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The good people at KWAL (Kenya Wines Agencies Limited) sent me some wines to review. It’s like they knew that my birthday was just a few days away. They sent me two reds and two whites. I got the Nederburg Manor House Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Nederburg The Winemasters Chardonnay 2017, Nederburg The Winemasters Pinotage 2014 and Nederburg The Winemasters Shiraz 2017. All these wines are from the Paarl region of South Africa.

I decided to review the wines and show you their range which is available in Kenya.

The White Wines

Nederburg Manor House Sauvignon Blanc 2017

I chilled this wine first before opening. I loved that it was a screw cap wine. When it comes to the wine Vs screw cap debate, I have no issue with screw cap wines and they are actually easier to open.

This was a crisp Sauvignon Blanc that had very fresh flavours of green fruits like lime and apple. It also had other riper flavours like passion fruit. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most planted wine grapes in the world and it originated from the Loire valley in France. If you are getting started in wine, this wine would be right for you because it does not have very complex flavours.

I would pair this wine with a salad and when it comes to Kenyan dishes, rice and ndengu (mung beans) or lentils would do. Something not very spicy. It can also go well with ugali ( a type of maize meal common in Kenya) , spinach and some eggs. (Don’t we all like that combination). I am always telling you how the wines I review pair with our own local dishes. The secret is that light wines go well with light foods. It is essential to match the flavours. It is not a rule of thumb but you can never go wrong with this type of matching. I did a thorough review on my Youtube Channel. Here you will get to see my first hand experience with the wine.

See more of the wine notes here

Nederburg The Winemasters Chardonnay 2017

This wine was fresh and creamy as you would expect from a Chardonnay. Very elegant and smooth, this was a memorable one to open. The wine had lime & lemon flavours but also some buttery vanilla flavours.

The Red Wines

Nederburg The Winemasters Pinotage 2014

Pinotage is a variety of red wine grape grown in South Africa, and it is by crossing Hermitage and Pinot Noir grape varieties. The wine was ruby red with almost some violet hue. On the nose it was fruity and smoky. It had hints of plums, berries and chocolate flavours. At the beginning when I sipped, it was lightly sweet. It had soft tannins and a medium long finish. NB: Tannins are naturally occurring compounds that exist inside grape skins, seeds and stems that cause it to taste astringent and almost ash dry and bitter.

Nederburg The Winemasters Shiraz 2017

This wine was dark red and had aromas of dark berries (black berries, blueberries, rasp berries) and some spice. It also had some light peppery notes. It was very full bodied and well balanced. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and would serve it alongside some mbuzi choma and spicy meat. The spicier the food the better. As we mentioned before, spicy wine goes with spicy food. There is also some oak which is very noticeable.

I really enjoy wines with this flavour profile and this is one of those that I will be purchasing again.

Where to get these wines in Kenya

I will be restocking the Nederburg The Winemasters Shiraz 2017 and the Nederburg The Winemasters Chardonnay 2017 in my personal home collection. I will not be restocking the Nederburg Manor House Sauvignon Blanc 2017 out of personal preference. Wine tasting is a very personal experience and once you know what you like, you can buy it again and again. That is the joy on wine tasting.

The wines are available in supermarkets and wineshops examples include Carrefour , Chandarana, Quickmart wine shops such as Bluesky , tots 5 Liqour in Mombasa . The wines range between 1350 – 1500.

Let me know when you taste these wines by using the tag #wineinkenya on social media.