This appealing blend has a bright lemon colour with green tints and aromatic bouquet of apple and kiwi fruit. Ripe, tropical fruit flavours persist on the palate with lingering pineapple and fresh acidity to balance.
Split Rock Rose Pinot Noir 2011
Hermann Seifried pioneered grape growing in Nelson on New Zealand’s South Island in the 1970s soon after arriving from Austria, via Germany and South Africa. The winemakers today are his son Chris and daughter Heidi. Having grown up on the estate, Heidi just can’t keep away from the winery for long – despite being a dentist by day. This delicious Pinot Noir rose was made by drawing the juice off the grape skins just hours after crushing. While the region’s 2,400 hours of sunshine a year, cool sea breezes and rich soil contribute the wine’s flirtatious fruitiness, we have to thank Heidi for the rest, and hope she never gives up the night job.Serve this wine chilled with tuna steaks, hot smoked salmon or New Zealand green lipped mussels.
Groenendal Vineyards Merlot 2011
Wellington, in South Africa’s Cape region, has excellent soils and climate – which is why you’ll find so many vine nurseries there. Planted over 300 years ago, the vines at Groenendal are some of the oldest in the region. The owners, originally from France’s Loire region, used to vinify their own grapes, but more recently have begun sending them to the nearby Bovlei winery, where winemaker Frank Meaker takes control. Frank’s grandfather Paul Sauer was the founder of the famous Kanonkop Estate, and Frank knows just when to harvest to catch the fruit at perfect ripeness – important in warm vintages like 2011. With classic plum and cherry flavours, this smooth, powerful Merlot will make a fine partner to roast lamb, duck or spicy pork dishes.
Michell’s Pass Malbec 2010
Named after a track in the mountains above the small town of Wolsey, Robertson, leading to the beautiful Ceres Valley, this red leads the charge for South African Malbec. The great Bordeaux variety and Southern French stalwart has undergone a renaissance in recent years in Argentina; now wines showing what it can do in South Africa are beginning to reach us – and this is a stunning testament to its future in this country. A gutsy, full-bodied wine full of ripe red and black fruit, with toasty vanilla notes and amazing complexity for its price, this is a wine to really savour.
Rietvallei Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Grown on the warmer soils of the farm and picked at optimum ripeness, this estate wine displays fruity berry flavours. Juicy tannins are evident on the palate with a good balance between fruit and wood. The wine is rounded off nicely with a subtle sweetness and a lovely silky finish.
