Mourvedre

[Moor-VAY-Druh] is a strong red grape varietal used in the production of dark red wines and rose wines. Almost completed obliterated by the phylloxera epidemic in the 1800’s, it is now grown world wide and in South Africa is slowly it is starting to grow in popularity. The vine of this varietal prefers warmer, windy climates but can also be sensitive to drought. Ripening slowly the variety has dark thick skinned berries and the wines produced from the grapes are often deeply coloured and tannic with aromas and flavours, including spices and flavours such as cinnamon, black pepper , thyme and violets. Other common flavours include blackberries and meatiness. On the nose, one may find a bouquet oak, smoke, wood, and tar. Used either to produce single varietal wine, it also a fantastic blending partner to Grenache and Shiaz which boosts their colour, flavor , structure and tannins lending to these wines longevity and is well suited to aging in the bottle.