Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks!

This past week I have dis-proven the old adage ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’!  Well this old dog says “Yes, you can!”  And I’m living proof.   For years I have been saying ‘I don’t like South African wine’!  With the exception of this one…

The Diesel Pinotage is fantastic, but it is also in the $70 price range.  I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the South African wines I have tried to date,  I found them to be a little earthy for me.  Well, this past week, a colleague of mine asked me to try a new wine from South Africa.

The Big Easy from Ernie Els.   Coming in at $21, what a pleasant surprise this wine turned out to be.  When I first opened the bottle, I poured a glass and took a sip.  I found it be good, but tasted some earthiness.  Then I got busy, so the wine sat for about 30 minutes.  What a difference.  Let this bottle of wine breathe, and you have one of the best wines I have ever tasted out of South Africa.  It’s a beautiful blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon with some Grenache, Mourvedre and Viognier.  This blend works.  It was very rich tasting and had a very silky feel on the palate.  I enjoyed it with pasta, but I would also have a steak with this wine.  I very much enjoyed it, and my friends at the Liquor Store almost passed out when they saw me buying a wine from South Africa.  It was a big wine, but it was an incredibly smooth wine.

Speaking of big wines… allow me to introduce Imperfecto, from Trapiche in Argentina.  A blend of Malbec and Cabernet Franc, when you pour this wine the first thing you are going to notice is the dark inky color.  And then, pow, it is an explosion of flavor on the palate.  Dark rich fruits, spicy, mocha and very dry.  I would really enjoy this wine with food, enjoy it with grilled meat or wild game.  It’s a big wine with intense flavor.  Comes in around the $52 mark.

It’s a week of new wines and big wines.  Here is the Schug (pronounced Shoog) Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast in California.   I had this wine twice this week and it’s funny because I notice on the Liquor Store web page it’s referred to as light and fruity.  I have to disagree with that one… Rich and decadent is how I describe it.  A gorgeous Pinot Noir which my friend Anthony had this week and he described it as rich as well.  It has smoky cranberry flavors and an unbelievable finish on the palate.    This one stays with you.

I normally do a new wine of the week, but since they are all new, I am going to share my new favorite.  The Antinori Chianti Classico from 2011 was spectacular.  A Chianti is dry, but I loved every sip.  Flavors of cloves, cedar and other spices mixed with the berry fruits.  This is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Sangiovese can be light, but in this case the Cabernet adds bold flavors and great structure.  I am planning on having this one again soon.

Well this old dog is signing off for another week.  Till next week Cheers.  If you try any of the new wines featured this week, I would love to hear what you think

Darlene