Goats do Roam White (2005)

I know. Yet another South African white wine. At the risk of being repetitive, I love the stuff. This is a fun little white blend (from Fairview) that will set you back $10.13 (plus tax) at your local MLCC or private wine store. The name is cute, the Stelvin closure is handy and the wine is really good.

Blended from a mixture of Chenin Blanc, Clairette Blanche, and Riesling (with a touch of Viognier and Grenache Blanc to keep it interesting), this is a great little summertime sipper. There’s no wood to be found, but we did come across lots of fruit (peaches and green grapes) along with some interesting hints of spice. The mouth was nice and full-bodied, with more spices and green grape flavours. And the finish was long enough to keep my interest.

For $10 and change, this is a great deal. I served it up last night with a “time to clean out the crisper” frittata and a side of roasted asparagus. I’ve had the equivalent red blend, and I have to confess that I’m not the biggest fan. The wine is good, but there is a lot of Pinotage in the red blend, and I’ve never developed a taste for the earth, rubber and smoke flavours you often find with Pinotage.

Charles Back and the witty folks at Fairview have come up with many other creative wine titles, including Goat Door, Goats do Roam in Villages and Bored Doe. You can find all of them on their website.