During Winter I find it quite easy to become a total hermit. After a busy day at work it’s all too easy to curl up on the couch, light a fire and watch Game of Thrones and speculate which character is going to die next.

In spite of this, the other night we decided to brave the cold and get out the house for a quick bite at A Tavola, one of our favourite Italian spots. It was a Wednesday evening, deadlines loomed and there were rumours of increased roadblocks… not exactly the recipe for a wine-filled evening. What was I to do? As I perused the wine list, my eye caught the Raka Sangiovese 2012. I’d never tried it before, so we decided to give it a bash.

As it turns out, this Sangiovese was the perfect choice: very undemanding and very easy to drink. Sangiovese (san-jo-veh-zeh) is a red Italian wine grape variety, known for lovely fruity flavours of sour cherry and strawberry, usually coupled with earthier tones. In fact, Platter’s review of the wine concurs:

“Ripe, easy & sweet 2012 shows fragrant mulberry compote, earthy tones & firm dry tannins. Pass the pizza.”

This is not a complex wine that will leave you standing for hours, staring into the distance as you marvel at the many layers of depth. Nope, this is just plain fun to drink. We polished off the bottle and agreed that it’s the perfect vino if you’re craving something relaxed, rather tasty and that improves a gloomy Wednesday evening.

Image courtesy of Steenberg

The lowdown

Name: Raka Sangiovese 2012
Winery: Raka
Price: From R81.00 a bottle
The verdict: Easy and fun to drink with tasty cherry flavours.