It’s here, February, and thank God. The year that was January is over, and we can finally get stuck into the new year with purpose. Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 7th edition of An Informed Opinion.
Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to find something to suit your mood (and pocket). Or even discover something NEW.
#AnInformedOpinion
An Investable Wine
These are showstopper wines worthy of their price tag, and something to invest in.
“Cabernet Franc was the poor cousin, the unloved child until people like Bruwer Raats championed the grape in the early noughties. Success was slow and painful but today, modern wine drinkers are enjoying the wines silky elegance, light footed concentration and understated intensity. This is now becoming one of the high demand bad boys of the Cape Wineland. Now is the time to start indulging your palate on some of the more premium, educated expressions like the Uva Mira.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
95 + Points – Greg Sherwood MW
“The 2018 vintage from Uva Mira was a resounding success across all their reds. While some Stellenbosch producers’ wines presented a slightly angular character, Uva Mira has managed to produce pristinely polished, fresh, elegant, mouth-watering wines. This 2018 premium Cabernet Franc is certainly benchmark in every sense of the word with a wonderfully exuberant and creamy red and black berry fruited vibrancy with subtle hints of crystalised violets, tart red plum, earthy milk chocolate, crushed mulberries and polished cedar wood spice. On the palate the acids immediately strike you as super sleek, linear, saline and deliciously fresh with a really tangy, earthy red berry fruited concentration that makes the wine beautifully inviting and seductive. A really impressive expression of Cabernet Franc that transcends the drought vintage conditions and simply shows off the varieties greatest and most elegant attributes. A undeniable triumph for the vintage. Drink now and over the next 10+ years.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
A Mid-Week Wine
A wine to elevate any random Tuesday without breaking the bank.
“Black Elephant Vintners have made a name for themselves for making wines that perform beyond expectations. For the ultimate sipping mid-week wine, people simply do not want unctuous bombs, they seek drinkability. This is a delicious wine I simply love sipping while I cook a hearty meal, and if the occasion suits, I’ll pour myself another couple of glasses with my dinner.”– Greg Sherwood MW.
89 Points – Greg Sherwood MW
“This is a mid-week drinker that punches from the moment you pour a glass, bursting with pungent, savoury lifted aromatics of earthy green mango, gooseberry, freshly cut grass, citrus fruit infused green tea, papaya and subtle green apple pastille hints. The palate shines with a gregarious, opulent, light on its feet intensity with touches of granny smith apples, green honeydew melon, gooseberry, white peach and green rock candy on the finish. The perfect mid-week glass of wine that entertains the senses but does not necessarily challenge them. Simply classical, juicy, tropically kissed Sauvignon Blanc with ample concentration and a delightfully persistent freshness on the finish.”– Greg Sherwood MW.
An Eclectic Wine
A story wine worthy of its salt, and your cellar.
“I love the seasons, and when Autumn and Winter are upon us, you need to eat and drink appropriately. While the Cotes de Provence may not experience the widest of seasonal weather fluctuations, they certainly do make an eclectic range of whites and reds to accompany their iconic, world beating Rose wines. This red blend is the ultimate winter warmer that is delicious to sip on its own but simply comes alive when accompanied with a hearty plate of Provencal cooking!”– Greg Sherwood MW.
90+ Points – Greg Sherwood MW
“A deliciously exotic 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon make for a delightful Provencal blend. The New World expression of this wine would probably be a Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon Blend, but in the South of France, the alluring earthy, savoury Grenache becomes a key player. Also big in South Africa, Australia and closer to home, Spain, Chateau Coussin offers up a rich, earthy, savoury expression with hints of freshly tilled earth, wet tobacco leaf, pithy black plum, balsamic reduction and a stony mineral nuance. The palate is fairly intricate and soft textured with none of the rusticity that can be found in many Provencal reds. Fleshy and soft, generous but not sweet, this shows pithy spicy tannins, a plummy, savoury, cured meat complexity and plenty of earthy red currant and pithy black plum on the finish. Drink this with hearty winter fare, sausages and mash, exotic Provencal winter stews or an exotic goulash as this is where the wine will find its true sense of purpose. Drinking close to its peak now, this hearty red can be enjoyed over the next 2 to 3+ years.” – Greg Sherwood MW.
