Michael & Terri will be tasting and talking about all three wines & spirits listed below. They are all are special products from South Africa and can be found at Michael's Wine Cellar. Order online ahead to taste along! 

• Gin, Inverroche "Amber" South Africa, 750ML - ($43.95)
• Information - As the pioneers of South African craft gin, Inverroche Distillery was founded by Lorna Scott and her family. In just 6 years, the distillery has grown from a small home industry to a flourishing and pioneering craft distillery. A distillery that is invested in its community and producing world-class Gins. Infused with Fynbos from the coastal region and dunes of the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Cape Floral Kingdom, it is one of the richest areas in the world for plant biodiversity. Inverroche Gin Amber is a rich and aromatic, amber-colored gin with fresh citrus, slight juniper, sweet toffee apples, and delicate floral notes which intertwine to deliver a dry, woody finish. Unlike any Gin, you have ever tasted before!
• CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE  

Note - We were first introduced to the Inverroche Gins at Londolozi Game Reserve in 2015 with one of our Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club groups. Four years later we finally got delivery of our first shipment and were first in the US! We were fortunate to be able to surprise our 2019 travelers with a private tasting experience with the proprietress, Lorna Scott. We even created our own one-of-a-kind Gin together! We are proud to be able to showcase these amazing craft Gins at Michael's! 

**Forks & Corks 2020 Best of Show**

• Sauvignon Blanc, Paul Cluver, Elgin, ZA - 2018 ($16.95)               
• Information - The Cluver’s are a 4th generation family business that has been farming in the Elgin Valley for more than 120 years. They are proud to have pioneered Elgin as a premium wine-growing region. Their focus is on producing world-class wines that reflect the uniqueness of their valley, but more specifically of the estate. They want to achieve this while being mindful of their actions both on the environment and on their community. To this end, the Cluver family have more than half their estate under conservation.
• Tasting Notes - The color is clear and bright, with a hint of green. The nose is clean and fresh with expressive granadilla, grapefruit, gooseberry, and black currant characteristics. These flavors follow through onto the palate, which has a lovely creamy texture – the result of the higher Semillon portion.
• Wine Enthusiast Review (90) - Green plum, gooseberry, lime pith and fresh sweet grass all unfold on the nose of this varietally correct wine. Lightweight, fresh and vibrant, it boasts lime-like acidity and pleasantly tart, not mouth-puckering, green melon, and plum flavors. Superfresh and vibrant, this is well balanced and easy to like.
• CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE 

Note – Paul Cluver was recently in Sarasota for the Forks & Corks Food and Wine Festival where this wine won “Best of Show”. He has hosted multiple groups of Sarasota friends during the Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club journeys to South Africa! 

• Cabernet Sauvignon, Stark-Conde, Stellenbosch, ZA - 2016 ($24.95)
• Information - Stark-Condé is a family-run winery making handcrafted wines using tried and true traditional methods. The family property in the Jonkershoek Valley is 600 acres with 85 acres under vine. In addition to being viticulturally ideal, the estate is visually spectacular and attracts visitors from afar. Meticulous viticulture, selected harvesting, hand grape- sorting, small-batch fermentation, patient barrel maturation — these are the guiding philosophies behind the wines. The carefully-crafted wines speak with the personality of a particular terroir.
• Tasting Notes - Blackberry fruit aromas with tea-leaf and cedar notes. The palate is rich and polished with dark fruit and mocha flavors and finely balanced acidity. It has a long finish with fine tannins typical of the Jonkershoek Valley wine.
• Wine Enthusiast review (89) - There's an upfront green, earthy edge to this wine, with notes of cigar ash and green pepper and hints of coffee and licorice. The medium-weight palate is gripping and full in feel, with structured tannins that lend a lingering astringency to the finish. There's not a lot of acidity, but enough to balance the cherry and plum fruit. Touches of roasted coffee bean and char grace the close.
• CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE

Note - Proprietor Hans Schroeder and his family have hosted every Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club South Africa Group to their property and are also the producers of all of our Michael’s On East private label wines! 

Michael's On East Cocktail Recipe: The Ultimate Gin & Tonic 

Londolozi Seared Shrimp With Dried Date and Pine Nut Chutney 

Ingredients for the Shrimp and Chutney 

• 1.5 cups of dried dates chopped
• 2 lb of 16/20 shell-on shrimp
• 1 cup of golden raisins
• 1 cup of pine nuts toasted
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of paprika
• ½ teaspoon of coriander
• 3 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 2 ea limes- squeezed
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method: In a medium sauté pan over medium-high add the oil dates and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the dry spices and cook for 2 minutes until spices are toasted. Add the shrimp and pine nuts and cook until the shrimp is pink and done. Add the fresh herbs and lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste and set aside for plate up.