Enjoy this red wine and help save a rhino!

Credit: Philippe Oursel on Unsplash

It’s not often I’m able to help a good cause at the same time as enjoying a tipple. So when I saw this opportunity to contribute to Care for Wild’s sterling work to save rhinos while trying a bottle of South African red, I couldn’t resist.

Care for Wild is a charity that rehabilitates, rewilds, releases and protects rhinos in South Africa, and runs the largest sanctuary for orphaned rhinos of its kind in the world. The Care for Wild Wine Collection aims to showcase South Africa’s excellent wines while at the same time supporting a charity that does so much to save the country’s black and white rhinos from extinction.

The Care for Wild Red Blend is a velvety blend of Pinotage and Shiraz grapes, from South Africa’s Western Cape, the country’s dominant wine-producing region. With aromas of cherry, raspberry and plum on the nose, and ripe red fruit flavours and a hint of pepper and cinnamon on the palate, it’s a medium bodied wine with medium tannin and medium acidity. This is an all-round balanced wine which is a perfect match for grilled meat and a great introduction to Care for Wild’s range of wines.

Available from Slurp (£8.95)

Three reds from around the world

How about a little globe-trotting? Three reds from around the world to try – an Italian Barbera, a South African Pinotage and a Chilean Pinot Noir

Barbera Briccotondo 18 Fontanafredda

If you are looking for a fruity Italian red to go with your pasta, this Barbera Briccotondo 2018 Fontanafredda is a good fit. Ruby in colour, with flavours of red cherry, plum and blackberry, and a hint of pepper and cinnamon, this is a smooth, dry wine with medium tannin and high acidity. A well-balanced, medium-bodied wine with a medium finish.

Barista Pinotage 2018/19

Pinotage wines, from South Africa’s signature grape, are a relatively new discovery for me, and this Barista is very good. Intense black fruits, notably cassis, on the nose coupled with a smoky earthiness and more than a hint of coffee and chocolate. The fruits and coffee flavours open up on the palate and the wine has an intriguing complexity to it. A full-bodied wine with moderate acidity and medium tannins, Barista needs something rich and meaty to go with it. We enjoyed it with roast chicken, but it would also suit duck or a hearty stew. Majestic Wine £9.99 (£8.99 Mix Six )

Pinot Noir 2018 Tarapaca (Chile)

A simple but very agreeable wine, this Chilean Pinot Noir has raspberry and strawberry on the nose, together with a slight smokiness. With ripe red fruit flavours and a hint of spiciness on the palate, it is a fairly light-bodied dry wine with low tannins and high acidity. Try it with salmon, chicken or pasta dishes.