| South African Red Wine Tasting Report |
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So once again our little tasting entourage
headed south of the equator for a little wine
tasting safari style. This time, we allowed for
any type of wine to be entered as long as it
met two criteria; it had to be a red wine and it
had to come from South Africa. The
representatives from the grape community
were as follows; two Cabernet Sauvignons,
two Pinotages, two wine blends and a shiraz.
Of the seven wines in our tasting, the first
place wine was the winner by a landslide and
the last place wine was so far from the first
place score that even AT&T couldn't help
make up the distance. The wines that scored
from second to fifth were extremely close.
How close you ask? There was less than half a
point between the second place wine and the
fifth place wine. So with that in mind, those
four were all pretty even.
With most of us not ever having tasted a
Pinotage wine, which is a grape that is native
to South Africa, we weren't sure what we
were going to make of those wines, nor what
to expect flavor wise. I guess you could say
from the results that we liked them.
Once again we had food to eat with our wines,
but I think everyone agreed that the food was
more of an hindrance than a help in tasting
the wines. I guess if you were to pair most of
these wines with food, you'd want to stick to
dark meats, heavier sauces and stronger
flavors, but be sure to avoid spicy hot type of
cuisines.
So with that in mind, bring on the wines:
headed south of the equator for a little wine
tasting safari style. This time, we allowed for
any type of wine to be entered as long as it
met two criteria; it had to be a red wine and it
had to come from South Africa. The
representatives from the grape community
were as follows; two Cabernet Sauvignons,
two Pinotages, two wine blends and a shiraz.
Of the seven wines in our tasting, the first
place wine was the winner by a landslide and
the last place wine was so far from the first
place score that even AT&T couldn't help
make up the distance. The wines that scored
from second to fifth were extremely close.
How close you ask? There was less than half a
point between the second place wine and the
fifth place wine. So with that in mind, those
four were all pretty even.
With most of us not ever having tasted a
Pinotage wine, which is a grape that is native
to South Africa, we weren't sure what we
were going to make of those wines, nor what
to expect flavor wise. I guess you could say
from the results that we liked them.
Once again we had food to eat with our wines,
but I think everyone agreed that the food was
more of an hindrance than a help in tasting
the wines. I guess if you were to pair most of
these wines with food, you'd want to stick to
dark meats, heavier sauces and stronger
flavors, but be sure to avoid spicy hot type of
cuisines.
So with that in mind, bring on the wines:
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| Graham Beck 2001 Old Road Pinotage - Coastal, South Africa |
Notes: This bold masculine wine had a rich
garnet color and showed beef with green
peppercorns and a musky, earthy nose. On the
palate we are treated to plenty of red fruits like
cherries and raspberries with nice soft tannins
and a medium length finish.
Comments: Maybe it is just the name of the
grape, but I expected this to taste a bit more
like a Pinot Noir. I was dead wrong. Pinotage
wines seem to favor darker flavors, but they
never reach the full body that Cabs and Syrah's
do. At first this was my third favorite wine in
the tasting, but I went back and re-tasted and
decided it was something special, giving it my
highest marks. Everyone else in the tasting
agreed because it scored the highest, I believe,
with everyone else too.
garnet color and showed beef with green
peppercorns and a musky, earthy nose. On the
palate we are treated to plenty of red fruits like
cherries and raspberries with nice soft tannins
and a medium length finish.
Comments: Maybe it is just the name of the
grape, but I expected this to taste a bit more
like a Pinot Noir. I was dead wrong. Pinotage
wines seem to favor darker flavors, but they
never reach the full body that Cabs and Syrah's
do. At first this was my third favorite wine in
the tasting, but I went back and re-tasted and
decided it was something special, giving it my
highest marks. Everyone else in the tasting
agreed because it scored the highest, I believe,
with everyone else too.
| Fleur du Cap 2002 Pinotage - Stellenbosch, South Africa |
Notes: Like walking into a bakery filled with
the aromas of caramel, butterscotch and
vanilla, with just a touch of tar to distract your
attention. Even though the nose does not let
the fruit shine through, you are rewarded with
a rich mouthfeel of cherries on the palate, but
the finish is short and hot.
Comments: Hmm, if South Africa is trying
become known more for their Cabs & Syrah's
and less known for their native grape
Pinotage, they failed miserably in our little
tasting. The top two are both Pinotages. Even
so, to me, they could not have been more
different. I think the Graham Beck out
distance this wine by a mile. Your call though!
the aromas of caramel, butterscotch and
vanilla, with just a touch of tar to distract your
attention. Even though the nose does not let
the fruit shine through, you are rewarded with
a rich mouthfeel of cherries on the palate, but
the finish is short and hot.
Comments: Hmm, if South Africa is trying
become known more for their Cabs & Syrah's
and less known for their native grape
Pinotage, they failed miserably in our little
tasting. The top two are both Pinotages. Even
so, to me, they could not have been more
different. I think the Graham Beck out
distance this wine by a mile. Your call though!
| Roodeberg (KWV) 2003 Wine of Western Cape - South Africa |
Notes: Quite an attractive nose of violets in
full bloom, with olives and dark berries thrown
hastily in the mix. This garnet wine has a light
body, only small traces of tannins and
highlights a little tar and berries on the palate.
Comments: A very interesting wine indeed. I
wonder what grapes make up the blend? I
assume it is a blend because it did not list any
grape varietals on the label. It resembled the
Pinotage wines more than anything and if I
were a betting man, I would say that grape
made up the lion share of this blend. As a
side note, KWV is a Co-op and they are the
largest producer of South African wines.
Think of them as the Gallo of South Africa.
full bloom, with olives and dark berries thrown
hastily in the mix. This garnet wine has a light
body, only small traces of tannins and
highlights a little tar and berries on the palate.
Comments: A very interesting wine indeed. I
wonder what grapes make up the blend? I
assume it is a blend because it did not list any
grape varietals on the label. It resembled the
Pinotage wines more than anything and if I
were a betting man, I would say that grape
made up the lion share of this blend. As a
side note, KWV is a Co-op and they are the
largest producer of South African wines.
Think of them as the Gallo of South Africa.
| Score - B+ |
| Groot Constantia 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - Landgoed, South Africa |
Notes: Bursting with bright red fruit, vanilla,
spice and musk, this dark brick colored wine
really had an Americanized touch to it with
it's balanced red fruits and spices.
Comments: This Cab could have very well
come from California. It tasted just like a lot
of the ones from that state. Initially it was
my favorite wine of the tasting, but after
going back and re-tasting the wines, I
dropped it down to third place. This wine
went fifty fifty with everyone else. Some
thought the vanilla from the wood was too
overwhelming and the musk on the nose was
a turn off to some as well.
spice and musk, this dark brick colored wine
really had an Americanized touch to it with
it's balanced red fruits and spices.
Comments: This Cab could have very well
come from California. It tasted just like a lot
of the ones from that state. Initially it was
my favorite wine of the tasting, but after
going back and re-tasting the wines, I
dropped it down to third place. This wine
went fifty fifty with everyone else. Some
thought the vanilla from the wood was too
overwhelming and the musk on the nose was
a turn off to some as well.
| About - $20.00 |
| Score - B+ |
| Waterford 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon - Stellenbosch, South Africa |
Notes: This garnet wine was big on the
nose with black cherries, minty eucalyptus,
spicy cloves and a little beef and earth for
good measure. In the mouth, you are
treated to a very soft, lush & fruity wine
with big red fruits, a medium body and a
good sized finish.
Comments: Hoo Wee, this was a tough call
for me to make between this wine and the
Graham Beck. I liked both a lot and went
back and forth a few times. This is a solid
cab and if you want to try one from South
Africa, I'd highly recommend this one. I
thought the nose was stellar and inviting.
nose with black cherries, minty eucalyptus,
spicy cloves and a little beef and earth for
good measure. In the mouth, you are
treated to a very soft, lush & fruity wine
with big red fruits, a medium body and a
good sized finish.
Comments: Hoo Wee, this was a tough call
for me to make between this wine and the
Graham Beck. I liked both a lot and went
back and forth a few times. This is a solid
cab and if you want to try one from South
Africa, I'd highly recommend this one. I
thought the nose was stellar and inviting.
| Price - $22.00 |
| Score - B+ |
| Man Vintners 2004 Shiraz - South Africa |
Notes: Sporting a plum shade color and a
funky nose of apricots & plum spice, this
tangy wild ride took you on a razzle dazzle
of an adventure of peppery spices, red
fruits and a heavy dose of maraschino
cherries on the finish.
Comments: Thank goodness it tasted a
whole lot better than it smelled because
after the mis-adventure all of us went
through with the last place wine, I was
ready to dump it out before it even went
into my mouth. Fortunately, it was
extremely fun to drink. Very unique!
Extremely different from all the rest.
funky nose of apricots & plum spice, this
tangy wild ride took you on a razzle dazzle
of an adventure of peppery spices, red
fruits and a heavy dose of maraschino
cherries on the finish.
Comments: Thank goodness it tasted a
whole lot better than it smelled because
after the mis-adventure all of us went
through with the last place wine, I was
ready to dump it out before it even went
into my mouth. Fortunately, it was
extremely fun to drink. Very unique!
Extremely different from all the rest.
| Price - $9.00 |
| Score - B |
| Rust En Vrede 2001 Estate - Stellenbosch, South Africa |
Nose: The brick color only serves to
misguide you into believing that this a
wine of a certain degree of prominence.
The nose on this wine caused you to
throw your head back as if your were
given a heavy dose of smelling salt
laden with cranberries, stewed
tomatoes and strong vegetable aromas.
The wine was so tart and acidic on the
palate, I thought that briefly I was
drinking red wine vinegar. I managed
to pick up a bit of cranberries and
celery amidst all of the hydrochloric
acid!
Comments: Okay, the only logical
explanation for this wine being so bad,
because I am certain that it was not
corked, is that it had been cooked from
heat. In fact, that may be the reason
we all picked up on the stewed
tomatoes. If I am wrong about that,
than the folks at Wine Spectator have
some serious explaining to do, because
they gave this wine 91 points and
placed it in their top 100 list of 2004.
misguide you into believing that this a
wine of a certain degree of prominence.
The nose on this wine caused you to
throw your head back as if your were
given a heavy dose of smelling salt
laden with cranberries, stewed
tomatoes and strong vegetable aromas.
The wine was so tart and acidic on the
palate, I thought that briefly I was
drinking red wine vinegar. I managed
to pick up a bit of cranberries and
celery amidst all of the hydrochloric
acid!
Comments: Okay, the only logical
explanation for this wine being so bad,
because I am certain that it was not
corked, is that it had been cooked from
heat. In fact, that may be the reason
we all picked up on the stewed
tomatoes. If I am wrong about that,
than the folks at Wine Spectator have
some serious explaining to do, because
they gave this wine 91 points and
placed it in their top 100 list of 2004.
| From $30.00 to $40.00 |
| Score C- |
| Around - $11.00 |
| Around - $17.00 |
| Score - A- |
| Price - $18.00 |
| Score - B+ |