Monday, April 7, 2014

Barista 2011 Pinotage, South Africa

Wine Review by Wine Chick, TWAV Tasting Team Member
Sometimes that spur-of-the-moment bottle you pick up at the grocery store can be a great surprise.  I was heading out of town and thought I'd buy a bottle to share with my friends -- the only criteria were that it needed to be red, and it needed to have a screw-top, because I couldn't be sure we'd have access to a bottle opener. 
I found a 2011 Pinotage named Barista from South Africa at Walt Churchill's Market in Perrysburg.  Never having heard of a Pinotage, it sounded like a pinot noir blend.  And at $12.99, I couldn't pass it up.
We didn't drink it on our overnight.  I brought it home and decided to open it one evening last week.  The aroma of coffee and chocolate hit me as soon as I unscrewed the cap.  Flavors of mulberry, plum, and Maraschino cherries complimented the nose.  This is a full-bodied wine with light tannins and no need for decanting.  It is an excellent stand-alone wine but would also pair well with beef tenderloin, steak, or lamb. Saxman and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I did a little research into the wine and discovered that it was created by Bertus Fourie, nicknamed "Starbucks" for the advances he has made in coffee Pinotage.  Barista was a collaboration between Fourie and Vinimark The Wine Company in South Africa.  The wine itself is created on the Val de Vie estate which began producing wine in 1825.  This estate is in the heart of the Cape Winelands of South Africa.
I encourage you to pick up a bottle the next time you are shopping for an inexpensive yet sophisticated wine.  For more information on the wine and its creator, go to http://www.baristawine.co.za/
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1 comment:

Unknown said...

I love Pinotage and have a bottle on order as we speak! This is a grape that really gives you earth; to the point you can almost taste the soil it was grown in.