This is a limited release dessert wine from the superlative producer ‘Dewetshof Estate’ .Always rated one of SA’s finest pudding wines it is a rich and luscious white with aromas of honey and ripe peaches. This is complemented by citrus and fresh tropical fruit flavours on the palate and rounded off with a rich and long aftertaste of sunripened raisins.
Goats do Roam Red, South Africa
The legend goes that some errant members of Fairview’s long-established goat herd, supplier of milk for Fairview’s internationally award-winning cheeses, escaped one afternoon from their paddock into the Fairview vineyards when Charles Back’s young son Jason accidentally left the paddock gate open. The little group happily roamed among the vineyards, showing rare discernment by selecting some of the ripest berries from some of the choicest vines. The Syrah grapes come from trelissed vineyards in Paarl and the Cinsault from old bush vines also in Paarl. The Mourvèdre, Grenache and Carignan all come from vineyards in Swartland. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks but left to mature for 10 months in old oak casks in order to develop the generous flavours typical of Rhônish wines.
Rust En Vrede Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Stellenbosch
This estate has been producing wine since the early 1700, but it was not until 1978 that the modern winery was built here. Rust en Vrede have since become acknowledged as one of South Africa’s premier red wine specialists. Densely opaque, with a bright purple rim. Aromas of rhubarb, aniseed, and hints of cedar and cocoa. The palate has plenty of tannic weight, with a long finish of liquorice and tobacco notes. Cellar for up to 10 years, and enjoy with slow-roasted beef fillet.
Klein Constantia ‘KC’ Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Sauvignon tends to best express its varietal characteristics when grown in cool sites. So rather than use his estate grown grapes for KC, winemaker Adam Mason headed to South Africa’s most southerly coastal regions, Elgin, Elim and Walker Bay, where temperatures during the Summer months are the coolest anywhere in the Cape.Adam used to help Jean-Marc Sauboua make our Trophy-winning Bordeaux Sauvignons a decade or so ago, so he really is expert at bringing out that perfect balance of tropical fruit and grassy freshness. KC has pungent gooseberry, asparagus and tropical notes (typical for this grape) countered by a bracing sea spray complexity. Calls for grilled fish with a fruity salsa, chilli prawns or chicken and pineapple kebabs.
Rietvallei Estate Sauvignon Blanc
To create this fresh and deliciously vibrant, aromatic and dry wine, they cleverly harvested an early picking of Sauvignon Blanc to maximise citrus flavours and then a week later, they had a second picking of riper and more intense grapes to add tropical fruit flavours. The combined blend results in a white that is lively and finely balanced. Flinty mineral notes backed by ripe green figs and grapefruit on the palate make this a cracker of a wine.
