Five Great Reds To Taste Through The Winter
Winter is the quintessential season to uncork red wines of varied expression and weight that coat the palate and warm up the heart during the season of cold draughts and long nights. Winter is here and so is Wine Park’s bounty of delicious wintry reds.
Your response to the turn of weather can say a lot about you. The bright streaks of summer can either rev up the spirits to seize the day or shun searing heat for the safety of shade. The dank monsoons binds nearly everyone in disdain of ceaseless downpours. And while winter has its fair share of detractors, the cold season is a universal call to action for red wine enthusiasts to roll out the bold tannic reds. While the summers are reigned by whites and sparklers, the winters are all about the reds. Shorter days give way to cool, lingering evenings, best filled an illustrious list of elegant and full bodied reds right from classic Bordeaux and Rhone Valley to mouth-filling Barolos and Super Tuscans, not to overlook adventurous new world stunners from Barossa, the Western Cape and Argentina misty pearl of Mendoza. The bounty of wintry reds that can warm the cockles of the heart is as large as the winter is long. Here’s a wee bunch of five seasonal favourites among Wine Park’s award winning selection of reds. Cheers!
Bodegas Mauro 2017
Discover an astonishing life’s work realized in this stunning Tempranillo blend vinified by Spanish winemaking icon Mariano Garcia in the vast, sun drenched vineyards of Northern Spain. Senor Garcia is a treasure not just for Spain for the for the decades of splendid vintages he has bottled and Bodegas Mauro 2017 is right up there. A blend of noble Spanish and French grapes, this sumptuous full bodied red wine is rated 4.3 by Vivino for its rich texture, smooth tannins and generous red fruit tones. Farmed organically, it’s a truly gourmet wine, to be paired with a grand feast.
Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino, Tenuta Nuova 2017
Brunello Di Montalcino sits at the very top of the pecking order when it comes to Sangiovese expressions across Tuscany. And this vintage effort from the traditional house of Casanova di Neri hits all the high notes in this regard. This award winning Tuscan red is drinking at its best right now with notes of dark plum, spice and herbs as well a touch of smoke from generous barrel ageing complimented by deliciously supple tannins.
Roger Sabon, Cote Du Rhone 2020
From traditionally steeped Rhone Valley estate Roger Sabon that handpicks fruit from vineyard rooted in limestone rich soils, comes this red wine blend led by Grenache that expresses wholesome flavours of cherry, blackberry and pepper capped by soft tannins and a long finish. No wonder this estate is one of legendary wine critic Robert Parker’s favourite southern Rhone stops. This classic Rhone expression in an ideal winter companion to be enjoyed with mushroom pasta, rosemary lamb and gamily textured barbecue.
Thunevin, Bad Boy 2016
Bordeaux is not a region one might typically associate with rebels but Jean Luc Thunevin is a splendid exception and also one of France’s best garage wine makers. He is the original Bordeaux ‘bad boy’ and hence the name for this gorgeous blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon produced from grapes harvest on the region’s Right Bank. Enjoy this bold yet crisply acidic red that reflects the personality of a genius winemaker with a healthy aversion to rules and a desire to push the boundaries of oenological brilliance.
Kara Tara, Pinot Noir 2019
South Africa’s Elgin Valley is the country’s prized vinous possession owed in large part to its elevation above the sea – 350 metres — and yet, close proximity to it. And Kara Tara’s chief winemaker Rüdger van Wyk has made the most of it, capturing it in his Pinot Noir and making the noble Burgundian grape feel right at home. His core approach is to “always be in sync with Mother Nature and “the grape doing its natural thing.” Barrel aged for fourteen months, this Pinot Noir fills the palate with cherries and strawberries with just a hint of spice and earthy tones leading to a soft finish.
