A white that’s made in large volumes – and at a bargain price – this brilliant Chenin Blanc should encourage people to buy more wines from old vines. It’s a beautifully judged, naturally fermented white from Ricardo Cloete, sourced from Durbanville and Stellenbosch. Vanilla-scented thanks to 30% new wood, it has pear, yellow apple and nectarine flavours and zesty, cool-climate acidity.
Country: South Africa
2023 Cape Point Fairtrade Sauvignon/Semillon, Western Cape
( £8.35, 12.5%, The Co-operative )It’s good to see a Cape Sauvignon Blanc, blended here with 30% Semillon, with a little bottle age rather than released and drunk within a few months of the vintage.  This is a tangy, very lightly wooded cuvée from the talented Riandri Visser at a very appealing price, with layers of gooseberry, gunflint and lime and an appealing herbal twist.
Looking Back
by Tim Atkin
Twice a year, I help to organise a wine dinner for a group of friends. For the most recent one, in Paris, my job was to bring the sweet wines...
2024 Sons of Sugarland Syrah, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch
( £30, 14%, The Wine Society )Almost ridiculously good at the price, this comes from an unoffocial Grand Cru Syrah parcel on the Karibib estate in the Polkadraai Hills and is as  good as a top northern Rhône red. Fermented with 100% whole bunches in concrete tanks, it has amazing depth and focus, aromas of clove and Negroni spices, layers of tapenade, oregano and blackberry, granite-derived freshness and a lingering, herbal finish.  Effortless brilliance from Reenen Borman.
2023 Olifantsberg Grenache Noir, Breedekloof Valley
( £16.50, 13.5%, Tesco )Proof that you don’t have to source grapes from Piekenierskloof to make great Grenache in South Africa, this Breedkloof red from Elizma Visser uses comes from a densely planted parcel at 400 metres. Redcurrant and blood orange flavours contribute acidity and a touch of bitterness here, with top notes of rose petal and summer pudding and fine-grained tannins. Ludicrously good value.
2024 Springfield Estate Special Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc, Robertson
( £12 until August 19, 12.5%, Waitrose )Parcels on sandy, alluvial soils in Robertson supply the grapes for this tasty, crowd-pleasing Sauvignon Blanc from the son and daughter team of Abrie and Emma Bruwer. Broader in style than the same winery’s Life from Stone bottling, it has appealing flavours of greengage and lime, a touch of stone fruit sweetness and a textured finish. Worth trying as an alternative to Marlborough Sauvignons at the same price.
2024 Diemersdal Grüner Veltliner, Durbanville, Western Cape
( £11.50, 13.5%, Majestic )Partly inspired by the subject of my newsletter, this is an example of a producer taking a punt on a lesser known grape, in this case Austria’s Grüner Vetliner in the Cape. Thys Louw produces this tangy, stony, white pepper-scented white in cool climate Durbanville, close to the Atlantic Ocean. Lime and subtle stone fruit flavours combine appealingly on the palate.
2022 Carinus Family Vineyards Syrah, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch
( £14.95, 13.5%, The Wine Society )Over the last decade or so, the Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch have emerged as one of the best places in the world to grow Syrah. It’s a region that produces wines that can go toe-to-toe with the best of the northern Rhône. This wine from Danie Carinus’ own vines, vinified by superstar winemaker Lukas van Loggerenberg, is crazily good value for money. It has enticing clove, lavender and white pepper aromas, tangy blackberry and tapenade flavours and a whisper of oak. Delicious.
Back to the Revolution
by Victoria Mason MW
The Swartland has got under my skin: the open, dusty, daydream-inducing roads; the dramatic granite outcrops; the big billowing skies; the swathes of slightly unkempt farmland, on the edge of...
A Fair Deal
by Tim Atkin
There are a few grapes still out there on the vines, but the verdict on the quality of the 2025 crop was harvested some time ago. After a run of...
2023 Botanica Mary Delany Collection Chenin Blanc, Citrusdal Mountain
( £27, 13%, The Wine Society )Consistently one of the best Chenin Blancs in the Cape, the Mary Delany Collection uses grapes from a 1960 block between 450 and 500 metres on the Citrusdal Mountain. Fermented and aged in older barrels, it has aromas of hay and wild flowers, flavours of lime and passion fruit, subtle wood and a tangy, tapering finish. An exceptional wine from an exceptional site.
Uncomfortable Truths
by Kate Lofthouse
Champagne is one of the elegant extras in life. These words, borrowed from Dickens, capture some of the glamour and sparkle of Champagne, its decadence and luxury. It is a...