I almost didn’t think I’d make this month’s tasting. Sunday I was attacked with some pretty bad malware/spyware. I’ve worked on it for the past four evenings and I think I’ve finally got my computer cleaned up. I’ll post later the sad story and lessons learned.

My wine for this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday is a bottle of Warwick “Old Bush Vines” Pinotage. I want to thank Cook Sister! for hosting it.

I am very interested in knowing more about wines from South Africa. We are planning a trip to South Africa to see the wildflowers in September. We are planning on doing a tasting or two and I need to know more. I plan on checking Cook Sister! blog more to learn about South Africa.

This is my second tasting of the Warwick Pinotage. It is from the Stellenbosch region. The price was $18.00.

Label Notes:

Pinotage is a uniquely South African variety which was born and raised in our valley. Pinotage is particularly concentrated and full bodied when grown on ‘old bush vines’. This wine displays an alluring array of mouth-filling dark fruit flavors, a lush seductive texture and a lingering finish enhanced by carefully managed oak maturation. This is a wine to enjoy now or in the next 4-5 years. Warwick Cellar is on the premium red wine slopes of Simonsberg, near Stellenbosch. Established in 1770, the winemaking tradition was revived in 1964 by the Ratcliffe family.

Tasting Notes:

I really enjoyed this wine. Immediately after opening, it had a slightly smokey flavor which left after it had been opened for a while. It has a nice garnet color. I definitely agree that it has a strong flavor of black fruits such as berries and black cherry. It is a little tannic but still very drinkable. It is slightly soft but yet has a very full texture.

I had it with a couple of thick lamb chops seasoned with rosemary ang garlic. For a vegetable, I roasted some fresh aspargus and carrots. It stood up well to the asparagus. After dinner, I had a nice aged cheddar from Fiscalini Farmstead.