Wine For The Rest of Us.
by: Jack Wells
Many of us love wine, but lack the purse that allows for expensive, "fine"
wines. For that matter, I have found that if I want to enjoy wine regularly
(which I do), I can't even afford $15 a bottle as that mounts up quickly in the
old monthly budget. But fear not, budget oenophiles, good wines, even fine wines
are available on a shoe string. Many people have already discovered the charms
of Yellowtail and Two-buck Chuck (Charles Taylor) wines, to the point of these
good wines being virtually ubiquitous on dinner tables everywhere. But did you
know, or realize, that there are many, many quality varietals available through
a host of other vineyards. Indeed, there are dozens of wines at half the price
of Yellowtail, that produce a more sophisticated flavor, and are a more
congenial match with most meals.
Silver Sands is a South African vineyard of singular note. I haven't tried all
of their varietals, but with a meal of broiled chuck roast in a garlic sauce,
and sides of asparagus and gingered sweet potatoes, I found that the Silver
Sands Shiraz was an able, even excellent companion to the meal, easily competing
with wines valued at two or three times it's $5 per bottle cost. It's smoke and
oak wood tones contrasting delightfully with the natural blackberry fruitiness
of the Syrah grape, from which Shiraz is made. There is an initial bite to this
Shiraz, not unpleasant, but attention-getting, which matures on the palate into
waves of dark smoke, not unlike a fine single-malt, then into deeper, more
subtle, woody and earthy tones, all overlaid with the fruitiness of Shiraz. This
is a surprisingly nuanced wine, with a pleasant and promising nose and a rich,
full body.
Most importantly, this wine was a delightful complement to the meal, dancing the
tongue away from the powerful, salty garlic marinade of the beef and preparing
it for the ginger and autumn spices of the sweet potatoes. Or as a perfect
counterpoint to the buttery smoothness of the steamed asparagus and a reminder
of the richness of red meat to come. This might be a little strong as a
companion for some pastas, but I can see it sitting proudly alongside a
well-prepared steak, or a deliciously rare burger with blue-cheese crumbles over
the top and slices of smoked bacon. You do need some starch with this one for
balance: perhaps unsalted pub fries with malt vinegar, or maybe a monstrous
baked potato smothered in butter, sour cream, bacon bits, broccoli florets and
Vermont cheddar, or like I had, gingered sweet potatoes. But I think you’ll find
that this wine is zippy enough to stand on its own quite nicely beside a host of
entrees.
This wine was actually quite a surprise. I am very familiar with South African
reds, and have found them to be somewhat stratified, i.e. the cheap ones are
cheap for a reason. But not so with Silver Sands. This is an absolutely
delightful Shiraz, mature and flavorful, but not bombastic or heavy. I will
definitely keep my eye out for this South African delight in the future, and at
$5 a bottle, I know that it won’t break the bank if I bring it home.
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