2023 Kumusha "Wild Mutupo" Carignan

Kumusha in the Zimbabwean Shona language translates to ‘your home’, ‘your roots’ or ‘your origin’. World renowned sommelier Tinashe Nyamudoka believes the best wines are representative of their region. Through a collaborative process with respect to the vine, the winemaker and the consumer, Tinashe is building a reputation for wines that represent and honor their roots. Minimal intervention wine making and natural fermentation is aimed at letting the wine be free to do the talking of its origin. These are wines that Tinashe would not only like to drink himself, but wines that, from his experience as a sommelier, are representative of what is leading the way for the style of South African wines. Mutupo is a familial signifier, or a sort of totem, which Tinashe is using in this case to indicate a sort of "family reserve" line in which he explores and experiments some of the less recognized aspects of South Africa's wine landscape. This is a chillable version of carignan, now widely planted in the Western Cape and in other regions, though still considered a blending grape, as it is also in France. Lithe and juicy, this irresistible light red is Tinashe's flattering imitation of Beaujolais, and would play well with most food (roast chicken, beef stew, tacos, etc).