unWINEd with K

Hey Guys! I hope you all had a great Easter holiday and are keeping well. I’m going to dive right into the wine review for this week.

This was my introduction to the Pinot grigio varietal and I must say it made a great impression on me. Bare in mind that I am a white wine girl, so my opinion may be a little bit biased (lol)

Pinot grigio is a dry white wine with white peach, lemon zest, raw almonds and spicy primary flavors. It is a medium-light bodied wine that can be enjoyed with a fresh salad and white meat like chicken or seafood.

I had the Protea Pinot grigio over the course of the week and it reminded me of why I fell in love with wine in the first place. This wine is so versatile and ever evolving. I got a burst of lemon on the first tasting and because of its high acidity, the taste will improve as the wine ages. A spicy flavour was evident a few days later, which to me is a mind blowing characteristic about wine. It is alive and changes with each day. I love how crisp and light the wine is. It didn’t over power my tongue, meaning I could enjoy as many glasses as I wanted (lol)

To taste the wine at its best, serve it chilled (7-12 degrees C) on its own or with a light meal.

It retails at less than R100 and it is absolute value for your money. I’ll definitely be stocking up on this baby again soon.

Let me know what you think of it on any of my socials (@kabelo_matekane) or by email [email protected] and Please drink responsibly

xx

I wasn’t always a fan of Cabernet Sauvignon because it’s too heavy for my palate but I recently tried out this private collection Cab from spier and it is the smoothest I’ve had. The tannins, while present, aren’t too heavy.

I enjoyed this bottle alone but it can be paired with steak and mashed potatoes and any hearty, meaty meal that you’d enjoy

Hey Guys!

I hope you guys had a great week and are having an even better weekend!

I’m so excited to share how I improved my palate and I hope you are able to use these tips to start enjoying your wine a bit more and get your money’s worth.

Let’s get right into it:

1. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!!

Wine is an acquired taste and it is going to take you a few tries before getting used to how it tastes. Try a variety of wines, anything from boxed wine to expensive wine, it will help you start picking up on the different notes of wine. Doing this has also helped me figure out the type of wine that I like. So, drink as much wine as you can, not all at once though (haha) and you’ll start noticing how your palate just starts recognizing the wine and picking up of the different tastes and flavors.

2. DO NOT READ THE DESCRIPTION

Reading the back of the bottle is spoon feeding yourself and influencing what you taste. Instead, write down and keep note of what you taste and smell. There are no wrong answers when doing this because everyone’s palette is different and we will always taste wine differently. I might pick up herbal notes from a wine, while you pick up fruit or floral notes from the same bottle and that’s completely okay.

3. SWIRL AND SMELL YOUR WINE

Much of the flavor of the wine comes from you smelling it. Swirling your wine allows for the different aromas to be released. In a Chardonnay for example, you’ll start smelling Lemon, Apricot or Vanilla, just to name a few and that in turn will influence what you taste. Swirl your wine for a good 10 seconds or more and take a good sniff of it immediately after and you’ll be blown away by the amount aromas you’ll start getting.

4. BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF

Lastly, please cut yourself some slack. You won’t pick up on the flavors or notes of the wine on the first or even the second or third try sometimes, and that’s okay. Allow yourself some time for your palate to start doing its thing. Enjoy the wine, as funky as it tastes in the beginning lol and in no time you’ll become a pro at it. But in the meantime, enjoy it with friends, your boo thang or by yourself and please, please, please drink responsibly bo Motase.

Those that know me know that I am a Sauvignon blanc girl through and through, and this weekend I had the delight of enjoying a Sauvignon blanc from the Warwick brand.

This First Lady, is the girl that she thinks she is. When you open the bottle, you’re not hit with the strong smell of alcohol like other stronger wines, instead you are met with fresh, tropical aromas of passion fruit, kiwi and citrus.

This is a great wine for first time wine drinkers because it is not heavy, like most red wines, it will not overwhelm your senses and make you not want to come back to wine ever again (lol)

I recommend having it on its own because it is so delicious and mixing it up with other flavors sometimes takes away from the true taste of the wine. However, you can pair it with grilled chicken or fish.

This bottle in under R100 at liquor stores and is worth every cent.

I MISS WINE!!

South Africa is currently under phase/level 3 lockdown and under this level, alcohol sales have been restricted. We can’t buy wine or any other type of alcohol.

HEY GUYS!

So I’ve decided to start blogging. I love wine and want to share my wine experiences/tastings with you guys as much as I can. I’ve always thought that you have to have a lot of money to be able to enjoy the best wine, but I’ve come to realize that you can still have great wine that’s still fairly affordable.

I’m excited to build up my blog, learn and explore the wine industry and I hope you guys will come along with me.