Bright cherry, black raspberry and plummy fruit flavours roil around a subtle milk chocolate core in lush reds like Nederburg Pinotage (+37567) $14.99. Easier to find than Lake Breeze, this Pinotage clearly illustrates the heady fruit aromas and the heavy and rich �mouthfeel� that set all Pinotage apart from the rest of the red wine herd.
Uneven acceptance worldwide (influenced by what some tasters have called a �nasal� and �nail-polish� character that can be overpowering in over-cropped and inexpensive wines) has driven South African winemakers to take a wider view of red wine than their own home-grown Pinotage.
Simple and supple reds like Obikwa Shiraz 2002 (+64626) $9.99 seem to encompass the climactic similarities between South Africa and Australia. Sweet cherry/berry fruit and plummy spices combine in an easy deck red, lighter in flavour than its deep red colour might initially suggest.
KWV is the surviving corporate entity that grew out of the largest brandy and winemaking and winegrowing cooperative in pre-Apartheid South Africa. The Roberts Rock brand is KWV�s �fun lifestyle wine� - in their own words�.
Roberts Rock Cabernet/Merlot (+54468) $9.99 is about as homogeneous and �international� in its intent as wine can be. A light to medium-bodied Cab/Merlot, it�s quite pleasant, driven by mouthwatering cherry fruit and a touch of earthy complexity. Fine for the inlaws & outlaws!
Beyond pleasant and trendy Flagstone Wine�s Cellar Hand Back Chat Blend (+92205) $14.99 is as complex as its lengthy name suggests. Cabernet Sauvignon 40%; Shiraz 22%; Merlot 15%; Pinotage 9%; Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Tinta Barrocca - 4% each; and 2% Cabernet Franc.
The balance, depth and endless complexity of this extremely civilized cuv�e are all out of proportion to the reasonable price. Stuffed with sultry fruit and subtle spices, there�s lots to chat about, here.
Look for the gold palmprint on the label to judge for yourself whether Flagstone�s rebellious and passionate winemaking team reached their goal of making �a silky-smooth, satisfyingly complex and intriguingly sexy wine that can be priced for everyday philosophizing and� to bring a little joy into the world.� Wine could achieve worse objectives!
Check their selection out at http://www.flagstonewines.com/wines.html
(Don�t be confused in your search by the Okanagan�s own VQA Domaine Combret Magali (+37549) $12.90. This is another intriguing strawberry-spiced blended red, in this case the grapes are Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Pinot Noir, that also features a gold palmprint - of the winemaker�s young daughter Magali - on the label.)
Focused tightly on minimalist, planetary � almost cosmic - �New Age� packaging, the flavour and aroma profile of New World Syrah (+72512) $14.99 is intensely evocative of the traditional Pinotage wines with which this discussion of emerging South African red wine styling began.
Fans of exotic teas will instantly identify the smoky Lapsang Souchong scent that permeates this rich and barbeque-ready wine. Ultra-ripe cherries and damson plums make a sweetish, dark and dense fruit base of flavours that finishes surprisingly �New World� light and bright.
Further up the price chain, and well worth it, there are still a few bottles of Backsberg�s Klein Babylonstoren (+400929) $30.58 available. This premium blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with Petit Verdot, Cab.Franc and Shiraz added for spice and elegance overflows with intense fruit flavours � raspberry, blackberry, even blueberry.
More than a year in French oak adds layers of clove, hazelnut and cinnamon complexity to this exceptional red wine. Another glass, please?
