Sanniesrust is the personal label of Pieter van der Merwe, a winemaker at David Finlayson Wines. It is named after the Free State farm he grew up on. The tone matches the winemaking. “Wine must be fun. Wyn moet LEKKER wees.” These are serious wines made without any pretension, with labels that carry the farm windmill. They are easy to pour, easy to pair and easy to talk about.

The grapes come from a 9-year-old vineyard on Summerhill farm, just outside the town of Stellenbosch, and were harvested by hand. Spontaneous natural fermentation took place in an open top fermentation tank with minimal punch downs, and 20% of the grapes were left as whole bunches. The wine was matured in 3rd fill 300 litre French oak barrels for 12 months and bottled unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: Fresh wild berries are woven together with the earthy, spicy character that marks Grenache Noir, and red fruit follows through on the palate. The tannins are silky from front to back, so the wine feels generous and easy rather than grippy. Relaxed and open hearted, it is the sort of red that slots into whatever is already happening at the table, and there always seems to be a bit more of it than you expected.

Food Pairing: Think fireside food: braaied lamb chops, boerewors, slow roasted pork belly or a rustic beef stew. Charcuterie boards, mushroom dishes and tomato based pastas suit its red fruit and gentle spice, and it is easy enough to drink with a Tuesday night pizza. Serve slightly cooled.

ANALYSIS: ALC 14.55% | TA 5.9g/L | pH 3.52 | RS 1.2g/L