Jordan & Afrikoa

EVEN WHEN it isn’t Easter, there are at least nine top cellars in the Cape winelands of South Africa where the tasting-room experiences extend to chocolate-and-wine pairings. Clearly dessert wine is not the only route to go to enjoy a good marriage, but there are also a number of options should you want to dive straight in, so to speak: Angels Tears Le Chocolat Pinotage from Grande Provence, Franschhoek; Chocoholic Pinotage From Darling Cellars; Tangled Tree Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon from Van Loveren, Robertson; The Chocolate Block from Boekenhoutskloof, Franschhoek; and The Chocolate Cape Vintage (Port) from Boplaas, Calitzdorp.

There are plenty of red wines that don’t include the word ‘chocolate’ in the name but whose makers describe them as such in their tasting notes – ‘The Original’ Diemersfontein Pinotage springs to mind. However, when it comes to those labels where there’s no beating about the bush, two stand out as the panels’ favourites of late:

Chocoholic Pinotage
Selling at R85 a bottle (750ml) for the 2020 vintage that scored 95/100 in Decanter (UK), R150 for a magnum (1.5L) of the 2019 and R170 for a 2L box of the non-vintage version.

Chocolate Block
A Shiraz-driven red blend, with the 2020 vintage Highly Recommended in Platter’s South African Wine Guide and retailing for around R260 a bottle (750ml), R1150 for a 3L double-magnum (jeroboam) and R3000 for a 6L imperial (methuselah).