Tulbagh, South Africa

To add our own note to the words of wisdom from the pro, the 2019 Union is immensely concentrated, dark and brooding. Still a baby, it’s all smoke, charred meats, molasses and scorched charcoal, with that immense savoury spine lifted and balanced by the pretty violets and red fruits.

Now 100% Syrah … the Paserene Union is named for the union between the swift - (winemaker Martin) and the girl (Mother Nature) - and their bond in making this wine. Each variety bringing different components to the wine. The Syrah vineyard is planted on extremely poor arid soils, yielding just small amounts of exceptionally concentrated fruit with intense, dark fruited flavours, whilst the Carignan and Mourvedre bring more perfume and pretty high toned notes.

Paserene is a joint venture between winemaker Martin Smith and businessman Ndabe Mareda, their goal is to produce fine wines that are truly authentic to the place and people that made them. They call both Franschhoek and Tulbagh home, with a beautiful tasting room and some vineyards in the much loved foodie town of Franschhoek, and a recently purchased farm in the lesser known region of Tulbagh. It is here where self confessed Cabernet junkie Martin sees the greatest potential for the grape in the Cape, and where they are planting for the future.

The name derives from the Latin Passeriformes, the type of bird that includes swifts, swallows and martins; all birds that follow the epic migration from Europe to South Africa, representing the often travelled route by young winemakers gaining experience abroad before returning to their home country.