March Wine Tasting Recap

It was a beautiful weekend to taste some South African wines! Thank you to everyone who joined us and made these tastings wonderful.

March 2024's tasting was led by Andy. who was (as always) such a treat to have. He brought six wonderful wines and his unparalleled knowledge of the regions and the wines produced there. 

While the red wines are usually the biggest hit, it seems everyone was gearing up for Spring. Everyone showed a lot of love for the Nomoya Chenin Blanc, the perfect white for a light spring meal. With notes of apple, melon, and honeycomb, there is a lot to love here! 

Some confusion arose with our second choice, Journey's End, "Reign of Terroir" White Blend - no that wasn't a typo it really is supposed to be Terroir! This play on words takes the traditional phrase "reign of terror" and swaps it out to a more topical choice. Terroir is defined as "the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced". I think this swap makes a great name, for an even greater wine!

Next, we moved on to the Wilderberg, Coterie’ Rosé. This fresh and creamy Cinsault rosé is the perfect for spring. One member of the crowd even said they might take a bottle along on a picnic! 

Now for the reds.

The first red was an incredibly rare wine, and we were lucky enough to taste it! The Kloovenburg Lledoner Pelut is a result of cross-pollination by bees Andy taught us. This hybrid grape creates a wonderful light purple wine. The palate was juicy, cherry and strawberry fruited, and lively, with a very refreshing style.

Next, we moved onto the Pasarene "Midnight" Cab Sauv. The crowd remarked on the slightly ominous, yet beautifully illustrated label of this wine. The label depicts a swing-set with a small bird perched on the corner, set against a misty blue background. This Cab Sauv is quite dry with expressive aromas of cassis, licorice and black berries. It was quite popular with our red lovers! 

Our final wine was a big and bold number! The Post House "Stormy Hope" Petit Verdot is an unusually bold wine with very strong flavors and a dark inky color. Given that Petit Verdot is so bold, this varietal is commonly added in less than 10% of most wine blends. But, as Andy informed us, the maker of this wine loves to make strong, unique and bold wines so he created this "Stormy House". This wine offers aromas of plum, lilac, violet and sage with gravel-like minerality. Those who appreciate a dark red quite enjoyed this lovely and unique wine! 

This month's tasting was such a success, and we hope to see you for our tasting next month!