Fairview Winery’s Goats Do Roam red blend ($17.25) seems like a silly pun on Cotes du Rhone, the southern French wine region that inspired this wine’s style – until you know the cute beastie adorning the label also references a herd of several hundred goats that produce cheese for the winery.
I don’t know their chèvre, but this appealing wine is a complex mix of Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache and Mourvèdre and is surprisingly dry for something from South Africa. Earthy and pleasant, it offers a smooth array of ripe dark fruits, chocolate and spice on the palate, and has a good finish.
| Monday wine columnist Robert Moyes |
A long hop north to Spain brings us to Castillo de Monséran, a perennial bargain that is about as reliable as things get in the wine world. Hailing from Spain’s northeastern Aragon region and made entirely from Garnacha (a.k.a. Grenache), the medium-bodied Castillo is appealingly soft in the mouth. Offering succulent aromas of raspberry and leather along with rich flavours of cherry, plum and blackberry, this juicy and eminently gulpable wine is well worth $14.
Chile offers much to the bargain wine hunter, and one of their very best good-value bottlings is the Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier ($12.65). Originally from Southern France, Viognier is now grown around the world, where its full body, floral aromas of peach and honeysuckle, and fruity palate make it a lively and appealing alternative to ubiquitous Chardonnay. Cono Sur’s 2018 Viognier has charm to spare with its peach and pear flavours and vibrant mouthfeel.
And here’s a posh pour from the Okanagan: Tinhorn Creek’s 2016 Oldfield Reserve Merlot ($33.35). Aged 18 months on French oak, this easy drinker has lush flavours of black cherry, chocolate, strawberry and dried herbs. Its 85 per cent Merlot gets complexity from the addition of small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, while an abundance of round tannins make this a good candidate for cellaring (although it’s tempting have it now with a garlicky roast of lamb). Yum!
(All prices include tax.)