Thursday, March 31, 2016

MENU's Wine of the week. Alvi's Drift Viognier

Wine of the week. The wine that impressed us the most was Alvi's Drift Viognier from their Signature range (a Platter 4 star), which we had with a prawn feast we enjoyed with friends. The wine is unusual, and keeps surprising as you taste. It is initially full of luscious white peaches and apricots then there is a bump of bitterness and finally grapefruit and limes take over and the bitterness disappears. It opens up in the glass beautifully , remains aromatic and faintly tropical and is perfect with seafood.
Aged wine of the week I: KWV Pinotage 1988
Our Dutch friends, who are about to return home,  invited us to join them for a small rijsttafel. Another friend also a guest, brought along this bottle, which she found in her late uncle's collection. It was extraordinary: a perfect cork, beautiful deep garnet colour and rich stewed plum flavour which was a perfect match for the spicy dishes. As we have so often said, Pinotage is the perfect red wine for spicy food and it ages better than any other wine in this country. Still full of fruit and freshness, it amazed us and it went perfectly with the spicy Nasi Goreng and Babi Ketchup we were eating

Aged wine of the week II: Nederburg Bukettraube Noble Late Harvest 1983. From the same source as the Pinotage. The cork was perfect, but the slight pressure of the two-pronged opener pushed it into the bottle. The wine had turned to a dark brown colour. It was rich and unctuous with silky honey, layered with good crisp limes and was the perfect foil for Lynne’s rather sweet Ile Flottante
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

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