August is South African wine month! 10% off selected South African wines.
There are 21 products in this category
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We created the original version of this case during lockdown, to help out South African wineries, who were especially hard hit. Lockdowns are but a memory, but these wines are still excellent. A perfect way to discover the wines of South Africa. Contents may change - and the picture not be completely accurate - but the offer is always excellent. Currently we offer: Vondeling Petit Blanc Chenin Blanc 2023 Voor-Paardeberg Aloe Tree Chenin Blanc 2021, Robertson Lanzerac Chardonnay 2022 Stellenbosch AA Badenhorst Secateurs Dry Red 2023 Swartland Meerlust Red 2020, Stellenbosch Rustenberg John X Merriman 2021 Stellenbosch Contents may vary from image shown.
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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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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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Aloe Tree
Aromatic guava and orange blossom jump from the glass – this Chenin Blanc is off 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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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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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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Rustenberg
The John X Merriman is a powerful wine that rewards aging. In its youth the wine is worth decanting and expresses cassis, black currant and dark fruits complemented with cigar tobacco and sour cherrynotes. As the wine ages and its fine grained tannins soften a softer more savoury palate develops revealing wonderful drinkability and tertiary complexity.
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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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Lanzerac
This classic Cabernet shows inviting flavours of blackberry, with hints of cocoa, almond and cedar. A full-bodied wine with excellent balance on the palate and a smooth lingering aftertaste, it just cries out for some lamb or beef steak. Really delicious.
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Vondeling Wines
Refreshing dry rosé from South Africa. Hugely quaffable.
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Vondeling Wines
Ripe plums, mulberry, cherry blossom, and violet aroma while infused with subtle hints of cinnamon and sweet spices. The palate is gentle and the tannins fresh but rounded.
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Iona
White grapefruit, intense tropical fruit, ripe gooseberry and fleshy kiwi fruit over-lay Iona's distinctive herbal and floral undertones. The palate is keenly balanced showing cut green apples and lime marmalade followed by great minerality and length. Vegan.
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Meerlust
This baby wine of SA's most famed grand Bordeaux-blend Rubicon is on astonishing form. In fact as no Rubicon was made in 2019 this wine contains all the top barrels that would normally be reserved for it. 50% new Nevers oak, 27% Cab Franc. Dense but taut with cab franc lift, pencil lead, capsicum, the whole spectrum of Cabernet class at a crazy good price.
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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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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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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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David & Nadia
Neal Martin 91/100 The 2022 Chenin Blanc comes from 8 vineyards in granite soils, plantings from 1968 to 1986, matured 20% in concrete and the remainder in neutral oak. Lemon thyme, orange zest and light waxy scents blossom on the nose - quite intense and well-delineated, almost feisty in style. The palate is taut and fresh, with a linear, slightly more malic finish than usual. Plenty of freshness. Very fine. David & Nadia Sadie are a young husband and wife team whose thoughtful, sensitive approach to viticulture and winemaking has set them out as one of the Swartland’s shining stars. Their quest to nurture and restore low yielding old vineyards is an effort to breathe new life into the region’s enviable stock of old vines and shine a light on the qualities of the beautiful Swartland at large. More than that though, they are also establishing new vineyards, which they have planted to Grenache - their flagship variety along with Chenin Blanc. Once in the winery, the grapes see a cool soak before spontaneous fermentation and aging in a combination of concrete and neutral French oak. Extractions are gentle and aim for light, lifted fruit, freshness and perfume. From humble beginnings, David & Nadia are now recognised as one of the Cape’s very top producers.
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Lanzerac
Easy to drink, fresh and crisp chardonnay. A good choice for people who prefer lighter and less bodied chardonnays.
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Lanzerac
The 2020 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.
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Vilafonté
Named in honour of the ancient vilafonté soils that make up the estate at 1.5m years old, one of the oldest documented soil types in the world where the vines for this wine have been growing for almost two decades. A Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Just 330 barrels produced of this stunning wine. Layers of fresh plum, black cherry, baking spice and vanilla pod. Lovely mineral notes with a lingering finish. A line of acidity giving real tension to the whole wine.