LOCK, STOCK AND WINE BARREL

If there’s one thing every home needs, it’s a beautiful bottle. And the latest Uitkyk Grand Reserve 10 should be on the top of your shopping list. This is the sort of potstill brandy that impressively appears on the table after a jaunty Sunday lunch – and with good reason. Except for its beautiful packaging, this potstill is a powerhouse of flavour that caters to a variety of palates.

But it’s essentially its sweeter notes that will strike a chord with most.

The brandy is distilled, matured and bottled at Uitkyk and made from the best Chenin Blanc, Cinsaut and Clairette Blanche grapes.

The base wine is double distilled in batches using 1 800 litre Savalle potstills imported from France in the late 1940s.

The smaller pots and double distillation adds to it’s rich flavour. Maturation also follows French traditions. To create this unique spirit, each cultivar is matured separately – first for 10 months in Limousin French Oak barrels before spending the remaining 10 year period in third-fill Limousin French Oak.

The final blend spent eight months marrying before bottling takes place.

What to expect:

There’s a beautiful woodiness to this potstill that makes it a great brandy to drink neat or over ice.

On the palate there’s a unique combination of spice and vanilla – and these sweeter notes make it great to pair with desserts.

To get your hands on a bottle of Uitkyk Grand Reserve 10, you can get it from the estate, fine wine outlets and online from vinoteque. co.za.

It retails for about R495.