Wine of the Month Club: Flagstone The Last Word Cape LBV 2013
It’s time once again for Wine of the Month Club! I have sampled some delicious wines over the past few months and now I’m back, ready to introduce you to my favourite wine for July 2018, Flagstone The Last Word Cape LBV 2013. This delightful fortified red wine offers port lovers a bold flavour with plenty of character. Here’s why it’s my pick for Wine of the Month Club this July.
Flagstone says that when it comes to ports, they’re interested in getting the subtle fruit flavours out of the grapes and so they make their port slightly differently to most other wine farms in South Africa. During the wine making process, very ripe grapes are picked at 28 degrees Balling** and fortified at 10 degrees Balling with Brandy. By fortifying a fermenting wine with barrel-aged brandy the wine maker stops fermentation in its tracks, giving this wine a fabulous structure and the fruitiness and spiciness of shiraz, but with a little bit of sugar, making it a perfect pairing from something sweet.
The ethereal dark red berry flavours and aromas of this typically dense, complex Late Bottled Vintage are a great way to finish off an evening meal – hence the name, The Last Word. Enjoy it on its own after dessert or pair it with after dinner treats for a dessert that wows. We can all agree that cheese and wine go together like copy and paste and being a cheese fanatic it was only a matter of time before I developed a love of sweet wines. This bold Flagstone red has now officially been added to my long list of favorite ports for winter and I’m happy to report that it stood up well when paired with sharp cheese like Stilton, Blue cheese, and extra aged Gouda. There’s also no reason you can’t enjoy a port with your main meal this winter and you’ll be thrilled to hear that Flagstone’s The Last Word also pairs beautifully with a rich mushroom risotto.
Flagstone The Last Word Cape LBV 2013 is widely available nationally and retails for about R100.
** The Balling scale in wine making is used to measure the amount of dissolved solids in grape juice. Using this scale allows wine makers to give an indication of the amount of sugar in the juice. Grapes for table wine are usually picked at about 24 degrees balling, while the grapes used for Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wines are picked earlier, at about 19 degrees balling.
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