Cellar 281

Tuscany And South Africa

Thinking of Tuscany conjures up images of cypress trees, twisty roads and medieval hilltop villages like Montalcino and Montepulciano. This is a captivating landscape — wild and rural — around the cultural centres of Florence and Siena. It is a land of intense rivalry, which has been fought over many times. A land of hunters and wild boar, a land that has been cultivated with vines and olive trees for centuries. Yet Tuscany has more to discover than Chianti Classico, with wines from the coastal Maremma region as well as sparkling and sweet Vin Santo wines or even hand-crafted gins and vodka.

The Cape Winelands in South Africa is also a beautiful region. A dramatic landscape with vines planted on some of the oldest soils in the world. In the best sites, the warm climate and low rainfall are compensated for by planting on slopes at altitude, in the shade of mountains where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans bring cool air. 2020 has not been an easy year anywhere, but particularly in South Africa, where sales and transport of alcohol were banned for a time and lockdown was instigated during harvest. Having said all that, the 2020 wines I have tasted are delicious.

JANE MASTERS MW, OPIMIAN’S MASTER OF WINE

Every wine offered by Opimian is tasted and selected for its deliciousness and value by our consultant Master of Wine, Jane Masters. Jane has an in-depth knowledge of the world of wine. Her aim is to share her experience and love of wine with members in an easy and informal manner. She is one of 409 Masters of Wine worldwide and was elected Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine 2016-2018 by her peers.

South Africa

P26

GROOTE POST

GROOTE POST SAUVIGNON BLANC, DARLING HILLS, 2020, LOT 2253, P26