Reds

By far our most popular pair of Italian reds in the shop - this is a great deal!

3 x Zensa Nero D' Avola

3 x Zensa Primitivo

This is a big and powerful red wine, dark red in colour. The nose has plenty of dark fruit aromas, plums, black cherries, chocolate, dried fruit and slight herbaceous notes. The palate is full, dense and rich with intense and sweet, ripe fruit. There are more plum and spice flavours on the palate. The finish is has a touch of residual sugar, giving some natural sweetness, and is full, rich and lingering. 

Country: Italy

Region: Puglia

ABV: 14 %

Grape: 90% Zinfandel, 10% Merlot

3 x Zensa Nero d'Avola Appassimento

The wine has a deep purple-red colour & intense aromas of blackberries & blueberries. The palate is soft & silky, bursting with spicy flavours of black pepper, dark chocolate, wild berries & vanilla.  The tannins are elegant yet persistent.  The finish is long & lingering and offers a burst of wild cherries at the end.

Country: Italy

Region: Sicily

ABV: 13.5 %

Grape: Nero D'Avola

Fun Fact: Zensa in Italian means “without” referring to the absence of any chemicals or pesticides in the winemaking process. 

An elegant and velvety wine with good colour and concentration for Cinsault. Red berries and cherries, savoury black olives and black spice. Well balanced with lively fine tannins and an elegant complexity on a long finish. Food Match: Reduced baby marrow tomato pasta with black olives to give it a Mediterranean twist. Also goes well with seafood, sushi, pizza, pasta and chicken dishes.

Country: South Africa

Region: Piekenierskloof, Swartland

ABV: 14%

Grapes: 100% Cinsault

Pikenierskloof Wine

Grapes are sourced from vineyards in the Piekenierskloof region from vineyards that were planted in 1976. These vineyards are all unirrigated bush vines and grow on sandy, loam soils. The vineyards are meticulously farmed and managed to yield below 5 tons per hectare and hand harvested second week of March.

Grapes are handpicked and cold soaked for 24 hours. Fermentation is initiated with selected yeast strains and is kept under 24°C. Malolactic fermentation is completed in tank, 50% of the wine is matured for 12 months, 2, 3 and 4th fill in 500L French oak barrels and the rest in a foudre.

A very convincing, fresh, expressive bouquet with pure brambly, briary black fruit and freshly tilled earth. The palate is medium- bodied to full with crisp black cherry and blueberry fruit. The tannins are fine and edgy, while the finish is beautifully composed and contains Margaux- like femininity. This is extremely well-crafted Cabernet Franc, with a surfeit of personality.

 Country: Chile

Region: Maipo Valley

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 14.5%

Canadian ex-ski coach, Derek Mossmann Knapp, is the enfant terrible of the Chilean wine scene. He set up Garage Wine Co. with his wife Pilar Miranda and Dr. Alvaro Pena in 2001 with the intention of being the polar opposite to the big, established companies that dominate the Chilean market.

Seductive, rich and enthralling - a brilliant northern Italian take on cool-climate Merlot.

Aromatic, spicy, mature forest fruits, notes of ripe plum and damson on the nose. Velvety and sumptuous on the palate - plum, rich vanilla and sour cherry give way to a fine, long, structured finish with ripe tannins. A full-bodied wine which exudes elegance.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Merlot

Bright, appealing deep cherry red colour  - youthful looking. Fresh and intense, with vanilla oak notes coming through- vanilla and pastry- that mix in with varietal aromas including black fruit and liquorice. Full bodied, elegant and well- balanced, with a long finish.

Pairs well with  roast meat and strong, mature cheese.

Country: Spain

Region: Ribera Del Duero

Grapes: Tinta del Pais (Tempranillo)

ABV: 14.5%

Silky, velvety, smooth and simultaneously plush. Ripe plums, hedgerow fruit, cocoa, cedar and spice, cigar box flavours makes for an enveloping mouthful. Complex, elegant and beautifully integrated, the oak is seamlessly balanced with the fruit. Lingering and harmonious with not a single element out of place.

Country: South Africa

A very special limited parcel wine from talented young South African winemaker Izele Van Blerk. Drinking window 2023 - 2028. Only 1300 bottles made!

The wine spent 36 months in 2nd and 3rd fill 500L French oak barrels and 24 months in bottle before release. The grapes are from 136 very old vines!

This full-bodied wine explodes with aromas of rose petals, red cherries and raspberries with hints of lavender. The palate is focused with an undertone of cloves, dried fruit and
leather. The grippy tannin structure and zippy acidity is well integrated and delivers an intense, lasting finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 14.5%

Food match: Beef Tenderloin,
braised duck, wild mushrooms and aged Gouda.

From the true masters of Cape Cabernet - the benchmark Stellenbosch Cab. 

Red rocks and warm sand. The palate is initially firm but relents to a wine of great purity and subtlety with notes of tomato, cocoa powder, hazelnut chocolate and star anise. Overall, a heady concoction somehow assembled into a seamless red of phenomenal quality.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Le Riche Wine

The backbone of the range, it’s a phenomenal expression of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon when it’s allowed a maritime influence, and it is this that sets it apart and marks it as truly Bordelaise. With carefully selected fruit from the cool gravelly slopes facing False Bay to the rich red granitic soils around Stellenbosch, the wine gains its complexity by expertly blending fruit from 4 specifically diverse terroirs. 

Remarkably great value for money Bordeaux. The majority of it is Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend yielding a wine with ripe and concentrated blackcurrant fruit, balanced oak and good structure. A typical St-Estèphe full of power and attitude.

Rich, dark purple in the glass with an intense perfume of cassis, plum and violets. On the palate, it is full and rich, with blackcurrant and raspberry fruit characters balancing well with soft tannins, and hint of classic St-Estèphe minerality.

Country: France

Region: St-Estèphe, Bordeaux

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Petit Verdot 3%

ABV:13%

Deep purple/red colour with an opaque core. On the nose it is rich with sweet red and black berry notes, some vanilla and sweet spice. On the palate it is much weightier than the nose suggests.  Very opulent, but elegant and balanced at the same time.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14%

Grape: Shiraz

This has a medium deep red colour with flecks of violet and ripe cherry flavours and blueberries on the nose. Smooth well integrated oaky, toasty aromas. Medium bodied, fruit driven, fine ripe sweetness with good acidity which is perfectly balanced with the round ripe tannins culminating in a long ripe fruit driven finish.

Food Match: Lamb, entrecote, game, pizza, pasta, stews, casseroles

Temperature controlled fermentation (26-29º). All varieties were vinified separately in stainless steel tanks. Maceration for 8-16 days. Ageing for 9 months in old oak then 6 months in tank before bottling.

Country: Spain

Region: Montsant, Catalunya

Grapes: Garnacha 40% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Cariñena 30%

ABV: 14.5%

Nestled in the rugged hills of the Catalan countryside, in the tiny village bearing its name, is the well-respected Celler de Capçanes. It was this wild Montsant landscape which first captivated Jürgen Wagner back in the early 90s, but the huge potential he recognised in this unique village co-operative that determined what followed. Pouring all his efforts into working with the growers to nurture the best from their vineyards and the most honest expressions of their terroir, Celler de Capçanes has established itself as one of the most engaging wineries in the area.

Inviting aromas of wild berry, spice and toasty, vanilla notes prelude a beautifully balanced palate with smoky ripe flavours of plum and earthy undertones. Pure and elegant on the finish. 8% of the wine was aged in new French oak barrels for eight months.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Red meat dishes, stews and casseroles or mature cheeses

Georgia is considered to be the ‘cradle of wine', as 8,000 year-old indigenous Rkatsiteli grape seeds have been found in clay vessels. Vachnadziani was established in 1953 and is one of the oldest wineries in Georgia. During the Soviet years the vineyard fell into disrepair, but now the vineyards and cellars have received considerable investment. The aim is to preserve their ancient wine culture while combining it with cutting edge technology. With over 1,000 hectares of vineyard, covering the Kakheti region in eastern Georgia and the Imereti, Racha and Lechkhumi regions in western Georgia, Vachnadziani cultivates 25 vine varieties - the majority of which are indigenous. Their exciting and dynamic range reveals all the charm of this historic winemaking land.

Delicious, juicy red with a beautiful cherry red colour. The nose shows an abundance of intense red berry fruit and hints of vanilla flavours. The palate is soft, full flavoured with a smooth, super easy drinking finish.

Country: France

Region: 

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Carignan

A rich red wine with a powerful nose full of black and red berries. On the palate it`s intense, silky, with notes of pepper, olives and black berries.

Grapes: Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache, Merlot

Country: France

Region: Pays D`OC

ABV: 14,5%

Food pairing: charcuterie and beef

It boasts an intense, dark ruby colour. The wine is made with wild yeast, undergoing spontaneous fermentation and aged for 12 months in barrels. A flagship blend of red varieties with an unexpectedly complex aroma of dried plum, blackcurrant, blackberry, and strawberry. This medium-bodied wine features a rich berry flavour and a lingering, warm aftertaste.

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir

Country: Ukraine

Region: Kyiv, Odesa

ABV: 14%

Food pairing: red meat dishes such as steaks, ribs, various types of ham, and smoked meats

"BIOLOGIST craft winery” from the Kyiv region creates unique and unmatched wines. They have rented vineyards in the Odesa region (the majority of nowadays wines are made from these grapes) and a 1.5-hectare vineyard in the Kyiv region, which is experimental and biodynamic.

Dark, concentrated black fruit. Cocoa and chocolate notes on the nose, supple tannins, long black berry finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13,5%

Vegan

Food pairing: lamb, veal, deer, venison, mushrooms, mature and hard cheese

35 year old vineyard in Kakehti

fermented on skin 2 /3 weeks in Qvevri

Rustavelli was Georgia’s darling poet- famous for poem 

The man in the Panther Skin

Read all about Penny's recent trip to the cradle of wine, Georgia in her blog here.

A Spanish organic red wine that seduces with its deep purple color and aromas of red fruits and spices

Grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon

Country: Spain

Organic

ABV: 15%

From one of the most respected domaines in Saumur. A fresh nose of fruit (Blueberries and raspberries), pencil shavings and spices. The palate is full-bodied, yet soft, with dark fruit flavours. A red wine full of joy and possibility! 

Country: France

Region: Saumur Champigny

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13%

Luscious, medium bodied, super-easy drinking red with red berry fruit flavours and touch of sweet spice.

Country: France

Region: Vaucluse

Grapes: Grenache, Cinsault

ABV: 13%

Complex, concentrated and elegant with aromas of black and red fruits alongside hints of vanilla and pepper.

Country: France

Region: Languedoc, Terrasses du Larzac

Grapes: Grenache (45%); Syrah (40%); Carignan (10%); Mourvedre (5%)

ABV: 14%

Food match: Côte de boeuf

Domaine Les Caizergues

The wine is named in memory of Francois Traucat, the celebrated 16th century Nimes gardener, who was responsible for the intensive cultivation of the mulberry tree across the Languedoc and thus the expansion of sericulture in the region.

The offering of Petite Sirah from McManis Family Vineyards is almost black in colour but with a vibrant and youthful hue. The nose has an abundance of ripe black fruits, predominantly blackberry and boysenberry. Oak aging has contributed a pleasing mélange of rich creamy caramel and maple syrup scents, with just a barely perceptible waft of smoke. Savoury and luscious with a pleasantly persistent finish.

Country: USA

Region: River Junction, California

Grapes: Petite Sirah

ABV: 14%

Food Pairing: Matches very well with a medium-rare beef burger topped with blue cheese or vegetable ratatouille.

Medium Bodied, with a subtle sweet spice and smokey character. Bright ruby in colour and concentrated, notes of plums, blackberries and damson fruit combine perfectly with the well balanced toast and oak notes.

Country: Uruguay

Region: Canelones

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Tannat

Food match: BBQ meats or herby sausages and mash

Bright, vibrant ruby red colour, a fine nose, with aromas of wood and cracked black pepper black fruit and notes of spice. Elegant and fresh on the palate, with fine and ripe tannins on the finish.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro

Grapes: 35% Touriga Nacional, 35% Touriga Franca, 30% Tinta Roriz

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Perfect paired with red meat, game and hard cheese.

Jamie Goode - Wine Anorak: It’s not common to find organic Douro reds, partly because of the issues with weed control on terraced vineyards. But this one, from Kopke, is really good. It has a beautifully floral nose showing expressive cherry and berry fruits as well as a hint of olive. The palate is fresh and supple with bright raspberry and cherry fruit with some cured meat character and also some wild herbs, but always with emphasis on the fruit. A really impressive Douro red with great balance and nice structure as well as alluring fruit. Tastes of its place. 93/100

A full bodied style of Pinot Noir this vintage. Deep ruby in colour. Intensely fragrant bouquet of red berry aromas, elegant vanilla and a touch of wood spice. These follow through on the full-bodied palate where soft, supple tannins contribute to the dense structure. Well balanced with a lingering aftertaste. Yummy!

Country: South Africa

Region: Hemel en Aarde

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 14%

https://www.creationwines.com/

Aromas and flavours of cherries, plums, spices, tobacco and liquorice - everything a Chianti should be.

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: 80% Sangiovese 20% Syrah

Organic