WineX Cape Town: Night Two Review - Red wines that stood out.
September 16, 2008
The second night of WineX Cape Town was nothing short of fantastic - and how could it not be, there was a whole hall full of red wine.
Again, my sole aim was to indentify the standout wines of the show.
This time I had a tasting panel with me : my brothers Jamie and Craig and their friend JDog. The rule was simple, we only gave a wine our “Standout” approval if it warranted fighting the crowds for a fourth glass of it.
So here it is, our list - the best of the best at WineX Cape Town (well of the one’s we managed to taste):
Best Red Wine
Rust en Vrede Estate Wine 2004
Nothing short of breathtaking - beautifully balanced. You don’t have to be an expert to realise you’re drinking something special and like my brother said - once it hits your lips you just know.
Other Notable Blends
Despite being a challenging vintage with late harvesting this wine is a winner and only narrowly misses out to Rust en Vrede. It’s intense in flavour and wickedly fragrant.
These people know how to make wine and when to release it to the public - I’m going to use two words to describe it : gentle and silky.
Best Pinotage
There are many pretenders (and good ones at that) but this is the best of the best - no one makes Pinotage like Kanonkop as far as I’m concerned.
Best Merlot
Merlot has taken a bad rap lately but this wine will change that perception - It’s juicy, packed with rich flavours and has a hint of mocha.
Best Shiraz
Saxenburg Special Reserve Shiraz 2003
What a treat to taste this - hands down the best Shiraz at the show. Spicy and smokey - it honestly smelt like a burnt out fire and had finish that went on forever. Great label too.
Best Value Wine
This is a serious wine, with serious structure that is seriously underpriced - which is very good for us! If you can find it, buy it.
For those of you that attended the show and saw me spill wine all over myself - it’s a ritual, I wasn’t drunk at all.
Let me know what wines stood out for you.
Posted in Events
September 17th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Not sure if you tried the Idiom range of wines produced by Whalehaven? They really rocked! Especially the Movedier blend.
September 17th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
i didnt wine guru - but will def give them a go as soon as i come across a bottle in the shops. very promising region that, been very to visit there for a while now.
thanks for the recommendation and for popping into the cru!
September 18th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Ah nice tactic Cru - I’ve recently taken relying on a plan of action for these big events to navigate the madness. At Winex I decided to only taste wines I had never tasted before and stumbled across some interesting finds, Reyneke in particular. Did you taste any Glen Carlou? - they seem to be going from strength to strength recently.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Vanessa you not the only person to mention Reyneke wines - so I must def give them a go - any wine in particular from their range?
I love Glen Carlou’s Syrah but to be honest upon a visit there, I got turned off their wine big time. Such a stale and snooty tasting experience. but perhaps I should return to give them another chance!