The third annual Signature Red Blend Report was recently released by Winemag.co.za – 30 wines out of a total of 68 entries received rating 90 points or higher on the 100-point quality scale.
Why should South Africa be bound by the Bordeaux model when it comes to creating great blended red wine? Here at Winemag.co.za, we want to promote the idea that potentially anything goes when it comes to blending – all varieties are eligible as long as they contribute to greater complexity in the final wine – and we’ve come up with the collective name of “Signature Red Blend” for such wines.
A perennial stand-out wine is the Bakermat from Paarl property Joostenberg – 94 points for the 2014 vintage, 92 for the 2015 and now 93 for the 2016, the blend this time around consisting of 43% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Mourvèdre and 6% Touriga Nacional. Cellar door price: R210 a bottle.
Offering great quality relative to price, meanwhile, is the Villiera Down to Earth Touriga Nacional Shiraz 2016 – a wine which rated 90 and sells for R56 a bottle from the farm.
To find out which other wines rated well, go to http://winemag.co.za/signature-red-blend-report-2018-results/