Good Hope Syrah 2020

Good Hope Syrah, medium bodied red wine, dark fruits, spice, pepper, fresh and fruity, not too heavy, well balanced, great value. Good Hope is a hand-harvested Syrah or Shiraz from the Western Cape (sourced from two mature vineyards). The wine undergoes a standard fermentation in stainless steel and then spends a year in second fill oak barrels that had been used for Gravity, the red of the estate. Plenty of natural ripeness here, blue-and-blackberry fruit, refreshing acidity and a lick of spice. Lovely texture, body and a lengthy finish for a Shiraz under a tenner.

The Winery of Good Hope is a superb winery based in Somerset West in South Africa.

The winery was founded in 1998 with a commitment to high quality, great value and respect for their environment. The winery produces wines under three brands, Radford Dale, their flagship wines, Vinum, a second label and the house range Good Hope, a name which reflects the origins of its region and the outlook of the winery. Although entry level in price, the wines from Good Hope have no less quality and attention to detail as the other wines from the estate, you taste the quality and are then surprised by the price. The fruit is sourced from the Helderberg area in Stellenbosch, Elgin, and the Perderberg area in the Swartland. The focus is on as natural a production as possible although the vineyards are not certified organic. Their aim is to follow a few guiding principles in the production. They grow healthy vines by focusing on vine health and the development of the plant’s own immunity, they are bug-friendly and promote beneficial microorganisms and, in so doing, decrease the effect of nasty ones, they use birds of prey rather than poison to keep the rodents from uprooting the vines. Finally they are down to earth and have implemented a composting programme that’s gradually replaced the need for fertiliser. The wine making process is non-interventionist, allowing spontaneous ferments with native yeast, and keeping the sulphur level down. These are great wines, they have the fruity vibrancy of the New World with an honest sense of the ground and the grape variety. The Pinot Noir is the best from the New World we have tried at this price and makes for a great alternative to Burgundy on a budget. The Syrah, Chenin and a blockbuster of an un-oaked Chardonnay make up this excellent value mixed case. We hope you enjoy them.