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Cape of Good Wine

cape of good wine | Sipping my way through the Cape Winelands | A South African Wine Blog

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Cape of Good Wine

cape of good wine | Sipping my way through the Cape Winelands | A South African Wine Blog

About
- Contact Me
- Sample Policy
Musings & Ramblings
Learn with me
Wine Reviews
BIPOC Wine Brands
Red Wines
White Wines
- Riesling
Rosé Wines
International Wines
Wine Regions
- Constantia Wine Route

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Crouchen Blanc – What’s The Grape

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D’Aria Pop Song Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc This

D’Aria Pop Song Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

This was a bit of a surprise as I had no idea what D’Aria were sending. We all know I’m not the sparkling girlie...and girlie only knows how to snap one kind of photo so there was little hope of good pics.

Buuuut...I am a sucker for cocktails and playing mixologist! And I thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of tinkering with their cocktail suggestion to find the right fit for me. I’d like to think that, even though I deviated from their recipe (added all the ginger rounded out with honey, fed my Bitters addiction, ditched the thyme, swopped the lemon for pineapple and a spritz of orange zest...the mint is just for the pics), it’s still in the spirit of what D’Aria intended: a fun way to drink wine in summer + a way to inject creativity into your beverage + a lighter alternative for these crazy hot days that have already begun.

Albeit an entry level wine, we kinda still preferred the wine on its own: subdued guava, dried mango, pineapple, lemongrass, asparagus and fresh peas, good acidity, medium finish...light and simple and fun...with some grapefruit peel and fynbos bitterness.

Thanks to @dariawinery for gifting this wine and their sparkling rosé (I’ll be leaning into the wine’s rose petal notes with a musky Turkish delight inspired cocktail). The Lush bath bombs (rose jam is one of my faves) and festive sparklers (zero chance of capturing this fireworks fun 😂), cordial and sparkly water were a lovely ‘treat yo’self’ package 🙏🏾!

Il Geco Sangiovese 2020 I got to chat to this awe

Il Geco Sangiovese 2020

I got to chat to this awesome winemaker 2 weeks ago...where we talked about leaning into her Italian heritage with the release of this Sangiovese and the Pinot Gris. And that got me rummaging through the old photo albums filled with faces to whom I’ll probably never be able to attach long forgotten names. Heritage is a funny thing...in the way that it runs through your DNA and is always connected to you. And Clarise’s connection is clear in her execution of these wines.

The luminous ruby colour is reflected in the nose: cherry cola, dark cherries, a dash of kirsch, red plums, roasted tomatoes, leather, and delicate prosciutto.

Great acid (like chewing on the skin of the red plum), a satisfyingly versatile body, with structured but soft powdery tannins. Red plums, all the cherries...from maraschino to fresh black cherries and all the reds in between, coriander seed studded , a lengthy finish that introduces thyme and gentle fennel seeds (like where you’ve crunched down on one in a pickle and it comes back to tease you hours later)....and the tangy sweet earthiness of cooked tomato skin. Tomato jam! The sweet finish is a cool side effect of your mouth balancing the acid (not actual sweetness). Very cool. There is a dustiness to this...but it’s different to Italy. It suggests savoury, but it leans harder towards ripe fruit, earth and distant spice.

I paid for this wine. Coz why? Coz now I (and you) can! I picked this up from Vino Pronto. In fact, all my faves now stock the Il Geco wines...including some serious fine dining establishments! I was gifted the insane Pinot Gris...and have already replenished it coz its THAT good. Needless to say, I couldn’t be prouder of Clarise, the winemaker and my friend...who’s blowing my wine budget with each new release! Also...bloody love the new labels and the wax detail!

Anthonij Rupert Optima 2020 What a glorious nose

Anthonij Rupert Optima 2020

What a glorious nose of liquorice, cloves, pencil shavings, smoky tobacco, freshly hewn cedar wood, molten chocolate, dark cherries, dark plums, and loads of cassis. But there’s also a brightness to the aromas.

This wine is young and needs time...aka a double decant, vigorous swirling...and 24 hours later I found the medley of fruits: at first, red and black plums, fresh ripe cherries, earthy pomegranate juice and hibiscus swell with red fruited verve lifted by the acidity. But as the wave crests it gives way to deeper plum, blueberries and an undercurrent of diluted cassis...finally washing into dried lavender and black tea.

It has the denseness of a dark chocolate cake but cut with a bright raspberry coulis, enthusiastic acidity, tannins that are pleasant while still delivering structure, an acceptable length, heat that is noticeable even to me, and I question the palate intensity. But at R230, it’s a darned good wine that, if you possess the patience and inclination, would reward you with great value if given the appropriate ageing period.

Many thanks to the Anthonij Rupert team for gifting both this 2020 (the latest release), as well as their 2019 (that’s waiting for a better food and weather appropriate pairing moment).

Firstly - head to Graham’s account (jongo2.0...t

Firstly - head to Graham’s account (jongo2.0...tags are annoying so I’ve dropped it in the comments) to read the most delicious tasting notes on the Amontillado! A reaffirming coincidence that we earmarked the same wine this week.

Secondly - scroll along for clues to what I’ve been using as my transitional seasonal/seasonal transitional/transitioning of season (WTF 🤦🏾‍♀️) wines. From the comforting rich, toffee, nutty Olorosos that warm the soul in late winter with their spark of bright citrus that affirm that the days are getting longer...to the fresh, zesty, herbal Finos while scoffing plump olives in the middle of summer...and the Amontillados that bridge the two over Spring.

Thirdly - Wine with Hannah turned me onto Fino and mushroom soup! I went rogue and balked at full blown soup. Controversial statement...but I think this may be an even better pairing than olives! Mushrooms seared in olive oil, finely sliced red onions, a grating of garlic, a knob of butter, a scattering of lemon zest and chopped chives (gotta keep them in check), a liberal sprinkling of sea salt... served with a chilled glass of Manzanilla...tell me I’m wrong?

Fourthly - Happy Sunday!

Thorne & Daughters Menagerie Vermentino 2021 You

Deep Rooted Wines Journey to the Centre of the Uni

Deep Rooted Wines Journey to the Centre of the Universe Blanc Fumé 2021

The problem with posting once a week is that wines like this fall by the wayside. It stopped me in my tracks at a tasting earlier this year. The winemaker was a gem...I don’t usually take home pamphlets but I took one to ensure that I remembered him. Luckily, I spotted this at Vino Pronto a few weeks/months ago and got to relive what made me pause in the middle of hundreds of people elbowing each other to get taste wine.

The deeper colour hints at more going on with this SB. A fairly pronounced nose leads you down a path of fresh grass, asparagus, some sweet hay, gentle honey (less pretty than honeysuckle), oats, cooked apples, a sprinkle of cinnamon. Okay fine, it’s cooked oats layered in poached apple slices with a drizzle of honey and a halfhearted dusting of cinnamon! It’s round and deep.

Dry, less acid than you’d expect but still has definite metallic tartaric acid erm acidity. Weightier than you’d expect. Creamier than you’d expect. Some grapefruit peel texture that I didn’t expect! A decent finish that is long when you focus on the toffee apple flavours. And for all these reasons, I turned around and spoke to the winemaker because this was kewl!

Apples, honey, tinned pineapples, metallic, burnt sugar...you want to hold this on your tongue for the sensation...it’s invigorating and intriguing. It evolves from the cooked apples, honey, tinned pineapples...through to the metal...until you land in burnt sugar toffee wonderland...all in one small sip. I will say that this dies down by Day 2...so explore this wonderland quickly.

Loved this! It’s sophisticated and reserved and has a quiet magic that I only find in my favourite wines. I struggle to define ‘magic’...for now, it means ‘memorable’ to me...the potential of a distinctive style...something that makes me raise my eyebrows, head back to ask questions, and an instant purchase at my favourite wine store. A journey, indeed.

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