Groote Kaap (‘The Big Cape’) red is a fruit-packed, inky-dark giant of a wine, made by multi award-winning duo Franz Smit and Jacques Erasmus. The first step was to select a sun-trap vineyard near Montagu, Western Cape (355 days of sunshine a year!). The next trick for a big, rich red like this one is to delay harvest until the very last moment, because optimum ripeness is key. After that, the fruit was picked by hand in the cool first light of morning (this keeps it impeccably fresh and aromatic). Only the fact that leopards roam the vineyards by night prevented the team from an even earlier start! As a result, this hugely popular wine packs a serious punch, but is effortlessly complex too – don’t miss it.
Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Groenekloof
Neil Ellis, from his winery and estate in Stellenbosch, pioneered the planting and sourcing of grapes from cooler, relatively unknown regions of the Cape, such as Elgin and Groenekloof. In the Darling hills, 50km north of Cape Town, the cold winds from the icy South Atlantic waters provide the perfect climate for producing top quality Sauvignon Blanc. This is a mouthwateringly fresh and supremely well balanced wine displaying aromas of tropical fruits with herbaceous and capsicum notes. A crisp, steely but fully ripe palate with an elegant and long, concentrated finish.
La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
This wine has an incredibly complex and enticing nose of spices, violets, truffles and dark chocolate with hints of ripe cherries as it opens up. These all carry through to the equally expressive palate and then melt away into a long, velvety finish. It will compliment all manner of dishes but try it with venison fillet.
Six Hats Fairtrade Grenache 2009
Ask anyone in the know who the most charismatic, innovative man in South African wine is today, and Charles Back’s name will come up. Voted the second most influential man in the industry (behind a certain Mr Mandela!), he is one of country’s undisputed winemaking legends. We’re thrilled to have secured this gorgeous wine – a delicious testament to his appetite for the unusual. Grenache is rare in South Africa, and only a small volume is currently produced. Taste this trendsetting wine and you’ll see why this can’t be the case forever. Six Hats is an exceptional, intense effort – and it’s Fair Trade too! The Six Hats project seeks to highlight the various roles of everyone involved in wine farming. The hats indicate partnership, change, potential, equity, dignity and sustainability – the six cornerstones of Back and his team’s philosophy. The wine had the chance to strut its stuff next to its peers in October 2010 at a Fair Trade tasting. Decanter magazine’s Tastings Director Christelle Guibert was impressed, calling it a wine “I would gladly drink on a regular basis … packed with juicy red fruit.” It certainly is that: its gorgeous, sweet black fruits leap from the glass and make it an irresistibly refreshing proposition … but its peppery complexity and power means it’ll also stand up to some of the richest food on your table!
Order by this Sunday and SAVE UPTO £15
Dear Winelover,
Our friends at Wine Hound would really like to receive your Christmas orders as early as possible and no doubt you’d probably like to receive a special offer in return?
Well, here’s the deal: simply order by midnight this Sunday 4th Deecember and we’ll automatically deduct £10 off your total order value. Just enter the unique code LRQDUC into the relevant box on the checkout page.
Save an extra £5
If you have friends, colleagues or relatives who also enjoy wine, here’s an opportunity to receive a further £5 discount. Forward a minimum of one of their names and email addresses to us here and we’ll automatically upgrade you with a £15 voucher (sorry, you can’t use the £10 and £15 vouchers together!). Your friends will each also receive a £15 voucher to use against their first order.
We have loads of great offers on our web site, not just on South African wines, but also including the Wine Hound Christmas Box and a wide range of Champagnes. So, why not tick something off your ‘to do’ list early and order your festive wines this week?
It’s an offer not to be sniffed at!
