[TAYste] Saxenburg Guinea Fowl 2020 – An Uncomplicated Affair

I was having a glass of wine a few nights ago and thought I’d write a few words about it. But I can’t call it a SnackTAYku Review for a few reasons, the main obvious one being that wine is not a snack. Welcome to [TAYste]!

I picked this wine up for one reason, and one reason only – it was on special! I bought it to accompany some mini oven pizzas that I had procured as an alternative to ordering takeouts. I could write about the pizzas, they were good but there isn’t much soul to a frozen pizza.

South Africa is a great place to live if you love wine. I prefer beer, but it seems wasteful to ignore the local wine industry. There are hundreds, if not thousands of wine farms. Saxenburg is one of hundreds of labels consumers are faced with, their cute guinea fowl icons absent from this particular design, except for on the lid. Instead, the label has a pleasing textured design that resembles the speckled plumage of the helmeted guineafowl, a stout avian roughly the size of a large, fat chicken.

More Context

I’m not here to talk about the label – the Guinea Fowl 2020 is a red blend, comprising of cabernet sauvignon, malbec, cabernet franc and merlot. Saxenburg Wines is located in Stellenbosch, one of the country’s most beloved wine regions. This farm was founded in 1693, a well-respected farm that has stood the test of time.

History lessons aside, nothing too special about this wine. It’s good, don’t get me wrong – especially at the discounted price I got it at. This is an estate wine, and the quality shows. Sadly, it still contains sulphites. Big sad, but let’s get to tasting this wine.

As one would expect, the Guinea Fowl is full bodied with subtle yet pleasing, possibly new oaky spice to it. It does have a kick at 14.0% alcohol by volume, but is smooth and paired well with the meaty spare rib and bacon pizza. I have enjoyed it over 3 days, it’s kept well while the weather is cool as we head into spring here in the Southern hemisphere. This makes me happy, I often have to throw away wines.

Screw Top Convenience

I know wine purists only want the purest cork cut from the highly prized exotic cork tree that grows on some faraway mountain. Sure, there is a time and place for cork. Save that for the fancy stuff. There are lots of ways to close a bottle, and I have learned to appreciate a good screw top. Usually, these keep a little better than their corked counterparts, especially on the lower end. They are also superior to cork substitutes, because honestly what is the difference? This is probably why I am still able to sip at this modest blend, which in a sense invokes the guinea fowl.

To tell you a little more about guinea fowls, they are a common sight around South Africa. They live in grasslands, and because they are adept if heavy in flight you can often find them invading gardens and suburbs. They are meek creatures, and commonly scavenge for food in small flocks of up to a dozen or so. Generally they are unintrusive, and if you are wondering yes you can eat them. I don’t know how they taste, though – I have never eaten a guineafowl to the best of my knowledge.

For what it’s worth, this wine won a silver medal at some or other competition. I personally don’t place too much stock in these wine competitions, but it seems fitting. Saxenburg has not struck gold with this blend, but silver is good enough for me. Especially considering the year in which these grapes were grown, when the sale of alcohol was outright banned for months on end. Some wine farms had to straight up destroy their stock because they could not sell it or even bottle it in some cases.

Conclusion

I think that’s all you need to know about this palatable blend. It should keep well, with those spicy oaky tannins smoothing out over the next few years. Not one I’d keep for more than a few years, mind. This is a decent wine, I’d happily gift it or consider ordering it for the table at a restaurant. A solid, easy-drinking wine from a good estate. That’s all I have to say about that – feel free to write your own [TAYste]! It doesn’t have to be wine – anything you fancy.