The Grande Provence Merlot Experience

This week we celebrated #Winewednesday in pure opulence and style with a wine-derful afternoon at the stunning Grande Provence wine estate in Franschhoek.

Guests were treated to an outstanding four-course meal by chef Marvin Robyn, while tasting the estates wine offerings and the belle of the ball, the Grande Provence Merlot.

‘Our Merlot started out as part of the blend of The Grande Provence Red, and is still a definitive variety of this signature wine. With its fruit purity, its elegance and complexity, it has evolved into an elegant, standalone wine in our portfolio,’ says winemaker and farm manager, Thys Smit.Grande Provence Merlot 2018 is a youthful classic that was made from the vineyards in the famous ‘golden triangle’ in the Helderberg region—home to some of the finest Stellenbosch reds.

‘The vineyard is fanned by lovely cooling sea breezes, which leads to smaller berry formation with a lot of concentration. It allows us to extract and develop an elegant tannin structure,’ explains Smit, who has a particular soft spot for Merlot.

‘It can be a straight forward easy drinking wine or it can star in an opulent Bordeaux blend. I never realised what it took to make such a wine. With its versatility and elegance comes a bit of a rebellious temperament with a bunch of mixed signals and mixed analysis that can give you sleepless nights and plenty of grey hairs. But in the end, it turns into something beautiful,’ he adds.

Expect an earthy array of vibrant dark cherries and raspberries with hints of wild herbs, tomato leaf and dark chocolate enlivened by touches of cinnamon, cloves and orange peel.

This soft, subtle and smooth medium bodied wine is best paired with herb-crusted lamb and rich meat dishes.

Winemaker, Thys Smit. Image: Supplied

Grande Provence Merlot 2018 sells at the cellar door at R170 per bottle or you can purchase online from shop.grandeprovence.co.za