Spending the week in Jo’burg without the luxury of the wonderful variety of wines available on every corner in Cape Town. So this week I’m shopping and drinking from TOPS to see if I can still enjoy a good glass of wine without having to lower my standards or blow the budget.
We started the batting with two from Hidden Valley Wines, an estate I know well. The Hidden Treasure 2022 Rosé is delightful, fruity and full bodied. Hidden Treasure won double gold in this year’s Rosé Rocks awards. That didn’t last very long at all. That was accompanied by the Hidden Secret 2017 which was a very rewarding wine indeed. These two were all paired with a mezze of cold meats, cheeses, dips and some breads from Spar’s bakery.
Round two was casual meet-for-a-drink with chips and cheese. We tried the Saronsberg Cellar SGM 2019 which is a lighter Shiraz and didn’t hold its own next to the Hidden Secret. Mike described it as Tafelwyn. It’s cheaper by about R100, but I’d rather have had a repeat of the Hidden Secret. Don’t get me wrong, Saronsberg is one of my favorite estates, but not this particular label. Their Full Circle and their Shiraz will always be right up there among my all time favorites, but not this time and not available from Spar.
Then for the white drinkers, the DeWetshof Wine Estate Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2022 was great value. I know this one well and I’ve seen it crop up on some of the recent awards and ratings. Definitely a great and safe bet if you’re picking up a bottle to bring to dinner, you’ll impress your mates and your bank manager wine have to call you the next morning.
Tonight we’re visiting the wines from Niel Joubert that are available from Spar, so stay tuned.
