It is very clear that wine-making is both a precise science and an art. Spending an afternoon at Nederburg, blending 4 Cabernet Sauvignons, each from a different oak barrel, made us all realise how tough it can be and I certainly have renewed appreciation for the attention to detail in the cellar. Winemaker Samuel Viljoen took us through the blending process, with two of the wines having been stored in French oak, one being classically toasted and another intensely toasted, and the others being American Oak and East European oak.The group of media were split into teams, and my team of 5 preferred less of the European oak, which we felt was rather cinnamonny and barky, and included 60% of the lightly toasted French oak to give it a fruitier flavour, but in fact the winning team had a major percentage of the East European oak - and clearly worked for the winning team - 4 Chickies & a Dickie!On a more serious note - it really is a very difficult job to find the right balance of which toasted barrel to use. I take my hat off to the winemakers who manage to find the sweet spot.Not only were we engaged at the event by blending our own Cab, but also had the opportunity to taste through most of the Nederburg wines, each being matched with a tasty canape, from salmon to ribs to oxtail to soup. A really spectacular spread, and not one of them disappointed.