The Laughing Wolf

Wine Tasting

This week’s tasting at Pauli’s was focused on South Africa, and was quite fun. In an unusual move, the tasting started with a dry cider that was a refreshing change of pace. Savanna dry premium cider has a nice yellow colour, a dry crisp nose rich with fruit: pear and apple predominating. The taste is mellow, a medium full body with a slight tartness followed by apple, pear, and a hint of honey. It has a nice finish as well. Not too sweet, and refreshing on a hot summer day.

The first wine was Groot Constantia 1999 sauvignon blanc. It has a nice straw colour, a crisp nose of hay and light green fruit, with a hint of vanilla and citrus. This is followed by a very light taste that is tart-crisp, with straw, sour apple. and vanilla rounding it out.

The second wine was De Wetshof Estate Lesca chardonnay, 2001. The pale straw colour is nice, and it has a sharp nose with fruit, wood, and a light citrus overtone. The taste is that of fruit with apple, lemon, and grapefruit leading, with oak following. The finish is astringent in a pleasant way. Not overly woody, so refreshing.

The third wine was KWV 1999 shiraz. It starts with a nice ruby colour followed by a good nose of red fruit, chocolate, and a hint of leather. The body was light, and the taste filled with blackberry and leather.

The fourth wine was Roodeberg 2000, a blend. It has a nice deep red colour and a good nose filled with spice, leather, loam, and fruit. The taste starts with a slight pucker followed by fruit, clove, cinnamon, and leather. It has a good finish, nice complexity, and was a very good wine for a blend.

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