It's time to pack your bag and take a short road trip out of town. A scenic route waits for you, leaving the city smog and business behind for a moment. Recharge, rethink and relax.
A weekend of fire-cooking, retro games, groovy tunes and a calming view from your room, the doors are open for you.
Mr C Harties wine chat
What is Mourvedre Wine?
Mourvedre is a meaty and full-bodied red wine. Mourvedre's smell is an explosion of dark fruit, violet flowers and aroma's of black pepper, thyme, and red meat.
It is a red wine grape variety grown in many regions worldwide, including the Rhône and Provence regions of France, the Valencia and Jumilla regions in Spain, California, Washington, Australia and South Africa.
In addition to making red varietal wines, Mourvèdre is a prominent component in Mourvèdre blends. The variety blends well into rosé and port-style fortified wines.
Mourvèdre tends to produce tannic wines high in alcohol. The style of wine made varies according to where the grapes grow. Mourvèdre wines often have a wild game and earthy notes combined with soft red fruit flavours.
The variety can be challenging to grow, preferring hot sun and roots in the water. It means that the grapes thrive in hot weather, with adequate water or irrigation to produce intensely flavoured fruit that is not overly jammy. Jammy is a wine term used to describe overripe red wines.
Notable regions:
France, Spain, Australia, California, South Africa
Origin: Spain
The sweetness of Mouvedre wine is dry with hints of fruity sweetness.
Wine colour:
Red Wine
Mourvèdre is a dark coloured grape variety used for the production of red wines.
Rhone Blends
The Mouvedre grape varietal forms part of the famous french Rhone blend. A rhone blend typically consists of Syrah, Grenache and Mouvedre grapes.
Mourvèdre grapes produce wines with a rich deep red colour. Its aromas are dark chocolate, new leather, and red fruits, while its flavours are ripe plum and dark berry fruit, deepening to roasted meat and truffles as the wine ages. The grape tannins add significant ageing potential to Mouvedre wine and the red blends.
How do you drink Mourvedre?
When you drink Mourvèdre, it is best to pair your wine with delicious food. It is a tasty food wine. Subtle meals will be overwhelmed by the wine, while rich food will help soften the wines tannin taste. Similar to Syrahs, Mourvèdre pairs well with rich red meats, game, and barbecued food.
A Full-bodied red wine like Mouvedre is ideal for serving between sixteen and eighteen degrees Celsius. If you serve Mouvedre too warm, the alcohol levels could taste out-of-balance, losing your wine's natural structure and freshness. The wine will gradually warm in your glass as you taste the wine.
How long should you age, Mouvedre?
You can age Mouvedre wines from four to ten years after bottling.
Origins
While Mourvèdre originated in Spain, the French made the wine famous with their high-quality Rhone blends. The variety, like many other, seems to have taken its name from the areas it originated, in this case, the Spanish cities Mataro near Barcelona and Murviedro near Valencia.
The variety spread to France around the 16th Century and became one of the most popular varieties in the Rhone Valley. Mourvèdre continued to flourish in Bandol, a region in the southern Rhone that proved successful to grow in sandy soils.
South African Mouvedre Wine
The variety only seemed to have arrived in South Africa in the late 80s. The wine varietal grew in the 1920s already because of its ability to produce good quality wine and withstand warm climatic conditions.
South African Production Regions
The area under Mourvèdre significantly increased since the 1990s when farmers started planting more Mediterranean varieties that are better suited to the warm climatic conditions of South Africa.
The Swartland and Paarl account for more than half of the total area under Mouvedre grape production in South Africa.
Growth and Ripening
The variety thrives under warm climatic conditions. It is a vigorous grower with high production potential. It ripens mid-season, from the middle to the end of March.
Berries and Leaves
The variety produces large, round, thick-skinned blackberries with firm green flesh. The berries do not colour simultaneously, resulting in bunches with different coloured berries while ripening. The leaves have a dark green colour and are medium-sized.
In South Africa, Mourvèdre is typically used to produce single varietal wines or Rhone-style blends, along with Grenache and or Shiraz.
Mouvedre Taste
The variety produces prominent mulberry and blackberry flavours and tones of liquorice, cinnamon and spice.
It's a full-bodied red wine that soaks up the heat of the sun and delivers dark fruit flavours of dark berries, leathery and earthy notes, as well as some vanilla and chocolate aromas. It is a complex red wine with a wild taste and smell.
Mouvedre wine food pairing
Just like the big reds, Mourvedre needs rich food to flourish. It is a wine that pairs deliciously with barbecued meat with a bit of charring and spice. Meats like beef short rib or venison, slowly braised or roasted with simple herbs, are flavorful pairings. Mouvedre pairs wisely with heartier dishes that consist of plenty of flavour and richness.
Mourvedre Wine Food Pairing
Rich foods absorb high tannins making it a perfect pairing with Mouvedre wines. Meats like beef short ribs, pork shoulder, lamb, rabbit, pork sausage, and veal are good pairings. The meaty barbecue flavours complement the floral spices of lavender, rosemary and thyme in Mourvedre.
During winter, you can cook Portjie kos and winter stews which will complement jammy Mouvedre wine.
If you love fish and enjoy trying exciting food and wine pairings, sesame seed encrusted seared Tuna and Mourvedre wine is worth a try.
Vegetarian Food Pairing with Red Wine
Vegetarian dishes with lentils, wild rice, shitake and portabello mushrooms filled with flavour are tasty pairing Mouvedre wine.
What cheese goes with Mourvedre?
Mouvedre Cheese Pairings
Smoked cheeses are delicious with meaty, spicey Mouvedre.
You could try mild, medium or smoked cheddar, Edam, Gloucester, Manchego, Muenster, aged Provolone, Parmesan, Pecorino, and smoked Gouda cheeses while you drink Mouvedre wine.
Here are a few South African Mouvedre wines to taste.
Beaumont Family Wines was the first winery in South Africa to produce a single varietal Mouvedre. The 2013 Mouvedre shows a lot of pepper spice with bold tannins. You can enjoy the wine with grilled pork, paella with chorizo or a roasted meat dish.
The Mouvedre wine cost R350 a bottle, ideal for ageing eight to ten years or to drink right now.
You can also try Mouvedre from Waterkloof wines and a Rose Mouvedre from Babylonstoren, Noble Hill and Lothan wines.
Happy wine reading and shopping once South Africa's wheels get rolling again.
Contact Mr C Harties team to plan and book your weekend away.
Tel: +27 65 843 5238
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