South Africa

When Greg told me that this month's wine club would be tasting South African wines, I thought it sounded strange and exotic. After all, when I think of wine, I don't think of South Africa. So I did some research and found that in fact, wine is an important part of South Africa's economy and the country produces 3.1% of the world's wine. Most of the grapes are grown on the coast where the range of soil types and moderate climate allows for a variety of grapes to develop character and complexity. White wines make up 55% of those made in the region. Greg brought two of these, Westerland Unwooded Chardonnay and Westerland Celebration. He also brought Headbutt Vintners Reserve for our private tasting. Of the three, I liked Celebration the best because it was sweet and easy to drink. As a novice wine consumer, I do not think South African wine stands out from wines of other countries, but it's worth trying some for the experience.

-Melissa

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Westerland Celebration

This white blend is really, really light. It's got a nose sort of like pinot grigio, which is deceptive as the wine itself is relatively dry and might have spent some time in wood. Not too complex but not undrinkable, either.

Headbutt White

I can only think of one wine I have ever had that was lighter in taste than this (Oroyo is made specifically to pair with and not overpower the subtle flavors of sushi). If I'm looking for a complex white to dive into and meditate, this isn't it. If I'm looking for a wine I can drink three bottles of without getting dry-mouth or a sweet-wine tummy-ache. Yeah, not great.

Westerland Unwooded Chardonnay

I now realize that that funky flavor I always attributed to too much oak in bad chardonnay is actually just bad chardonnay. Thank you for helping me realize this, Westerland.

Headbutt Red

There is something seriously funky in there. The nose is dominated by the merlot - the fruity jam rises above anything else. Again, the nose is deceptive. The actual taste is filled out with cinsaut and pinotage, both of which are a tad funky.

Westerland Shiraz

Not as jammy as I'd expected. Much more subdued than, say, an Australian Shiraz. In the same price range as a decent shiraz, say, Rosemount's Hill of Gold Shiraz. If the price dropped a couple of bucks, I'm sure it would taste a lot better.

Westerland Pinotage

Pinotage is a uniquely South African blend of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, usually blended with Cabernet. It's fairly extracted and intense in flavor. But it really is funky. Pretty sure it's the funky in that funky Headbutt Red blend. Everyone should try this once or maybe twice. But that's it.