Waterkloof Seriously Cool Cinsault 2023

Seriously Cool Cinsault is made by Waterkloof on its estate in Stellenbosch, within South Africa's Coastal Region, where the founders sought out cool, exposed terroir for fresher, more savoury wines. Cinsault is a Mediterranean grape that gives pale, perfumed and low-tannin reds, and here it is picked early to hold acidity and keep the alcohol low at 11.5 percent. The estate is farmed organically, working the soils naturally so the vineyard, cooled by ocean breezes off the nearby Atlantic, shows through. The wine is aged eight months in oak barrels, large and used rather than new, so the wood frames the wine and softens it without adding obvious oak flavour, keeping the focus on perfume and freshness. The colour is a pale, bright ruby. The nose is fragrant, with rose petal, blood orange and wild strawberry, lifted by a savoury, earthy undertone. The palate is light and fresh, with delicate red fruit, soft tannin and a crisp, mineral finish. This is a red to serve lightly chilled at 13 to 14 degrees, when its perfume and freshness come into their own. It is flexible at the table and can stand in for a white.