Pinotage is a deep red grape that produces a high quality red wine with hints of smoky earth and dark fruit. Although the grape generally produces a high tannin level, (and not everyone is a fan of tannins-gone-wild) a good soaking with all the flavorful bits during the maceration process can really mellow them out, and allow great flavors to bloom. Backsberg presents a fine example of a sophisticated Pinotage, and one of our favorite exclusive imports. And yes, while some imported Pinotage varieties can be a little tannin-crazy, Backsberg’s masterpiece is truly unique:

“Due to its thick, tannic skin, the colour is extracted from the Pinotage grapes within the first couple of days of fermentation. Early press and immediate oaking makes for this fruity, young Pinotage that shows no aggressive tannins.” -Backsberg Estate Cellars

We know this wine is absolutely delicious, and Backsberg Pinotage really can be enjoyed on its own, but this import is better paired with its soul mate and her fiery personality. Barbra Streisand? Nope, try spicy barbeque! Spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere, and summer is just around the corner. We think it’s high time to breakup barbecues’ love affair with beer, and try something fresh.

Region: Coastal, South Africa

Vinification: Early press and immediate 50% oak aging.

Food Pairings: Barbeque, lamb, and stew.

Aging Potential: 2 to 5 years

Wine Notes: Carbon neutral

Production: 72,000 bottles

ABV: 0.139

pH Level: 3.8

Residual Sugar: 3.8

Awards: 88 points – Wine Enthusiast (Previous Vintage)

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of sampling Backsberg Pinotage we suggest you rush out immediately to pick up a bottle.  You’re in for a pleasant and delicious surprise. Cheers!

The post Featured Wine of the Week: Backsberg Pinotage appeared first on Marquee Selections.

We know South African wine is superb. From the terrior, to the loving hands that nurture the grape, South Africa produces a wine with a flavor unlike any other. Sophisticated, yet easily drinkable, South African wine has made quite a name for itself worldwide. Thanks to wonderful families like Backsberg Estate Cellars of Paarl, South Africa, its rise in popularity only continues to climb. While we can discuss the wine’s beautiful flavors and aromas for days, we think it’s time to pay tribute instead to its uncanny solutions to some of life’s challenges:

1. Your cat is stuck in a tree. Coax it down with a glass of Backsberg Sauvignon Blanc, or at the very least, sip a glass yourself while you wait for the fire department to arrive.

2. You’re not sure what to serve at your BBQ? Easy fix. Barbeque pairs lovely with a smoky South African Pinotage. Drink while enjoying succulent ribs, or try adding a bit to your homemade sauce reductions.

3. You’re famished, but all you have in the fridge is a bowl of shrimp, a half squeezed lemon, the majority of a cupcake, parsley, and what’s left of your Backsberg Chein Blanc. With exception of the cupcake, sauté it all with a bit of garlic and pour over pasta. Dinner is served! You might as well open another bottle of South African wine to accompany your culinary masterpiece. Cheers!

4. Your best friend appears sobbing on your doorstep in hair-curlers and mismatched socks. This requires both the Tread Lightly Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. (Possibly also some of that Sauvignon Blanc…)

5. You hear something go bump in the night.  Arm yourself with an empty bottle of South African wine and tiptoe down the stairs. Should you discover the boogeyman, whack it over the head with the empty bottle and flee into the kitchen. While you wait for the police to arrive sip a glass of Backsberg Kosher Chardonnay to calm your nerves. Make sure to take a “selfie” picture next to the unconscious boogeyman. Post to your preferred social media outlet.

So the next time you’re enjoying a beautiful bottle of South African wine remember it’s also a fantastic problem solver as well as the perfect companion to your dinner.  Cheers!

-Ashley Fairclough

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“The enjoyment of a great bottle of wine should never be at the cost of the environment”, says Backsberg proprietor, Michael Back. “Whether by measurable process or by intuitive approach, every step we take in producing our wines must be challenged. The packaging and transport of wine contributes significantly to our carbon footprint and therefore needs to be addressed.”

We agree with Michael, and obviously this wine is special, but what flavors can be found in the Tread Light Merolt? Superb ones, bursting with aromas of raspberry, red plums and deep earth. The palate is redolent with succulent, sweet fruit flavors and finely coated in ripe, mouth-filling tannins. Its smokey and savory oak characters provide a subtle background to this complex and well-balanced wine.

Vinfication: Oak aged for 12-18 months in French and American barrels.

Aging Potential: 5 to 7 years

Wine Notes: 100% Recyclable bottle. Carbon neutral

Production: 30,000 bottles

ABV: 0.1358

pH Level: 3.35

Residual Sugar: 2.1

We suggest pairing your Tread Lightly Merlot with roast duck, braised lamb shank, grilled sirloin steak, pastas with rich, red tomato based sauces, and chocolate. Take your bottle with you on a secluded picnic this summer, or on your next boat trip. You won’t have to worry about broken glass, or ill-tasting wine. Cheers!

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There is some disagreement as to how this grape made its way to Argentina in the first place, and with 3 different grape varieties in Italy alone claiming the same name it’s easy to see how one could become confused. Secondly, there’s a charming grape in the United States called  Charbono that may actually have traveled down to Argentina and  started a new life as the Bonarada. We’re content with either possible heritage trace and prefer to get down the good stuff, the wine itself.

Now as we’ve mentioned before, the Mendoza wine region of Argentina possesses a soil unlike any other on the planet. Pair that with perfect temperatures, ideal amounts of rainfall, and of course the iconic glacial rivers that nourish the terrior, and you could make a delicious wine made of socks so long as they grew from that soil. Hmm…cotton tannins with a hint of lint? No thank you. Argentinean Bonarda on the other hand make superb wine, and if you haven’t tried it yet, do so immediately. This wine is often thought of as a light-bodied with hints of fruit, and selections such as Caligiore’s Reserve Bonarda are rich with berry aromas that are combined with an understated earthy and spicy tone. Dark blueberry, cherry, and milk chocolate dance on the palate with well integrated tannins and a long subtle finish. You’re thirsty now aren’t you? We suggest pairing the enchanting Bonarda with your dinner tonight of pork roast, rack of lamb and oven roasted potatoes. Cheers to an incredible grape and a remarkable wine!

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These reasons have a name, “Finca La Marolina”!

Finca La Marolina covers an area of 17.3 acres with vines over 80 years old since it was planted in 1930. It has an alluvial with a silt-loamy texture and shallow soil with stony subsoil and a very low organic matter content. All this makes the vines grow naturally balanced, with yields that do not exceed 50 wine hl / ha. Located more than 900 meters above sea level which ensures a wide thermal amplitude, achieving a delicate maturity and unrivaled quality grapes.

Our old, organic Malbec vineyard, located in the district of Mayor Drummond, in Lujan de Cuyo area where the first Argentinean Malbec were planted. The vines were brought directly from France by agronomist Michel A. Pouget, hired by President D.F. Sarmiento to modernize viticulture in our country.

It was the mid-nineteenth century and was the very first impulse for quality wine in Argentina.

These organic Malbecs have a particular genetic line that is resistant to the European Phylloxera attacks that almost destroyed all the vineyards in Europe. This is the reason why the Malbec became a unique & irreplaceable agricultural and cultural heritage. Hence the great value for the wine industry in general and especially for Mendoza wine industry.

In the background, the gorgeous Andes, not only make up a unique landscape, but ensures water supply by snow melting that is used to irrigate each of the organic Malbec vines from birth. This vineyard belonged to my Nonno Andres who came from Italy being a very young child and settled in Mendoza with his parents to work in the vineyards that were being planted in Luján de Cuyo. “Marolina”, was the name he gave to the mule that was used to perform the cultural works in the vineyard when he bought this property in the late 60´s. An unforgettable memory for me are those Sundays when still very young, we used to ride Marolina together with my cousins touring all around the vineyard “she” known as few.

Today, after more than 30 years ahead, I feel absolutely pride of managing this vineyard, with such beloved story and also feel honored to make wine from these grapes; we share in each bottle of any of our organic Malbec.

-Gustavo A. Caligiore

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We adore Tread Lightly Sauvignon Blanc. Its lime and gooseberry characters as they dominate the palate, cleverly matching fruit sweetness with natural acidity, while bursting with aromas of passion fruit. No wine was ever better suited to accompany your picnic basket. It should be enjoyed with summer salads and chicken dishes in a warm, grassy meadow, and by eliminating the risk of broken glass, leisurely boat excursions are now a must. Imagine sitting on the deck of your yacht, cruising the open seas with a bottle in hand. The wind blows your hair as you take glamorous sips of Tread Lightly Sauvignon Blanc from your glass… Or for the rest of us, imagine fishing, camping, or hiking without the fear of introducing broken glass to the natural surroundings.

As part of their ongoing commitment to the welfare of the environment, Tread Lightly Sauvignon Blanc’s creator, Backsberg, has begun using lightweight PET wine bottles for the Tread Lightly line of wines. Take to a stadium, out by the pool, or to the park without the fear of breakage. According to research, bottling wine in lightweight bottles can significantly reduce CO2 emissions from transit. One case weighs 15 pounds less than a normal case of 12 glass bottles. Cheers to this lovely wine, and to one less carbon footprint!

Currently the wine is available in 2011 and 2012 vintages.

WINE DETAILS:
3.46 pH
1.90 g/L Res. Sugar
13.80% Alcohol by Vol.

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The African Pinotage grape variety was cultivated in the 1920s by Abraham Izak Perold, a South African bio-chemist. Tasked with developing a new, authentically South African wine grape, Perold developed the Pinotage after many trials by crossing the Pinot Noir and the Cinsaut grapes (Cinsaut was also known as Hermitage). African Pinotage is purported to have the heat and disease resistance and hardiness of the Cinsaut/Hermitage grape. Additionally, it has the true elegance of the ever popular Pinot Noir.

As the first Professor of Viticulture at the Stellenbosch University in the South African Cape Winelands, Perold was able to fully experiment with the African Pinotage grapes. Today, Pinotage is known for its bold layers of aromas and flavours that are absolutely unique. The wines produced from African Pinotage are full, robust, and high-yielding.

African Pinotage is good year round. The flavors are not too heavy or too sweet. Since the 70s Backsberg of South Africa has been producing Pinotage with a medium-light bodied fruitesque style. Backsberg’s Pinotage selections reflect the warm Paarl region with a hint of red and black fruits, structured tannins, and crisp acidity. African Pinotage is a great red wine for the summer months. You’ll enjoy its lightly wooded flavor and drinkability.

For more information about South African wines, visit marquee.com/backsberg. Cheers!

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Where our small vineyard lies in the Macedon Ranges, it is the last district to harvest in Australia, so we are always anxious to pick before autumn begins to fade into winter. But this season has evolved into what appears to be the best fruit quality I can remember in the past thirty years. The overall balance of acids, tannins and sugar are text-book for perfect Australian wine – so all I have to do now is not stuff it up!

Our vineyard has a tiny area of Riesling grapes that I decided to harvest early to avoid botrytis issues that plague that variety in our cool, moist climate. Sugars had reached 11Be when we made the decision to pluck, because of the excellent flavours that indicated the berries were phenologically ripe, despite the low potential alcohol. The style I make is purely Australian where the major appeal lies in delicate, but strong varietal fruit, crisp acidity and great long, bone-dry finish. The style seems to have evolved long ago from the desire to match with fresh rock oysters, prawns and other seafood, and is currently enjoying a resurgence in general popularity having always maintained a dedicated long term following. So today I racked the settled juice off solids and will seed it with yeast over the next day or two when it’s warm enough to commence fermentation.

The Pinot Noir has already begun as the wild yeast activated almost immediately, and it too has balance and grace, the hallmark of a remarkable season for Australian wine. I can’t wait to see the finished products and then again, I may have to wait many years to see them at their best.

From your happy little winemaker down in Oz,

Keith Brien

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