German style: Crisp, clean, citrus flavors with medium body and floral aromas. Look for honeysuckle sweetness.

Blend: Colmant Brut Reserve NV is a blend of Pinot Noir 52%, Chardonnay 48% (Franschhoek, Robertson, Elgin, Somerset-West and Stellenbosch). 10% of the blend is made of reserve wine from the previous vintage and 12% of the base wine is barrel fermented.
Ageing: 28 months minimum on the lees at steady 13°C temperature.
Tasting: A subtle pale gold color with a very clean and elegant nose. The aroma has a gentle spicy toastiness with a lemon / yeasty perfume followed by more mature fruit. Plenty of freshness on the palate, with a good acidity which perfectly balances the yeasty depth, bready flavors and ample structure. Long smooth finish. Will develop nicely over the years.
Drinking tips: Divine as an aperitif and loyal as a party buddy, it also goes perfectly with oysters, sushis or any delicate seafood.

Reviews:

"The Brut Reserve (disgorged April 2018) was 10% fermented in French oak barrel and includes 20% reserve vintages. It spent 30 months on the lees. The well-defined, focused nose features bright citrus lemon and hints of baked bread. The palate is well balanced with a taut, crisp, citric entry. This is vivacious, very pretty and graced with lovely apricot hints on the finish. A superb MCC from Colmant. - Neal Martin"

- Vinous (August 28th 2018), 91 pts

"Fresh with leesy notes, a fine mousse and delicate palate of minerals and green citrus zest, this is a first class New World sparkler. It’s rich enough to enjoy on its own or with white meats. It’s a 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay aged on the lees for 30 months and 25% reserve wines from earlier vintages."
-International Wine Review, 91 pts

"Disgorged February 2011, the Non-vintage Brut Reserve is a blend of 52% Pinot Noir and 48% Chardonnay based on the 2008 vintages blended with reserve wines from 2007 and 2006 (25% of the blend), aged for 30 months on the lees. It has a very fine pettillance in the glass. The nose is very well defined with crushed stone, oyster shell and the subtle perfume of fine lees coming through with aeration. The palate is very crisp and lively on the entry with vibrant acidity, a citrus thread from start to finish, and though it is not a powerful Cap Classique, it is wonderfully poised with great persistence on the fresh lime and Granny Smith-tinged finish.
There are many alternatives to Champagne, and South Africa is no exception with some fine “Method Cap Classique.” Jean-Philippe Colmant hired winemaker Nicolas Follet to create a small range of impressive sparkling wines; they eschew malolactic fermentation and practice extended lees aging."
- eRobertParker.com  , 92 pts

Our Hunt for Colmant:

 It was day 6 in South Africa and we find ourselves outside of beautiful Cape Town, in the country near the Riebeek Kasteel area in Swartland.  Let's talk a little about my accommodations before I tell you about this amazing bubbly. We arrive at the one and only hotel in Riebeek to find out that there were not enough rooms open for all. 

We reached out to our contact at Riebeek cellars, who we will refer to as "Point Break" from now on. For those of you that have not seen the movie Point Break, this guy looked and sounded like a blonde Keanu Reeves with a Dutch accent. Anyway, Point Break tells me that they have secured a small bed and breakfast that we could use for the overflow. Sounded nice...so I opted for it. 

Upon arrival, the home was beautiful on the outside with a catchy French name, "Shades of Provence". After Point Break fiddled with the skeleton key and lock for a good 35 minutes in the rain, we finally get to see the inside of our new home. The door opened straight into the kitchen where the first thing I noticed was the mouse sh*t all over the place. It was winter there and the mice were trying to stay warm, I'm sure. Little did they know this damn place had no heat.

Besides myself and my fiancee Sylvia, there were 3 other people and a total of four rooms. At this point I knew I better drag both our suitcases up those steps and get to the best room before everyone else. At stroke-causing speed, I skipped up the steps nearly knocking Point Break on his back and went through the rooms. I settled for a nice corner room with the least amount of dirt on the concrete floor and with only one or two spider webs on the wrought iron bed post.

For dinner that night, we returned to the hotel restaurant to join the rest of our group. The 5 of us forced to stay in the bed and breakfast were in a far worse mood than everyone around us. Arriving late, we sat at the end of the dinning table and hoarded as much wine as possible to try and drink ourselves to a point where we could sleep in that disgrace of a French country side home that Point Break secured for us.

 That night, I slept with the lights on, all my clothes on, and on top of the sheets hoping to avoid spider bites. I awoke that morning to Sylvia standing over me holding what looked like a hot water knob off of the shower. "It wasn't even attached.", she said. Sylvia proceeds to take a "whore-bath" in the sink using her own packed sock as a wash cloth. It was the only thing she deemed clean. To top it off, in a brief moment of happiness she finds a hair dryer in a cabinet. She pulled it out in triumph only to realize that there was a used condom stuck to the side of it. Obviously, this is her last trip to South Africa.

Convento Oreja Ribera del Duero Robleis made from 100% Tempranillo

Deep black plum color with violet tones. Ripe fruit on the nose, mostly blackberries and raspberries, intermingled with hints of spice and leather. On the palate, it is warm, fresh and pleasant with a long finish.

Age of the vines: betwxeen 6 and 16 years old.

Vineyards' location: Comarca de Peñafiel.

Vinification is made in large 20,000-liter stainless steel tanks (200 hectoliters) with automated temperature control.
Fermentation lasted 5 days at 22°C temperature.
Total time for maceration lasted 9 days. 
Malolactic Fermentación was completed during the month of November.
Wine was aged in French Oak barrels for a minimum of 4 months.

Montino Moscato Light NV is made from 100 percent Muscat. 

Naturally lighter in alcohol, mouth-wateringly fruity, Montino offers fresh and lively wines. Delicate, fruity and light, it's perfect for those mid-week occasions when you've got a lot on and would like a lighter, lower alcohol option.

Montino Moscato Light is deligthfully light, delicate and pure. Following a strict policy of "nothing added, nothing taken away", grapes are picked greener with less sugar for a wine that is naturally sweet and lower in alcohol.

Tasting notes:
A pale straw color with a light green tinge, the bouquet is burst of Muscat grape aroma with peach notes and delicate orange blossoms. The flavors follow through on light, refreshing slightly-sparkling, spritzy palate. This elegant, lighter style Muscat wine is low in alcohol, while the mouth filling sweetness is well balanced by refreshing acidity and a lingering finish.

Only free run juice is used for the purest fruit expression (i.e. no pressed grape must: as pressing the grapes add astringent flavors from the skins and pips). After settling and acid adjustment, the fresh grape must was inoculated with selected yeast. Fermentation was colder than usual to capture the delicate floral and upfront fruit flavors. The wine is bottled with CO2 in a petillant style (lightly sparkling).

Total Acidity: 5.9
pH: 3.29
RS: 27 g/L

This wine should be served well-chilled. It is an ideal lunchtime wine, complementing light summer salads and tapas style meals. However, it is versatile enough to be served at most occasions.

Montino Rose NV is made from 85% Muscat and 15% Pinotage

Naturally lighter in alcohol, mouth-wateringly fruity, Montino offers fresh and lively wines. Delicate, fruity and light, it's perfect for those mid-week occasions when you've got a lot on and would like a lighter, lower alcohol option.

Montino Natural Sweet Rose offers an abundant bouquet of red berries in a refreshing, lightly sparkling wine.

Tasting notes:
An irresistible juicy natural sweet rosé, Montino Rose is a pretty cherry pink with tempting crushed strawberry and Turkish delight aromas that explode in succulent candied red berry flavors. The light alcohol, lively wine is easy-drinking and a great lunch time wine.

Only free run juice is used for the purest fruit expression (i.e. no pressed grape must: as pressing the grapes add astringent flavors from the skins and pips). After settling and acid adjustment, the fresh grape must was inoculated with selected yeast. Fermentation was colder than usual to capture the delicate floral and upfront fruit flavors. Varietals are vinified separately and blended to perfection before bottling with CO2 in a petillant style (lightly sparkling).

This wine should be served well-chilled. It is an ideal lunchtime wine, complementing light summer salads and tapas style meals. However, it is versatile enough to be served at most occasions.

Pearmund Cellars Ameritage Red Reserve is made from 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 17% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot

An excellent wine to sip by the fire. Enjoy notes of black cherries, buttered toast, aged wood, fresh straw and mixed berry preserves. Equal portions of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon & Petit Verdot.