Red Wine Decugnano dei Barbi A.D. 1212 Umbria Rosso 2019. Claudio Barbi founded Decugnano dei Barberi in 1973, with the simple goal of producing high-quality wines that reflected the beautiful terroir of the region. The estate is settled among green rolling hills, near Orvieto, Umbria’s most famous wine town. While modern Umbria is completely isolated from the ocean, the soil under Decugnano dei Barbi’s vineyards was once part of an ancient sea and contains a significant amount of sea shells and fossils. Its sandstone and clay composition is the perfect base for growing a wide variety of grapes, both red and white. On 63 hectares, Decugnano cultivate 13 different grape varieties. This red blend is made from Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Montepulciano grapes, evoking scents of dark plums, smoke and chocolate. The wine spent a year ageing in stainless steel tanks, before being finished in oak barriques. It falls on the side of bold, dry and savoury, with an excellent structure and dense tannins. Is a beautiful dark ruby in the glass, and in the mouth, it has full flavours of blackberry and plum and a herby liquorice aspect. It is a perfect companion for a tomato stew, aged cheese, or gamey meats.
2019
Red Wine Decugnano dei Barbi A.D. 1212 Umbria Rosso 2019
Red Wine De Grendel Merlot 2019. No need to decant it, but best to open it half an hour before service. De Grendel is a well established winery that also houses a farm with cattle, sheep, and grain production. Charles Hopkins is the famous winemaker of De Grendel, one of the most respected wine producers in both South Africa and internationally. Its list of awards and accolades includes numerous double gold medals at the prestigious Veritas Awards. The 100% Merlot grapes come from vineyards that are located 200m above sea level and just 7km from the cool Atlantic Ocean. Soils are rich in minerals and give low yields of 7.5 t per hectare. As a result, the grapes ripen very slowly until they reach optimal quality. The wine is aged for 13 months in French barriques. De Grendel Merlot has a beautiful ruby color. It is a full-bodied wine with a combination of different berries on the nose, including mulberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The fruity notes are accompanied by aromas of liqueur and mocha on the palate. Aging in oak barrels adds well-integrated spicy notes that give the wine elegance and length. This is the perfect companion for a Sunday roast and for lamb.
2019
Red Wine De Grendel Shiraz 2019. It is recommended to decant it for half an hour. The De Grendel winery was born from the intuition of the owner, Sir David Graaff, who decided to add the wine business to the already established farm. In just a few years, the winery has established itself as a key figure in the South African wine industry with an impressive list of awards. The Shiraz grapes for this first-rate wine have been selected and hand-picked to ensure an optimal degree of ripeness. They were then fermented in open steel tanks upon arrival in the cellar. The wine then matured for 13 months in a combination of 10% new American oak and 10% new French oak and 80% in second and third passage barrels. De Grendel Shiraz is a wine with a splendid intense ruby red color with inclusions of violet in the glass. On the nose, it releases floral aromas of fragrant violets as well as captivating hints of spice of fine pepper, cassis and Christmas fruit cake, complemented by a hint of shrub undertones. On the palate, the wine opens with hints of black fruits that seduce the senses, enclosed in full-bodied and silky chocolaty tannins, which develop in a floral finish seasoned with notes of mulberry. This exceptionally elegant concentrated wine masterfully balances deliciously sweet black fruit with a beautifully structured tannic structure and subtle spices. It works beautifully with game pies and venison.
2019