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Think of wine in colour terms and the basics of red, pink or the light-yellow shades of white wine are first to come to mind, but there is another colour palette to explore, of wines in shades of molten gold, burnt orange, russet, amber, copper and brown.
We’re talking about the sweeter and darker parts of the wine spectrum — tawny ports, muscadels, dessert wines and the like.
The colours are echoed in the different dimensions of flavours and aromas experienced in these kinds of wines — roasted nuts, honey, caramel, toffee, raisins, dried apricots, orange peel, exotic spices, flowers — varying depending on the wine and the grape.
This is all sounds very autumnal and wintry — and yes, the warming-by-the-fireside scenarios do apply — but, given that spring is in the air, many of these examples are wines that also work really well when served chilled or mixed into inventive cocktails.
Consider a “Muskatini”, served at the recent Muskadel SA Awards, a mix of white muscadel, gin and lemon zest, an “Old-Fashioned” blending tawny port with bourbon, maple syrup and bitters, or strawberries, mint and crushed ice with a chilled red muscadel.
As well as with desserts and after-dinner nuts and cheese, their sweetness-acidity balance and exotically spicy or floral character are also great with aromatic and spicy foods that the reds, whites and pinks struggle to stand up to.
A recent visit to De Krans in Calitzdorp prompted my thoughts on the versatility and intriguing tasting experience of these kinds of wines that play somewhat under the radar and thus generally offer outstanding value for the quality in the bottle.
The first revelation was tasting De Krans Muscat Blanc (R145, Platter’s 4.5*) direct from the tank where it was just about ready to be bottled, gently chilled by the coolness of the cellar.
Rich honey gold colour and perfumes of lychees and peaches, jasmine and honeysuckle that leap out of the glass, the flavours are an explosion of ripe fruit, honeycomb and a touch of cardamom.
A fine line of acidity balances things out, bringing fresh contrast to the rich sweetness — a delicious drop that would go just as well with a peachy honeycomb dessert as mildly spiced dishes such as breyani.
De Krans Cape Tawny Limited Release (R240, 4.5*), a port-style in deep amber colours reminiscent of tiger’s eye gemstones, proved an unexpectedly brilliant partner to a Malay-style lamb curry in the winery bistro.
The aromatic spices and warmth of the dish contrasting and complementing the lightly chilled port with its orange peel, toffee and nutty aromas and flavours.
Like port, muscadel is also fortified with wine spirit but offers quite a different experience, noted for its raisiny-ness.
Rietvallei Red Muscadel (R150) is a great choice, great value for a 4* wine, with its fragrant florals and intense raisin flavours with light spiciness, rich sweetness and full body tempered with acidity and light freshness.
It’s super served lightly chilled on its own or over crushed ice, but to take the idea of dessert wine to another level, try heating it in a saucepan, reducing it down to a syrup and pouring over Camembert topped with toasted nuts, a honey-almond cheesecake, or strawberries and ice cream.
In similar vein of deeper colour and sweet richness, but completely different in its making and flavour profile, Tokara Reserve Collection Chenin Blanc Straw Wine 2023 (R385, in 375ml bottle) earned a Platter’s 4.5* on this its maiden vintage, praised for “pure decadence”.
Brilliant golden colour, the wine is like nectar, intensely aromatic with sun-dried apricots, glacé pineapple and a touch of honeysuckle, flavours of intense dried apricots and peaches, marmalade and honey. The richness tempered with a line of fresh acidity, the whole an immersive sensory experience.
A must for a rich chicken or duck liver pâte, or the burnt sugar and creaminess of a crème brûlée.
The Herald
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