Can you say... Clos Malverne?

Hey Everyone,

I had such a great time at the Good Food and Wine Festival, and it was a real shame that I didn't see as many wine farms as I would've liked. Those of you who weren't there really missed out, it was such a great event, with a huge range of things to try out.

The next farm I visited was Clos Malverne, which is an idealic, romantic little farm - perfect for taking a date to and sharing a bottle on a picnic table under the trees. The Sauvignon Blanc (R58) has won many awards over the years, and well-deservedly so, as this rather robust wine was filled with green pepper, granny smith apples and fig flavours - this wine is one of their better sellers.

In the reds, the Cab Sauv/Shiraz (R55) blend (a growing trend, I've noticed) was heavily dominated by the Shiraz on the nose, with a fatty, meaty and dark peppery attack on the nose, but a smooth sensation given by the black currant flavour - well balanced, delightful wine for a weekend braai. The Shiraz (R64) had subtle meat and raspberry smells, with red currant and white pepper on the palate - obviously intended for a more delicate meat dish, like a carved roast meat or turkey. The Pinotage (R54) was recommended to me before, and I could see why - excellent value for money, with mocha, caramel smells and black berries, black currant and raison tastes, this Pinotage aims to be a bit more complex and different than the average at under average prices - great fireplace wine while you lay indoors with the rain beating on your roof. I truly wished I had the chance to taste their reserve Pinotage, and at only R84 a bottle, I probably should've bought some. Oh well, must leave something for next time.

The final wine I had here was the Auret blend of Cab, Pinotage and Merlot (R110). I also missed out the chance to taste the Cab Sauv as it was sold out - although it certainly seems to be a wine worth ageing, so if you do manage to get your hands on a bottle, make sure it sits in your cellar for at least five years. As for the award winning, flagship Auret, it scraped in as a Cape Blend with only 30% Pinotage, but their Pinotage certainly makes a fine companion to the typical Cab/Merlot blend - it had a mocha, fynbos, coffee beans smell as well as some excellent fruit, like black currants, black berries and a slight exotic spiciness - cloves by my judgement.

I hope to see many of you at the Wacky Wine Weekend, which I'm hoping to attend (the schedule is very tight at the moment) and hopefully I'll have the chance to email before than - although with all the workshops and wines I'll be tasting over the next few weeks it might not be a very coherent email.

All the best,
Val.