South Africa

Raats Red Jasper, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Grapes 81% Cabernet Franc, 13% Malbec, 2% Cabernet, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot   Facts Cabernet Franc happens to be one of my favorite grapes. Unfortunately, good Cab Franc is rarely cheap, and cheap Cab Franc is rarely good. Somehow, Raats seem to have both of these bases covered. South Africa might be onto something here. Raats winery are big proponents of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Now, maybe I’m missing something, but when I…

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The Wolftrap by Boekenhoutskloof, South Africa 2010.

Grape Syrah 65%, Mourvedre 32%, Viognier 3% – often referred to as a “Rhone-blend”.   Facts Boekenhoutskloof, pronounced book-n-howeds-kloof, has always been one of my favorite wineries to say! Established in 1776, Boekenhoutskloof means "ravine of the Boekenhout". A Boekenhout is an indigenous South African tree generally prized for furniture making. Syrah brings the power, spice and dark fruit, Mourvedre brings red fruit and earthy notes, and Viognier (white grape) mellows the wine out and…

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This Week in Wine – 10/2/11

    Trump to Mark Opening of Trump Vineyard Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump will fete the opening of Trump Vineyard Estates in Albemarle County on Tuesday with a reception including his son Eric Trump, Gov. Bob McDonnell, first lady Maureen McDonnell and Patricia Kluge. Trump’s organization purchased Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard in April for more than $6 million and next week will celebrate the revamped operation with an invitation-only affair. The reality…

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South African Wine Regions of Note

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have a tendency to forget about South Africa. Not that the wines are bad, but they certainly have their high and low points…<cough>…Pinotage…<cough>…   I’m not just going to pick on Pinotage (a crossing between Pinot Noir and Cinsault), but I think it’s fairly obvious that South Africa had the big plan that it was going to become the grape that was finally going to…

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Wine Review of De Toren Fusion V

Grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, 55%, Cabernet Franc 15%, Malbec 15%, Merlot 10%, Petit Verdot 5% Facts Fusion V is named after the blend of only the best of the five red Bordeaux grapes. You would therefore refer to this wine as a “Bordeaux Blend”. Currently, vineyards in South Africa are undergoing a large-scale replanting program. With this, South Africa winemakers have collectively decided to focus on the five international grape varieties (Cab, Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec…

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