Klein Constantia, South Africa

Clara Schnitzler export manager

Small but interesting tasting at the LWF 2025 of a niche South African wine.

Klein Constantia is a  340-year-old winemaker, one of the oldest in South Africa, planted its first vines in 1685 close to ocean. In part for this reason, Muscat first worked well.

In the old days it was a favorite of royals in Europe as well as by the rich in the USA, though it later became more affordable and widespread and thus available to a wider clientele. Jane Austen said it helped heal broken hearts!

Only 11 producers in Constantia valley, smallest region in South Africa.  

Below my tasting notes:

2023 estate 

100% sauvignon blanc 

Fresh salinity, crisp finish yet balanced, mod complex 

Score 88

2019 Clara sauvignon blanc 

After c Eliza hussey, American steel heiress who helped develop KC in 1920s

More floral, more texture, earthy notes 

Score 86

Estate red 2020 

58%cab sauv 

Blend p verdot, malbec, syrah 

Smooth, elegant Perfect balance, mod long, ready

Score 90

2020 Anwilka 

In Stellenbosch 

60% cab sauvignon 

40% syrah 

A bit rough attack, intense red fruits and notes of leather 

Wait 5 years 

Score 88

Vin de Constance 2021 

100% muscat de Frontignan 

Late harvest, pick highly concentrated grapes, no botrytis 

Aged 18 months in mixed old and new French oak 

Marmalade and lichee, moderately long. 

Score 89

Meet the producer: Baglio Diar, Sicily, Italy

Diar's vineyard makes a strong overall impression because they make organic wines which are remarkably stable and balanced. 

It is well known how difficult it is to produce high quality stable and balanced organic wines, and while the Sicilian climate helps only few manage to achieve Diar's qualitative results.

Each Diar bottle recalls Sicilian culture, an emotional connection between the land and some of the people who made Sicily the trailblazer of Italian culture in recent decades.

Sicilian literature figures prominently on all the labels, and as advertised on their website, for the name of our wines they took inspiration from five female characters who appear in the work of Verga and Pirandello, two giants of the island's literature: Fantasia, Nedda, Selene, Velata and  Dida.

One more original and unique way to underline the fact that wine is part of our culture.

Below are my tasting notes for the samples that were kindly provided to Roving Somm.

They also make extra virgin organic olive oil.

Grillo 2023

Grillo is the archetypal grape from the Marsala region, and it is used for the famous fortified wine. It is born from a cross of Inzolia and Catarratto. This bottle is generous with aromas, fresh and well balanced. A stronger character than your typical Grillo, amplified by a good length.

Score 90

Catarratto 2023

Another signature grape from western Sicily. A gentle mix of floral aromas gives way to a well structured palate with good acidity and balance.

Score 90

Zibibbo 2023

Moscato d'Alessandria from Sicily is known around the world for sweet or almost sweet wines, but not only. Diar has produced a dry but smooth wine with a remarkable structural character that does not prevent the emergence of fruit and floral notes. Excellent balance, a constant of Diar, and good length.

Score 91

Syrah 2023

This bottle is not from an indigenous grape variety but it is well known that Syrah (or Shiraz as it is called in some parts of the world) has established its own tradition in Sicily for some time. I paired this smooth and complex wine with saffron rice.

Score 89

Perricone 2023

Intriguing violet color in the glass for this most Sicilian perricone which exudes delicate red fruit aromas and a gentle acidity that makes for a wine ready to drink now. I would recommend cooling this bottle slightly in order to contain its alcoholic exuberance.

Score 91

Inzolia

A lot of character for this inzolia. Nutty notes do not overpower its lively citrusy overtone that confers a pleasant freshness to the palate. An excellent, versatile wine for Summer dishes in the warm Sicilian climate.

Score 90

Rosé

To complete the range here is a bottle of rosé made with nero d'Avola grapes. This is an easy wine, dry but with a touch of candy flavors that linger in the palate. I can see this for a Summer garden party, served well chilled as aperitif.

Score 80

Meet the producer: Navarro Lopéz, Ciudad Real, Spain

A family-run enterprise for over one hundred years, Navarro Lopez has blended tradition and innovation and carries forward the best of Rioja wine making through its presence pretty much all over the world. Below are my tasting notes from a selection of wines that I received for review.

Elegancia 2019
Tempranillo 100%
The name says it all, this is an elegant wine
Paired with Chinese bamboo shoots, pork belly and brown rice.
Score 90

Chinese bamboo shoots and brown rice for an "elegant" pairing"

Vina trebolar 2022

Graciano, tempranillo, syrah and garnacha

A wine of stature, with plump structure, perfectly balanced, where the fruit has given space to secondary flavors. I can only imagine tertiary notes would develop in time but this bottle is ready now.

Score 94

Imperio Gran Seleccion 2019

Tempranillo 100%

This is a delicate tempranillo, this seems to be a recurring feature in Navarro Lopéz wines, a wine that tiptoes to your palate rather than exploding in your mouth. It is elegant and at its peak now. I think that its perfect structure could only suffer from prolonged bottle aging.

I paired it with braised duck legs and soya bean sprouts.

Score 91

Viña Valoria 2013

tempranillo 100%

A truly top notch tempranillo, with all you might expect from that and more. An intense aroma of ripe red fruits leaves you ready for enjoying a perfectly balanced and complex mix of secondary and tertiary flavors. 36 months in American oak confer a smooth elegance to this majestic wine. Great length. 

I paired it with shredded slow cooked pork accompanied by red peppers and a touch of spring onions for freshness.

Score 95

Meet the producer: Fei Tswei, Ningxia Hui, China

Wine in China is not new, as a book I recently reviewed illustrates at length, international appreciation for Chinese wine is, and so is widespread appreciation by Chinese consumers of high quality international wines. China is already among the top 5 or 6 producers of wine in the world, and quality is improving by the day.

One example is the Fei Tswei winery in northwest China. They were present at the London Wine Fair 2024 and served as the business card for Chinese wines in London.

There are lots of problems Chinese wine has to overcome, including still too much emphasis on quantity and too many fakes that spoil the market, but I came out of this tasting convinced things are moving in the right direction.

Good wines from this producer are available in the UK and the best bottles are not cheap, but definitely worth giving it a try to expand your horizons over Chinese wines.

 
Here below my tasting notes from the wines proposed by Fei Tswei at the London Wine Fair.

Chardonnay 2021
Smooth, soft sensations prevail
Moderately long
Score 86

Chardonnay reserve 2019
Similar to the previous wine but with better balance
Score 88

Viognier 2019
Apricot nose. Good balance
Score 88

Red joyous blend 2019
Red fruit is intense, an easy wine.
Score 85

Marselan 2019
Intense nose red
Complex long
Score 89

Marselan 2020
More balanced and longer
Score 90

Merlot 2019
Intense red fruit
Complex long,mod length
Score 91

Cabernet franc 2021
Intense nose of ripe cherries
Smoother than expected if you think of cab franc from loire, long
Score 92

Syrah reserve 2019
1 year in oak
Smooth, mod complex and long
Score 89

Marselan reserve 2019
Fruit bombshell, good structure tannins still a bit rough
Mod complex, long
Score 91

Cabernet sauvignon reserve 2019
Intense red fruit, balanced, complex and long
Score 91

All these reserves Ready now, some aging potential .

Meet the producer: Valquejigoso, Madrid, Spain

The Valquejigoso estate is located 45 km south of the capital of Madrid. We had a chance to meet the producer at the 2022 online fair brilliantly organized by Onvinum, a new Spanish platform to bring together producers, buyers and educators.

The Valquejigoso Domaine was bought by the Colomo family in February 1986. From 1992 the domain, previously known as a hunting cottage for the European aristocracy, was transformed into a winery. The first vines were planted in 1997. Very well-known French nurseries participate in the project like Renoux - based in Bordeaux - as well as other French teams who came to share their experience in the "fork" vine planting method, an ancient method which requires a painful manual work.

DEHESA DE VALQUEJIGOSO 

Blend of cab sauvignon, merlot, tempranillo, negral and syrah taken from 21 plots, no less!

It is the only wine we tasted of this producer. An intense nose with complexity and length. Also well balanced. I paired it by concordance with with a vegetarian pizza, both food and wine of medium structure. Drink now or wait a year or two.

Score 90

Masterclass on Lirac, Rhone Valley, by Jamie Goode

Jamie Goode explains Lirac

I confess I did not know much about Lirac until today. In fact, I am not sure I remember the last time I tasted a glass from this hidden gem, a real secret in the vast panorama of wines from the warmer regions of southern France. 

So I was ecstatic to accept a gracious invitation by the UK Sommelier Association to participate in a masterclass organized in cooperation with Cru des Côtes du Rhône and led by well known wine blogger Jamie Goode. Here below what we learned today, followed by my tasting notes.

Some numbers to keep in mind: In 2020 87% Lirac's production was red, 10% white and 3% rosé. The average annual yield is 24 hl for each of the 818 hectares in the whole Lirac AOC which lies immediately to the west of the Rhone river, just across the water from the famous Chateauneuf du Pape. Just over 20,000 liters produced, with some 40% exported.

Winemaking in Lirac goes back hundreds of years, and when the pope set up court in nearby Avignon in the XIV century they apparently appreciated it already! Closer to our days, it was in 1947 that the Lirac AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée) was created as a cru of the Rhone Valley.

The climate benefits from a strong Mediterranean influence (2700 hours of sunshine per year) even if the sea is nowhere to be seen in Lirac.

Here below my tasting notes. All these wines are, in my opinion, ready now but the top of the range at the end of the tasting might benefit for a couple of extra years in the bottle.

Domaine des Maravilhas, Pradau 2019
Bourboulenc, Grenache blanc, 12.5%abv, 35+yo vines

Wild fermentation, 18mos in concrete and 12% in small oak

Fresh and fruity with pronounced minerality. RRO £ 12

Score 87

Château d'Aqueria 2021

Grenache blanc, bourboulenc et al for a stunning 14%abv

Balanced, notes of mint and almond, with a pleasant bitter end. RRP £ 11

Score 89

Les Closiers Lirac 2021

Grenache noir, syrah, mourvedre, 14%abv

Own label by M&S, liquorice, aniseed, moderate balance. RRP £ 11

Score 85

Domaine Giraud, Les Sables d'Arène 2021

Grenache, syrah, mourvedre, 15%abv

Organic production for a plump fruity wine with a pronounced sensation of pseudo-warmth given by the high abv. Old vines. RRP £ 17.50

Château de Ségriès 2018

Grenache, syrah, cinsault, mourvedre, 14.5%abv

A "new world" sort of wine: lush and exuding tons of ripe fruit, complex with round tannins. RRP £ 21

Score 92

Domaine dArbousset - La Vigne d'Yvon 2017

Grenache, syrah, mourvedre, cinsault, 15% abv

A balanced, jammy wine with moderate length. RRP £ 12.85

Score 88

Château de Montfaucon - Baron Louis 2016

Grenache, syrah, carignan, cinsault, mourvedre

Pepper and earthy aromas, balanced and mod long. RRP £ 16.27 (cute RRP)

Score 90

In conclusion: is Lirac another Châteauneuf du pape? Yes and no. Jamie said it could be: same grapes, same climate, same soil. Yet you probably won't find the world class bottles that one can buy on the other side of the river. Can you get excellent quality for your money? Definitely yes. If quality continues to improve, I would not be surprised that prices would rise substantially from current levels and begin to close the gap with their bigger brothers we all know.

Map by Larousse, click to enlarge

Meet the Producer: Tesalia, Andalusia, Spain

Andalusia's Wine Region (by Quentin Sadler of the WSG)

Three wines by Tesalia, from Arcos de la Frontera, Andalusia, some 50km east of Jerez, the town of Sherry. A businessman from England who had lived for forty years in Spain decided he wanted to make wine and bought land for this purpose. Andalusia is known for heavy wines, the hot climate produces lots of sugar and alcohol can go through the roof quite easily. Manager Natalia decided to do a premium wine, fresh red wines in Andalusia, a novelty. They started in 2008 and in 2018 first wines were released, the 2015 vintage. They started exporting in 2019. 

We had a chance to meet the producer at the May 2022 online fair brilliantly organized by Onvinum, a new Spanish platform to bring together producers, buyers and educators.

Thank you to Cristina Aldea, the boss of Hola Wines for presenting these bottles to the Brussels Wine Club.

monkfish cheeks!

Arx 2018

Arx by Tesalia de la terra di Cadiz blend of petit verdot, tintilla de rota, cabernet sauvignon and syrah, a plump wine of complex fruity power and good balance. Harvested at night to take advantage of lower temperatures and preserve the berries during the hot Spanish Summer.

Paired with monkfish cheeks on a bed of lettuce.

Score 90

pork belly, water bamboo and rice

Arcos de la Frontera 2017 

A smooth wine, ready to be enjoyed now. Complex aromas, mature fruit and medium body, perfect balance and medium length.

Magic pairing with Chinese dish of pork belly, water bamboo and brown rice. 

Score 92

Iceni 2020

Alcohol sits front and center in this wine, with powerful tannins on the side. It is an entry-level product that would be pleasant with some bbq meat but lacks complexity and length for more ambitious pairings. I would never have guessed it spent 5 months in French oak.

Score 83

 

Meet the producer: Ixsir of Lebanon

Unique master class at London Wine Fair 2022 organized by Enotria&Coe on Lebanese mountain wine produced by Ixsir. The name comes from "elixir", an arabic (Al-iksir) word meaning the purest of all substances, a secret potion that will give eternal youth and love.

Our speaker today was a Spanish man, Gabriel Rivero, a co-founder and te4chnical director. He was educated in oenology in Madrid and then grew professionally in Bordeaux and then worked in Lebanon before founding Ixsir in 2008.

Most wine lovers know Lebanese wines from the Bekaa valley, but this producer focuses on wines from the mountains of the country. Cool climate allows for better acidity and there is plenty of water, no need for irrigation.

Today Ixsir owns 6 vineyards all over the country and in addition 85 families work in communities and provide Ixsir with their grapes. These are all international varieties, there are precious few local ones and they are mostly used for distilled products.

Lebanon has been making wine for over two and a half millennia, but the Ottoman period almost completely wiped out all enological traditions. The wars in the second half of the XX century only made things worse. Now there are about 70 vineyards or so that are seriously back in business and each tries to mark his or her own personality, and avoid just copying other Mediterranean styles.

Uniquely, Lebanon does not have any system of controlled denomination (like AOC in France or DOC in Italy) so producers are free to experiment to their heart's content! What France did leave was a lot of grape varieties and know-how but the industry was in a shambles when the French left. Only after the end of the civil war in the 1990s did it really begin to flourish.

Today Ixsir produces close to 500,000 bottles per year, and do not want to grow bigger. Focus on improving quality instead.

Below some tasting notes from this masterclass.

Grande Reserve White 2019
Viognier 60%, Sauvignon blanc 25%, Chardonnay 15%

Biodynamic wine even if certification has not yet arrived. Perfect balance between acidity and smoothness, vanilla, good length and complexity. Trade price GBP 20.

Score 90

Grande Reserve Rosé 2019

Mourvedre 40%, Cinsault 40%, Syrah 20%

Sourced from three vineyards located at 450 to 1400 meters above sea level, steel only.

Elegant, smooth, easy Summer wine. Trade price GBP 18.

Score 86

Grande Reserve Red 2015

Syrah 50%, Cab sauvignon 39%, Arinarnoa 11% (a tannat/cab sauvignon cross made in France)

Sourced from different sites between 950 and 1150 meters above sea level.

Matured in French oak for 12 months, one third each new, second and third use.

Smooth elegance but still good fruit and structure make for a perfect balance. A complex wine to drink now. Trade price GBP 23.

Score 89

Grande Reserve Red 2012

Syrah 50%, Cab sauvignon 39%, Arinarnoa 11%

A bit rough, will need time to hopefully smoothen out. Trade price GBP 23.

Score 85

El Ixsir Red 2015

Syrah 45%, Cab sauvignon 45%, merlot 10%

Sourced from vineyards at various altitudes including one at 1800, possibly among the highest in the world. French oak barrels for 24 months, half new and half second use.

Balanced, and mod complex and long, ready now. Trade price GBP 42

Score 93

El Ixsir Red 2012

same grapes and vineyards as previous wine.

Spiciness of syrah prevails, backbone is provided by cab sauvignon, elegance by merlot. a good interpretation of the Bordeaux blend. Trade price 45 GBP

Score 92

A new Zealand walkaround in London

A fun day tasting New Zealand wines, expertly organized by Sarah Shepherd and Chris Stroud of NZ Wine. A large gathering with a wide range of products. 

Here below are some of the gems that I thought were most worth taking note of. I surely missed many more as one day was just not enough to do justice to this great event: 270 wines, over 20 styles, and a special section dedicated to organic wines which reserved a few gems for us. 

Indicative RRP in GBP.

Click on the vineyard's name to link to their websites.

Akitu

Akitu pinot noir blanc 2021
Pinot noir 100% vinified as white wine, with only a shade of pink to betray the original red grape. Citrus, almonds, good balance and mod length. A pleasant surprise. GBP 42, not cheap. Score 88

Akitu A2, pinot noir 100%
A good simple pinot noir, a bit expensive at GBP 31.

Score 85

Akitu A1, pinot noir 100%

A more complex variation of this noble grape. GBP 31

Score 86

Craggy Range

Craggy Range Aroha Pinot noir 2019

A complex wine which is surprisingly mature already. GBP 75

Score 92

Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2019

Also amazingly ready to please the taster, GBP 75

Score 92

Craggy Range Sophia Red Blend 2019

60% Merlot, 26% Cab franc, 14% cab sauvignon. 

The least interesting of the top three, it is anyway a very successful blend with a round body, also ready now. GBP 75

Score 89

Burn Cottage

Vineyard Riesling Gruner Veltliner 2019

A tingling wine of floral complexity and citrussy notes. GBP 48

Score 90.

Pinot Noir Moonlight Race 2019

Full, tannic, fresh. An exuberant wine. GBP 42

Score 92

Central Otago Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019

Very full, round, long, a majestic wine. GBP 53

Score 94

Trinity Hill

Gimblett Gravels Marsanne/Viognier 2019

Vanilla, butter. GBP 25

Score 88.

Gimblett Gravels "The Gimblett"

54% cab sauvignon, 43% cab franc, 3% tempranillo

A structured wine with a bitterish end that promises a great evolution. GBP 25

Score 86

"Homage" Gimblett Shiraz 2018

Fermented on viognier skins! Complex, tannis, needs time. GBP 99

Score 90

Below a selection of my best finds in the separate organic wine walkaround. Organic wines are making huge progress in quality, also in New Zealand.

Clos Henri 

Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2017

A surprise, smooth, long and mod complex. GBP 28

Score 93

Greystone 

Pinot Noir, Waipara, Canterbury 2018

Smooth long and complex, an amazing quality/price ratio. GBP 26

Score 93

Black Estate 

Damsteep Pinot Noir Canterbury 2019

A top wine, perfect balance and complex. A harmonious wine. GBP 46

Score 94

Black Estate 

Home Pinot Noir Canterbury 2019

Similar to previous wine, GBP 46

Score 94

Felton Road 

Pinot Noir Block 3, Bannockburn, Central Otago 2020

Complex and long. GBP 62

Score 92

Felton Road 

Pinot Noir Block 5, Bannockburn, Central Otago 2020

Similar to previous wine, GBP 62

Score 92

Twelve producers from Occitanie

Another tasting in London about Occitanie, the region of France that was created on 1 January 2016 from the fusion of former regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. This is an administrative region, it does not change the classification of the wines.

Thank you to Isabelle Kanaan and Sébastien du Boullay of "Maison de la Région Occitanie - Sud de France" in London for organizing this event.

Besides a walk-around of dozens of wines from 12 producers, there were two most interesting masterclasses today, both led by Matthew Stubb MW.

Masterclass: Occitanie outside the box

1. Terroirs d'Occitanie, baron Ermenegaud, AOP Fugères 2020
50% Roussanne, 20% Marsanne, 20% Vermentino, 10% Viognier
Scisty soil, very poor, roots have to go deep to find nutrients.

A fresh wine (from Vermentino) with floral notes. Honey suckle, jasmine, peach. A complex wine with a long finish. Score 88.

2. Les Vignerons Castelas, Vieilles Vignes, AOP Cd Rhone Sinargues 2018

40% Grenache noir, 40% Syrah, 20% Carignan

Red and black fruits, spicy, peppery notes, good substance (matière!). Good balance, smooth finish. Score 89

3. Domaine de la Louvière, La Sèductrice, AOP Malepère 2019

60% merlot, 20% Cab franc, 20% malbec

Super smooth wine, merlot clearly overwhelming, probably more than 60%

Very ripe fruit, green pepper, herbaceous notes.. Score 82.

4. Les Vignerons du Brulhois, le Vin Noir, AOP Brulhois 2017

50% merlot, 30% tannat, 15% cab sauv, 5% malbec

From the northern part of the region, closer to Bordeaux. medium-strong tannins, probably from tannat. A simple simple but pleasant wine. Score 80.

5. Vignobles Vellas, Domaine Valinière "Granmarone", AOP Languedoc St Drézéry 2019

Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre

The name wants to indicate that this is done in "Amarone style", though the grapes are dried on the vine, unlike Amarone. Fermentation for four months, no wood, aged in concrete for one year. An impressive deep color, intense nose and plump, complex and long in the mouth, a touch of sweet at the end. Score 93.

6. Domaine F. Jaubert, Or du Temps, AOP Rivesaltes 2002

70% Grenache gris, 30% grenache blanc

Fortified wine, they added 96%abv to raise wine to 17%abv. Domain started using this technique in the XIII century, before fortification started in Porto, Madeira or Marsala. Dried fruit, caramel, toffel. Aged 17 years in concrete, NO WOOD. About 85g residual sugar. Score 88.

Masterclass: Local grapes and distinctive taste of Occitanie

1. Maison Sinnae, Eléments Luna, AOC Côte du Rhone Villages Laudun 2020

65% grenache blanc, 35% clairette

Citrus and peach follow a floral welcome to the nose. A delicate wine despite 14.5% abv. Waxy notes, no oak, steel only. Score 84

2. Domaine Lalaurie, marselan, IGP Pays d'Oc 2020

100% marselan

This grape is a cross between cabernet sauvignon and grenache. Produced in the early 1960s, it has become popular in Languedoc and more recently in China because of its resistance to mildew and small berries which result in lower yields. Aromatic wine, red and black fruits, licorice, spicy. Medium tannin. Score 84

3. Domaine Gayrard, Braucol, AOP Gaillac 2019

100% fer servadou (braucol)

Smooth, medium body and balanced wine, herbaceous notes. Lacks complexity and length. Biodynamic. Score 82

4. Les Domaines Auriol, Influences naturelles, IGP Pays d'Oc 2020

syrah 100%

Smooth, medium body, crunchy and vibrant fruit. Not a complex or long wine but pleasant nonetheless. Biodynamic. Score 82.

Before the masterclass I had tasted their Chant de l'âme 2019 a blend of syrah, carignan, mourvèdre and cinsault: a complex, round and long wine ready now. Score 92

5. Domaine Guillaman, Gos manseng, IGP Côtes de Gascogne 2020

100% gros manseng

Semi-aromatic wine, smooth and med long, not complex. Sweetness prevails with 35g of residual sugar, only 11%abv. Score 83

6. Domaine Tariquet, Dernières Grives, IGP Côtes de Gascogne 2018

100% petit manseng

beautiful deep golden yellow for this aromatic sweet wine. Yet one can easily pick a vibrant acidity that makes for a well balanced product. Honey, tropical fruits (mango?). It is a late harvest wine but without botrytis. 100g residual sugar. Score 93.