2013 A Mixed Bag

Many will still be in store displays this weekend or back in their original position in the South African section.

As part of the promotion, WOSA is offering a free week-end for two at the Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos, B.C. The prize includes accommodation and a gift card toward meals in the wine bar. For details and to enter the draw, visit wosa.co.za/canada until mid-September.

Most of the South African story remains untold in British Columbia with listings limited to a skimpy selection of some 80 labels with more than 25 per cent of those selling for less than $12. When you think about it, any wine that can meet the $12 mark after being shipped halfway around the world and marked up 123 per cent cannot exactly be the region's finest. If you have ever visited South Africa's spectacular wine lands, they more than rival the beautiful Okanagan Valley; it wouldn't take you long to come to the conclusion that what you see on store shelves here has almost nothing to do with what is going on in South Africa.

The issues for South Africa mirror most other foreign regions. Nationally our provincial monopolies are geared to selling large brands. The strategy began in the cheery (or should I say dreary) green and cream LCBO stores of Ontario and is spreading across the country. The big brands are stacked all over the store, taking up gobs of space. Most of the displays are paid for in one form or another and they are expensive. That leaves out small innovators and storytellers or, as I like to refer to them, the wineries that attracted the original attention to the aisles of South Africa, Argentina or California sections.

Top-selling brands have been given extra facings in B.C. government stores, too - all but squeezing out smaller producers from around the world. In essence, dumbing down the selection for the bewildered wine consumer whose car and cellphone are now more sophisticated than his or her wine store. When I see a row of shelves covered in major wine brands, I avoid the aisle. When I see aisles of them, I want to avoid the store.

At least we have private wine shops as an alternative in B.C. but given the convoluted licensing markups, you can be faced with some unattractive pricing on the private side. It's a vicious circle that leaves consumers with partial pictures of the global wine market such as the South African wine section in B.C.

Your only real hope is to improve your personal knowledge and become as savvy a wine buyer as possible. To that end, here are a few labels from South Africa to look for this weekend.

The Flat Roof Manor Pinot Grigio 2011 is an easy sipping white with fresh, lemony peachy fruit and a hint of honey. There is enough residual sugar here to serve this before or during dinner with spicy appetizers. Good value.

Chenin Blanc is the South African calling card and the Spier Chenin Blanc 2011 from the Western Cape region attracts with its floral, grassy, minty, honey nose flecked with gooseberry and grapefruit. Expect a juicy, creamy palate with a touch of sweetness over grapefruit, honey, butter, floral, baked pear, green apple and nettle flavours. A solid entry-level white that is well suited to West Coast seafood.

If you are looking for a rustic barbecue red, the Six Hats Shiraz 2010 fits that bill. The nose is a smoky mix of blackberry, licorice root and savoury meaty aromas. The palate is smooth with peppery, smoked meat, savoury tobacco, black-berry and menthol flavours with a pruney finish. Try this with grilled meats, a.k.a. hamburgers.

The Goats do Roam Red 2010 is a blend of Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Grenache mimicking the famous southern French Cotes du Rhone reds. Expect a smoky, meaty, earthy, saddle-leather nose with bits of black cherry and barnyard aromas spread across a generous pal-ate with fresh acidity. More spicy, meaty, cherry, coffee, flavours with a touch of orange peel round out the palate. The perfect red for a cool fall day that you can serve with stews or grilled meats.

The Saxenburg Guinea Fowl 2009, a mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from Stellenbosch, is marked by its intensely spicy, dried herbs nose with smoky meaty undertones. The attack is soft and ripe with sweet cherry fruit on the entry and resiny, herbal, tobacco, blueberry flavours in the finish - another candidate for the barbecue and grilled meats that best tame its herbal notes.

We finish with a delightful Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2010 that is getting better each month in the bottle. Old, dry-farmed, low yielding bush vines are at the heart of this wine. The nose is bright and stylish with rich pear, honey, green apple notes while the attack is crisp and clean. It's aged in 50 per cent French oak that kicks in mid-palate along with vanilla and baked apple flavours flecked with honey and orange bits. This is perfect when served well chilled with spicy Asian dishes.

IN THE CELLAR

Flat Roof Manor Pinot Grigio 2011, Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa

Price: $13

UPC: 6001108015457

Score: 85/100

Remarks: Soft and round with fresh, lemony peachy fruit with a hint of honey.

Spier Chenin Blanc 2011, Western Cape, South Africa

Price: $14

UPC: 00606655000299

Score: 86/100

Remarks: A juicy, entry-level-style Chenin that offers value.

Six Hats Shiraz 2010, Western Cape, South Africa

Price: $14

UPC: 00875359001974

Score: 86/100

Remarks: Try with grilled meats, such as hamburgers.

Goats do Roam (Red) 2010, South Africa

 Price: $15

UPC: 6002291000435

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Spicy, meaty, cherry, coffee, smoky, leather flavours.

Saxenburg Guinea Fowl 2009, Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa

Price: $19

UPC: 6002461000302

Score: 86/100

Remarks: The attack is soft with ripe cherry fruit and herbal, tobacco, blueberry flavours.

Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2010, Coastal Region, South Africa

Price: $25

UPC: 6001506904674

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Enticing baked green apple flavours flecked with honey and orange notes.