This Fair Label Organisation (FLO) Standards wine is my first review in a while. With a change domicile and ever increasing professional demands my content has decreased to a mere trickle while John continues to drink and blog with an intense passion.
This manufacturer (Zonnebloem) produces wine from an interesting concept of sourcing only fairtrade grapes from local growers in the Cape region for their “newish” label. They have a wide range of offerings (2 whites and 3 reds) and they have priced themselves very aggressively (this bottle is $12.95 at the LCBO). So what does this new world wine from Place In The Sun have to offer? Read on for the review.
Before actually opening the wine it is fair to say I love their label. So many vineyards have creative and interesting labels these days it is nice to have simple yet engaging label to look at. All the info is right there, the varietal, the vintage and the name, yet it is done in a nice compact and almost elegant way. Obviously I spend too much time thinking about wine labels…
Cracking this open brings forward a full nose of tobacco, leather and plum. The colour is a nice purple red with good clarity. The first sip is rich with tannins and red fruit. A few more sips into this and you have a wine that has decently balanced tannins that may be a bit more forward in the mouth then you would expect. Hints of leather persist and chocolate seems to be nestled in between the plums and cherries. As the wine sits and breathes it settles down and turns out to be quite remarkable for its price point. Soft yet firm, a rare couple for under $20. Overall this is a very pleasant wine that will serve you well entering BBQ season. Open and decant 30 minutes prior to dinner and you will be well rewarded as you eat your steak, ribs or grilled chicken. Quite a pleasant surprise if I do say so myself, the rating represents value and quality.
The CWG Subjective Rating is 88 out of 100.
