The Garden Route Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

South Africa's 300 mile long Garden Route might have the second mildest climate in the World, but the flavours in this wine are a million miles from mild. Rich, ripe, blackberries and spice. But that's too simple! Such descriptions fail. The flavours here are as diverse as the Fynbos. The natural shrubland lining the wayside of the route.

Star-apple. Sweet thorn. Rub-rub berry. Glossy current. Redhot poker. Pondblossom. Karoo num-num. Sugarbush. I've no idea what those things taste like, but they certainly sound like better things to describe the garden-full of flavours in this glass.

Following the Second World war, a group of visionary winemakers joined together to help provide wine farmers of the Western Cape with the facilities and expertise needed to produce quality wines on a larger and more sustainable scale. These collective efforts led to the founding of Simonsvlei wines in 1945, named in honour of the founder of the South African wine industry.

The winery continues to strive towards a goal of supplying the best quality wines at the best prices to their customers world-wide. Amongst their broad range of wines are the delicious ‘The Garden Route’ wines.

Mari Kotze was appointed winemaker in 2016 after joining the Simonsvlei team as Assistant Winemaker in 2012. She began her career in the industry with studies at Elsenburg Agricultural College, obtaining a degree in Cellar Management and Viticulture with a Diploma in Oenology. She has previously worked on varies harvests at a number of wineries such as Lammershoek, Villa Fonte, Marcus Huber and Pride Mountain in California.

Grapes used for The Garden Route Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon are grown on 10 to 15-year-old vines. Once picked, the fruit is crushed and destemmed before being fermented in stainless steel tanks. No milk or eggs are used at any point during the production of this wine.

This red wine is smooth and juicy, filled to the brim with rich aromas of ripe blackberries that are later joined with a touch of spice on the palate.