Wine merchant Roland Peens shares his best picks of some premium selections for this festive season
"Festive season lunch and dinner gatherings should be geared around white wines and lighter reds,” says Roland Peens, director of Wine Cellar, an online retailer of fine wines.
“Of course you could have bubbles all the way through in our warm climate, but you will need some versatility for canapés and starters."
The L’Ormarins, he says, is the best value bubbles for the year, adding that Trizanne’s Sauvignon Blanc from Elim is super-fresh and mineral with lots of character from the great 2017 vintage.
“Fable Belle Flower is one of South Africa’s finest and offers lots of food-pairing potential. Keep a big ice bucket and a few extra bottles handy and allow guests to find their preference as the gathering continues”, he said.
Here are Peens’s recommendations.
LUNCH
Trizanne Signature Wines
TSW Sauvignon Blanc 2017
This is a wonderfully fresh and vibrant Sauvignon that celebrates the distinctively saline, white fruit found in Elim. The 2017 is a particularly fine vintage and offers amazing balance.
Fable
Belle Flower Rosé 2015
Named after the abundance of beautiful wild flowers that appear every spring at Fable Mountain, this 2015 Belle Flower Rosé is made from carefully selected parcels of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Bone-dry with a low alcohol of only 12%, the wine has beautifully layered aromatics of wild berries and roses supported by a powerful yet precise palette.
The wine is aged in concrete eggs for 12 months on its lees.
B Vintners
Black Bream Pinot Noir 2016
Part of B Vintners’ Terroir Specific range. The wine shows a true sense of place, reflecting the growing conditions perfectly. The vineyard is planted on limestone which give the wine a taut minerality; more Burgundian in style than their Stellenbosch Terroir Specific range.
DINNER
Chapoutier
Tavel Beaurevoir Rosé 2015
Tavel’s rosé wines are considered to be among France’s best. In 1820, their importance could be compared with that of the wines from Cornas or Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. The Chapoutier Tavel Beaurevoir Rosé is a fine wine, made in a traditional style, and is made to be enjoyed with food.
It has a beautiful, ruby colour with inviting aromas of ripe fruit, morello cherry and grenadine. Well-rounded on the palate with powerful, yet harmonious red stone fruits and cherry on the finish
Restless River
Ava Marie Chardonnay 2014
The Restless River farm is located at 260m above sea level in the cool Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Produced from a single vineyard and named after the 2.1ha registered block of Chardonnay planted on east- and south-facing slopes. The shallow top soils vary from sandy gravel to rocky sandstone lying on top of decomposed granite clay and quartz.