Hearty fare = robust reds

ring on the chilly weather – I’m ready for it! Hopefully accompanied by copious amounts of rain in the Western Cape, firstly to refill our empty dams and secondly to justify sitting indoors by the fireplace and drinking red wine. Hearty fare and robust reds are on the menu this month. Keep warm with these new releases. The first one up might just be the bargain of the decade. You will struggle to get more flavour, character and enjoyment out of R58! I’m talking about False Bay, the entry-level label from Waterkloof Wine Estate near Somerset West, and their Old School Syrah 2017. The False Bay range recently got a rebranding and I love the new packaging, but I also love the flavours inside. The syrah has been cool fermented to give it extra perfume and aromatics. It packs a pretty punch, topped off with black fruit and herbs. This will be my go-to winter wine. There’s something about drinking an organic wine that makes it seem better for you. By that logic, a biodynamic wine should be twice as good! This one certainly is – the Reyneke Biodynamic Syrah 2015 (R175) is made in the most natural way possible, using no manmade chemicals or fertilizers in either the growing of the grapes or the making of the wine. It’s a truly delicious syrah with black fruit, spice and supportive oak – a feel-good spoil on a chilly afternoon. If you’re going to splash out on a special wine this winter, it had better be a bordeaux. Well, a Cape bordeaux blend anyway, like the Delheim Grand Reserve 2014 (R285), which is mainly cabernet sauvignon tweaked up with touches of cab franc and merlot. This wine has only been made after stellar harvests – twice in the last six years. It has a lovely herbal edge thanks to the cab franc, combined with rich, warming notes of black fruit. If you’re cooking lamb, this wine should be on the table.