I haven't really ventured into South African wines for awhile, so this time, I decided to see what Canal's had on it's shelves.

Well, the label got me; a stylized wolf that looks like an wood block cut design and the varietals used are Syrah (68%), Mourvedre (30%) and Viognier (2%).

On tasting the wine, I gave it a chance to amply breathe, as upon immediately opening, it is quite rough. However, given time, this wine gives both a combination of dastardly spice (more earthy and peppery) and oak (French oak). The Mourvedre definitely offsets the raw power of the Syrah and brings it something totally different. I can't honestly tell you what the Viognier does, but it's an interesting grape to mix in; it's white, and they added it to two reds.

The aroma delivers a pungency of spice, and the color is closer to a royal purple; you can see the beauty of it while looking through the meniscus, but nothing through the rest of the glass, unless held up to a bright light source.

This wine would be great with spicy foods based on red meat or darker fishes. It might even fare well with some wild fowl.