Michael‘s been out and about again tasting delicious wines and today’s he’s found a great one which is an absolute steal cost wise, read on..
Monis Muscadel recently took centre stage yet again at Veritas 2009, the definitive South African wine awards, clinching both a Double Gold with the 2001 vintage and Gold for the 2004 vintage medal.
And am I surprised – hell no!
Earlier this year it had taken the Trophy for Best Fortified Dessert Wine (Red) at the 2009 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show and a Platinum award by the South African Muscadel Association, so the Veritas gongs were more than half expected.
Monis cellarmaster Dirkie Christowitz is a dark horse and unheralded in his cellar in Paarl where he also makes a range of Ciders for Distell.
The wine is a full sweet Red Muscadel from vineyards in the Breede River Valley. Matured for five years in 500 litre old French oak barrels, the wine has the colour of amber with red flashes.
Delicious Muscat on the nose and heavy aromatic whiffs of raisins and moist Christmas cake complete with its spices and marzipan topping. Lovely lemon and orange flower water undertones can be found there as well.
Velvety on the tongue, the oaking is evident and there is a touch of chocolate and mocha there too.
It’s a steal at R55 a pop – chill it really well, but don’t add ice as it will dilute it and the pleasure of drinking it!
Once again a massive thank you to Michael from www.michaelolivier.co.za for doing the weekly wine review, it’s always a pleasure and exciting to see what he recommends next!
Some other wine reviews:
Hi Chris,
Where would I be able to pick up a bottle of the above-mentioned Muscadel?
Thanks
Hello JK – not sure where you live but in Cape Town you should be able to get it from Wine Concepts in Newlands or Kloof Street or Caroline’s in Strand Street or Waterfront. You might try Vaughan Johnsons on the Waterfront. Shout if you live somewhere else and I will try and help. Any good bottle shop should be stocking it. Such a yummy wine.
Hi Michael – I am in Cape Town and will more than likely stop by VJ’s at the Waterfront. Thanks for the useful review!
(The last good one I has was the Nuy Valley Muscadel from Wine Connection at the Delvera farm in Stellenbosch)
I plan on heading over to Wine Concepts to get myself a bottle – Looking forward to trying it!
JK – Nuy Muscadel is a regular star. Wilhelm Linde the Cellarmaster there in the 1980s won the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award for sweet wies. Was it the white or the red you had? These wines and also our sherries are fabuous – but dont get me started. They are so underrated and underpriced too. Maybe I’ll talk about Sherry next week! We had a fabulous bottle of Steytler Vision from Kaapzicht this evening. With a braaied RibEye Steak. Heaven.
Michael – I’ve tried both the red and white, the red’s my favourite though. I was surprised at the price but I bought it on the recommendation of a friend. Looking forward to your Sherry review since I haven’t come across a really good one yet.
Preferably, I enjoy a crisp, refreshing white wine. So if you’re looking for something along those lines, I’d go with JM Fonseca Twin Vines. Crisp, refreshing and light, this brand of wine goes down smoothly with just about everything. If you’d like to compare it, compare it to a Pinot Grigio, just more refreshing. I will leave the link for the wine below in case you seem interested. Hope you enjoy:
I found this light and crisp white wine, from Portugal, and thought i’d pass it along to you. Its called JM Fonseca Twin Vines. They actually have a sweepstakes they’re doing for a free smartphone. The link for the wine and sweepstakes is below:
Hello dear Frank – the Fonseca Twin Vines is a Vinho Verde from Northern Portugal. And I quite agree with you, light and crisp and stunning. Another great thing with the Vinho Verdes is their lo alcohol levels. I was on Northern Portugal last Summer and went to Quinta Avaleda where the iconic Casal Garcia is made. You can get Casal Garcia here in the bocksbeutel shaped bottle. Can you buy Fonseca wines in SA? So many Portuguese here. Especially in Gauteng!