When you decide to travel to South Africa, I’m sure we all ask “How much do things cost”.
So we decided to get some costs of our favourite drink here in South Africa – Wine. Red wine, White wine, Rose and Cap Classic.
White varieties
Chardonnay – Very versatile and almost always dry wine; may be wooded or unwooded.
Chenin Blanc – Made either in dry, semi-sweet or dessert wine style. Easy drinking fruity style.
Gewürztraminer – Made in dry, off-dry, semi-sweet or dessert style. Very floral, fragrant character.
Riesling – Styles range, dry through to Noble Late Harvest wines. Mostly off dry in SA. Fragrant aromas and flavours.
Sauvignon Blanc – Light to medium-bodied and dry with racy refreshing palate. Sometimes wooded
Red varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon – Full bodied, robust red wine nearly always wooded. Higher tannins offer good aging potential.
Merlot – Elegant medium to full-bodied wines offering a velvety feel with soft integrated tannins.
Pinot Noir – Light to medium-bodied depending on wood maturation. A fruity, lively red wine.
Pinotage – SA grape varietal. Style varies from a light-bodied, fruity wine to full bodied with great aging potential.
Shiraz/Syrah – Rich medium to full-bodied wines that are generally well oaked.
Most of the grapes come from the Western Cape, our winelands. South African winelands, including the regions of Breede River Valley, Coastal Region, Klein Karoo and Olifants River. It also includes the otherwise unassigned southern districts of Bot River, Cape Agulhas, Overberg, Plettenberg Bay and Walker Bay, and the wards of Cederberg, Ceres, Herbertsdale, Prince Albert Valley, Ruiterbosch and Swartberg.
To get your hands on some wines, there are two routes. Either from a Wine farm (which is loads of fun) or from a retail/liquor store. To find a wine farm to visit: Wine Farms and Wineries directory | South African Winelands. Or you can just take a drive out of Cape Town and you are sure to come along a wine farm.
There are also loads of South African online wine sites to buy from, here are 3: Cyber Cellar, Get wine and Wine with prices that start from under R50.
If you just picking up a bottle of wine to take out to dinner. You can pick up one from a retail store here’s a few suggestions (Pricing will vary from shop to shop):
Backsberg Chenin Blanc 2012 – R49.00 a bottle
Pear, green apple and cashew provide an array of aromatic characters. Ripe fruit is tempered by finely balanced acidity to give a mouth filling, yet refreshing palate, which has a lingering finish.
Backsberg Pinotage 2011 – R76.00 a bottle
Ripe mulberry and sweet strawberry flavours with a touch of herbs. A juicy mouth-feel with supple, “sweet” tannins
Arabella Shiraz 2012 – R51.00 a bottle
Deep burgandy red in colour with inviting aromas of vanilla and mocha. The palate rewards with lingering flavours of liquorice and ripe black cherries, supported by soft spicy tannins.
Arabella Chardonnay 2013 – R51.00 a bottle
Yellow green in colour. Citrus and vanilla on nose and palate. Crisp and elegant with a long finish with subtle hints of wood.
Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay / Pinot Noir 2013 – R88.00 a bottle
Attractive deep gold brushed with copper glints. Complex and enticing whiffs of creamy citrus, starking red apples, baked pears and ripe strawberries yield to a sumptuous entry and broad citrus and tropical fruit flavours brushed with a suggestion of spice. A full bodied blend with interesting complexity, length and structure
Boschendal Classic Boschen Blanc 2012 – R58.00 a bottle
This fresh and fragrant blend is classic Boschendal at its finest, alive with fruity characters reminiscent of the orchards and groves on the original Boschendal farm.
Kanonkop Kadette Rosé 2014 – R61.00 a bottle
A full bodied wine with more onion skin colour rather than red/pink. Typical Pinotage floral aromas with prominent red fruit flavours. Staying with the Kanonkop philosophy this wine is a full bodied food wine. Add a bit of ice for spice.
Kanu Rifle Range Red NV – R54.00 a bottle
This easy drinking Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend offers tantalising aromas of biltong, dark chocolate and Christmas spices on the nose. Soft supple tannins and lingering mocha notes make this an amazingly accessible wine that combines the elegance of old world style wines, with new world fruit.
Kanu Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2012 – R73.00 a bottle
Red Onion skin in colour, boasting flavours of citrus, ripe white pear, cranberry and bramble berries. A beautifully balanced wine, marrying the noble cultivars of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.Taste: Fruity, yet complex
Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2013 – R105.00 a bottle
Passion fruit, ruby grapefruit, gun flint and freshly cut grass on the nose followed by fresh citrus notes. The palate shows beautiful richness, strong mineral core with an herbaceous undertone and a bright acidity running through the wine.
Steenberg Brut 1682 Chardonnay 2013 – R148.00 a bottle
The 1682 Brut has aromas of fresh granny smith apples, peach and overtones of freshly baked biscuits, and a creamy, yet fresh, mouth feel. It is a wonderful wine for all occasions, remaining crisp and refreshing on the palate without lacking fullness.
Tulbagh Winery Pinotage 2012 – R57.00 a bottle
Colour: Deep vibrant ruby with bright crimson rim.Nose: Bouquet of sweet plums, fruitcake, warm spices and sweet vanilla oak.Palate: Ripe fruit with spiced plum flavours, generously fruity with soft, rounded edges and easy accessible tannins.
Villiera Gewurztraminer 2013 – R71.00 a bottle
This wine is typically aromatic with intense lychee character and floral-rose petal-undertones. It is rich and ripe with a soft off dry finish ensuring good balance.
Villiera Tradition Rosé Brut NV – R110.00 a bottle
Joyful, rich pink colour, vivacious cascading bubbles and the full rich flavour of Pinot Noir combined with the elegance of Chardonnay and the uniqueness of Pinotage providing the colour. This is the Tradition rose – rich in flavour with a long finish.
Schalkenbosch (www.schalkenbosch.co.za) – Range from R85 a bottle
Reserved for classic wines of exceptional quality, crafted from carefully selected, handpicked and sorted grapes.
EDENHOF (www.schalkenbosch.co.za) – Range from R50 a bottle
Edenhof Wines are produced in an easily accessible, “new world style” which makes them suitable for early drinking.
ISIS (www.schalkenbosch.co.za) – Range from R30 a bottle
Isis Wines are easy drinking, “quaffing” wines for everyday, uncomplicated consumption at parties and braais/BBQ’s.
When you come to visit the Western Cape rent a car from CABS car rental, just don’t drink and drive.
