May 2012 Meeting - South African Wines

Rory Shone and Jeanette Fox from Ninesprings Wine in Hitchin gave an excellent presentation of their South African wines at our tasting on 15 May...

The tasting started with a sparkling Chardonnay, Seidelberg MCC Brut (£13.00), made by the champagne method, and a lovely way to start the evening.  Three more whites followed and all were well received.  The Louis Nel Sauvignon Blanc (£11.00) was particularly good and had a lovely grass and apple aroma.  Apparently it is nicknamed Fruit Bowl which was very apt.  Three reds followed, all of which were enjoyed by the group.  The Pinotage especially was a typical South African wine and Rory reckoned there was sunshine in every mouthful (but he was somewhat biased!).  Another red was the Bizoe Estalet Syrah (£19.50); apparently the name Bizoe means kiss.  The Bizoe was served with cheese and sausage both of which went really well with the wine and improved the experience of drinking it.  A Du Toitskloof Hanepoot Jerepigo dessert wine (£11.50) then followed (Hanepoot is a grape variety of the Muscat family). The Hanepoot was really popular and a lot of people placed orders for this one.  Last but not least was a Cape Ruby port style wine De Krans Cape Ruby (£13.00) so we all ended the evening feeling very mellow.  A good time had by all!

Ninesprings provided sheets to enter a free draw, and one lucky group member, Sue Reeves, won a bottle of Hanepoot.  It was a nice touch.  There was also an opportunity for members to order wines and for those that missed the event, wines may be ordered online at www.ninespringswine.co.uk.