La Capra wines

That evening we paired our La Capra Shiraz with barbecued ostrich sausage and sirloin steak with delicious results.

Having a chance to review the entire range of La Capra wines at the public launch was a huge bonus which I grabbed with both hands.  This gypsy carnival was staged complete with oompah band, gypsy caravan and beautiful fortune teller in the form of Bridget Back, daughter of the renowned wine maker Charles Back, owner of Fairview estate.

Bridget lured us into her caravan with the promise of delightful potions and disappointed we were not.

The Chenin Blanc 2009 is perky and delicious, as are the Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Rose 2009 from Pinotage, and the Chardonnay 2009. A real treat for consumers who want to be more adventurous is that the range includes a Viognier 2009.

My favourite amongst the red wines is the Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 which is amazingly smooth with almost imperceptible oak. This can happily be drunk as an aperitif for those of us who simply can’t get enough red wine. To my mind, the Pinotage 2009, Merlot 2009 and Shiraz 2009 will compliment food really well. Also in the range is Malbec 2009 another more unusual variety wine which I will be scouring the supermarket shelves for.

All of these wines are accessible and perfect for drinking straight away.

Sipping to the sound of the Oompah Band

“What about the name?” I asked the gypsy princess.  My Italian being somewhat rusty I had missed the word capra meaning goat, referring of course to the Fairview goat herd from which the very first goat’s milk cheese was produced in South Africa. La rhymes with Ra the Egyptian sun god and Capra also points to the Cape Cap, suggesting a Cape to Cairo connection.

These wines are available at Fairview Estate for the unbelievable price of R200.00 per mixed 6 bottle case. Alternately they can be bought at Pick and Pay supermarkets in the Western Cape for between R35 and R42 per bottle.

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La Capra presented by Fairview

We decided to try the La Capra Shiraz 2008 and very easily laid the bottle waste. There is are spice flavours galore on the palate like white pepper, clove and nutmeg, and the fruity yet dry flavours remind of eating pomegranates when I was a child. We think this wine goes very well with itself but it was also great with our sirloin and ostrich sausage braai. It’s beautifully balanced and sits on the palate forever after swallowing.

If I wanted to introduce a first time drinker to a Shiraz varietal wine, La Capra Shiraz is what I would reach for.

The quirky label reminds us that Fairview is home to goat herds and produces award winning cheeses.

These wines are available at the unbelievable price of R200.00 ($28.50) per mixed case from the farm.

La Capra Shiraz

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Vergelegen Merlot 2006

This is a lush, full-bodied wine with a little bit of spice on the palate and lots of ripe, red fruit flavours. It is smooth as silk and satisfying in every way. We are happy to drink it on it’s own but love to pair it with a rich meat stew like cottage pie. This is very much a comfort drink.

At R135.91 ($19) per bottle it is more an occasional wine rather than a daily tipple.

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Zorgvliet Silver Myn Merlot Cabernet Franc 2006

Quaffing this wine as we watched the clouds change colour over the Constantiaberg Mountains we were immediately impressed with the smooth elegance and balance. For me the main flavours were a little spice, sour cherry and mulberry. It is hard to believe that this is a second tier wine of this premium Cape Town producer.

Named Silver Myn because of historical mining that took place in the Banghoek area of Stellenbosch, Zorgvliet aims with this range to pair usual cultivars with unusual ones in high quality blends. Sauvignon Blanc with Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec are two more examples.

At R49.60 ($7) a bottle, this is astonishing good value for money.

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Glenelly Estate

An environmentally sensitive 600 ton cellar, created by Swiss, French and South African architects was completed last year. Some of it’s features are that fewer chemicals are used to clean tanks because water at high temperature does the job and under-floor cooling cuts energy costs. The cellar structure blends into the Simonsberg hills because of carefully coloured concrete thus minimising visual impact.

The winemaker is Luke O’Cuinneagain and Adie Badenhorst is the consultant, formally of neighbouring farm, Rustenberg. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, shiraz and chardonnay are the cultivars planted here.

de Lencquesaing is quoted in Decanter.com as saying,

I now intend to spend six months of the year in South Africa. I am very keen to ensure this is a truly South African estate, not to impose too much of my Bordeaux sensibilities on to the land.

I will be running the estate and continuing with the set up of numerous social structures for the employees from estate housing to child care to education and training courses.

All of this at the age of 84 years!

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Rust en Vrede Merlot 2008

As a festive season splurge we opened the merlot to experience a complex nose of dark fruit with a touch of spice. This full-bodied wine has great structure but with subtle oak, ripe plum and and long finish.

We love the quotations by Thomas Jefferson on the back label.

Rust en Vrede Merlot 2008 sells for R130.00 ($18) from the farm.

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Steenberg Catharina 2006

Steenberg Catharina 2006, named for Catharina Ras, founder of Steenberg farm, blended from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, shiraz with some nebbiolo, sails down the throat like a catamaran in full flight. All about this wine is perfectly harmonious, finishing seamlessly with reminders of white pepper, mulberry and pomegranate.

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Silky smooth, feminine Merlot with barely noticeable oak from a small crop on this Paarl farm. It went down so well that we forgot about the slightly extravagant price tag of R71.00.

Could probably still drink well in years to come but it seems perfect now and who wants to wait anyhow?

Seidelberg Estate.

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