Below are the January, 2006 Featured Wines for the Wines by Jennifer Wine Club.

 

Red Wine 2002 SIMONSIG PINOTAGE Stellenbosch, South Africa The Simonsig vineyards lie northwest of Stellenbosch and are privately owned by the Malan family. The first Malan who came to South Africa in 1688 was a French Huguenot. At the Cape of Good Hope, then under Dutch rule, he was given land to plant new vineyards. He subsequently settled near Stellenbosch, which became famous for its quality wines. In 1953, Frans Malan started wine farming on De Hoop, which subsequently became the nucleus of the Simonsig Wine Estate. He started to replant his vineyards during the 1960's. In 1968, he bottled some of his wines for the first time and sold them under the Simonsig Estate label. The first red wine released by Simonsig in 1970 was a Pinotage. Pinotage is a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault made by Professor A.I. Perold in 1924. This Pinotage is unwooded and the aim is to accentuate the raspberry fruitiness of the Pinotage grape unobscured by the wood. Their best Pinotage is grown on weathered shale soils which makes deliciously perfumed Pinotage. Enjoy in its youth or age for another five years. Best with richly flavored dishes or aromatic dishes, and slightly chilled in the summer.

White Wine 2004 CASAMARO BLANCO VERDEJO Rueda, Spain Garciarevalo is a family-owned winery established in 1991 in Matapozuelos, in the heart of Rueda. They specialize in Verdejo, with additional plantings of Viura. They have 40 hectares of over 100- year old vines, including Verdejo vines that are up to 130 years old. The unique qualities of this site are evident in the soils that differ from most other areas of Rueda. The soil is sand here and it allows for excellent drainage and greater difference between day and night temperatures. Long winters with late frosts combine with hot and dry summers to create the ideal situation to cultivate grapes, with the perfect balance of sugar and acidity. Believing that the key to a good wine is in the raw materials, Garciarevalo strives to make a wine as true to the fruit as possible. The utmost care and latest technologies are used to extract a juice that reflects the hard work and special attention given in the fields. The wines are then put through temperature-controlled fermentation to create a final product of the highest quality. The 2004 Casamaro Blanco, a 100% Verdejo from 50- to 130-year old ungrafted vines, is a soft, delicious white exhibiting plenty of honeyed apricot, peach, and floral-like characteristics. This wine has never seen a day in oak. It is a medium-bodied, crisp, lively effort drinkable over the next year.

 

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