Virtual Tasting

South Africa Online "BYO" Tasting

Fri, August 14, 2020 (7:30 PM - 8:30 PM)

Cost: £10

If you thought lockdown in the UK was bad, spare a thought for wine lovers in South Africa, where there is now a ban on all domestic sales of alcohol. It’s an extreme measure which looks set to have a major impact on the local wine industry. 20,000 people have lost their jobs, and over the next 12 months, it’s estimated that dozens of wineries and hundreds of grape growers will go out of business.

A lone ray of sunshine is that wine exports are still allowed, so we’re going to see if we can do our bit for the South Africans with a couple of online tastings.So on August 7th, we’ll be tasting Chenin Blanc, South Africa’s most widely planted grape, and Shiraz, which can perform as well here as it does in Australia. A week later on August 14th, it’s the turn of Sauvignon Blanc – Cape versions often sit at a sweet-spot between France and New Zealand in style – and Cinsault, a grape which is making a name for itself with light, juicy reds that are perfect for summer.

For Week 2 on August 14th, I would recommend buying in advance:

• 1 bottle of South African Sauvignon Blanc – ones to seek out include Porcupine Ridge (Sainsbury's, Asda, Waitrose), De Grendel and Springfield Estate Special Cuvée (both Waitrose) and Vergelegen (The Co-op). Morrisons The Best and Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference aren’t too shabby either, but avoid the very cheap supermarket versions.
• 1 bottle of South African Cinsault – Tesco & Morrisons have decent own-label versions, while Stellenrust (Waitrose) and Mount Rozier ‘The Red Snapper’ (Sainsbury's) are also good.

If you still have some goat’s cheese left from Week 1, try some alongside the Sauvignon. The Cinsault will be a great partner for anything fresh off the braai – that’s South African for Barbecue – particularly some of those Italian fennel-encrusted sausages.

One ticket will entitle everyone in your household to attend this tasting – make sure you have enough wine to go around!

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• tasting
• onlinewinetasting
• onlinewineevent
• onlinewine
• southafrica
• southafricanwine
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• winetastingmanchester
• winetasting
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• learnaboutwine