Doolhof Wine Estate in Wellington introduces its superb, new red blend, the Minotaur of the Labyrinth, and only the second wine in its Legends of the Labyrinth series. Like the Minotaur with its distinctive appearance, this is a distinctive Cape red blend of six varietals in which Merlot predominates.

Doolhof is the Afrikaans word for labyrinth, hence naming the estate’s top range after the ancient Cretan tale of King Minos’s Labyrinth.

The Minotaur, a creature half man, half bull, was the result of forbidden love between Pasiphae and Poseidon. Banished to the Labyrinth for terrorising the Cretans, he was eventually killed by Theseus, the Athenian Hero.

The wine, a 2007 vintage, was produced from top quality, hand picked grapes from the estate’s premier vineyards. Different wines were fermented separately with extended maceration on the skins after fermentation. Only the best barrels were selected for this wine, which was matured in 225 litre French oak barrels for 14 months, before bottling in September 2008.

Minotaur has an intense, dark plum colour with aromas and flavours of black currants, almonds, cherries and mint. This is a well balanced, full-bodied wine with well integrated tannins. Only 3 400 bottles have been produced and the wine will age well up to 2022.

Testimony to its quality is the fact that it has already won a gold medal - at this year’s Michelangelo Wine Awards.

Minotaur can be obtained in selected retail outlets in the Western Cape, from the Doolhof Tasting Room and through the Denizens of Doolhof wine club.

Dennis Kerrison of Doolhof enthuses that the wine “is a product of the marriage of various microclimates and terroirs - mysterious, intense and unforgettable.”