WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome, once again, to the Carpe Vinum Weekly Tasting Newsletter! This week is just as exciting as always: Wines of South Africa! This is a lesser-known wine region, but is growing in leaps and bounds like a kangaroo. . but that’s an Australian wine industry simile. Perhaps leaps and bounds like a leaping and bounding. . um. . ostrich. As far as I know, ostriches can leap. Mainly I deduce that from the trivia tidbit that the elephant is the only animal in the world that can’t jump. South Africa does have elephants. But the market is growing in leaps and bounds like a leaping ostrich, not like an elephant. . .roving and plodding along, trampling everything in its path. That would be a bad simile. But I digress.

As well as leaping-and-bounding like the Australian wine market, South Africa is the other area of the world that refers to Syrah as Shiraz, without the underlying marketing scheme insinuation. Also, like Australia, wine snobs are making fun of them for featuring so many animals on the labels (but also not making fun of the other wines in the world for referring to Syrah as Shiraz: A more “acceptable” marketing ploy.) An odd fact, though, is that South Africa has more vineyards planted than Australia. A good portion of that juice actually goes towards Grape Juice Concentrate. They’re the top exporter of that concentrated juice! Plain grape juice is fine and good, but we’re really just concerned with the fermented kind.

South Africa is most well-known for their Chenin Blanc, the most widely planted grape in the region, and Pinotage, a hybrid grape resulting from the crossing of Cinsault and Pinot Noir. Pinotage is the grape that is exclusive to the region, and the defining grape of the South African style. However, since the removal of overly-restrictive wine laws (passed by an also-overly-restrictive governing body, now deposed) the wine industry has more freedom, and there have been more plantings of traditionally-known grape varieties that are now coming into harvesting age. We can look forward to more decent Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlots, among others.

But what we have here for tomorrow, is all of what they do best! A Chenin Blanc, that has performed superbly for me in the past. A couple of stellar Shirazes. The obligatory tasty Pinotage. And several of the excellent blended reds, including the immensely popular Goats do Roam in Villages and the soon-to-be-completely-sold-out Faithful Hound from Mulderbosch. Did I mention they’re all tremendous values, as well?

So Friday, May 13th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Wonderful Wines of South Africa!
Kanu 2003 Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
Warthog 2004 Shiraz, Breede River Valley
Excelsior 2004 Shiraz, Breede River Valley
Kumkani 2003 Pinotage, Stellenbosch
Fairview 2004 Goats do Roam in Villages, Paarl

More Wonderful Wines of South Africa!
Mont du Toit 1999 Red Wine (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot), Western Cape
Mulderbosch 2001 Faithful Hound (Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec), Stellenbosch

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is The Wines of Argentina!

M