First up, a couple of bubblies that I think deserve a mention: At R110 and R130 respectively, I find the Allee Bleue Brut rose  and the Brut MCC both delightful and consistent Cap Classiques. Produced by winemaker Van Zyl du Toit, the former is a pretty fresh sparkler containing mostly pinotage, that simply makes a great spring celebratory wine, while the more conventional Brut, made from the classic pinot/chardonnay combo,  is packed with flavours of apple and biscuit plus a creaminess that adds to its pleasure. Having just phoned  the cellar, I found out that the latest vintages on sale now are the 2013 (rose) at R110 and 2012 (brut) at R130, neither of  which I have  had a chance to sample.

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The forthcoming long weekend (for some, that is!) marks Heritage Day on September 24.  West Coast Tourism has organised an enticing Heritage Weekend programme for visitors, one that includes a stop at Fryer’s Cove, the tiny fishing hamlet and home to some wonderful coastal wines with the tang of the ocean adding zing to their new 2015 sauvignon blanc called Doring Bay. Visitors to this hospitable part of the weskus will find hosts ready to pour their new vintage on the jetty, and there will be a snoek braai as well, while the energetic can take the Wandering Whale route as well. The wine is crisp and green and refreshing, moderate alcohol levels and a summer special to be savoured with any seafood that appeals.

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If chardonnay with classic characteristics is more your style, I can recommend the new Eikendal wooded 2014 vintage, a classic example of what we can expect in a superior Stellenbosch patrician. There’s a mineral core, delicious citrus on the nose, orange, and apple and cream flavours, elegance combined with full-bodied structure from 12 months in French oak.It retails at R127, which is very fair value for this level of quality. Available from the cellar and most good outlets across South Africa.

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Now to a wine that intrigues, and one thats been a while in the making: Several years ago when I first visited Doran

Vineyards on the lower slopes of the Paardeberg, winemaker Martin Lamprecht told me about his ambition to co-ferment  chenin, rather than viognier to local Swartland shiraz, to attain benefits similar to those aimed by northern Rhone winemakers.

Well, Incipio is here, and he has achieved his objective, its called Incipio – something new – and it combines the two top cultivars of the Swartland in a marriage that he believes solves the problem of early picking of shiraz with a little old vineyard bush vine chenin from the Paardeberg.

So he blended 15% whole bunch chenin blanc  with his destemmed shiraz, using natural fermentation, and then 8 weeks later on the skins, wer racked unpressed into old 500 L barrels for 12 months.

The results are different and offer easy, smooth drinking, the sharp edges of shiraz dissolved in a fresh and fruity fairly light-bodied red which is where the trend is taking us right now.

I look forward to other opinions on this wine which sells at around R180.

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[Author: [email protected] (Myrna Robins)] [Category: Wine]