Collaboration 004: SMOKESTAK House Red Blend x Jurgen Gouws 2023

STYLE: Red

COUNTRY & REGION: Swartland, South Africa

VINTAGE: 2023

ABV: 11.5%

VOLUME: 75cl

THE WHAT:

This is a blend of four different varieties that are all dryland farmed, organic and bursting with life and energy. 48% Mourvèdre, 26% Cinsaut, 22% Syrah and 4% Pinotage. The grapes are whole bunch, natural fermented in a semi-carbonic way, simply meaning that there is a lot of freshness and vibrancy retained in the final bottling. This is a wine brimming with drinkability that we believe pairs perfectly with the smoky, bold and meaty flavours of the SMOKESTAK menu. We suggest drinking this with a slight chill on it. Do it.

Also, we only have 300 bottles of this wine available for sale via our online bottle shop! That’s it. The only other place you’ll be able to drink this wine is at SMOKESTAK. So if you want to get your hands on it, you better act quick.

THE WHO:

Jurgen Gouws is one of the leading lights in the low intervention wine scene in the Swartland, South Africa. This is a rural and slow moving part of wine country, so don’t expect shiny tasting rooms and fancy estates. Here, the focus is all about the farming, and all the frills and fluff of established appellations like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are seldom seen. Jurgen makes his wines with a super light touch, rather allowing the fruit to express itself in the most authentic way possible by opting not to work with additions or manipulations in the cellar. His Intellego wines are generally regarded as some of the best being made in South Africa, and he has become a real source of inspiration and mentorship to many of the new producers starting their journey. He also happens to be one of the nicest humans you’ll ever meet, and that counts for a lot too.

THE WHY:

Global trends tell us that people are either spending less on wine, or simply just consuming less, full stop. It means that the more savvy wine producers out there are beginning to explore new avenues for their projects, and are also seeking out the right partnerships to work with that can further communicate their farming and winemaking efforts to a new audience. Jurgen happened to have a small amount of surplus wine from his 2023 vintage, and the Wasted Wine Club x SMOKESTAK collaboration felt like the right fit for him in terms of concept and ethos for a fun bottling that allowed him to use this excess and share his journey. Not only does it mean cross pollinating on brands, but for him it means it also puts his wines in front of new drinkers in a new space. The hope has always been that Wasted Wine Club presents a creative and sustainable solution for excess wine, that first and foremost supports the producer’s efforts from farm to winery, but that leans into the playful, light side of wine.

THE TUNES:

You always need good music with good wine. Our pairing playlist for our fourth collaboration is courtesy of Anna van Dyk, writer and creative design strategist for the DCCO restaurant group. Pull a cork, click the link, and get grooving.

LISTEN HERE