A South African Cabernet Sauvignon

It may be hard to believe but this is our first bargain wine from South Africa, one very major wine country. The Nederburg winery was founded in 1791 near Paarl not far from the Cape of Good Hope. This wine is part of their series, the Winemaker's Reserve. This wine is marketed by Stellenbosch Farmers Winery which is not your little farmer's winery. Stellenbosch markets about one third of all South African wines with a value of over one third of a billion dollars. I don't think that I have to tell you about the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, one popular red grape in Bordeaux France, California, and many other locales as well. Let's see if we can get a bargain. It seems like a fairly long time.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed: Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 12.5 % alcohol about $9.

Let's start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Medium - deep red/purple; aromas of game, sweet cherry, cassis, earth, liquorice and cedar tones; dry, medium-full bodied, red currant and spice flavors with soft tannins to finish. Serving Suggestion: Grilled or roasted meats, white meats, pizza or pasta or old cheese. And now for my review.

I started by sipping this wine alone. It was oaky with tobacco, long, and presented round tannins but seemed a bit too acidic. The first meal included a commercially barbecued chicken and potato salad. The Cab had plummy and earthy notes. It was more forceful with the chicken than with the potato salad.

The second meal centered around slow-cooked beef ribs with potatoes accompanied by a lime and garlic tomato salsa. The wine was powerful, mouth filling, and long. I got tobacco and dark fruit. This Cab was chewy. With the somewhat spicy salsa it became peppery and didn't lose its force.

The final meal consisted of a packaged baked Ziti Siciliano with eggplant covered with grated Parmesan cheese. There was a fine balance of acidity, tannins, and fruit with a faint bit of tobacco.

I finished the tasting with two cheeses. The first cheese was a Yellow Cheddar. The wine was round, oaky, and displayed good fruit. The second pairing was with a Swiss (Emmenthal). Things worked out about the same but the wine was more acidic.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. It really struck me as somewhat of a bargain. If you're a big fan of Cabernet Sauvignon, you might take it up a notch with Nederburg's Manor House line. I prefer to stay in their bargain price range but try another grape.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian, French, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and spend time with his wife and family. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Among his many web sites he is particularly proud of his new love and relationships site celebrating mostly spiritual and on occasion physical love at http://www.loveamourlove.com. You will find a wide range of articles devoted to various aspects of love, and a special collection of love quotes in both English and French (with translations.) Check out his global wine website at http://www.theworldwidewine.com with his weekly column reviewing $10 wines and his new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

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