Recommendation: A good value and a “not bad” red from South Africa.
Winery/Producer: Rickety Bridge Winery; Franschhoek, South Africa.
Grape Variety: Rhône-style blend: 38% Shiraz, 23% Cinsaut, 20% Mourvèdre, 9% Tannat, 8% Grenache and 2% Viognier.
Geographic Region, Appellation: Western Cape, South Africa.
Vintage: 2013
Price: $11.89 ($6.70 in South Africa)
Purchased From: Wine Merchant, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Paired With: Sipping with pretzels.
Tasting:
He said: Dark Ruby red color. Damp earth, leather and dark fruit aromas. Rich, full body, with lots of mouth filling taste. Lots of fruit and leather flavors in the finish. A tad sweet, fantastic bouquet, powerful flavors and a slightly harsh finish…it’s a “Not Bad” bargain red from South Africa. Recently we’ve been drinking “Red blends from California” that retail for about the same price and compared to those; this is MUCH better. Not fine wine, but a good value and a “not bad” red from South Africa. It’s drinking experience would be greatly improved if we were sitting at the vineyard in the spectacular South African landscape!!!
She said: We had this as a sipping wine which signaled to me that it was not a fine wine so I was delightfully surprised. The wine was dark red, opaque, and had thin closely space zippy legs. The bouquet is complex with flavors of leather, smokiness and fruit blending in a lovely mix. On the palate the wine is very fruity, a bit sweet, slightly harsh, and full bodied. The finish is long but too sweet for my taste. At $11 it is a bargain wine and considerably better than the sweet California reds.
Comments: We had this wine at a Rickety Bridge Winery tasting at the Wine Merchant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and picked this as the one we thought was the “Best Red”. See also the one we selected as the “Best White” (Rickety Bridge Chenin Blanc 2014).
Alcohol: 14%
Bar code: 6 007738 000078
Imported by: Rickety Bridge Winery; High Point, North Carolina.