Ben says

★★ Great Wine Deeply coloured with a ruby lip, this red wine has beautifully balanced aromas of blackcurrant, mint, blackberry, tinderbox and cedar with a lick of sweet vanilla and pomegranate seeds. What a wonderful medley of fruit on the nose. It’s full and yet surprisingly sprightly at first, before folding into a deep, pepperminty whirl of dark fruits, liquorice and spice. It’s very soft and a winner to drink. I was gobsmacked at the price.

Guerrieri Rizzardi '3 Cru' Amarone della Valpolicella Red Wine

KEY POINTS

50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend with 14.0% abv. It is fermented in a mix of concrete tank and stainless steel before part of the blend is matured in French oak for 10 months.

Grown in: Western Cape, SOUTH AFRICA.

Food Pairing

Juicy and full without being overbearing or too thin, this is a classic red wine that deserves your finest pasta and tomato sauce mock-up. If you’re feeling hungry, pair it with a lasagne and don’t hold back on the cheese!

Disclosure & Price

Tasted blind during a study session. Find in the UK for circa £10.99 at Waitrose.

Reviewed and tasted: 17/09/2024

Ben Franks Wine Tasting Note Producer Profile

About the Producer

Reyneke is a hands-off “old fashioned” (their words) winery that practices biodynamic and organic certified winemaking. It has a cult following for its reserve wines and I can imagine why given the quality of its entry level stock. Reyneke can trace its history to its original name of the farm, Uitzicht (Dutch for ‘View’), established in 1863 and overlooking Stellenbosch and False Bay. The winery now sources its organic fruit from across the Western Cape.