Wine of the week - Cloof Inkspot Vin Noir 2007

Cloof is a winery in Darling which produces serious wines without taking things too seriously. With names like Daisy Darling, Happy Dragon, Very Sexy Shiraz etc. it's clear they have a sense of humour out there in Darling. Don't be fooled though, their wines are crackers. One of them, the Inkspot Vin Noir 2007 (a blend of Pinotage, Shiraz, Cinsaut and Cabernet Sauvignon), is a personal favourite for sentimental reasons... 

I chose it as the red for my wedding, which means I got too much and am still drinking it 6 months later. Not necessarily a bad thing. I chose it for the big day for a few reasons. Despite the intense dark colour (hence the name), I found it to be exceptionally fruity. I got some strong citrus coming out of it, particularly orange zest. This set my mind wandering and conjured up images of sipping sangria somewhere along the Spanish coastline. Of course, it's not sangria and saying it is might be a massive insult to the winemaker. What I'm trying to say is that it's fresh, lively and not too heavy. Plums and summer berries come through in the mouth, and in a blind tasting I reckon I would've said it was a Pinot Noir. Wrongly, of course. 

It is the type of red wine you can drink during the daytime. (Which is not the case for all red wine in my opinion). It is the type of wine that I can happily drink standing round a braai or having lunch in my courtyard. It lends itself to be served slightly chilled and I reckon it would be dynamite with something like a smoked duck salad with blueberry dressing. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who

P.S. This wine is a bit more difficult to find than some. That's the bad news. The good news - no, the GREAT news - is that all you need to do is drop them an e-mail on marchell@cloof.co.za and they will deliver. A bottle costs R45. Call the cops people...that is an absolute steal.