As promised, we have stayed in Georgia to sample another indigenous variety, Saperavi. This one is red and a direct translation of its name is 'paint' or 'dye' (sounds like a threat that might have been issued by a less than charitable Pope, perhaps a Borgia, to a reluctant portrait artist) because of the depth of its colour.
The South African speciality grape, Pinotage, is sometimes criticised for tasting like paint, so i am hoping in Saperavi's case it is purely down to the appearance rather than the flavour.
Week S (2015) Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi, 2012. M&S £9.49.
Sure enough, this is a ruby/purple wine which clings to the glass a bit and just about lives up to the claims made for the depth of colour.
It doesn't smell of paint, which is a good thing, but instead gives a definite red cherry smell, with a slight vanilla spice. It has some flowery type tones which could be Violets or similar.
It tastes much the same with some Raspberry thrown in for good measure. It reminds me of a Cabernet Franc and this could be either because that's what it tastes like or because I haven't tasted enough Cabernet Francs.
It is another one of those 'easy-drinking', soft, fruity reds, but it does have some gentle tannins which are smooth and well integrated, and enough acidity to avoid the 'flabby' criticism. The producer claims 13%, but I have recently read some pretty clear advice about how accurate the numbers on bottle can be and why I shouldn't mention it.
Last week we tasted the white stable mate of this wine and found ourselves a little underwhelmed. This week, for the price, the same is true. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but just a bit forgettable.
I am sure I will return to sample more wines from Georgia, but they will have to wait their turn.
The South African speciality grape, Pinotage, is sometimes criticised for tasting like paint, so i am hoping in Saperavi's case it is purely down to the appearance rather than the flavour.
Week S (2015) Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi, 2012. M&S £9.49.Sure enough, this is a ruby/purple wine which clings to the glass a bit and just about lives up to the claims made for the depth of colour.
It doesn't smell of paint, which is a good thing, but instead gives a definite red cherry smell, with a slight vanilla spice. It has some flowery type tones which could be Violets or similar.
It tastes much the same with some Raspberry thrown in for good measure. It reminds me of a Cabernet Franc and this could be either because that's what it tastes like or because I haven't tasted enough Cabernet Francs.
It is another one of those 'easy-drinking', soft, fruity reds, but it does have some gentle tannins which are smooth and well integrated, and enough acidity to avoid the 'flabby' criticism. The producer claims 13%, but I have recently read some pretty clear advice about how accurate the numbers on bottle can be and why I shouldn't mention it.
Last week we tasted the white stable mate of this wine and found ourselves a little underwhelmed. This week, for the price, the same is true. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but just a bit forgettable.
I am sure I will return to sample more wines from Georgia, but they will have to wait their turn.
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