Master of Wine and wine director of Hatch Mansfield I don’t hold out a lot of hope here. The packaging is unexciting, as is the wine. Ruby cabernet and pinotage do not produce good wines when the yields are high and little oak is used, as is the case here. The aromas are slightly reductive and metallic. The wine has had no time to gel so the flavours are disjointed and give it a rather hard feel. The tannins are soft and there is adequate acidity but the lingering flavour is not appealing and will do nothing to invite the purchase of another bottle. This is not worth £4.99 especially with the rand as weak as it is. Better value to be found in Chile, I’m sure. Rating out of 25 ­ 10 Gary McCall Managing director of Poulter Partners To say the main label is obscure would be an understatement. Only after looking at the illustration closely can I identify what looks to be a vine, but I could be wrong. Within the competitive New World wines category brand owners must work hard to make their wines stand out. This Cape Ridge packaging neither conveys its South African heritage effectively nor attracts the eye. The green bottle works well at enhancing the deep red of the wine and the use of burgundy on the labels helps convey the full bodied nature of the Rubitage. Overall, I feel consumers have to work too hard to decide whether it’s a wine worth trying. Rating out of 25 ­ 8 Carol Du Cann Senior buyer (beers, wines and spirits) at Alldays Although the packaging is straightforward and unpretentious, it’s a little bland. But it does have good back label detail. On the nose, a damp musty smell overpowers the fruit aroma. It tastes odd. Initially rather acid, it retains this musty character and has a chemical after taste, although the fruit does come through eventually. The first impression is off putting. It does improve as you drink it. I believe the musty and chemical flavours in this wine would put the average consumer off. They probably would not finish the glass or the bottle. It has potential, but the juice itself needs a lot more work. Rating out of 25 ­ 10 Total score out of 100 ­ 45 {{DRINKS }}

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