I will be the first to say I am a huge Game Of Thrones fan and I most definitely bought my latest bottle solely because I am having GOT withdrawals and the label really felt like an anecdote. Not only does this label appear in full support of the Starks (yes and yes) but it also is a Red Blend from South Africa. Made from 71% Syrah, 28% Mourvèdre and 1% Viognier. Fascinating because Viognier is a white grape, so it appears to be a two red and little hint of white variety, cool right? The history behind the name and label is the myth of wolves in the area. I’ll buy into any good myth

“A Wine Drawn from Legend

When the farm was founded, the Franschhoek valley was far wilder than it is today – as the wolf trap we once discovered goes to show. Today, the mountains are still alive with indigenous animals, including the majestic leopard. No evidence of wolves has ever been found though, so we created this wine to remind us of the mysteries and legends of days gone by. The Wolftrap is a rich, deep red blend that includes Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Viognier.”

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From the Boekenhoutskloof website

• Where to buy? I mean I have no idea where to find it in a store near you (absolutely not helpful at all, I do apologize), but I found this scrumptious little thing at 365 Whole Foods for $11.99.
• Where is it from? South Africa. Way way up on my list of wine country to visit. This particular wine is from Boekenhoutskloof Franschhoek, “Cape of Good Hope”, South Africa.

The Boekenhoutskloof estate was established in 1776 and has a wide variety of grape varieties planted. From their website, here is a map of their estate and their varietal planting grid.

• What to pair it with? I enjoyed this deep, plum and blackberry red blend with a cucumber greek salad and Spaghetti alla Carbonara from il Capriccio on Vermont in Los Feliz (AND they deliver). This red wine is hearty and has a similar sweetness as a ripe blackberry or sweet deep purple cherry. Other pairings I could imagine with this wine:
  • Lasagna, Mousakka (a greek beef dish similar to lasagna), a pork or turkey based dish, and honestly I bet this wine would taste damn good with a hot dog or if you are fancier than that, a bratwurst or sausage.
  • A chocolate mousse or berry pie. Marion berry is my hands down favorite pie and would pair nicely with this wine

Inexpensive, intriguing and wonderfully complex with a twist off cap is a perfect wine for exploration into South Africa and to give you a bit of nostalgia that GOT’s last season still isn’t until next year. Just buy and buy this wine until we can see Jon Snow again, sounds good to me? Enjoy!

Have you had any of the Boekenhoutskloof wines? What are your favorite South African wines?