What’s this then? SKU is a casual band of happy ferments. A circus tent of the Cape’s stranger grapes and blends.We will champion the unfashionable, experiment with the known and express the found before it gets lost. Mistakes are likely, fun certain.Welcome to Strange Kompanjie, a Kultivar Club for the Underdog.

Strange Kompanjie Strange Bru Ruby Cabernet 2018
14.5% abv
Ruby Cab is the child of industry, a blue-collar cultivar crossing from Carignan and Cab Sauv at California’s UC Davis to give a drought-resistant variety of colour for the dry Central Valleys. An immediate ping on South Africa’s co-operative radar, therefore, where for 30 years or more it has been farmed somewhat obsessively, if anonymously, for colour and structure. Well sometimes even the village idiot makes it to University and in 2018 this long-established block shone above all others and we chose to bottle a small volume on its own. Unoaked, untrammelled and unedited this is the backing singer of many a blend, but solo.
Ruby Cab’s parentage comes through in its leafy Cab Sauv nose, but the palate is driven by an earthier relative – Carignan. This is a mouthful of crushed rubies, at once dark and glittering with cassis and minerals. The finish is powerful, savoury and darkly rich.
- Reference #:
- 12288
- Strength
- 14.5 ABV
- Bottles per Case
- 6 bottles
- Organic
- No
- Biodynamic
- No
- Vegan
- No
- Vegetarian
- No
- Sparkling
- No