I went to Don Quiote today not expecting to purchase, much less taste wine.

As I wound my way around the aisles looking for necessities in the way of groceries - I came across a demonstration lady with two bottles of wine and a pretty long stemmed rose on her table. One wine was cool/chilled (?) the other at room temperature. The yellow and black wine labels on the bottles definitely caught my eye. Understand that I’m not a wine guru.. I tend to pick wines that have interesting packaging and are affordable. I do however, have friends who are wine guru’s and I take the opportunity to taste wine with them whenever the opportunity arises.

The day’s offering was Cape Blend (Shiraz Pinotage) which was kept cool/chilled (?) and a Cabernet Pinotage. I was offered the Cape Blend. It was strong tasting, but good. I would want to serve this with a good steak and a salad as its flavors seemed to stand out. The price was also good, priced that you could enjoy it without having to worry about the price and it being a ‘special occasion’ type of selection.. you know the kind of wine that you’d choose for company because it was too expensive to drink regularly. Even though I didn’t plan on purchasing wine today, this one came home with me in my market basket. I’d suggest you give it a try and see what you think.

(You may ask what is a pinotage – from the winemakers website: WHAT IS PINOTAGE?
* Originated in 1925 as a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault.
* Combines the noble characteristics of Pinot Noir with the reliability of Cinsault.
* Produces complex and fruity wines with age, but is also very approachable and enjoyable without long aging.)