August 2008 Wine Club Selections
With all of the monthly wine clubs out there today, Gary's Wine Club is setting a new standard. Our frequent travels to the wine regions of the world, our close relationships with winemakers, and our access to unique bottlings allow us to bring you wine selections few others have. Each month, we taste, evaluate and sift through dozens of choices to bring you the best buys of the season, both for immediate celebrations and for long-term cellaring. Each bottle gains our personal seal of approval ... from a team that really knows their wine! Join our club today and experience a new adventure every month! South Africa's Finest In the year 2008, South Africa holds rank as the ninth-largest producer of wine in the world, supplying just over three percent of the world's wine. But South Africa hasn't always enjoyed a prominent position as a quality winemaking region. As recently as the early nineties, winemaking within this breath-taking landscape was heavily regulated and controlled by the government, meaning that experimentation and improvement on varietals was largely at a standstill. And due to sanctions associated with the Apartheid regime, South African wine was largely cut off from the rest of the world. But times have changed, and today South African winemakers are embracing their freedom to experiment with a renewed vigor. Gone are the days when skunky Pinotage and uninspired Steens characterized their winemaking style. Today we're seeing velvety Bordeaux varietals, rich, ripe Viogniers, Chenin Blancs with real character and (my personal favorite in this region) world-class Syrahs that truly do this innovative and diverse country justice. Cheers to the new South Africa!
2007 Simonsig Chenin Blanc 2005 Neil Ellis Sincerely Shiraz	2006 Spice Route Viognier 2004 Mulderbosch Faithful Hound
2006 Boekenhoutskloof "The Chocolate Block" 2003 Kanonkop Paul Sauer	2004 Villafonte C Series 2004 Sadie Family Columella