Tag Archives: South African wine

Wine of the week: Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon bottle
Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon 2020/$7-$14

How well-made is this cheap South African red? They’re selling it at high-end retailers

Imagine my surprise when I saw this on the shelves of one of Dallas’ most expensive wine shops. It’s the kind of place where the only $10 wines are usually half bottles of something more expensive.

So I bought it – not because I knew anything about it, but because if it was there, something must be going on.

Which, as I later found out after talking to several retailers, there was. South Africa’s Excelsior wines may be the next great cheap wine brand, and almost every store owner I talked to raved about their price and quality.

The 2020 cabernet sauvignon ($9, purchased, 14%) may be the best of the bunch. Yes, simple, given what it costs, but oh so well done. This is $10 cabernet that tastes like cabernet, without a bit of sugar, gloppy fruit, or all that fake oak. And how often do we see that? It’s stunningly balanced, with firm tannins, plum and black cherry fruit, and that distinctive cabernet aroma.

Pair this with red meat, of course, but it’s also so well balanced that it would go with roast turkey or serve as the base for coq au vin (which, if and when it ever cools off here, I will do).

Highly recommended, and certain to enter the Hall of Fame next year as well as to make the shortlist for the Turner cheap wine of the year award.

Imported by Cape Classics

Wine of the week: The Curator Red 2021

The Curator Red bottle
The Curator Red 2021/$10-$16

There’s a reason why so many South African wines keep showing up on the blog

In the blog’s first decade, it was rare to see a South African wine. Maybe a sauvignon blanc every once in a while, but that was about it. These days, though, they show up all the time.

So what changed?

Quality and value both improved, as The Curator Red ($13, sample, 14%) demonstrates.

This South African red blend isn’t quite as well done as previous vintages – there are some rough edges, though they may go away in time. But it’s still another professional, fairly-priced wine that tastes like wine. And we know how difficult those are to find these days.

The blend is mostly cabernet sauvignon and shiraz (about one-third each), which explains why it tastes the way it does — some spice, some dark fruit, and more tannins than I expected. But it’s not heavy or hot, and it won’t overwhelm dinner.

Pair this with end of summer barbecues or even a smoked pork shoulder (or, for those without a smoker, a slow cooker). If it’s not quite Hall of Fame worthy (as the white blend is), it’s still a fine cheap wine.

Imported by Broadbent Selections

Wine of the week: Goats do Roam White 2022

Goats do Roam White bottle
Wine of the week: Goats do Roam White 2022/$8-$16

South African quality shows again – and no, that’s not a typo

A friend was reminiscing the other day about “critter wines” – the glut of simple, cheap (and some not so cheap) wines with cutesy animals on the label that were inspired by Yellow Tail and that dominated store shelves in the early 2000s. “I hope,” he said, “that they never come back.”

Which is understandable, given the poor quality of many. But some critter wines never went away — and, in fact, really weren’t critter wines at all.

Instead, they used that kind of label to market quality cheap wine, of which the South African Goats do Roam 2022 ($12, purchased, 13.5%) is a terrific example.

The wine is a white blend, using grapes from France’s Rhone. Hence, Goats do Roam is a play on Rhone. Regardless, it’s a spot on example of the style. It’s made with viognier, grenache blanc, marsanne, and roussanne, so expect some oiliness, stone fruit, a little lime in the back, and even – hard to believe, I know– hints of minerality.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2024 Hall of Fame. Chill this and drink it as summer ends; it’s just the kind of thing for 105 degree days we’ve had in Dallas. Pan bagna, anyone?

Imported by Indigo Wine Group

Wine of the week: MAN Sauvignon Blanc 2022

MAN Sauvignon Blanc bottle
MAN Sauvignon Blanc 2022/$7-$15

Once again, South Africa’s MAN delivers quality and value

During last week’s podcast with Greg Doody of Vineyard Brands, he spoke glowingly of South Africa’s MAN wines. And why not, given the quality of this white? (Or most of the other MANs, for that matter.)

The MAN Sauvignon Blanc 2022 ($10, purchased, 13%) is neither New Zealand, French, or California in style. So no head-smacking grapefruit, no long stony finish, no aromas of freshly cut grass. Rather, it’s terroir driven — a little softer and more tropical than French or California. That means a not quite pineapple fruitiness but enough lime for balance. And, of course, crisp enough to be sauvignon blanc.

The 11 percent semillion in the blend makes it richer than I expected – who expects a $10 sauvignon blanc to offer more than one note? Plus, there’s a bit of a complex mouth feel, which is also not common in a wine at this price.

Highly recommended, and certain to return to the Hall of Fame next year. Pair this with any summer salad or grilled fish. And, frankly, it’s just the thing to keep chilled and drink when you’re ready for a glass of white wine.

Imported by Vineyard Brands

Mini-reviews 169: Even more rose reviews 2023

woman drinking rose
“Ah, the WC’s annual rose extravaganza.”

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, five rose reviews as part of the blog’s 16th annual rose fest.

• The 16th annual Memorial Day and rose 2023 post

• Bodegas Ostatu Rosado 2021 ($16, purchased, 13%): Well-made and very Spanish rose — so almost orange fruit, barely ripe cherry and crisp and fresh. But not that much better, given the price, than the $8 La Vieille Ferme. Imported by De Maison Selections

• La Roche Palais Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 12%): French grenanche-cinsault blend (60/40) made in the Provencal style, so barely ripe strawberry and lots of minerality. Highly recommended. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection

• Curator Rose 2021 ($5/250-ml can, sample, 12.5%): This South African wine in a can is a bit pricey, but well done (berry fruit, very dry). I’m told it’s available, but it doesn’t show up much when I search for it. Imported by Broadbent Selections

• Purato Terre Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 13%): Nero d’avola rose from Sicily that is fruitier than I thought it would be (ripe strawberries, but not tart), but that isn’t sweet and has a longish mineral finish. Interesting and fun. Imported by Vias Imports

• Cellier Des Dauphins Rose 2021 ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Cellier Des Dauphins makes three or four French roses with similar names around this price — all are worth drinking (red berry fruit, refreshing). So why I am being so vague about which wine to buy? Because, in the finest tradition of the wine business, I think they’re the same wine, but with different names for different retailers. So if it says Cellier Des Dauphins, you’ll be OK. Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection

Photo: Jacalyn Beales via Unsplash

Mother’s Day wine 2023

Mother and child
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom

Four suggestions — white, sparkling, rose, and red — for Mother’s Day 2023

The blog’s 17th annual Mother’s Day wine post makes me smile — and how often does that happen? The point is that wine is about the people around us, and not boasting about scores or collecting trophies. The blog’s wine gift guide is here.

These Mother’s Day wine suggestions should get you started:

• Pedroncelli Dry Rosé of Zinfandel 2022 ($17, sample, 13.9%): Not the $10 rose it once was, but this California pink remains one of my favorites. This vintage is classic — fruity (zinfandel’s dark berries, believe it or not), oh so fresh and crisp. Not Provencal, but not supposed to be.

• Bodegas Eidosela Neboa 2020 ($18, purchased, 13%):  Let it sit for 30 minutes, and this Spanish white becomes exquisite albarino — savory, salty, a bit of lime fruit, and even some minerality. Imported by Valkyrie Selections

• Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc NV ($20, sample, 12.5%): This South African sparkling is not for all tastes, and the price may put some people off. Having said that, it’s quality South African sauvignon blanc that has lots and lots of tiny bubbles. So almost grapefruity, but firmly a Champagne-style wine. Imported by Beck Family Estates

• Forty Ounces Red 2016 ($14/1-liter, purchased, 12%): No, there may not be a lot of this around, and yes, it’s an older vintage. But, somehow, this French red blend is worth drinking — berry fruit, soft tannins, and surprisingly balanced. Imported by Verity Wine Partners

Photo: “CL Society 408: Mother and child” by francisco_osorio is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

More about Mother’s Day wine:
• Mother’s Day wine 2022
• Mother’s Day wine 2021
• Mother’s Day wine 2020
• Expensive wine 165: Roederer Estate Brut NV
• Wine of the week: Broadbent Gruner Veltliner 2021

Wine of the week: The Curator White 2021

curator white wine label
The Curator White 2021/$8-$17

Once more, South Africa sets an example for the rest of the world

The Wine Curmudgeon has been doing this long enough to have seen any number of wine fads come and go. Sadly, South Africa got stuck in several of them, including Parkerized shiraz and New Zealand-style sauvignon blanc that didn’t come from New Zealand.

Maybe this time, though, the country is establishing something that will become much than a fad: quality cheap wine.

The Curator White 2021 ($12, purchased, 13%) is just one more wine that demonstrates that the South Africans may have figured out something that baffles so much of the rest of the world (yes, you California!). Almost a dozen South African labels have been a wine of the week in the past two years, and that doesn’t include the epic MAN Family chenin blanc that won the Turner award in 2021.

And why not? The producers who do these wines – including MAN, Boekenhoutskloof, Ken Forrester, and Badenhorst, which makes Curator – have figured it out. They make $10 and $12 wine that tastes like wine and not a fruit cocktail.

In this case, it’s a white blend (mostly chenin blanc and chardonnay) that is somehow pleasantly oily, as chenin can be; fruity (stone fruit) but not sweet; and fresh. This is not easy to do, even in wines costing twice as much. That Badenhorst does it so well here speaks to its commitment.

Drink this chilled on its own, with takeout chicken or leftovers when you’re cleaning out the fridge. Highly recommended, and almost certain to be included in the 2024 Hall of Fame as well as the shortlist for the 2024. Turner.

Imported by Broadbent Selections