thebrewshop

The Region: Stellenbosch is South Africa’s oldest growing region, the centre for study of viticulture and oenology in Africa, and the heart of the wine industry. Famous for its stunning natural beauty, it has soaring mountains, forests, vineyards, olive groves and veldts. South Africa’s finest red wines thrive in the Cape’s moderate climate, and the Shiraz from this region is dense with jammy richness, intense fruit, and complex spiciness.

The Wine: This wine has a dense, chewy blackberry, earthiness and robust character. This medium/full bodied wine almost begs for early drinking, with spice and rich fruit, but the bold tannins and rich jamminess (typical of Shiraz) will allow it to improve with age for a further 2 years.

The Food: The pepper, plums and red fruit aromas and abundant tannins blend wonderfully with barbecue, grilled red meat and stews.

(Sweetness: DRY | Body: MEDIUM-FULL | Oak Intensity: HEAVY

The Region: In California’s Lake County, the vineyards nestle in steep hills in the west, while Clear Lake, directly east, moderates the blistering heat of summer, ensuring slow, even ripening and perfect grapes.

The Wine: A unique blend of three grapes, Selection Limited Edition Trio Blanca is an outstanding white wine that showcases bright fruit flavours, excellent structure, and a long finish. Pinot Blanc contributes the delicate floral character and full body while Chenin Blanc gives a wonderful melony-honeyed aroma with hints of apple. The third grape variety, Sauvignon Blanc contributes zesty acidity and aromas of gooseberry and herbs. After six months ageing, the Sauvignon Blancwill dominate with zest and crispness. After a year, the Chenin Blanc‘s honey and melon will come out, and at 18 months to two years the Pinot Blanc will show a perfumed floweriness andlingering structure.

The Food: Enjoy by itself or serve Trio Blanca with seafood, chicken or vegetarian dishes.

Sweetness: DRY | Body: MEDIUM | Oak Intensity: NONE

The Region: South East Australia is a literal hotbed of grape growing. The abundant sunshine hours and heat allow growers to ripen varieties that have all but been abandoned by growing regions less blessed. Petit Verdot is one such variety. It makes unsurpassed red wines in Bordeaux, where it goes into their classic Cabernet-Merlot blends, yet the climate there is too cool to ripen it reliably.

The Wine: Best described as a ‘Super Cabernet’, it makes dark, rich wines, with wonderfully concentrated flavours of spice, blackberry and blackcurrant. With smooth, gripping tannins and an elegant structure leading to a magnificent boldly oaked finish, this is a wine for long term ageing and special occasions.

The Food: Excellent when paired with steak, prime rib, lamb, intense cheeses, and game.

(Originally offered in April 2004)

Sweetness: DRY | Body: FULL | Oak Intensity: H

The Region: The Pacific Coast of North America has micro-climates that match those of the blazing sunshine of the Mediterranean to the crisp mountain air of the upper Rhine. With so much range and variety, there is a perfect terroir for almost any grape you can name.

The Wine: This wine showcases bright fruit, excellent structure and a long finish. Vidal from British Columbia gives spiciness and stone fruit. Chenin Blanc from California gives a wonderful melony-honeyed aroma with hints of apple. Gewürztraminer from Washington contributes lychee, rose petals and floral notes, and Muscat from Australia’s Murray- Darling Valley gives wonderful grapey notes with dried fruit and hints of orange peel.

The Food: This wine has a range of fruit character and enough acidity to stand up to a wide range of foods, particularly spicy and savoury dishes, including Thai cuisine, grilled fish, herbed roast chicken or barbecued salmon. Although delicious right on bottling day, drinking it early would prevent it from showing it’s best–after six months the Muscat and Vidal will dominate with spicy/grapey notes, after a year the Chenin Blanc’s honey and melon will come out, and at 18 months to two years the Gewurztraminer will show a perfumed floweriness and lush structure.

(Originally offered in March 2007)

Sweetness: OFF-DRY | Body: MEDIUM | Oak Intensity: NONE

The Region: Italy’s long, narrow peninsula reaches deep into the Mediterranean,basking in the relentless sunshine and welcoming warmth. Gentle sloping hillsides, rich mineral soils, the moderating breezes off of the Mediterranean waters and unique grape varieties work to make wonderful wines.

The Wine: Brunello is a large-berried variety of the Sangiovese grape, most famous in Brunello di Montalcino. The flavour profile of Sangiovese is fruity, with strong natural acidity, a firm and elegant assertiveness and a robust finish that can extend surprisingly long. The aroma is generally subtle, with cherry, strawberry, blueberry, and violet notes. Medium-bodied but boldly tannic and intense, this gripping wine will begin to open up after six months, but the richer flavours will take at least 18 months to show, with cherry and spice dominating the long, fruity finish.

The Food: Brunello shines in the company of assertively flavoured foods. Hard cheeses such as Asiago and Parmigiano Reggiano are splendid accompaniments and the wines backbone of acids and tannins make it work well with rich and spicy foods like Italian sausages or lasagna.

(Originally offered in April 2007)

Sweetness: DRY | Body: MEDIUM | Oak Intensity: MEDIU