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Human, not corporate, independent wines.

 

Short reads

• Vineyard and Cellar Report
• More Awards
• Finally, thoughts on dessert

 

Vineyard and Cellar Report

 

With the harvest and fermentation completed, wine is being transferred to barrels for aging. As the wine is transferred, we checked in on the whites in particular. The harvest resulted in lower yields, largely due to consequences of the preceding drought of the previous three years. The crop has shrunk for the second consecutive year, and 2019 represents a record low since 2005. The smaller wine grape berries have a greater concentration of flavors. In general, wines also had good acidity, sugar and elegance which bodes well for quality. We had good weather conditions and great grape analyses up until the end of February for the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc harvest.

For us, the harvest means welcoming a new vineyard for Sauvignon Blanc (see Instagram post here and here) from the Heldeberg region of Stellenbosch which is cooled by the sea breath of False Bay and the Southern Atlantic Ocean. The wine was given royal treatment and fermented in three components (new barrels, old barrels and egg shaped fermenters). We anticipate a complex wine when the components are blended and bottled later this year.

The chardonnay continues to be true to form with the same complex, classic style that has come to define our award-winning chardonnay.

Staying faithful to our mission of collaborating with similar minded people in the winelands who believe in our sustainable, innovative and minimal intervention winemaking approach, we also visited some hidden vineyard gems which will work their way into the range.

 

More Awards!

 

Safriel House wines were again in the award circle at The Finger Lakes Wine Awards in New York with a GOLD for our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and a Silver for our Select Vineyard Cape Classic blend. The Finger Lakes Wine Awards are one of the largest award shows with entries from 16 countries enter more than 2,800 wines, judged by 52 prestigious judges from 11 countries. One of the aspects of this award show that we like is that the wines are judged on how they are showing now. So even though our Reserve Cabernet is young, it’s still showing well.

In a somewhat different award show, our Coastal Cabernet also walked away with a bronze medal from the Sommeliers Choice Awards. This is a new show that we chose to enter as it evaluates wines for the restaurant trade and the judging panel of the Sommeliers Choice Awards will consist entirely of top sommeliers, on-premise wine buyers and wine directors at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs with a goal of identifying wines that should become additions to restaurant wine lists. Our Coastal Region Cabernet is a wine that is inspired by our love of the coast and the ocean and hence we used grapes from a vineyard that is cooled and influenced by the nearby ocean. It has ripe, red fruit and an easy-going light to medium texture which is all too easy to drink. We designed it with food and friends in mind. This is a wine that goes for about $9-10 by the glass or $12 at retail and still gets in the medal circle - a feat we are proud of.

 

 

Finally, thoughts on dessert

 

One of the dilemmas of a good meal, is what to do with the remainder the glass or bottle once you have finished the main course and the dessert comes out. Usually, what went well with the main course is astringent with dessert. In planning a recent Safriel House wine dinner, the chef came up with the solution: The chef prepared a wonderful mascarpone blueberry dessert (could be a tart too) with a small helping of gorgonzola cheese on it. The pairing allowed the wine to complement the dessert, while still giving a sweet and luxurious finish to the meal. We love this solution as it is a mix of old world (cheese after the meal) and new (sweet dessert). Try it at home! A useful link from Decanter (here) will give you more ideas on cheese and wine

 

 

Talking and Listening To You

 

We always love to hear back from you. Let us know where and when you have enjoyed our wines or post them on Instagram or Facebook and tag us @safrielhouse or #safrielhouse.

As always, there is lots more about our wines at our virtual cellar door at www.safrielhouse.com

 

All the best,

Lynne and Yair