Friday, July 17, 2009

La Chocalate




Waterford Wine Estate. The name says it all. Refinement, elegance and finesse. I had never before tried their famed Chocolate and Wine pairing. Too my surprise it was something I enjoyed and would recommend to any sweet toothed lover of wine.




What of the wines....the Estate Rose-Mary 2008 was a lovely wine with loads of zing an ideal wine to start the tasting with. A real summer wine, low alcohol levels at 11% means you can have a few glasses. The Sauvignon Blanc was a surprise. I wasn't expecting much yet this wine delivered. Unusually creamy mouthfeel and a very clear bright colour, not your typical coastal Sauvi. Nice balance between acid and fruit. The Kevin Arnold Shiraz was next up and for me the standout wine of the evening. Paired with a spicy masala styled chocolate the wine just got better, the subtle hint of spiciness from the chocolate complementing the wine beautifully. Truly a memorable wine and at R150 per bottle it should be. Oprah Winfrey belives it a special occasion wine as she served it at her 50th birthday dinner celebrations. If its good enough for her its gotta be good enough for us. Next was the Cabernet and The Jem. Both these wines were at the level of refinement and elegence Waterford strives but certainly not great wines in my humble opinion. Having been blown away by the Shiraz, the Cab was always going to battle to impress. The Jem on the other hand is a potpourri wine ...sometimes the some of the parts is not greater than the whole and maybe this is the case here. Or maybe it was the price of R650 per bottle that left a bitter taste.



Finally we finished off with a pudding wine: Heatherleigh. A lovely wine paired with a rose water infused dark chocolate...A fine way to finish off a wonderful wine experience.

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