WTN: Iona Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Walker Bay South Africa 2004.

WTN: Iona Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Walker Bay South Africa 2004. $8.00 a glass at Endless Vines; $24 per bottle. Imported by Martin-Scott Wines, http://www.martinscottwines.com/

Ruby red color, medium hue, lovely aroma of red fruits and spice, very good berry flavors with hints of earth, mushrooms and -- as the label promises -- nutmeg and cinnamon, medium mouth feel, smooth tannins, very good blance, long lingering finish with berrry, spice, earth and mushroom notes. I tried this wine a second time a week later just to confirm my original impression of nutmeg and cinnamon -- and sure enough they were both distinctly there. A very nice wine -- especially nice for a wine from South Africa, which hasn't impressed me much in the past. 4*.

Iona are a new winery -- absolutely spotless (I blotted my copybook and the floor when I spat out a sample into the drain there instead of a bucket).

Their reputation is for their Sauvignon Blanc. Winemaker is the lovely Niels Verburg who gets cellar space for his Luddite operation in exchange for his consultancy. I've not had this wine in bottle, but if you've not been impressed with SA wines then either you haven't tried enough or you haven't tasted them recently.

By the way, you mentioned a price by glass. Did you buy a bottle or buy a glass?

Thanks for the additional info on this winery, Peter. I was greatly impressed with this blend both times I tried it. I tasted the glass, and bought a bottle to share with Janet -- notes to follow in due course.

You're correct that I don't drink a great deal of South African wine -- no prejudices against them -- if they are on offer by the glass I always give them a shot. And, in fairness, there aren't many South African wines on offer in bottle, unless I search them out.

I was a member of the Southern Hemisphere Wine Club for several years, getting two upscale bottles, i.e. $25 to $50 each, once a month, and thought the wines ran about average for French and US wines selling for $10 or so a bottle less. Some nice wines, but nothing that blew me away.

On our trip to Botswana 18 months ago, I was able to try about 60 high end South African wines and again none of them really blew me away.

A German national who put on an excellent tasting of a dozen South Africans one evening in Cape Town defended South African wines, but said that in his opinion most suffered from a lack of care in the wine making process. He didn't have the Iona on offer, but did say that he thought it was an example of a winery that did take great care in winemaking details.

In any event, I'll keep tasting -- maybe I can find some wines as good as the Iona.

Regards, Bob

You're correct that I don't drink a great deal of South African wine

Yes -- there are just so many wines, so many regions.

most suffered from a lack of care in the wine making process

Historically there is a lot of truth in that, but there has been a massive change in attitude and influx of modern ideas and technology in the past few years. Iona is one such. A brand new winery in a new area, nothing but the best.

And its not the only one

Good news, Peter. I'll keep trying.

After all, I still haven't given up hope for New Jersey wines.

Peter, South Africa has a bit of marketing work to do. We went on a high end safari to Botswana 18 months ago, and one of the secondary features of the marketing package was food and fine wines from South Africa.

The food was great -- especially the vegetables from South Africa -- but as I mentioned the wines didn't impress me, even though one of the managers who picked the wines was wonderfully knowledgeable, and we were able to spend two hours discussing and tasting South African wines one evening.

My brother in law just returned from a similar trip -- his high end company has switched from South African to Jordan, the Californian "safe" high end wine. The company rep told Edward there had been too many complaints about the wines from South Africa.

Their clientele is 2/3 European and 1/3 US.

Just a data point of possible interest.

Regards, Bob

I just got back after spending three wonderful weeks in South Africa. It was a family vacation that included trips to Kruger National Park as well as a week in Cape Town, but I never got a chance to do any serious wine touring. Nevertheless, over the course of the three weeks, I had a chance to try more than a dozen S.A. wines, though most were probably on the low- to mid-level range on the price spectrum. While none of them blew me away, I found most quite enjoyable. Overall, I would say that they were definitely less New Worldy, to my palate, than any other "New World" country's wines. Most of them had decent levels of acidity, a good amount of earthiness, and were pretty food friendly. Some seemed a bit oaked-up, but not all by any means.

One wine, in particular, stood out -- a Pinot Noir with a generic Woolworth's label but made by the Barefoot Wine Company and Catherine Marshall. It was either 2005 or 2006. To me, it tasted like a cross between a good Oregon Pinot and a lower-end Burgundy, with pure, vibrant Pinot fruit and earth. I also had a Muratie 2004 Stellenbosch Pinot Noir that was a bit more on the earthy, bitter end of the spectrum but was enjoyable.

My overall impression was of a wine industry that is improving, shows promise, and is worth trying more of.