Mount Abora Saffraan Cinsault (also spelled Cinsaut), from Swartzland in South Africa, is made from grapes off nearly 40 year old vines. It is dry-farmed and spends 9 months in used French oak.

I was told this wine shared qualities with high end Beaujolais by two people whose descriptions are invariably correct. I  nonetheless doubted until I tasted. When they said "high end Beaujolais" I thought they meant  really good Beaujolais Village but when I tasted this I was thinking more Cru Beaujolais.

I remember a Chiroubles I had that was really close to this. It has some earth to it but also noticeable bright red fruit--rasberry, cranberry and a lot of zip. In the midst of the earth there is pepper.

Of course this isn't Gamay; it is Cinsault.

Cinsault is a widely grown grape. If you've had a rose from the south of France you've likely had Cinsault. It is also a component in many Rhone blends and shows up in some Chateauneuf du Pape. More and more it is being used by New World winemakers as a varietal wine. It grows well in warm weather and ripens early. Some sources say it is declining in production and it MAY be. But it is still grown quite a bit. In South Africa it is, along with Pinot Noir, one of the parents of Pinotage (the grape was sometimes called Hermitage in South Africa.

South African wines have a reputation for earthiness. This is not a bad thing (in many contexts it is a good thing). Yet even in saying this wine is earthy it is NOT really dirty or funky in the broad scheme of things, There is a whiff of barnyard and this it blows off a bit with air. This is a wine that maybe should be served with a wee bit of a chill--not as cold as white but colder than room temperature. I don't always give a price range? But this wine comes in between $14 and $17. It is an absolute steal at the price.

In the past month I have had four different South African Cinault wines and all of them had wildly different profiles (although one was a blanc de noir). It has always struck me as a versatile grape that skilled winemakers can get a great
deal from. France's La Cinso leaps to mind.

by Patrick Ogle

BLANKbottle's Orbitalfrontal Cortex (2016) is a crisp, tasty wine from South Africa that starts with a white grape juciness that gives way to acidity, followed by floral hints. I hate using the word "tasty" for some reason but I wrote it in my notes. I also wrote "I am not really sure what to say."

Of course I didn't leave it there.

The acidity on the finish sort of leaps up and smacks you. It perhaps seems stronger than it is because the first sensation is fruit--white grape juice or maybe melon is likewise boisterous. What you get out of this wine seems to change with every taste. Is it changing with air or am I just noticing different things? This is a wine you may need more than one bottle to sort out. It is peculiar but not in any way that makes it hard to approach. It is quite easy-drinking.

The blend is Clairette Blanche and Verdelho with smaller amounts of Palomino, Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc. To say this is an unsual blend is an understatement. Find more information on South African grapes HERE.

Clairette Blanche is a moderately common grape in the South of France (including Southern Rhone, Provence and Languedoc-Rousillon). Historically it has been used in making vermouth. It produces wines with lower acidity and often finds its way into blends with higher acid wines. It is one of the main varietals used in white Chatteau neuf de Pape. It is also used in sparkling wines. It is grown in relatively small amounts in various other places, including South Africa where there are less than 500 acres planted.

Verdelho is a white Portuguese grape grown both on the mainland and on the Madeira Islands. In the latter instance it is mostly used in fortified wines. It is also grown in Galicia in Spain and is making inroads in the New World in South
America, Australia,California and Virginia.

Palomino is the major grape used in making Sherry (Spain), Grenache blanc is grown extensively in France and Spain. Chenin Blanc is a native of France and is the signature grape France's Loire Valley. There are actually more acres planted of Chenin in South Africa than there are in its home country.

I haven't seen them all blended together before but this is probably because, as far as I know, they only grown in the same vicinity in South Africa.

by Patrick Ogle

Finca Parera's Fin Als Kullons is a red wine... or maybe a rose wine... or sort of a white wine? It is made from the rare red Penedes varietal, Sumoll, Garnacha Blanca and Xarel-lo. The last two are white grapes.

This wine, and of course, this winemaker, break the "rules" with this wine.  It is often frowned upon to mix white and red grapes in the same wine--except in Cote Rotie, Champagne, the occasional Chianti (until 2006). in other words the practice really is only selectively frowned upon. There are a lot of fairly stupid "soft taboos" in the world of wine.

If it tastes good? Mix whatever the hell you want together and this wine tastes great.

It is an easy drinking wine but not necessarily one I would say is simple. Sure you can just knock it back (even by the liter bottle) but take a second. The first thing I tasted was pineapple, yes pineapple and a strong vinegar taste (referred to as "VA"). It has a lot of CO2 and is a lively, juicy wine. After the initial impression I got cherry and berry and then realized that the predominant fruit here is cranberry.

There are even some tannins here. Nothing particularly noticeable. I honestly would have noticed this wine had characteristics of both red and white wines.

All these grapes make great wines on their own. Garnacha blanca makes fine wines around the world. Sumoll grows pretty much only in Penedes on around 250 acres. I've only had one Sumoll varietal wine, Khronos, by this very same winemaker. It was a unique wine that any wine aficionado with a taste for medium bodied reds would appreciate. Xarel-lo, of course, makes a fine white wine on its own and is the backbone of the Spanish sparkler, Cava.

The grapes are all fermented separately with native yeast and aged for 9 months in concrete. Grapes are certified organic. It is unfiltered and unfined (a process beyond filtering to take out particulates) and no sulfites are added. It is uber natural.

by Patrick Ogle

Lamoresca's Nerocapitano, a red wine from Sicily, is an excellent introduction to Frappato wines. Apparently "Nerocapitano" is what Frappato is called in the area.

This wine was tight and all wound up when it was initially opened. My initial impression was that this was a food wine more than a wine to pound on the back porch; the acidity is pronounced. There are also fairly prominent tannins here that give up only reluctantly with air.  This is far from a huge wine but it is certainly bigger than many made from the varietal.

But when the fruit comes through there is a bright cherry and raspberry there. There is a little funk, a little earthiness here but it won't be off-putting even to more timid wine drinkers. A bit of air--not too much--helps this wine calm down with regards to tannins and the slight funk. It smooths out nicely with air.

You will often see Frappato in blends with Nero D'Avola or other Sicilian grapes. You may even read that its greatest applications are in blends. There are truly lovely blends made from Frappato but there are likewise worthy varietal wines.

This is one of them.

Sicily is one of the areas that has, until recently been sort of a mystery to many in the USA.  As usual you will see this wine compared to other, more familiar wines (particularly Beaujolais) but it is, as is oft repeated here, its own thing. It has its own characteristics.

Find out more about Lamoresca HERE.