Steal a traffic cone! Go skinny dipping! Take all that hotel soap, and the shower cap too, dammit! Ah, we all have an inner-rebel waiting to break out. The Alphabetical is a renegade of a wine and it’s damn good stuff.
Two brilliant dudes, David Cope and Simon Wibberley, decided to make their own wine. They didn’t have a wine estate, they didn’t plan on following a traditional blend. Heck, they just felt like making something bloody good, which how the Alphabetical came into being.
It’s is a merry mix of numerous red varietals, hence the name. In one bottle you get Shiraz, Merlot, Viognier, Petit Verdot, Zinfandel, Carignan, Mouvèdre and Cabernet Sauvignon (phew). Amazingly, this ballsy combination works beautifully: the Alphabetical is packed with ripe, full flavours, a pleasing level of spice (I pick up some pepper) and soft tannins.
Grapes are sourced from Stellenbosch and the Swartland. As the makers put it, “we decided to get the best fruit from two areas: one hot and dry that produces rich, ripe fruit; the other slightly cooler that produces dark, intense flavours. With quality this good, it was hard to choose what to leave out. So we decided to include all of it.”
This wine is very cool, unconventional and great to drink. You can’t miss the hip label design, or the appealing price of R85 a bottle.
I’ve been able to find the Alphabetical at Pick n Pay, Spar and most good bottle stores.
The lowdown
Name: Alphabetical Vin Ordinaire Red Blend 2012
Makers: David Cope and Simon Wibberley
Price: Around R85.00 a bottle
The verdict: Pleasingly different and enjoyable. Stock up on this stuff.
Image courtesy of alphabetical.co.za
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