Hello hello internet world. I apologize for my long and unnecessary absence. It's been kind of one of those things like, I looked around and realized I hadn't posted in a few weeks. Then it's almost embarrassing like, "Oh shit I've made everybody wait this long, I'm going to have to acknowledge it when I post again! And that's going to be embarrassing too!" Like when you wait too long writing thank-you cards. If that window has closed, like a month later, you're like "Eek! Can't write one now..."
Whatever. That's just an excuse. I'll get on with the post-age!
So, South African wines... not my usual thing. Not a huge fan of the philosophy "more is better," which is often the case with South Africa and Australia. Thought I would give it a try anyway. So, the nose wasn't offensive. It's peppery with juicy blackberries and vanilla. A bit strong, but pretty. In the mouth, the vanilla and oak defffinitely come out, I'd say even ahead of the powerful dark fruit. Like I suspected, lottttts of flavor. This guy has a nice tannic structure, but it's a little much on the back end. The finish isn't as good as the initial taste. Slightly unfortunate. I found this got better though as the wine had been left out longer. That dry bite went away.
Varietal: "Cape Blend" of Shiraz, Pinot Noir, and Cinsault
Alcohol: 13.8%
Origin: Western Cape, South Africa
Price: ~$10 at Sunflower Market and other grocery stores
Rachel's Grade: B I have my favorite wine locales- Spain, Portugal, France, California- but I do like to give other countries a try. South Africa is kind of hit or miss. Sort of reminds me of Australia in terms of the winemaking philosophies of the vintners over there. Anyway, this "Cape Blend" wine can stand up to some bold flavors, but unless you like that real intense, flavor-bursting wine, don't bother with this one. That said, it's not bad.
