A Wine for Tonight: 2007 Goats do Roam Red



By Kori ~ March 4th, 2010.

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2007 Goats du Roam Red from the Coastal Region of South Africa.

Our selection criteria include:

  • A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
  • A price tag of <=$15
  • Must be widely available

Goats do Roam, a Rhône-style blend, was created in 1999 as another label for Fairview Winery in South Africa. Fairview’s owner/vintner Charles Back took the suggestion of a wine buyer to make a blend and give it the humorous name that is a takeoff on the Côte du Rhône wines of France. Even so, Back tells a much more interesting “story” as to how Goats do Roam came about:

“One afternoon, at harvest time, my mischievous son Jason and his friend Justin let the goats out of their tower and sent them for a walkabout amongst the vines. As in the legend of the Yemeni goat herder – whose roaming flock first discovered the joys of coffee beans, our goats picked out the best and tastiest fruit – their choice serves as our inspiration for this wine.” –Charles Back

Don’t let the humorous name, the “story,” or the low price point deter you. This wine is remarkably rich and complex for an under $10 bottle.

Today, Goats do Roam operates as its own independent company aptly called The Goats do Roam Wine Company.

Mom (LaGayle) and Dad (John) had the pleasure to meet Charles Back on their trip to South Africa last year. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the video interview in which Charles answers their questions on a wide variety of topics and explains why he believes that South African wine is not truly New World nor Old World but somewhere in-between because of the unique geology of South Africa’s winemaking regions.

2007 Goats do Roam Red (Coastal Region, South Africa): 40% Shiraz, 18% Pinotage, 17% Cinsault, 13% Carignan, 10% Mourvedre, and 2% Gamay Noir. Medium-deep ruby red and very aromatic. Red fruits, spice, smoke, beef jerky, and bacon come through on the nose; red fruits, black pepper, and vegetal notes on the palate. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish. Well-balanced and smooth. Good complexity for a $9 wine.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $8.99; Available elsewhere, $7 to $15


Filed under: A Wine for Tonight, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Red Wine, South African Wine, Wines Under $10, Wines Under $15, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25

Reader's Comments

  1. mrzitro | March 4th, 2010 at 10:32 am

    This is a great cellar defender. I picked up the ’05 & ’06 at a local Publix. Both were as you said about the ’07 -> “well balanced and smooth”

  2. Paul | March 4th, 2010 at 12:08 pm

    Ooooh. Not so sure about this one. I tried the 2006 and found it so thin and undeveloped that even for the low price, I would give it a low QPR.

  3. Scott | March 4th, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    I tasted this one last weekend and have to agree that it is a nice little wine for the price. I would also encourage people to look for other Pinotage wines from South Africa as an interesting and different wine that often has a nice price to quality value.

  4. John | March 4th, 2010 at 9:49 pm

    Not only did we like the ’07 the nite we opened it, but I thought it was even better the second day.

  5. Chris Bryant | March 4th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

    Have you seen the new look Goats do Roam packaging? What do you think of it?

  6. Kori | March 5th, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    mrzitro,
    Glad to hear you enjoyed the 05 and 06 as well.

    Paul,
    Sorry you didn’t find the 06 to your liking. Hope you’ll try the 07 and let us know what you think.

    Scott,
    Glad to hear you liked this wine too.

    Chris,
    Thanks for letting us know about the new packaging. We haven’t seen it yet. Look forward to checking it out.

    And, FYI, Dad (John) is absolutely right, this wine was even better on the second day than the first. Gotta love a wine like that.

    Cheers!