There I was again with a glass of wine in my hand.  It’s winter in the Cape.  It’s wet and cold. So yes, a glass of Shiraz will do nicely thank you.  Kudos to Shiraz SA who came up with 7 Days of Shiraz and Venison as a way to entice South Africans to drink more of the bold red juice.  And it won’t stay with 7 days.

Although I would personally like to verify every game hunter’s ethics and skills I am aware of the fridges filling up with venison in June.  Only fair then to put the stocks to use in a pairing with Shiraz or Syrah as most Overberg wines of this varietal are called.  What better match for venison than Shiraz? As from 10 June Cape Whale Coast’s Creation Wines, Benguela Cove and The Wine Glass will be offering special Syrah pairings to patrons.  At The Wine Glass in Hermanus Villion’s Syrah is paired with small plates of venison while Benguela Cove will be dishing up a variety of carpaccio and Creation has artisanal plates that could pass for art.  June does not have to be cold and miserable with the 7 Days of Shiraz and Hermanus FynArts dishing options to warm up winter.

At a Shiraz shoot-out held on Friday at The Wine Glass Beaumont, Benguela Cove and Seven Springs came out tops in a comparison of 12 wines served in 2 flights of 6 each.   Another Syrah that got my vote was La Vierge’s Anthelia.  What a way to end the week!