Wine making in South Africa goes all the way back to the mid-1600's. The vineyards have the unique advantage of a Mediterranean climate with oceanic air on three sides of dry, hot soil. The grapes grown are primarily Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.
I specifically chose this wine because the wine maker's tasting notes described it as "savory." I'd never seen that word applied to a white, and thought, "We'll see."
The color of the wine reminded me of yellow sapphires, which I found appealing. It's almost as if it's appearance promises a smooth, fragrant, fresh experience. On the nose, I smell ever so faintly some jasmine with grapefruit. What I especially like is that there is no "pucker" effect on the first sip, like I get with most whites. It's very smooth, no bite at all, with flavors of peach, grapefruit and herbs. And, yes, I would even say it is savory. You know the phrase "mouth watering" associated with the word savory? Most of the time it's triggered by aroma, sometimes by sight of a food you're familiar with, and it's absolutely essential to digestion. Well, I have to say, this wine is mouth watering by means of taste. My mouth is refreshed, literally, because of its nice long finish that reminds me of green tea with lemon.
It worked very well with my light dinner of hummus, fresh veggies, and rosemary crackers, but I thought it probably would have tasted even better with a Caprese salad or a nice Greek salad, maybe antipasto, something with a little more oomph to satisfy those salivary glands that are now wide awake. In fact, I think it would work well with any food, because it does not overpower the palate, but prepares it. While white wine is not my first choice, I will definitely choose this one again. Extremely affordable, about $14/bottle. Rated 86 by Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator, consumer reviews placed it even higher at 91.
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