Wines of South Africa
Skip the green beer and drink wine instead! Join us tonight, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, for a tasting of three dynamic South African wines with Sara from importer Invoer Ekke. These bottles are beautiful examples of sustainable farming and singular terroir in a part of the world that is often overlooked by both wine professionals and everyday drinkers. Tonight the wines we're tasting all hail from the Simonsberg region of Stellenbosch, not far from Cape Town, where cooling sea breezes blow over mountainous slopes and lush valleys- a truly remarkable place to grow grapes. I would love to visit one day, but in the meantime, I can't wait to share these wines with you tonight!
Backsberg Tread Lightly Sauvignon Blanc, 2014
We like to drink wine with our friends pretty much everywhere we go. I'm talking McCarren Park softball games (to watch, not play), the Rockaway beach, Roosevelt Island in the middle of and after a bike ride, Transmitter at sunset, sitting outside the fence at outdoor concerts when I forget to buy tickets... you get the idea, and I'm sure you have plenty of plans of your own. And the point is, that this PLASTIC liter sized bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect bottle to throw in your bag for any occasion. Lighter weight than glass, which is as good for the environment as it is convenient, filled with juice that's lively and a bit tropical, and it finishes super dry with refreshing minerality. $14
Remhoogte Estate Honey Bunch Chenin Blanc 2012
This single-vineyard Chenin Blanc hails from 30 year old vines grown in the gentle foothills of the Simonsberg Mountain. The "honey gold" hued bunches are hand-picked and left on the skins for 12 hours before light pressing, followed by a year in French oak. Only 20 barrels of this gorgeous Chenin are produced, and it's really a luxurious treat- notes of lemon curd, bee pollen, and wildflower honey abound. It's a beautiful pairing for these precious spring days! $25
Remhoogte Estate Bushvine Pinotage 2013
"Smoke" and "spice" are some of the more popular notes we hear mentioned when we ask people what they're looking for in a red wine, and this is the perfect embodiment of both of those things. The wine is hand-harvested and fermented with wild yeasts in open-top French oak vats, then aged in barrel for 18 months. This is a barbecue bottle if I've ever had one- rich, nuanced, masculine, and full-bodied with a smooth, lingering finish. Throw some hearty fare on the grill and decant this handsome wine. $21