Monday Wine of the Week - AA Badenhorst Secatuers Red Blend 2007

I feel a bit sorry for Mondays. Honestly, I have never met a single person who likes them. And this is especially true for foodies. Obviously Mondays can't compete with the popular Fridays and Saturdays, where the majority of people are doing their wining and dining. Sundays are often the time for family roasts or simple evening braai's in the summer. Wednesdays are the "mini-Fridays" and often see people magnetically drawn to a pub on the way home. Thursdays? Well, they're almost Friday so why not indulge in the now famous Phuza Thursday movement? Hell, even Tuesdays are popular now that people can go to the movies and save some money (ignore the fact that this money saved is then spent eating extra sushi when the movie is done.) But Mondays, well...they've got very little going for them. Until now. 

Say hello to the wine of the week. Sure, it's not exactly a new concept but I've decided to throw it up on a Monday to at least - at LEAST - get people stoked about a new wine. I mean come on people, let's give Mondays something to stand for. 

Wine of the week on this blog is going to be a super-informal recommendation of a wine that I'm enjoying. I'm not going to get technical about it (mainly because I don't know enough about wine to do that), but instead just tell you what I'm drinking. And why I like it. That simple. 

We kick off with The Secateurs Red Blend 2007, from AA Badenhorst Family Wines. The farm is in the Paardeberg area, between Wellington and Malmesbury. Upon opening the wine (a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Merlot, Carignan, Cinsaut and Grenache) I was struck by the smoky, spicy notes. A touch of sweetness came though from the fruits and the whole thing smelt like a campfire. A gorgeous mix of burnt wood and cooking marshmallows. I expected it to be heavy on my tongue but it was surprisingly thin, which was not necessarily bad. With such bold flavours a heavier consistency could've felt a bit clumsy. It reminded me a lot of the Hedonist blend (another favourite of mine) which, not surprisingly, comes from the same area and also uses highly underrated bush-vine varieties for intense flavour. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would've loved to cook something like a chorizo, chilli and butter-bean soup with this. That said, when I first opened it I also just wanted to knock up a bacon and peanut butter (crunchy...obviously) sandwich. It didn't last long enough with my thirsty guests for me to either.

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. The wine retails from boutiques for about R67 a bottle.  

P.P.S. If any of the more knowledgeable wine guys/girls - and there are plenty more knowledgeable than me - are reading this please feel free to comment and give opinions. Also, if there are any wines out there that are blowing your minds drop me an e-mail at jamiewhoblog@gmail.com so I can check them out.