Ten Years Of Wine-The Way We Drink Now

Like a well-aged red, our wine choices and drinking habits have evolved over time. Here are eight ways we’re enjoying wine differently to the way we did a decade ago

We’ve reclaimed rosé

Pink wines have cast offtheir reputation as being overly sweet, and local winemakers are producing excellent bottles in the French style (the Rosé Rocks competition, with a judging panel chaired by Woolies’ Allan Mullins, recognises the best in SA every year). Since discovering that crisp, dry rosés with light acidity are excellent food partners, while the sweeter versions are fruitier and more balanced, we’ve been making up for lost time: rosé is one of the world’s fastest growing wine categories. Best drunk young and chilled, with flavours of strawberries, cherries, raspberries, what’s not to love?

The wines to try: Villiera MCC Brut Rosé, R124.99 (double-gold winner in the MCC category at 2019 Rosé Rocks 2019) and Bellingham Strawberry Rosé, R49.99 (gold winner in the still-wine category).

We’re loving Chenin Blanc

Once considered a workhorse grape (formerly called Steen, it was used as a base for brandy and mass-produced wines), Chenin Blanc has ditched its unfashionable image with one of its enthusiasts, Spier’s Frans Smit, telling TASTE’s Allan Mullins back in 2012 that it was set to become SA’s flagship wine. It’s our most widely planted white grape and is a versatile food wine, with sommeliers including Moses Magwaza from Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient singing its praises. Depending on the style, we’re drinking it with everything from salads to poultry and desserts.

The wines to try: Woolworths House Chenin Blanc, R49.99; Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc, R74.99