A while back, Jathan Mackenzie of Winexpression.com hosted an informal Stormhoek dinner in Pleasanton, CA.

Now he didn’t tell us at the time, but we’ve since discovered, that prior to his dinner he headed to the store to pick up a couple of stand by wines ‘in case the Stormhoek was undrinkable!’ Oh ye of little faith, Jathan. We’re assured he didn’t have to open those up…phew.

Jathan’s verdict was that the Pinot Grigio:

‘is a crisp wine with good citrus and fruit flavor, a nice finish and a great overall mouthfeel. The bottle is closed with a screwcap and has a drink by date to ensure freshness. This wine is refreshing and very food friendly’

He admits he was initially anxious about the Pinotage:

‘I opened a bottle from a different producer a few nights before and was greeted with an overwhelming aroma of ash, and a flavor that rendered the wine undrinkable. I did some research and realized that most people don’t like Pinotage, except for South Africans. I feared the Stormhoek Pinotage would mimic the first bottle I had, but I was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t. The wine had a nice blackberry flavor, with a smoky finish that wasn’t overwhelming at all. This was a great bottle that stood up to some of the more pungent cheeses that we had that night. I was impressed with some of the subtle flavors and would definitely pick up this wine once released’

The night turned out great and everyone had a blast, which is cool. Jathan’s final word?

‘These wines speak for themselves, and I encourage everyone to pick up a bottle or two!’

Cheers Jathan.