Three men in a Tub with a Rubber Duck 2020

Three men in a Tub has a wonderful label and is a lovely wine too! Immediately you smell its juicy blackcurrant aromas with subtle complexities of pencil shavings, herbs and spice you know that you are in for a treat. It is unusual to find a lighter style red wine with not only succulent blackcurrant and cherry fruits to the fore, but with a fine structure, beautiful balance, very smooth tannins and excellent length. This is a real find and excellent value.

The playful title of Three men in a Tub, shows how old world meets new, in a wine that has the characteristics of a refined French blend with a strong fruit focus. This is a medium-bodied, elegant red blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a touch of Mourvedre. A very appealing red which combines brilliant fruits with the complexities normally found in a Cru Beaujolais or Burgundy. There is a great story behind this wine which is produced by the three men, Kevin, Jacques and Raymond of Black Elephant Vintners, based in Franschhoek who call themselves ‘Rebels of the Vine’. One of our new finds of 2023 – this wine has been extremely popular – a must-try wine.

The story behind the label

Kevin, Jacques and Raymond took inspiration from their surnames to create their producer name, with Swart and Ndlovu to become Black Elephant and Jacques is the Vintner. They enjoy having fun with their labels, often taking ideas from music, to create something different! About this wine they say “what goes on in the tub stays in the tub…and the duck is not quacking!” Like many producers in South Africa they source grapes from various vineyards in the coastal Western Cape with each site contributing a different flavour profile to the final blend.

How the wine is produced

All fruit is handpicked and sorted in their cold room and then destemmed. The grapes are then transferred to 500kg fermentation barrels for fermentation, maceration for 3-4 days before wild-yeast fermentation starts spontaneously. Fermentation lasts from 7 to 12 days; to extract colour, flavour and tannin from the grape skins , the must is mixed by hand 2 – 3 times daily. A short period of post fermentation maceration softens the tannins. At this stage wine is drained and skins pressed in an old basket press and then transferred to barrel for malolactic fermentation. Following this fermentation the wine is racked and matured in French oak for 16 months.

After 16 months, the final blend is assembled and allowed to mature for a further 3 months before bottling.

Sells in Independent Wine Merchants for £14.99: Check out our excellent price

Food match: Grilled meats, roast chicken, mediterranean vegetarian dishes