As we get deeper into winter, wineglasses call out for rich, captivating wines with complex flavors and weighty body that can hold up to rich fare. There are many countries and regions that offer such wines. But it would be a mistake for wine fans not to put one country’s name on that list: South Africa. Each year, South African wineries produce hundreds of millions of liters of wine, offering a bevy of delicious bottlings packed with flavor and intensity. (This includes very impressive sweet wines.)
This quality is on display in our latest Tasting Highlights lineup, below, which encompasses a range of wineries, regions, vintages and grape varieties. Even better, they show off South Africa's potential for excellent value wines. At the top of the list is the Cabernet Sauvignon–based RUbicon blend from Meerlust, a centuries-old winery in the acclaimed Stellenbosch region. With a creamy profile, this red combines dark fruit flavors with mineral and herb notes.
This lineup also includes Capensis’ Chardonnay Stellenbosch Silene 2021, which features Gala apple, guava and floral notes. Read on to get our score and full expert tasting ntoe for this fantastic South African wine and eight others.
Tasting Highlights’ wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors’ most recent ratings—including scores and full tasting notes—to WineSpectator.com members.
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