Wine of the week: Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap Red 2019

This South African Rhone-style red blend is fresh and spicy – did someone say Christmas dinner?

Know two things about this wine: I had to check my notes every time I typed Boekenhoutskloof, to make sure it was spelled correctly, and that it was worth all the double checking. This South African red blend is one example of the quality and value that the country’s wines deliver these days.

Boekenhoutskloof’s The Wolftrap ($10, purchased, 14.5%) is a blend of syrah, mourvedre, and viognier, with mostly the former and just a bit of the latter. Using those three grapes is typically Rhone, though the proportions make it very specific to the producer, the terroir, and what the producer is trying to do with the wine. What matters is that the ratio works.

What impressed me the most was that even though the alcohol was high, it wasn’t a problem, and that even though something that tastes like oak is more obvious than I like, it wasn’t a problem, either. The whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

Look for lots of fruit (berries? plums?), but not so much that the fruit is all that is going on. There’s some of the traditional bacon fat feeling that syrah can add, as well as a fair amount of spice.

A food wine – just the thing for red meat, a holiday dinner, and even leftover steak sandwiches.

Imported by Vineyard Brands