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 perfume is the first in the compendium of luxury products to be created in collaboration with talented South African artisans, designers and artists, by the award-winning wine, that will be evocative ‘Expressions of South Africa’.
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 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.
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 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.”
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.”
The Idiom Cape Blend has recently won Double Gold at Michelangelo Awards 2009 and a Diamond award at the Investec Winemakers Choice Awards 2009.
PRESS CONTACTS
Silvana Bottega
Bottega Family Wines - IDIOM
www.bottegafamilywine.co.za
info@bottegafamilywine.co.za
+27 (0) 791787867
Tammy Frazer
Frazer Parfum – IDIOM by TAMMY
www.frazerparfum.com
bespoke@frazerparfum.com
+27 (0) 82 4635104
