Afternoon Delight

His South African accent enamored the crowd as he poured wine. And those blue eyes; the pale color the sky gets when the sun shines brightly. The combination had the women swooning. "He" is Nick Gebers. His winery is Post House in South Africa.

Gebers was on a whirl-wind tour of The Sunshine State this week, promoting his wine. He made several stops in Southwest Florida, including a wine tasting at The Twisted Vine, downtown Fort Myers. The outdoor courtyard was perfectly set; flowers in bloom, white linen table cloths, a trio of musicians. Mother nature cooperated with lots of sunshine and a subtle breeze. Chef Daniel created delicious tapas for each of the four wines we tried.

First up was the Post House Bluish White; a blend of Chenin and Sauvignon Blancs. It's fruity but not sweet, and would go well with seafood or dishes with some mild heat. My two favorites were the Bluish Black and the Penny Black. The Bluish Black offers nice complexity at an even nicer price (around $20 retail). The blend of Shiraz, Pinotage, Cabernet and Merlot is full of dark fruit and drinkable with or without food. When I see it on a restaurant menu I know it will be a good bottle to share.

The Penny Black is an inky blend of Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot. It's a little more complex and would be good with a more robust meal. Penny Black is also the name of the very first stamp ever printed. All of Gebers wines are creatively named after stamps. He says he has more ideas for names of wines than he could possibly bottle.

The Post House Treskilling Yellow closed the show. The 100% Chenin Blanc and was a huge hit with the white chocolate dipped Strawberries! It was a treat that sent tasters back for seconds and thirds.

Twisted Vine currently serves the Bluish Black by the glass and Penny Black by the bottle. Oh, and if you want to see Geber's eyes in person, his winery does have a guest house.

Cabernet The South African Way

I was having a late dinner last night at Bistro 41 when Kimberly Christenson came bouncing up to the table with a laptop and a bottle of wine. Just having returned from South Africa she was bursting with stories, amazing photos and of course a delicious bottle of wine; a 2006 Cabernet by Rudera.

Always up for trying something new I pushed my glass over for a splash! Kimberly works for Select Brands and was in South Africa on a wine tasting trip, life is rough! She warned us the wine would be a little tight at first and asked us to be patient.

Have you ever been in the kitchen of a Southern woman when she is cooking Sunday dinner? Do recall the smells of vegetables cooking in bacon fat? That’s the first thing I smelled when the wine was first poured. It was also hot on my tongue, not temperature hot. But as it sat in the glass it opened and mellowed and began displaying some of the typical Cabernet traits like tobacco, dark fruit and mocha. I love how wines change and evolve once poured!

Rudera received a 5-star rating from Decanter Magazine. Get a couple of bottles. Drink one and put one up. I can definitely see it aging well