There 65 products in this category
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A A Badenhorst
A delicious blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Cinsault produced from mostly mountain sloped, rain-fed bush vines, grown on a variety of granite soils and naturally low yielding. Perfumed on the nose with pepper, spice and ripe red fruit character. Supple and smooth on the palate with enough grip and freshness to finish dry and refreshing.
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Kanonkop
One of the most legendary Stellenbosch wines. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels, rather like a fine classed growth Claret. Complex, layered and intense aromas of cassis, plums, spiced oak and cigar boxon the nose. The palate is rich and supple, with seamless fruit / oak integration, delicate tannins and a fine seam of acidity. Layers and layers of plush fruit explodes in the mouth with concentrated flavours of tomato cocktail, black and red fruits, and stewed meat. A wine of immense purity, depth and freshness. A subtle note of mint on the finish completes a wine filled with detail.
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Iona
Cool climate freshness and fragrant sweet, ripe cherry and blackberry flavours, with firm, ripe tannins. Blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Mouvedre, Viognier. Drinking well now and suitable for cellaring for at least 10 years.
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Boutinot
75% Chenin Blanc and 25% Viognier. Grapes are grown on 30+ year old trellised Chenin and 15 year old Viognier from hidden corners of the Cape. Vibrant and aromatic with delicious subtle perfumed aromas with white peach and hints of jasmine on the nose. On the palate it has tight, white, fleshy stone fruit and fresh apricot flavours that balances the sandy texture. Bright acidity and minerality helps to deliver a delicious flavoursome and characteristic wine.
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A A Badenhorst
A delightful, but serious 100% Mourvedre Rose. You pick up the delightful hints of cranberry, redcurrants and wild roses. A beautiful drink. Delicious with a vegetable tart, salad, bbq fish and chicken. While you don't want to overthink rose, this one is actually quite sophisticated, with its texture, quite a gastronomic example of rose and a good one for drinking in the cooler months. The elegance of the fruit and texture makes us think of a rather stylish white wine as it floats in the mouth, and then you get the delicious notes of cranberry cut in.
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Vondeling Wines
Refreshing dry rosé from South Africa. Hugely quaffable.
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Vondeling Wines
Mostly Chenin, old vine low yield, unoaked. Limpid, whistle-clean, green apple, elderflower. Fine-textured fish wine. Super value.
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Tesselaarsdal
Berene Sauls has a very unique story. Growing up in a small village in the Overberg, Berene admits that she came from a beer-drinking community, and wine was never really on her radar. Her first exposure was at the age of 19, when she began working for the trailblazing Hamilton Russell family as an au pair. Lasting only a month, her talents at childcare aside, Anthony Hamilton Russell recognised her drive and thought a job working in the winery office would better suit her. Thrown in at the deep end knowing really nothing about wine, she was soon exposed to every side of the business - assisting with exports, bottling and labelling, driving forklifts and picking during harvest too, as well as on the side, "growing and developing a palate that wasn't there!" Her curiosity kept her rising through the ranks, and fifteen years after starting her career, Anthony offered her the opportunity to make her first wine, aided by proficient head winemaker Emul Ross. She leapt at the opportunity, and the rest is history. She named her business Tesselaarsdal for the small village that she grew up in, and if you look closely at the label, you can make out two people walking across the mountain. This is Berene and her grandmother. From unirrigated vineyards on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, and this is just her third release! Crisp acidity and lean minerality underpin notes of melon and tangerine fruit and accents of lime blossom. A triumphant expression of terroir, this medium-bodied, cool climate wine is both silky and fresh and boasts a long, elegant finish.
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Stellar Organics
Both Organic and Fairtrade. The Sauvignon brings herbaceous and lime notes, and a zingy citrus acidity. The Chenin Blanc adds a fruity mid palate of stone fruit and guava.
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Iona
Cool climate freshness and fragrant sweet, ripe cherry and blackberry flavours, with firm, ripe tannins. Blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Mouvedre, Viognier. Drinking well now and suitable for cellaring for at least 10 years.
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Vilafonté
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Vilafonté
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Lanzerac
Le Général is a suitably serious, even patrician blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 8% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot from the cooler Jonkershoek Valley. Framed by 40% new French oak, it has ample colour and concentration, damson, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit and a firm, brooding finish.
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Stellar Organics
Organic and Fairtrade. This wine has a rich dark colour with a smoky and vanilla nose. Dark fruit on the palate gives the wine an all-round juiciness. Oaky tannins impart a spicy finish with good structure.
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Rustenberg
Rustenberg is a well-known producer of high quality Chardonnays; the Stellenbosch Chardonnay embodies their house style. Apricot, coconut and orange peel aromas followed by flavours of marzipan, sponge cake and citrus rounded off with carefully-judged oak and balanced, fresh acidity.
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Idun
The Cabriole Sauvignon Blanc from the Idun winery is an elegant yet expressive Sauvignon from the cool Bot River region of South Africa. Subtle tropical fruit is beautifully balanced with saline touches and minerality on both the nose and palate, which builds to show an impressive richness whilst never losing freshness and expertly poised acidity. This terroir driven wine nods more to the classic old world Sauvignon Blanc from Europe than it does the modern Kiwi style, but there is enough character to satisfy lovers of both styles – very impressive. Idun is a small, boutique winery run by a French-Danish family originating from Mauritius. They produce excellent varietals which are well-balanced, concentrated, and elegant. They produce mightily impressive, French-inspired wines which you would no doubt pay a lot more for if the grapes were from France.
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Meerlust
Very bright, polished platinum with green, vivacious hue. Complex, appealing nose with quince, citrus and floral notes developing into lemon cream, oatmeal and marzipan richness. On the palate the wine is full bodied and generous, but still balanced by crisp acidity. There is ripe tropical fruit and creaminess balanced by a pure minerality typical of the variety. The wine has a long, very pleasant lingering finish indicating the richness and persistence of the vintage.
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Mullineux
Apple, melon, a drizzle of honey and something floral too. Gorgeously caramelised palate, giving an impression of sweetness. The fruit is really charming, ripe and tropical without any confection. Savoury finish with a long, lightly smoky aftertaste. South Africa at its best.
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Savage
Duncan Savage matriculated at Rondebosch Boys High School in 1995. In 2016. Savage Wines was set up in the heart of Cape Town in Salt River. Vineyards for his wines are leased and grapes sourced from around the Western Cape, maritime in nature where possible. Granitic soil is the focus. Sourced from a wind-exposed site in Polkadraai on granitic soils, this blend spends two years aging—first in old 500-liter barrels and then in foudres and conical tanks. The bouquet expresses brambly red fruit and light tertiary scents, while the medium-bodied palate offers a pliant entry, with white pepper and fennel spices lifting the finish. A sophisticated, harmonious wine of wonder. 94/100 Vinous Neil Martin
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Savage
Duncan Savage matriculated at Rondebosch Boys High School in 1995. In 2016. Savage Wines was set up in the heart of Cape Town in Salt River. Vineyards for his wines are leased and grapes sourced from around the Western Cape, maritime in nature where possible. Granitic soil is the focus.
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Kloovenburg
Winemaker Duncan Stuart has a great feel for these Mediterranean grape varieties and the quality of the wines oustrips their price by some margin, making it a delight to present his wines to our UK clients. Tim Atkin "The entry-point Syrah from Duncan Stuart is a stunner at the price, made with grapes from three comparatively young blocks on schist soils. Inky and intensely perfumed, it has violet and mountain herb aromas, rosemary, black olive and blackberry flavours and polished tannins. Hard to beat for value. 2026-32." All grapes are handpicked during the early morning hours. 85% of these grapes are then crushed and destemmed, whilst the remaining 15% is fermented as whole cluster. Natural fermentation takes place in both open fermenters and closed stainless steel tanks. Extraction is obtained by regular pump overs and punch downs. After fermentation is completed, the wine is pressed to neutral barrels. Malolactic bacteria are inoculated and malolactic fermentation is completed in the barrel. The wine is then racked from the lees and given a low dose of sulphur. The wine spends a total of 10 months in the barrel before it is blended and bottled.
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Kloovenburg
Kloovenburg's Village White is a new, good-value Cape white blend of Chenin Blanc, 30% Roussanne and 10% Verdelho from Kloovenburg's own vines. Pear, citrus and greengage fruit flavours are embellished by a bitter twist from partial skin contact. Fresh, focused and unwooded.
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Kanonkop
Kanonkop's Pinotage comes from 63-year-old unirrigated bush vines grown on the estate. Bright ruby-red hues. A textbook Stellenbosch Pinotage with aromatic and spicy aromas of mulberry, raspberry and cinnamon. Muscular, well-integrated tannins add great structure. Flavours of bramble, violets, plums and black berries are balanced by scented new oak. An elegant wine with savoury notes on the lengthy finish, and a lifting underlying freshness.
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Vondeling Wines
Mostly Chenin, old vine low yield, unoaked. Limpid, whistle-clean, green apple, elderflower. Fine-textured fish wine. Super value.
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Lanzerac
We are big fans of this rich and tasty Blanc de Blancs, which has biscuity notes that give texture to the lively citrus and apple fruit whilst the tiny bubbles are like beads of sunshine dancing on your tongue. An elegant and refined MCC with an array of fine, precise bubbles on the mousse and a yeasty undercurrent on the palate.
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Mollineux
91/100 Parker Dark-fruited and stemmy on the nose, the 2021 Syrah displays meaty and savory notes with dark cherry and black raspberry before aromas of potpourri with pink peppercorn sway from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, this Syrah is fresh and precise and offers seductive flavors of sausage and cranberry compote before dusty flowers and fine-grained tannins appear over the food-friendly finish. Enjoy with food.
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Vondeling Wines
Refreshing dry rosé from South Africa. Hugely quaffable.
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Adi Badenhorst
Adi Badenhorst has created three canned versions of his good-value, entry-level Curator wines, of which this is the pick. Aromas of juicy apricots, pineapples, bananas, nectarines and wild strawberry hints too. The palate is rich, intense and flavoursome with ripe stone and some tropical fruit, bound in a creamy mouthfeel, like a mouthful of peach yoghurt. A little jasmine freshness tickles the finish. "Canned wine has gone seriously next-level". Victoria Moore, The Telegraph
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Adi Badenhorst
Fairly simple cherry and redcurrant aromas lead to blackcurrants and plums in the mouth, with refreshing acidity and a line of bitterness on the back palate. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed, which perhaps adds that greeness underneath the ripe fruit. A more structured, tannic wine than initially expected, but with lovely fruit - delicious wine.
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Cool Mountain
A refreshingly crisp and fresh wine, with an aromatic vibrant style and concentrated flavours of gooseberry, passion fruit and zesty citrus. Flavoursome ripe acidity provides a wine of great balance and harmony.
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Meerlust
Meerlust, one of the Cape's most historic wine estates, originally planted in 1693. In 1756, it was purchased by the first Myburgh and has been the pride of the family ever since. Today, after seven generations, Hannes Myburgh, the present owner, continue the great family tradition of wine making. This is a juicy, opulent and rich wine that is a perfect example of the variety.
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Idun
The Crepuscule Pinot Noir by Idun in Elgin shows a very light ruby colour with bricky tints to the rim. The delightful nose shows Brambles, rose petals, ripe cherries and strawberries. The palate is wonderfully fresh with red fruits and cherries that are delicate and integrated. Idun is a small, boutique winery run by a French-Danish family originating from Mauritius. They produce excellent varietals which are well-balanced, concentrated, and elegant. They produce mightily impressive, French-inspired wines which you would no doubt pay a lot more for if the grapes were from France.
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Savage
The 2024 Salt River combines fruit from a 34 year old bushvine vineyard in Stellenbosch and another coastal site in Walker Bay. Named for the trendy area of Cape Town that Savage Wines calls home, it drinks more like a Pouilly Fume than a Marlborough Sauvignon, with a real lushness to the palate, flavours of yellow plums, semi-dried pineapple, moringa flowers, a tiny hint of reduction and this amazing intense tanginess. Think sun-ripened yellow peppers blended up, with grapefruit pith and the faintest hint of blackcurrant. Terrific body and stunningly long in the mouth, it's tasting great now, and we're sure it will age with grace too.
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Craven
Gorgeouly aromatic and open. Fine and detailed - beautiful SA Cinsault. The Cinsaut grapes come from the Rustenhof Farm in Faure. Vines are dry-farmed bush vines and planted on granite and sand. Grapes are fully destemmed before fermentation to preserve acidity and the wine is matured in 500l neutral oak barrels. Mick and Jeanine Craven started Craven Wines in 2014, sourcing fruit from single vineyard sites in and around Stellenbosch and making 'site-specific, honest wines'. Originally from Australia, Mick met Jeanine whilst working in Sonoma, California, before both moving to South Africa in 2011. All fruit sourced now comes only from vineyards whose farmers are dedicated to working their land organically. Stellenbosch has an array of different sites and terroirs allowing Mick to 'let the grapes do the talking…' Increasingly they work with farmers who understand the importance of cover crops and removing chemical treatments. The winemaking approach keeps things relatively simple; no cultured yeasts, enzymes or fining agents are added. Bottling is with minimal sulphur additions.
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Darling Cellars
On our hunt for decent alcohol-free wines this came out as a winner. A light, fruit driven red wine containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume This wine will pair well with most seafood, and of course drinks well on its own. Alcohol Free wines have just natural ingredients but techniques to ensure it is alcohol free vary. This includes removing sugar pre fermentation to more sophisticated techniques of spinning the alcohol out through cones. In the UK drinks that are between 0.05% and 0.5% ABV are classed as non-alcoholic.
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Kleine Zalze
Barrel fermented. Pale yellow with green hints; bruised apple. Quite fleshy ripe fruit with teasing juicy acidity. Lots of texture and length. Ripe stone fruits and mouth watering long finish. Wine Merchant Top 100
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Aloe Tree
Bursting with dark berry flavours of blackberry, dark cherry and plums, this Shiraz has soft and supple tannins and a white pepper finish. The fruit for Aloe Tree hails from the increasingly fashionable west coast of the Cape. Cool nights and sea breezes combine to extend the growing season, resulting in perfectly balanced, ripe grapes. The iconic Aloe Tree image is sure to be familiar to anyone who has travelled widely through the Cape and is an important part of the biodiversity which South Africa is famous for. The characteristic silhouette provides a backdrop to one of the most spectacular wine regions in the world where wines grow in harmony with the thousands of plant species that make up the Cape Floral Kingdom. The grapes come from selected vineyard blocks on the west coast. The extra warmth in this area helps develop the full body and ripe flavours of this variety. The vines are planted on Karoo clay soils that add body and texture to the wine. The vines ages vary from 10 to 25 years old. Once the grapes arrive at the winery, the fruit is gently pressed and only the free run juice is used. Using selected yeasts the juice then undergoes fermentation at between 18-22 degrees Celsius for 5 days. Because of the depth of flavour, it requires less oak treatment compared to other grape varieties and matures on French oak for 3 months to improve body and texture. During fermentation the wine is pumped over 3 times a day for colour extraction.
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Iona
Elegant, fresh cherry and red berry nose with undergrowth melange. The palate is pure with lovely texture and sweet cherry fruit dominates with spicy undertones. The wine is fresh and intense with real vibrancy.
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Aloe Tree
Aromatic guava and orange blossom jump from the glass - this Chenin Blanc is dry with ripe apples, peaches and a hint of orange peel on the palate. The elegant crisp finish makes this a fantastic wine for all occasions. The fruit for Aloe Tree hails from the increasingly fashionable west coast of the Cape. Cool nights and sea breezes combine to extend the growing season, resulting in perfectly balanced, ripe grapes. The iconic Aloe Tree image is sure to be familiar to anyone who has travelled widely through the Cape and is an important part of the biodiversity which South Africa is famous for. The characteristic silhouette provides a backdrop to one of the most spectacular wine regions in the world where wines grow in harmony with the thousands of plant species that make up the Cape Floral Kingdom. Chenin blanc is well adapted for various soil types, but our premium grapes are grown on medium to lower potential soils. Yield levels are limited by winter pruning and by removing shoots and leaving two or three shoots per spur during early spring. Canopy management is required as it plays a major role in yield and quality to ensure an optimum microclimate within the canopy. With its vigorous growth, medium-sized trellises are required and shoot positioning are done to maximize canopy surface. Grapes are harvested at a minimum of 21.5°Brix, but we aim for 22°Brix. Once the Chenin Blanc grapes are harvested, they arrive at the winery where the fruit is gently pressed and only the free run juice is used. Using selected yeasts the juice then undergoes cold fermentation at 14 degrees Celsius for 2 weeks before lying on the lees for 3 months.
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Lanzerac
The 2021 Pinotage boasts an excellent deep colour, ripe berries and plums, smoky eucalyptus and gentle leather on the nose. Intensely ripe brambles and brioche with a good mouth-feel and lingering aftertaste. Lovely. And will improve. Great value for money. Nobody's been bottling Pinotage longer than Lanzerac and this wine shows a wealth of experience with this proudly South African variety. With 5 to 10 years' maturation this wine will start to acquire the velvet density and luxurious chocolate and caramel flavours of its very early Lanzerac predecessors. A full-bodied, complex wine with a beautiful balance between fruit and wood showcasing a good tannin structure that will allow it to age extremely well.