Wines for Lamb

Pretty strawberry nose with elegance! Silky and smooth, perfectly balanced Pinot. Very Burgundian in style.

Country: Australia

Region: South Australia

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.5%

Rich, and robust with plenty of grip and some nicely mature, savoury, spicy notes on the long finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piedmonte

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13.5%

Perfect with any dish that contains even a hint of truffle, great with braised red meat and porcini. Perfect with Spring Lamb too.

Silky smooth, rich, concentrated and supple. Aromas and flavours of violets, cassis and black cherry with a hint of vanilla from the oak ageing.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Margaux

ABV:13.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot

Food Match: Red meat dishes such as beef Wellington or roast lamb or porcini risotto 

Juicy and concentrated with red and black fruit. Cocoa powder notes and blackberry on the nose, supple tannins, with a fresh finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13.5%

Vegan

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

Shilda Winery is located in the Alazani River Valley at the foot of the Caucasus mountains, the heartland of Georgian wine producing region, Kakheti. Its unique soil composition and microclimate provides perfect conditions for vine cultivation, especially for indigenous grape varieties like Saperavi, Kisi and Rkatsiteli. 

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

The grapes were hand picked and aged in a mixture of American and French oak barrels for 6 -12 months. The result is a full-flavoured wine, with intense berry aromas, beautifully integrated sweet oak and hints of leather and spice.

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla

ABV: 14%

Grapes:  Tempranillo, Syrah

Perfumed nose of fynbos flowers and raspberry. The palate is juicy and appealing with notes of rooibos tea and blueberries with smooth velvety tannins and a lingering, elegant aftertaste.

Country: South Africa

Region: Wellington

Grapes: Pinotage

ABV: 14%

Food matches: great with rich meaty stews - potjie kos especially

This Barolo is delightfully fresh and elegant. Along with its full and deep bodied centre it shows notes of  violets, menthol, warm spices like cardamom and dried fruits all rounded off with fine tannins and minerality that leave you wanting another glass.

Country: Italy

Region: Barolo, Piemonte

14% ABV

Grape: Nebbiolo

Food match: cheeses, cured meats, stewed and grilled meats

This wine has the ability to evolve over 15 + years

Offering great enjoyment in its youth, especially once decanted for a couple of hours, but BOREAS has a long future ahead and will develop in complexity over the next 10-15+ years.

Complex aromas of redcurrant, plum and red cherry with cedar  and spice notes with a hint of pencil shaving. The predominance of Cabernet Franc gives a wine an elegance with lifted berry fruit and a supple, finely structured mid palate. Firm yet fine tannins frame the spicy, long finish.

Country : South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grape: Cabernet Franc 51%, Merlot 25%, Petit Verdot 14%

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Beef short rib, roast lamb or t-bone steak

Waterkloof Wine

'A serious, refined and age worthy Cabernet Franc-based South African red that is excellent value' - Jancis Robinson Feb 2024

A classic Barolo offering structure and elegance, with a red fruit base, floral notes, and hints of spice and tobacco. Perfumed and bright, very approachable yet serious and complex. Polished tannins and fresh acidity lead to a long, persistent finish, showing both immediate appeal for drinking now and excellent ageing potential.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

15% ABV

Grape: Nebbiolo

The nose has layers of citrus and stone fruit aromas, and hints angelica, acacia flower and allspice. Flavours of lemon, yellow apple and nectarine follow through onto an elegant, balanced palate with delicate notes of greengage, papaya, yellow apple and passion fruit. The wine is light to medium bodied, with a fleshy texture and vibrant, integrated acidity. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Chenin Blanc 53%, Chardonnay 24%, Semillon 19%, Viognier 4%

The blend is composed of signature white varieties from each property: Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Semillon, matured in oak, provides structure and age-worthiness-drawing on Boekenhoutskloof's long-standing reputation for this grape. Old bush vine Chenin Blanc from the Swartland adds depth, texture and opulence, while cool-climate Chardonnay brings lift and precision. Viognier lends a subtle aromatic richness.

Tim Atkin's review: A new addition to the consistently impressive Boekenhoutskloof range, this is a pan-regional blend of Swartland Chenin Blanc complemented by 24% Chardonnay, 19% Semillon and 4% Viognier from elsewhere. Inspired by the whites of the southern Rhône, it's stony, savoury and lightly wooded, with aromas of laurel, thyme and white flowers and a palate of pear, citrus, peach and wet stones. Drink 2026 – 2031

Deliciously layered aromas of black cherry and raspberry lift out of the glass, followed by exotic spice notes and a dark, rich loamy quality. This wine is like satin in the mouth—so supple. It toes the line between ethereal and ponderous in the most delightful way.

Country: USA

Region: Chehalem Mountains, Oregon

Grapes: Pinot Noir

ABV: 13%

Special aged release of this wonderful Bekaa Valley red. Rich, ripe and fruity red with black plum and dark cherry fruit. Soft, silky tannic structure, long tobacco leaf finish.

Country: Lebanon

Region: Bekaa Valley

Grapes: Cinsault, Syrah, Carignan

ABV: 14%

Food match Mediterranean meat dishes with grilled vegetables

A deliciously ripe and moreish red Bordeaux blend from South Africa's Cabernet capital of Stellenbosch.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 13%

Grapes: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot

A fresh and aromatic nose with red and black fruit (blackberries, cherries) and some vanilla notes. A fine tannic structure, elegant, yet bold and concentrated with a long and silky finish.

Country: Spain

Region: Aranda and Ribera Burgalesa, Ribera del Duero

Grapes: Tempranillo 88%, Garnacha 10%, Abillo Mayor 2%

ABV: 14.5%

Food Match: Slow roast leg of lamb with roast potatoes and Mediterranean vegetables. 

From the most southerly vineyards in Africa! An aromatic and herbal nose with hints of canned asparagus, cut grass, tomato leaves and buchu. The palate is savoury, saline and has a long, fresh finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Elim, Cape Agulhus

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 14% 

The nose is delicate, restrained and elegant with its grapefruit, greengage, chamomile and apple blossom aromas and whiffs of exotic spice. The floral character of the nose follows through onto a richly textured mid-palate, showing yellow peach, poached pear and nectarine against a backdrop of fresh mandarin and green fig flavours with integrated acidity and a full body. The ripe stone fruit character adds to the complexity on the palate and the spicy finish with hints of fenugreek, black cardamom and Cape fynbos complements a very balanced wine.

Country: South Africa

Region: Franschhoek Valley

Grapes: Semillon (97%), Muscat d'Alexandrie (3%)

ABV: 13.5%

Great with Cape Malay dishes such as beef baboti - a well-known South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping.

Tim Atkin MW
96 points. Boekenhoutskloof's world-class Semillon uses grapes from three distinct blocks in Franschhoek, planted in 1902, 1936 and 1942, combining these with 3% Muscat d'Alexandrie. Showing more acidity and restraint than the stunning 2020, and less of the struck match character, it has notes of lemongrass, custard and beeswax and a core of chiselled acidity. Drinking 2024-32

Wow - This is beautiful, and a masterclass in balance. Rich stone fruit, apples, pears, and quince. Hints of spice, orange zest apple strudel, and a great backbone of acidity make this a very delicious wine indeed. Rabourcé is one of the warmest sites in Rully and lends itself very well to creating fruit forward wines with spice and texture. This wine was not produced in 2021 - so a good vintage to stock up and keep!

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes:  Chardonnay

Food Match: Salmon En Croûte

Medium to full bodied with a dark ruby colour and aromas of black cherries and berries, sweet spices and vanilla. The finish is soft and long with hints of black pepper and tobacco.

Country: Bulgaria

Region: Struma Valley

Grapes: Melnik 55

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Red meat dishes especially roast lamb, charcuterie and hard cheeses.