Two Oceans is a wine label from South Africa, but as well it describes where the Indian and Atlantic oceans fuse off the southern coast of Africa. The Cape’s coastal region is a temperate climate with maritime breezes from both oceans moderating the heat in the day and lowering the temperature at night, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and preserve their acidity.
Recently I received a bottle of Two Oceans Shiraz 2012 and a bottle of Two Oceans Pinot Grigio 2012 to review. These wines come with a screw cap and are meant for enjoyment now, especially with our summer weather now.
Two Oceans Pinot Grigio 2012 (BC $10.99, ON $10.25)
This wine has no skin contact and only free-run juice was used making a wine with a clear medium lemon colour. There is a youthfulness to this wine, with tropical and honey dew melon aromas primarily and hints of citrus and blossom. There was quite a bit of yeast on the nose as well. The wine is between a dry and off-dry in sweetness with medium acidity and light body. The sweetness in the wine comes out a bit more if you aerate the wine in your mouth. When I first tried this wine there was a slight prickle of acidity on my tongue, but after leaving the wine for 24 hrs, and trying it again, that prickle had gone away. Fruit flavours were again primarily tropical fruits and honeydew melon, with some citrus in support. The yeastiness was also there, and some leafiness on the mid palate. Again on my first tasting I had a bitter almond finish with the acidic prickle, but after the tasting on the next day, both had disappeared and I went left with a fruity finish. This is an OK everyday drinking wine, to enjoy with a salad for dinner. I would recommend opening the wine in the morning and maybe drinking it later that day to tone down the prickle and the bitter almond finish.
Two Oceans Shiraz 2012 (BC $10.99, ON $10.25)
The grapes for this wine comes from 5 different regions in South Africa. The grapes were fermented on the skins for 4 days for colour and flavour extraction. Following was a malolactic fermentation to soften the wine and then matured in new French oak barrels for 3 months. The wine was a medium ruby red in the glass. It had a youthful, but very pronounced nose with ripe red fruit, red and black currants and a lot of meatiness and cooked sausage aromas on my first tasting. On my second day of tasting the cooked sausage aroma turned to smoky bacon. I also did detect a bit of perfume and tobacco aromas from this wine, but the smokiness is what really jumps out of the glass. On the palate the wine tastes a bit off dry, but I think it is because of the ripe juicy sweet cherry flavours, rather than being sweet. The wine has a light mouth feel and finishes very clean. As I mentioned there was ripe sweet cherries, but also blackberries and ripe black plum flavour too. There were also minor components of perfume, leaf and tobacco. On the second day, I also tasted raspberries and dark chocolate. The tannins are very light for this wine so you can drink it on it’s own, or with food. You feel the tannins more on the finish together with some sour red cherries, mouthwatering acidity and some sweetness. This is a lighter bodied red wine, with lots of juicy fruit and soft tannins. You could try pairing this with a tomato based pasta dish or maybe some bbq pork ribs. Not an overly complex wine, but one designed for you to enjoy now.
