

“This wine is a knock out! The nose displays complex black fruit aromas which are refined with salmiak candy, fennel and tar.

Tightly packed with roasted wild herbs, pepper and creamy blackberries; this sweet full-bodied wine attacks and distributes a mouth-filling flavour array. The persistent and homogenous savoury finish impresses and supports a classy structure. This wine lives off its tension and balance rather than of brutal force.”


The Launch IDIOM by TAMMY was launched en-primeur to trade and press at the opening functions of the SOUTHERN AFRICA LUXURY ASSOCIATION held at the One&Only Cape Town in June and at the Hyatt Regency in Johannesburg in July. The scent was shared with over 130 industry professionals in the luxury and lifestyle industry at each venue who were gathering for this prestigious launch of this association. Idiom showcased 4 different wines including the Cape Blend at different tasting stations as well as presented the perfume, which gave people tasting the wines on the evening a new point of departure to explore the flavour and sensory spectrum offered by wines. With the wine sector being a key growth area for luxury with South African provenance, renowned wine write Michael Fridjhon was requested to speak at the one event and Kent Scheermeyer spoke at the One&Only event. In Cape Town, the wine was paired with assiettes from Maze by Gordon Ramsay and in Johannebsurg, it was paired with selected amuses bouches from Zafferano. Kent Scheermeyer, kindly provided the following tasting notes for the Cape Blend used for the launch event: -

Kent Scheermeyer, Head Sommelier, One&Only Cape Town

WINE SOMMELIER TASTING NOTE: “Gamey and earthy hints with dark/black cherries, some ripe yellow fruits,

smoked meats, baked bacon, flinty hints with some sweet-sour hints on the palate. It is a complex wine, almost a bit nervous, with good structure, acidity and a lively finish with some good Pinotage expressions. The tannins are soft and the wood is well integrated. It is a very serious wine and needs food, perhaps South African

game dishes. Very long finish with primary fruit.”


Detailed Composition

“There are three key constructs to a fine fragrance: the top, the heart and the base accords. To mimic the object at hand, the perfume has top notes of patchouli, a green bushy herb of the mint family that is lightly fermented before the leaves are distilled for the oil and gives a slight green edge commonly found in South African fynbos, that is then coupled with the tannins of the orange bergamot peel to bind this composition. The heart is crafted with the most traditional and decadent of florals. Particularly I have included Rose petals from France for an undulating honeyed accord. Interestingly the Jasmin is a genus of vines from the olive family displaying characteristic treacle balsamic notes. Together along with the cherry scented everlasting flowers, notes of redcurrant and juniper berries are revealed. Thus remaining true to the fruits of the vine while introducing delicate feminine complexity. The dry down of night blooming white tuberose petals leave an earthy full-bodied smoky smooth finish, reminiscent of the hardy terroir. The vanilla selected discloses a dark cocoa balancing out the flighty spice, sharp herbaceous and sweet fruit while allowing the floral heart to patiently pronounce itself. We wanted to create a scent that was an expression of South Africa and also an expression of what I do as a perfumer. It was a rare opportunity to create a perfume with a unique point of inspiration: a truly South African blend, with Pinotage at its base. In the scent, I have created a sensual bold fragrance that is still seductive and feminine. Throughout the profile there is no trace of menthol or for that matter lighter notes, however there is something redolent of cedar and cypress which focuses my minds eye on the IDIOM vineyard surrounded by indigenous Cape fynbos. Given the wine compounds and the traditional top, heart and base notes, I worked on the perfume composition as 'one' including all three accords together. No actual wine was used, but it was inspired by the wine. The colour association for this composition is that of intense deep purple that is a burgundy tone. Influenced by the overarching theme of cherries, the scent focuses on achieving femininity but with a decadence in a perfume that makes it appropriate for wearing in the evening.”

TAMMY FRAZER FOR THE IDIOM COLLECTION


The scent has been selected to fall part of the collection held within the Haute Parfumerie Salon at Harrods from February 2010.

Due to its limited release, it will also be made available for wine auctions

and vente directe on bottegafamilywine.co.za for R2800 a bottle.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

SILVANA BOTTEGA

Market ing THE IDIOM COLLECTION info@bottegafami lyw ine.co .za

+27 (0) 791 78 78 67

wine: idiom journey of the senses

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