Highlights: Nero, South Africa’s first Nero d’Avola
Bosman Family Vineyards have just launched South Africa’s first Nero d’Avola. The wine is a collaboration with actor/filmmaker Thapelo Mokoena, who is a shareholder in the project, and it’s called Nero.
Thapelo Mokoena 
Petrus Bosman and Thapelo Mokoena
Bosman wanted to find grape varieties well suited to the warm, dry climate of the Cape wine lands as a sort of insurance policy against climate change. Owner and managing director Petrus Bosman travelled to Sicily in 2004, and identified Nero d’Avola as a target. He brought back cuttings, and these were grown in the Bosman nursery. This is the debut vintage, and the wine was give a short 5 day maceration. The result is impressive, suggesting that this is a variety with a bright future in the Cape.
Bosman Nero 2019 Wellington, South Africa
13% alcohol. This is fresh, supple and juicy. It’s a lighter-coloured red wine with some sweet red cherries and strawberries, as well as some fine herby notes, and a rounded mid-palate with silky texture. Hugely drinkable and enjoyable, if not terribly complex. I love the sensitivity of the winemaking here: it’s quite Grenache-like. 89/100 (£12 Sainsbury’s)
