Raise your glass to three local wines

In celebration of moving Caroline’s Wines from Cape Town’s CBD to new beginnings in Sea Point, Caroline Rillema, the expert who honed her skills at the iconic Three Ships Restaurant at the Carlton Hotel sells a large selection of wine from around the globe yet local varieties still rank among her best.

VREDE EN LUST EARLY MIST RIESLING 2019 (R119)          

Vrede en Lust originates back to 1688 and has always been a wine farm, and its current vineyard reflects the plantings of 1745. In 1996 a brand-new era beckoned in the history of this extraordinary farm when the Buys family became the new owners.

The fruit for this riesling is sourced from Elgin farm Casey’s Ridge and winemaker Karlin Nel has excelled with it. A highly terroir-expressive cultivar, this riesling is produced in a typical German Kabinett-style. Jasmine and honeysuckle on the nose, with hints of potpourri. The flavour and aroma fills the senses with coriander spice notes, finishing dry with great acidity. Drink this wine with cold or warm salmon dishes featuring a hint of fennel and chilli.

DOMBEYA CHARDONNAY 2020 (R156)           

This Helderberg mountainside property is owned by Preston Haskell and has produced top red wines and Chardonnays for many years. The grapes are handpicked on four different occasions to bring more complexity to the profile. They are whole bunch pressed in the cellar where winemaker Rudolph Steenkamp uses French oak barrels for the wine, which went through malolactic fermentation, giving it good texture and mouthfeel. The wine is matured in the barrel on the gross lees for 12 months and shows delicate citrus aromas with peach and pear fruit. This is followed by beautiful notes of butterscotch and white almond, due to the year spent maturing in oak. On the palate the wine has a clean, crisp acidity with good viscosity. Serve with Asian food, any seafood or roast chicken.

EIKENDAL CHARISMA 2020 (R156)      

Situated in the “golden triangle” of wine growing, Eikendal's vineyards flourish in a mountain and maritime microclimate, ideal for the production of quality wine. Since 1981 the wine farm has been under the ownership of the Saager family from Zurich, Switzerland. The Shiraz (Rhône Valley varietal) lends a tight, fresh structure with aromatic and seasoned undertones. Petit Verdot (a Bordeaux varietal) contributes a rich berry character and the Sangiovese, in true Italian style, adds fruity flavours with flair on the palate. The result is a bold, charming, seductive and ultimately elegant wine with aroma and flavour of black-red berries and plums, lined with racy red fruits. It is full and rich with a lively acid lift, dry tannins and a long finish. Enjoy with meat-based pasta sauces or roast beef and gravy.

See carolineswine.com.