Hunt for a Delicious Red Part 2 | A Taste of South Africa

Hey friends,

I was looking for some new red wines to try and I found these. The prices were amazing as well so I had no reason to give them a try.  They both had twist off tops which at first alarmed me slightly, but not too much.Twist off cap wine doesn't seem to have that stigma like it used to. Honestly, if it brings down the price of the wine, I'm all for it, as long as it taste good!

Wild Girl Sweet Red, regular price $14.99, on sale for 2/$10 (12% alcohol) - A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot make this a bright red wine with fruity flavors. While it was fruity in general, I had a hard time picking up specific flavors in the wine. It was to muddled to tell what's in it.  I drank this with a slight chill on it. The wine was in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes prior to drinking it. I also left it open for a few minutes before pouring as well.  It was gorgeous in the glass, but overall all it was decent. I drank it both on it's own and with pizza.  While it was good by itself, found it a too sweet for pizza.  Will I purchase this again? Unlikely, especially for the regular sticker price of $14.99.

Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz, regular price $11.99, on sale for $8.99 (12% alcohol) - Clearly this is a Shiraz, hence the name of the wine. This is a sweeter wine but yet very palatable. It's not overly sweet and I found this very easy to drink alone and with some salty snacks like popcorn or dips and chips. It was very good and really middle of the road when it came to the heaviness of it.  I could also see drinking this with savory food.  I drank this with a slight chill and it was perfect.  Same as the previous wine, it was in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Will I Purchase this again? Absolutely!

If I had to compare the two, Jam Jar's Sweet Shiraz was better. The flavor was more pronounced and didn't seem as sweet, I'm thinking that it comes down to my discovery that enjoy Syrah/Shiraz wines better than blended reds. We'll see, I'll keep trying more reds until I find a favorite.

Have you tried any South African wines? If you found one or two that you enjoy, please share!

~Tamara