Sebeka Shiraz 2006
Last night, my wife brought home a bottle of Sebeka Shiraz (2006). Sebeka Wines is a South African company and this particular wine comes from the Swartland region of South Africa; in the general area surrounding Cape Town.
I’m a sucker for a nicely presented bottle of wine and while I didn’t personally pick out this bottle, it fits the profile of wines I usually single out on a crowded shelf. It has a simple, but colorful label on a dark bottle with a cheetah in mid stride. The overall presentation is quite striking.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m not really fond of fruity wines and I was not real crazy about what my nose was telling me with this Shiraz. It smelled heavily of berries and had an aroma that told me this was going to be sweet. As is typically the case, my nose wasn’t exactly spot on in its assumptions, but it wasn’t far off either. The flavor was better than I expected, the palate was a little more fruity than woody, but not nearly as much as I expected it to be. The finish was pleasant and about as dry as I normally like my wines to be. Overall, the wine was a little “light” for my tastes, but not at all unpleasant.
Hey Dandyman. I suggest picking up a bottle of Rudi Schultz’s Syrah. Also a SA wine. I think you will be impressed by the complexity. Dawned 90+ points by Wine Spectator.
Yo Dandy!
http://jerichowine.com/item.asp?PID=787
It’s a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Cantina Zaccagnini.
My all time favorite affordable red.
It’s the quintessential Italian, full bodied red.
Ask for the red with the twig.
I bought a case of 2005 a while back, half of it left in my cellar. I just opened a bottle before I started this…. YUM!
We’re going to drink the rest of it with pasta: pappardelle with sweet and hot fresh Italian sausage in a garlicy SanMarzano sauce.
It’s the kind of red that holds its own and even thrives in a spicy, garlicky red sauce environment.
Then I’m going to go out on the deck with a big glass of Glenmorangie 18yr Scotch and a A.Fuente Don Carlos No.2.
Fridays don’t get much better than this!
Couldn’t agree more. I had decent (cheap) bottle of wine last night called “Storyteller”. It’s a merlot, again from South Africa, that was a little too smooth for my tastes, but not too bad.
As for pairings, this one went well with a rather pedestrian ham and cheese and an Alec Bradley Tempus. But I think I’m coming over to your house next friday. :)
As a follow up…
Due to inclement weather, I haven’t had a Friday like that since then.
By the time summer starts it’ll be over.