A Wine Lover's Weekly Guide South African Rose

South Africa is a major wine producer, ranking seventh in volume. It has been in the wine business for centuries. Most South African wines are produced in a few hours after Cape Town, blessed with a mostly Mediterranean climate. This particular wine comes from the relatively cool Elgin Valley in the Western Cape.

South Africa's signature grape is Pinotage, a cross between Consult and Pinot Noir, both from France. This red grape has lost popularity in South Africa over the years, and never became popular elsewhere in the world. I do not remember drinking many Pinotage wines. Let us give it a chance.

Our wine review policy All wines that we taste and review are purchased at full retail price.

Wine Review Slowing Rose, in 2008 13.0% alcohol about $ 10.00

Let us start with the marketing materials. Description: We agree with the Wine Enthusiast, this is a 'very beautiful' rose. Read the note below - this is a great buy. Tasting Note: [58% Pinotage, 28% Pinot Noir and 14% Shiraz] This classic, sustained increased offer a wave of lemon, cherry and strawberry on the nose and refreshingly crisp berry taste. Acids and fruit is very well balanced and the wine ends straight with a slight spin sugar. Very beautiful and a great everyday sipper. Result - 86th (Susan Kostrzewa, Wine Enthusiast, March 1, 2009) And now for my review.

At the first tasting the wine had a foot-ring puck acidity, and yet was light. It lingered in my mouth with a particular berry flavor. The original meal consisted of bagels, cream cheese and smoked Atlantic salmon (lox). The wine was very refreshing and tasted of raspberry. By the way,. With salmon acid content was about bang

The second meal consisted of boiled okra in tomato, garlic and onion sauce over rice and grilled eggplant with skin and covered in lots of oil, garlic and lemon. Companion okra this rose tasted of raspberries and some lemon. It had bright acidity with just a touch of sweetness and was quite refreshing. With eggplant wine was palate cleansing and again raspberries dominating. On the other hand, when it is a raspberry and rhubarb pie wine was initially disappointing. I hoped that the raspberry flavor of the wine would meld with the pie. This was not the case at first, but as I continued the combined raspberry flavor intensified. The second dessert (sometimes we spoil) was a homemade peach, pear and strawberry cobbler garnished with chocolate chips. Rosen had nice acidity with a touch of sweetness.

The final meal consisted of a commercial boxed vegetarian eggplant relating that included eggs, ricotta cheese and tomatoes. I've added a lot of grated Parmesan cheese. The wine had bright acidity with a lot of lemon flavor. It was not the slightest bit uncomfortable, and had a nice length. I ended this meal with a high quality chocolate-coated vanilla ice cream bar. The wine and dessert simply will not mesh.

I finished the tasting with two cheeses. The first cheese tasted was a sheep's milk feta. Rosen was fruity but short. So I tried a brick of cheese. Wine was something longer and fruitier, but all in all the wine and cheese pairings were not up to the rest.