Graca is a prime example of a local brand that too many times unfairly ridiculized simply base on misconception and I reckoned deserves more respect and it is often joked about by wine drinkers and winemakers alike, (connoisseur / ego syndrome?) yet Graca consistently over delivers on many factors, year on year though it is a Non Vintage offering.
Vibrant freshness and never more than R 25 a bottle retails, (it shows there is no justification, as yet to sell wines at R 100+/bottle based on production cost? clearly feasible and profitable at less than R 25)
Graca it is not just a "simple" dry white wine.
Bursting with flavor and a zesty character, it ticks all the right box for a lively, crisp and fruity dry white wine, think of a good Vinho Verde, this is as close as it would get locally.
I suspect the blend to probably be something along the line of Colombard with some Sauvignon and Chenin in the mix, no particular order? showing a pale bright straw with green reflections,some co2, the label says Wine of South Africa, unconfirmed source told me there is a fair amount of Northern Cape wine blended with Western Cape wine? absolutely nothing wrong here, if this is what is required to keep the price friendly and introduce more people to wine, in a country that desperately need more local wine drinkers, free of preconceived ideas! by all means, keep it that way.
Clean, moderate intensity, grassy, guava, lime, red apples and hints of green kiwi, some stony mineral, uncluttered purity.
Dry with dash residual sugar well offset by the high acidity, fresh, with more than perfect low alcohol of 11.5% abv, i.e super table friendly, juicy, over delivers for it's price point.
By far South Africa's best white blends for everyday drinking and asking my opinion if this should be on a ANY wine lists? Well if Graca is the official wine partner to Lambert's Bay Crayfish festival, i.e work like bomb to drink copious amount in the West Coast setting and wash down your braaied crayfish, definitely YES (too often we forgot wine is about drinking not boosting ego base on labels!) as this will meet the need of the diners at a super friendly price tag, job done!
Not for keeping, drink on purchase.
