SUMMERTIME is entertainment-time and there are few better liquid accessories to have this season than medal-winning wines from Bonnievale.
The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Competition has just awarded The Bonnievale River Collection Cinsault Rosé 2020 with a gold medal and Bonnievale’s The Vale Sauvignon Blanc Brut sparkling wine with silver.
The Cinsault Rosé is crisp and dry – a style perfected in that most fashionable Mediterranean region of Southern France. Pour a glass, and it’s light, aromatic and refreshing, bursting with lively fruitiness. This is the wine to have in your picnic, by the pool, as a sundowner or simply to unwind. If you’re planning a meal, then seafood and crisp garden salads are the way to go. The wine sells for R59/bottle.
The Vale Sauvignon Blanc Brut is equally crisp and fresh, with character recalling a bowl of tropical fruit – just what you need in a bubbly, summer-fun drink. Pour it anytime, especially alongside simple pasta dishes. It sells for R88/bottle.
The duo are just the ears of the hippo when it comes to an award-winning portfolio; there’s an extensive range that includes top notch red and white wines, all of which hail from the fertile Breede River Valley near the village of Bonnievale. Maybe it’s time to make a road-trip of it and go visit. And if you’re driving, you should be drinking the new de-alcoholised Sauvignon Blanc, NEAT, which contains less than 0,5% alcohol.
It’s great for anyone watching their intake, whether at a business lunch or as designated driver. Less alcohol also equals less calories, so Bonnievale NEAT is soft on the waistline too. Enjoying NEAT means there’s no need to compromise on taste or a good time.
“Low alcohol offerings have boomed around the world. NEAT has been two years in the making because we wanted to be sure the wine met quality standards, sensory consistency and sheer enjoyability,” says Bonnievale Wine Group CEO John Barnardt. “What we have here is a varietal wine we’re proud to include in our range.”
The wine was made from this year’s harvest and displays flavours and aromas typical of the cultivar.
“NEAT Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is fruit-driven on the nose and tropical in style,” says Bonnievale winemaker Marthinus Rademeyer. “There are notes of passion fruit, guava and gooseberries. The palate is broad, crisp and refreshing, showing those same fruit characters that linger in the finish.”
The wine is being rolled out to retailers and restaurants around the country. Its recommended retail price is R65/bottle. It can also be delivered to your door via purchases made through Bonnievale’s online store. For more information, visit the website, phone on 023 616 2795 or email: @bonnievalewines.co.za
The Bonnievale Wines visitor centre is open for tastings and sales Mondays to Fridays from 9am till 5pm. Due to level one Covid-19 regulations, the centre will only be open for tastings on Saturdays from 10am till 1pm.
