Graham Beck Cabernet Sauvignon "The Gamekeeper's Reserve"

As many of you know I like to save a dollar when I can, perhaps it's my Scots heritage. I don't think of myself as cheap but rather value driven, to paraphrase a car ad "Cutting your own hair is cheap" whereas buying quality products when on sale is value driven.

Recently while strolling the aisles of the Mothership at 39th and Cambie I came across a discount on a South African Cabernet that I had been meaning to try Graham Beck Cabernet Sauvignon "The Gamekeeper's Reserve" . The discount was not large, two dollars, but on this occasion it was enough to sway my purchase and I'm glad it did. The wine is delicious and at $17.99, on sale, an excellent wine for a weekend dinner.

Graham Beck was a larger than life South African icon who passed away this past summer at the age of 80, he became massively rich in coal mining then quit the mining game to raise horses and make wine . He was as driven and committed in these pastimes as he had been in becoming a billionaire in mining and the wines of Graham Beck Estates are consistently high quality. Graham Beck Sparkling Brut gained huge press when President elect Obama chose it to celebrate with on election night but the winery has been no secret to wine lovers for years.

The Cabernet Sauvignon "The Gamekeeper's Reserve" is a classic Cabernet, muscular but with a lovely seam of rich fruit and the tannins are well in check so the wine can easily be enjoyed now, or cellared for a year or two. The nose is full of blackberry, cedar and leather and on the palate it shows dark fruit and peppery spice with a long finish and subtle tannins. The acidity level is slightly muted, in a new world style, but still is present enough to make the wine a very good match to red meats and the ragouts of winter .

"The Gamekeeper's Reserve" is on sale this month at the BCLDB, with reasonable distribution, for $17.99, I recommend picking up a bottle or two to toss in the rack for Sunday night dinner . On a side note part proceeds of this wine, and many of Beck's wines, go to fund a wildlife preserve in South Africa that provides habitats for endangered, and threatned, species so your not just drinking good but doing good as well .