Amidst the daily daze of inboxes, queues at SARS and flat iPhone batteries, there are some things in life that are guaranteed to never disappoint. A packet of speckled eggs from Woolies. My top ten Nineties grunge playlist. Those comfy old tracksuit pants that look hideous but feel softer than a Telly Tubby’s belly.
Eagles’ Nest Shiraz is one of those precious things that is reliably superb. I’ve known and loved this wine for many years, but each time I drink it, it knocks my socks off and rockets my appreciation of Shiraz into another orbit.
Recently we went to Eagles’ Nest in Constantia for a very enjoyable wine tasting, so I was pretty amped about tasting the Shiraz again. The tasting room overlooks gorgeous green gardens with enormous oak trees that are bathed in sunlight. Yup, it all felt pretty poetic and after a busy work week, we found ourselves floating away into a happy place of sunshine, wine and Springtime happiness. But the real highlight was the Shiraz, which presented itself in rich, plummy colours. I took a greedy sip and all those epic flavours came back to me: a generous amount of pepper and berries, coupled with a very sexy and complex depth of flavour. Ah, hello my old friend!
As usual, it was just ridiculously good and left me with some faith restored in humanity.
The lowdown
Name:  2011 Eagles’ Nest Shiraz
Winery: Eagles’ Nest
Price: From R225.00 a bottle
The verdict: Feeling let down by life? This wine will change that after the first sip. Quite incredible.