Our first wine brings us to the Constantia valley in the Western Cape district. The Steenberg's wine farm, golf course and 5-star spa/hotel are located at the foot of a rocky range (Steenberg translates to 'Stone Mountain'). The original farm, established way back 1682, was named 'Swaaneweide' -The feeding place of the swans.
https://www.steenbergfarm.com/the-five-lives-of-catharina-ras/# šš¼The story of the remarkable woman who settled on the farm
The 2018 Steenberg Semillion is one of the many wines the winery produces. 70% is white wine with Sauvignon Blanc making up 64% of total plantings. Red varieties include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Malbec. They also are one of a few wineries in the cape to have invested in the red Italian variety Nebbiolo.
This beautiful pale gold wine has aromas of honey and peaches. On the pallet I got notes of toasted almonds which opens to a rich texture and bright acidity. One dish on the Bluebird menu that would shine with this wine is the Veal ( Two 4oz. pan-seared veal cutlets, gnocchi, seasonal vegetables, roasted garlic/paprika cream sauce, apple fennel slaw, beet oil.)
We are revisiting another Paul Hobbs wine this month. (We featured a few in September). This month we are featuring a wine from his collaboration with Vina Cobos winery in Mendoza, Argentina. Paul visited Argentina in 1988 and fell in love with the landscape. Today Paul is the owner/oenologist of seven wineries on 4 continents.
At Vina Cobos they pride themselves on each stage of the winemaking process, every sector of the vineyard is studied to understand the potential of the grape and ultimately Vina Cobos are making wines that represent the purest concept of each place. The 2021 Felino Malbec is a great example of of this. Right off the bat the color in the bright violet purple invites you in. Ripe blueberries hit my pallet right away, then there is hints of roses. The tannins are slightly juicy and the finish is long lasting. Pair this wine with our Tomahawk steak or the roasted Duck breast.
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