The British love a good bargain about as much as they love a good drink.
Most estimates suggest that about 60 per cent of supermarket wine are bought on offer. The Co-operative, like so many other supermarkets, are currently running wine offers. One can find a bottle of South African 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Western Cape for just £4.79 in selected Co-operative stores at the moment.
Famed for its success in Bordeaux, the Cabernet Sauvignon grape has a distinctive, dense blackcurrant flavour. There was a time, nearly some 200 years ago, when the Cabernet Sauvignon was almost exclusively grown in France but nowadays one can find the full-bodied grape being harvested in the fertile Californian wine valleys, New Zealand and, of course, South Africa.
This tipple does have that tart, tough tannin one would associate with a typical South African grape but, despite that, it is a rich, ruby-red wine lightly oaked with cassis and mint aromas. It is a touch fruiter than its Bordeaux and Tuscany cousins and the distinct black cherry zests are layered with a complex, piquant, spicy fragrance of cedar wood.
With an acidic cut and a tough tang, this Cabernet Sauvignon pairs well with foods high in fat and protein. Try it with red meats, like a marinated ribeye steak or braised beef.
This Cabernet Sauvignon has style, has panache, has flamboyance. Demand for wine from this popular grape is growing and has been for years. As a result, it tends to be quite an expensive beverage so enjoy a true wine bargain this cold, dreary winter.
