Great Grape News

Known as the oldest New World wine-producing countries, South Africa’s wine history dates back to the 17^th century.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot tend to be the grapes most frequently used to produce South African blends.

Wine lovers that know, enjoy the big, meaty wines primarily based on the classic five Bordeaux grape varietals, with a touch of Pinotage and Syrah (Aka. Shiraz). Pinotage is a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut.

South Africa’s large number of blends also spreads some confusion. Nomenclature runs the gamut from "Bordeaux blends" and "Bordeaux-style blends" to using the term "Cape blends". Cape blends have Pinotage as an integral component. This makes only sense because it is indigenous to South Africa. These wines have a tendency to reflect the New-World characteristics of lots of fruit and the Old-World earthiness.

For their complexity many Cape wines are relatively easy on the pocketbook.

Here are just a few you can find in our store

99 Cafe Indaba - Pinotage and slightly sweet flavor with plummy and raspberry overtones. $10.79:

Cheetah Valley – Pinotage Fresh and slightly sweet flavor with plummy and raspberry overtones. Medium-bodied with hints of oak. Well balanced with a nice long finish $10.79

How to Serve Wine

That’s easy, get a corkscrew, pull the cork, get a glass and pour the wine into it, then drink it. xxVoilaxxx there you have it nothing to it. Well, not so quick, let’s go back and look at each step and see what we can do to get the greatest enjoyment out of the wine we are about to drink.

The corkscrew; that’s the easy part. Just about any corkscrew with a sharp point will do regardless whether you paid $2 or $50 for it. However, there are instances when you want to have another device at the ready just in case the cork won’t budge, is about to crumble or for any other reason will not come out of the bottle. This device is called "Ah So". It has two flat prongs and a handle. Insert the prongs between the neck of the bottle and the cork. A few twisting motions while pulling gently at the same time and the cork should come out. In the event absolutely nothing will do simply push the cork into the bottle. Before you do so wipe the exposed end of the cork clean. Any pieces that fall into the bottle and end up into your wineglass you can simply fish out with your fingers.

The stems you use to drink your wine from are very important. There are hundreds of different types and shapes. Try to match the proper glass with your wine. A Bordeaux glass should be used for your fine Bordeaux wine and a Chardonnay glass for your Chardonnay. Using the proper glass can greatly enhance your enjoyment. The most appropriate glasses may just be stems made by Riedel, but some cost as much as $70 a stem. For the average wine drinker it may just appear to be too much to pay for. In any case, match the proper stem with your wine. Make sure the glasses are completely clean and contain no soap residues. Even after they are cleaning in a dishwasher there is surely some soap residue on the glass. Cleanse them in fresh warm water and let them air dry. Soap residues, even undetectable to the naked eye can influence the taste of wine. If your stems have been stored for extended periods in a china closet or cardboard box do the same and clean them thoroughly before use. And whatever you do, avoid having to drink your wine from a plastic glass.

Many people believe that a wine must breath prior to being poured and that this improves the taste. Some people simply pull the cork an hour or so before the wine is to be consumed and let the bottle sit on the counter. This, in fact, does very little to the wine because there is just too little air for the wine to be exposed to. Others go through the elaborated procedure of decanting wine. The wine is poured into a carafe an hour or so before consumption. The truth to this impressive procedure is that it does very little to improve the taste of most wines. Certainly, not white wines benefit from this procedure. Red wines can be enjoyed within 15-30 minutes of being opened and poured in to a clean decanter. If you use the proper wide-bowled glass for your red wine there is no need to decant. Having said that most red wines do not benefit much from being decanted, there are some instances when you do want to decant. For example, when sediments are present and the wine has to be poured carefully off. For full-bodied wines that are perhaps still a little high in tannins letting it breath can be beneficial and only a handful of cases when wine improves when decanted for 6 or more hours.

Drinking temperature has probably the most important influence on taste. Too cold and fine wine closes up, to warm and it ends up tasting flabby and flat and the alcohol may seem to dominate the taste. We all heard the saying that reds should be consumed at room temperature. The average temperature in our homes is between 75-80 degrees, which is much too warm for any wines, especially whites.

The ideal temperature for most white wines is between 55-60 degrees. At this temperature they will show their complexity at full blossom. Much colder, say 45-50 degrees and it will be hard to differentiate between a Chardonnay and any other white wine.

Red wines, in general, should be served at between 62-67 degrees while light reds can be chilled to around 55 degrees.

A final note before enjoying your fine wine. Most of us would like to get our moneys worth when in a restaurant and would appreciate a full glass of wine. However, the proper way to fill a glass is not more than a quarter of its size. It will not only look much more appetizing, but also leave enough room if you wish to swirl the wine.

What ToLook For – When Buying Wine

Purchasing wines is really a simply task. You visit your favorite wine retailer, look for the bottle you have in mind, pay and go back home. This works great in most cases. However, there are some things you should be aware of to make sure the wine you purchase is in good condition and not spoiled.

As we already know, storing wine is very important whether it is for years or only months. This is true once you bring the wine home as well as for the retail merchant who sells us the wine. Some retailers store wine lying down and others standing up on a display shelf. Obviously the preferred method is lying down, but it is OK to store wines standing up for short periods, say 2 or 3 months.

Before a wine reaches your retailer it may have traveled several thousand miles. During this transit there are many opportunities for the wine to be exposed to environmental conditions that are not favorable. Regardless of what your retailer tells you, there is virtually no way to know how properly the wine was shipped. In the belly of a huge cargo ship, in the storage warehouse at the pier, from there to the importer and then on to the local distributor, there is always room for improper storage conditions. Even if on each leg the wine was in perfect conditions there comes a time when it is delivered to your retailer. Some trucks have to travel a hundred miles and more. Making a stop here and there to unload deliveries. If your retailer is the last stop on a hot summer day what do you think the temperatures in the back of the unrefrigerated truck are? In the end it is up to the customer to determine whether or not a bottle of wine is damaged.

Let’s go back to the wine store and see what we need to watch out for when purchasing our bottle of wine. Take a good look at the bottle you are about to purchase. There are a number of signs that may indicate abuse. Look at the capsule that covers the cork. If it feels like the cork has popped above the rim, look for another bottle. Check the bottle opening for leaks. A leaking bottle is a good sign that it was exposed to too warm temperatures. As the air expands inside the bottle it has nowhere to go and begins to push the cork up and out. Do you see dried on wine legs running down from below the capsule? If yes, look for another bottle. Try to twist the lead capsule that covers the cork. The vast majority freely rotate unless there is some spoilage underneath the capsule, which has now "glued" it to the neck of the bottle. When you do this, keep in mind that there are some elastic/plastic capsules that are really tight and will not allow to be twisted. By the way, a wine that has been frozen on its way to the retailer will show the same signs, although it is less damaging to wine.

Tip #1: A cork that protrudes above the rim of the bottle is bad. Do not purchase it.

Frequently customers return what they believe is a flawed wine because it shows small deposits of sediments on the bottom of the bottle. This is not a sign of a flawed wine. On the contrary, it is a sign that the wine has been naturally made and has not been filtered. It should show its aromas and natural flavors in full bloom. Now, if you prefer to get rid of the sediments simply pour the wine into a decanter. Stop pouring when you reach the sediment.

Tip #2: Sediments are usually an indicator of an unfiltered wine. Go for it and enjoy the blast of flavors.

What are theses little pieces of glass? This is another reason why uninformed customers return wine. What some perceive to be glass, are indeed only small crystals, also called tartar precipitates. These crystals can be found in all types of wines but predominantly in Alsace and German ones. These crystal can form when a wine is exposed to below about 40°F in shipment to your retailer. They have no effect on the quality, are harmless and can not be tasted.

Tip #3: Wine crystals are completely harmless.

These basic rules should help identifying a flawed wine. Keep in mind, regardless of how careful your wine merchant handles your wine, there are just too many means of harming a wine before it reaches you.