South African wine has an extensive wine history dating back to 1655, when the first vines were planted in Cape Town by Dutch Settlers. The country's climate is varied and diverse and, interestingly, boasts the world's longest wine route too! Browse our award-winning selection of South African wines including whites from the breathtaking Constantia or Hemel-en-Aarde Valleys to reds from the rugged Cederberg or historical Stellenbosch mountains. We can assure you that no matter which wine you select, the flavour will leave a long-lasting impression on your taste buds, beckoning you to indulge in yet another glass.
51 products
2022 Waterkloof Circumstance 'Seriously Cool' Cinsault
Regular price £13.99A fine and friendly expression of the Cape’s most under-rated variety. Leading the march for Cinsault's renaissance in the Cape, Waterkloof give this variety a level of respect it rarely enjoys.
Tasting Notes
Vibrant red fruits on the nose with a savoury, fynbos finesse. On the palate it has ripe, black cherry fruit offset by cranberry freshness and texture with taut acidity on the finish.
Production
Seriously Cool Cinsault is crafted from 30 to 35 year old bush-vine vineyards on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. The vineyards are close to the ocean, which ensure a long growing season and allows for ripe fruit with good concentration and a balanced acidity. Production from these grand dames of South African viticultural heritage is a miserly 4 tons/hectare. Grapes are hand-harvested and brought to the cellar, where the bunches are hand-sorted and fermented whole-bunch in large wooden fermenters. Alcoholic fermentation starts spontaneously inside the berry from the naturally occurring yeast. After around 3 days of this intracellular fermentation the grapes are punched down twice daily with feet to ensure that the berries are broken slowly and softly and not over extracted. The wine is kept on the skins for a minimum of 30 days. ‘Powered’ through gravity alone, the wine runs down to a tank below. The remaining berries, fall into the basket press where they are gently pressed. The soft pressing and the free-run are then placed together in second and third fill 600L French oak barrels to finish malolactic fermentation and the wine is then aged for 8 months. This wine expresses the grapes in their purest form and no fining agents were added. Only sulphur was added and no other additions, such as tartaric acid or enzymes were allowed.
Producer
Specifications
| Year | 2022 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 100% Cinsault |
| Country | South Africa |
|
Alcohol content
|
13.5% alc vol
|
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 10.1 units |
| Type | Red Wine |
| Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
| Features | Vegetarian, Vegan, Sustainable, Natural |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Food Matches | Would pair nicely with duck, pigeon and also a rack of lamb. Lightly chilled it's a great match with a plate of spicy charcuterie. |
| Origin | Stellenbosch |
| Appellation | South Africa |
2020 Waterkloof 'Circle of Life' Red
Regular price £14.49A rewarding and satisfyingly juicy mix of Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Syrah. Circle of Life tells the story of Waterkloof: a once conventionally farmed property transformed into a living, breathing organic and regenerative vineyard by Farm Manager Christiaan Loots and his team.
Tasting notes
A harmonious blend that combines the spiciness of Syrah, the ripe, youthful fruits of Petit Verdot and the juiciness from Cabernet Franc. The beginning is fresh and full of fruit with good acidity, evolving into riper flavours with lightly spicy notes. Elegant tannins and fine, bright acid on the finish.
Production
Circle of Life Red is neither defined by grape varietals, nor indeed a specific block within the vineyard, but instead encapsulates the myriad soils, aspects, altitudes and grape varieties found on this windswept, biodynamic farm. The windswept vineyard blocks are all south facing (less sun exposure), 200-350m above sea-level and a mere 2 miles from The Atlantic. These factors combine to produce low yields, balanced grapes and wines with a true sense of place. Production is a miserly 4 tons/hectare. Grapes are hand-harvested and brought to the cellar by horses for hand-sorting. Bordeaux varietals are de-stemmed, whilst Rhone varietals are whole bunch pressed. Fermentation takes place spontaneously with wild yeast in large, open-top wooden fermenters with foot-pressing or manual punch-downs 1-2 times per day. The wine is left on skins for 30 days before going through malolactic fermentation in mainly old barrels, then ageing for 20 months in the same vessels. The components are then blended and the wine ages futher in large wooden foudre. No fining, just a light filtration. No additons other than sulphur. Vegan friendly, biodynamic wine.
Producer
Founded by Paul Boutinot in 2004, Waterkloof is a family-owned farm using organic practices. The farm is perched high up on the windswept Schapenberg, overlooking False Bay and The Atlantic Ocean. Living soils, naturally low yields and a long growing season help provide talented Cellarmaster Nadia Barnard with naturally balanced grapes that are imbued with a truly defining sense of origin. Those grapes are then transformed into wine with a minimum of intervention. The resulting wines are fine, inimitable and best enjoyed with food.
Sustainability
As well as being ECOCERT certified as organic, and working biodynamically, Waterkloof goes much further than many in its efforts to be a highly sustainable winery. A member of The Integrated Production of Wine Scheme, a voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established by the South African wine industry in 1998, and of The Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trading Association, a multi-stakeholder, non-profit voluntary organisation which actively promotes ethical trade in the wine industry, it is has also been a member of the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity & Wine Initiative from its inception. Through a partnership between the IPW and the BWI, Waterkloof is a WWF Conservation Champion and has in place a formal nature conservation plan that includes: clearing approximately 55 hectares of land from alien invader species and restoring the Cape’s precious indigenous flora and fauna; re-establishing natural vegetation in previously disturbed areas; introducing preventive erosion control measures; providing migration corridors for species between isolated areas of natural vegetation; mulching of winter cover crops to create a healthy environment for the natural predators of vine pests and installing perches for birds of prey for natural rodent control measures.In the vineyards, drip irrigation is used only on young vines as a more efficient system to conserve water. Most of Waterkloof is dry-farmed; the biological control of pests is employed as an alternative to chemical spraying; annual legume cover crops are sown to add nitrogen to the soil and annual grain cover crops are sown in alternate rows as a carbon source and to return nutrients to the soil; earthworms are farmed and their casts are used to make a tea, which is used on the cover crops and soil as a living fertiliser; 380-400 tons of compost a year are made each year to boost carbon matter in the soil, to enhance its water holding capacity, and to boost the level of microbes in the soil keeping it fertile and alive; and, as part of the estate’s biodynamic regime, various foliar feeds are made. No damaging herbicides, pesticides or fungicide are used, only natural predatory fungi and metabolites to control mildew and to build the plants’ immunity. Six Percheron horses are used to plough, compost, spray and harvest the vineyards to reduce damage to the soil and vines and to reduce carbon emissions. Using the horses also teaches the handlers the rare skill of training these horses. A flock of chickens reduces the number of pests in the vineyard and returns nitrogen to the soil and compost, as well as providing fresh, free-range eggs for the restaurant. A small herd of cows is kept, which is key to producing biodynamic composts and teas, and a flock of sheep and a herd of goats are allowed to graze in the vineyards in winter to naturally reduce the level of weeds and vegetation between vine rows, as well as to put nitrogen back into the soil.
In the cellar, waste water gets pumped through a stainless-steel filter into a bioreactor where it is combined with the rest of the waste water from the building. Aerobic bacteria remove most of the contaminants before the water is pumped into a sand bed to remove any solids. From there, it runs into a reed bed for a final clean up and it is then used to irrigate the young vines. Peroxide is used a cleaning agent in the cellar as it breaks down in water after 15 minutes, leaving no residue. The cellar itself is built into the hillside to maintain a stable temperature, to avoid pumping the wines and hence reducing energy usage. Used boxes, dividers, bottles, screwcaps, plastics, paper and labels are recycled with an external company that take everything away for recycling. Old, unused bottles are sold to bottle recyclers who wash and resell them.
Specifications
| Year | 2020 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 38% Cabernet Franc, 28% Merlot, 18% Syrah, 16% Petit Verdot |
| Country | South Africa |
|
Alcohol content
|
14% alc vol
|
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 10.5 units |
| Type | Red Wine Blend |
| Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
| Features | Vegetarian, Vegan, Sustainable, Natural |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| This very versatile wine will complement numerous dishes from a tomato based stew to meat on the bone. | |
| Origin | Stellenbosch |
| Appellation | WO Stellenbosch |
2022 Coterie by Wildeberg Cinsault Rosé
Regular price £13.99A delicate free run Rosé of serious quality from a 30 year old bush-vine vineyard in Paarl, whose appetisingly savoury bite offsets the gentle, creamy texture.
Tasting Notes
A pale, lightly savoury Rosé of depth and purity. The older oak wraps this dry, mineral wine in a delicate creamy veil leading to a bright, structured and fine finish.
Producer
The Earth’s mantle thrusts up above the gentle town of Franschhoek, a wild slice of untamed mountain on which sits a farm named Wildeberg. An established wine region for some 350 years, sensible generations never thought to plant a vine here until a happy band of idealists recently craned their necks up at this hillside and, dizzy with hope, decided to give it a go. Franschhoek is on the very edge of the south-eastern corner of the Cape’s venerable Coastal Region, indeed Wildeberg’s property border runs over the top of the mountain where the Coastal Region gives way to the baboon-strewn road to Grabouw and the wider Western Cape.
The Wildeberg wines express the most captivating Franschhoek Valley fruit. In our Wildeberg Terroirs bottlings we look beyond our home to a clutch of exceptional sites of other origin.
A mountain rich in metaphor with the visual heft to flatter any wine, releases of Wildeberg and Terroirs express our continued purpose – exceptional wines of place, however humble the origin. If the abiding memory of our wines remains a textural sense of place then we are portraying the Cape as hoped.
Sustainability
Wildeberg is a 144ha wine farm set against the backdrop of the dramatic Franschhoek mountains, on the very edge of viticultural possibilities. To farm here you have to be in tune with nature, respecting the earth and the elements, creating wines which truly express the terroir with minimal intervention.
This special area is home to 4 endangered Fynbos species, and a key mission of Wildeberg is to conserve this vegetation type as they are critical to the biodiversity of the Western Cape. This work entails clearing invasive alien trees which can overwhelm the Fynbos and contribute to the threat of forest fires. Fynbos covered mountains like those at Wildeberg are thought to be responsible for delivering one glass of water in five in South Africa, due to the plants allowing up to 80% of rainwater to run off into rivers and reservoirs rather than being absorbed into the soil.
Water is precious in South Africa, and waste water from the winery passes through a natural wetland with indigenous reeds and plants before being pumped into our irrigation dam. We then use this water to irrigate the vines.
All Wildeberg wines are certified as part of South Africa’s sustainability accreditation, the ‘Integrated Production of Wine’ (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of audited guidelines specifying agricultural practices, manufacturing practices and bottling activities.
Wildeberg is also a proud member of the Cape’s Old Vine Project (OVP), which preserves blocks of vines which are 35 years and older. The project encourages producers to farm as close to nature as possible whilst raising awareness of the inherent potential of old vines to produce outstanding and expressive wines.
Awards
-
2022 Vintage - Decanter World Wine Awards 2023 - Silver
- 2021 Vintage - Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 - Silver
Specifications
| Year | 2022 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 100% Cinsault |
| Country | South Africa |
|
Alcohol content
|
12,5% alc vol
|
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 9.8 units |
| Type | Rose Wine |
| Dietary Information | Vegan and Vegetarian |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Food Matches | Drink chilled on its own or serve with fresh seafood, a quinoa and pomegranate salad or herb marinated grilled chicken tenders. |
| Origin | WO Coastal Region |
2022 Strange Kompanjie Old Vine Palomino
Regular price £9.99The label reflects the wine's provenance high up on the Piekenierskloof plateau, where stumpy bush-vines appear frozen in poses of agony. Their meagre yield gives a wine that's bright, tangy, textural and distinctly salty on the finish. Drink slowly to take all this in!
Tasting Notes
Fresh and zesty aromas with notes of almond skin, fennel and even a little jasmine. A bright natural acidity on the palate with a teasing top note of grassy fennel, almond nuttiness and the residual salinity of an old dry grown vineyard. Drink slowly to take all this in.
Production
On the fecund plateau of Piekenierskloof there exists some extraordinary bush. Dwarfish, seemingly petrified stumps punctuate a high rolling landscape of rye-grass and rooibos. Amongst these are old plantings of Grenache Noir, Chenin Blanc and, here and there, Palomino. Strange Kompanjie has isolated one such block for a teeny release of old vine Palomino, planted in 1977.
Producer
What’s this then? SKU is a casual band of happy ferments. A circus tent of the Cape’s stranger grapes and blends. We will champion the unfashionable, experiment with the known and express the found before it gets lost. Mistakes are likely, fun certain. Welcome to Strange Kompanjie, a Kultivar Club for the Underdog.
Sustainability
Strange Kompanjie Unlimited wines are certified as part of South Africa’s sustainability accreditation, the ‘Integrated Production of Wine’ (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of audited guidelines specifying agricultural practices, manufacturing practices and bottling activities.
Specifications
| Year | 2022 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 100% Palomino |
| Country | South Africa |
| Alcohol content | 12.5% alcohol |
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 9.75 units |
| Type | White Wine |
| Features | Vegetarian & Vegan |
| Dietary Information | Contains Sulphites |
| Food Match | Simply cooked fish dishes, scallops or fishcakes or an asparagus and lemon risotto. |
| Appellation | Piekenierskloof |
2022 Waterkloof Circle of Life White
Regular price £13.49Circle of Life celebrates farming in harmony with nature, telling a story of preserving and regenerating biodiversity. This harmonious combination of 3 classic grape varieties captures the essence of Waterkloof's biodynamic viticultural amphitheatre. 94 points, Decanter July 2023.
Tasting notes
A fine and seamless blend of 3 classic white grapes. Sauvignon Blanc aromas are prominent on the nose, with lime and prickly pear notes. A tight mineral core and creamy mid palate from the Chenin Blanc gives complexity and a persistent finish while a small proportion of Semillon adds texture and depth.
Awards
- Vintage 2022 - Decanter World Wine Awards 2023 - Silver
Production
Circle of Life White is neither defined by grape varietals, nor indeed a specific block within the vineyard, but instead encapsulates the myriad soils, aspects, altitudes and grape varieties found on this windswept, biodynamic farm. The windswept vineyard blocks are all, south facing (less sun exposure), 200-350m above sea-level and a mere 2 miles from The Atlantic. These factors combine to produce low yields, balanced grapes and wines with a true sense of place. Production is a miserly 4 tons per hectare. Bunches are picked early in the mornings, when they are still cool, which helps to preserve the flavours. Extracting juice from the grapes is achieved through whole-bunch pressing in our modern basket press. This is the most delicate way to extract the juice. No additions of enzymes or settling agents were made to the juice. After a settling period of 24 hours, a large proportion of the juice was destined for co-fermentation. We determined a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc prior to fermentation which went into old 600-liter barrels where it fermented for four months. After the fermentation was completed the blend was racked to a stainless-steel tank to which they added the rest of the Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Semillon. To have the varietals integrate the wine was left in barrel on the fine lees until its bottling date six months later. This helped to add more complexity and weight to the palate. The wine is produced as naturally as possible, with no additions of acids or enzymes.
Producer
Founded by Paul Boutinot in 2004, Waterkloof is a family-owned farm using organic practices. The farm is perched high up on the windswept Schapenberg, overlooking False Bay and The Atlantic Ocean. Living soils, naturally low yields and a long growing season help provide talented Cellarmaster Nadia Barnard with naturally balanced grapes that are imbued with a truly defining sense of origin. Those grapes are then transformed into wine with a minimum of intervention. The resulting wines are fine, inimitable and best enjoyed with food.
Sustainability
As well as being ECOCERT certified as organic, and working biodynamically, Waterkloof goes much further than many in its efforts to be a highly sustainable winery. A member of The Integrated Production of Wine Scheme, a voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established by the South African wine industry in 1998, and of The Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trading Association, a multi-stakeholder, non-profit voluntary organisation which actively promotes ethical trade in the wine industry, it is has also been a member of the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity & Wine Initiative from its inception. Through a partnership between the IPW and the BWI, Waterkloof is a WWF Conservation Champion and has in place a formal nature conservation plan that includes: clearing approximately 55 hectares of land from alien invader species and restoring the Cape’s precious indigenous flora and fauna; re-establishing natural vegetation in previously disturbed areas; introducing preventive erosion control measures; providing migration corridors for species between isolated areas of natural vegetation; mulching of winter cover crops to create a healthy environment for the natural predators of vine pests and installing perches for birds of prey for natural rodent control measures.In the vineyards, drip irrigation is used only on young vines as a more efficient system to conserve water. Most of Waterkloof is dry-farmed; the biological control of pests is employed as an alternative to chemical spraying; annual legume cover crops are sown to add nitrogen to the soil and annual grain cover crops are sown in alternate rows as a carbon source and to return nutrients to the soil; earthworms are farmed and their casts are used to make a tea, which is used on the cover crops and soil as a living fertiliser; 380-400 tons of compost a year are made each year to boost carbon matter in the soil, to enhance its water holding capacity, and to boost the level of microbes in the soil keeping it fertile and alive; and, as part of the estate’s biodynamic regime, various foliar feeds are made. No damaging herbicides, pesticides or fungicide are used, only natural predatory fungi and metabolites to control mildew and to build the plants’ immunity. Six Percheron horses are used to plough, compost, spray and harvest the vineyards to reduce damage to the soil and vines and to reduce carbon emissions. Using the horses also teaches the handlers the rare skill of training these horses. A flock of chickens reduces the number of pests in the vineyard and returns nitrogen to the soil and compost, as well as providing fresh, free-range eggs for the restaurant. A small herd of cows is kept, which is key to producing biodynamic composts and teas, and a flock of sheep and a herd of goats are allowed to graze in the vineyards in winter to naturally reduce the level of weeds and vegetation between vine rows, as well as to put nitrogen back into the soil.
In the cellar, waste water gets pumped through a stainless-steel filter into a bioreactor where it is combined with the rest of the waste water from the building. Aerobic bacteria remove most of the contaminants before the water is pumped into a sand bed to remove any solids. From there, it runs into a reed bed for a final clean up and it is then used to irrigate the young vines. Peroxide is used a cleaning agent in the cellar as it breaks down in water after 15 minutes, leaving no residue. The cellar itself is built into the hillside to maintain a stable temperature, to avoid pumping the wines and hence reducing energy usage. Used boxes, dividers, bottles, screwcaps, plastics, paper and labels are recycled with an external company that take everything away for recycling. Old, unused bottles are sold to bottle recyclers who wash and resell them.
Specifications
| Year | 2022 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 49% Sauvignon Blanc, 41% Chenin Blanc, 10% Semillion |
| Country | South Africa |
|
Alcohol content
|
14% alc vol
|
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 10.5 units |
| Type | White Wine Blend |
| Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
| Features | Vegetarian, Vegan, Sustainable, Natural |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Food Matches | Try with Sashimi of Tuna, smoked potato gnocchi or red snapper. |
| Origin | Stellenbosch |
| Appellation | WO Stellenbosch |
2022 Wildeberg Red
Regular price £19.99A fine, distinctive blend of 90% Syrah with 10% Cabernet Franc, each from a single vineyard parcel in the Franschhoek valley. A natural approach to winemaking gives a fresh, expressive style with attractively wild berry fruit characters.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Warm and spicy on the nose, aromas of fresh crushed raspberries and black cherry mingle with black pepper, allspice and woodsmoke.
Palate
The palate has breadth and natural juiciness combining fresh cranberry and red berry fruit with spicy, peppercorn flavours. Best served at cool room temperature.
Production
Wildeberg is our small farm in Franschhoek. Only 10ha can be planted to vines, the rest is wild. The fruit for the Wildeberg wines comes from the Franschhoek Valley only, hand-harvested, naturally-fermented and gently matured in our mountain barrel hall on the farm. A blend of roughly 90% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Franc, both parcels of fruit were hand-harvested then allowed to macerate carbonically without press. These wild ferments were left to themselves with just one daily manual punchdown followed by 12 months ageing in 600 ltr French oak barrels.
Producer
The Earth’s mantle thrusts up above the gentle town of Franschhoek, a wild slice of untamed mountain on which sits a farm named Wildeberg. An established wine region for some 350 years, sensible generations never thought to plant a vine here until a happy band of idealists recently craned their necks up at this hillside and, dizzy with hope, decided to give it a go. Franschhoek is on the very edge of the south-eastern corner of the Cape’s venerable Coastal Region, indeed Wildeberg’s property border runs over the top of the mountain where the Coastal Region gives way to the baboon-strewn road to Grabouw and the wider Western Cape.
The Wildeberg wines express the most captivating Franschhoek Valley fruit. In our Wildeberg Terroirs bottlings we look beyond our home to a clutch of exceptional sites of other origin.
A mountain rich in metaphor with the visual heft to flatter any wine, releases of Wildeberg and Terroirs express our continued purpose – exceptional wines of place, however humble the origin. If the abiding memory of our wines remains a textural sense of place then we are portraying the Cape as hoped.
Sustainability
Wildeberg is a 144ha wine farm set against the backdrop of the dramatic Franschhoek mountains, on the very edge of viticultural possibilities. To farm here you have to be in tune with nature, respecting the earth and the elements, creating wines which truly express the terroir with minimal intervention.
This special area is home to 4 endangered Fynbos species, and a key mission of Wildeberg is to conserve this vegetation type as they are critical to the biodiversity of the Western Cape. This work entails clearing invasive alien trees which can overwhelm the Fynbos and contribute to the threat of forest fires. Fynbos covered mountains like those at Wildeberg are thought to be responsible for delivering one glass of water in five in South Africa, due to the plants allowing up to 80% of rainwater to run off into rivers and reservoirs rather than being absorbed into the soil.
Water is precious in South Africa, and waste water from the winery passes through a natural wetland with indigenous reeds and plants before being pumped into our irrigation dam. We then use this water to irrigate the vines.
All Wildeberg wines are certified as part of South Africa’s sustainability accreditation, the ‘Integrated Production of Wine’ (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of audited guidelines specifying agricultural practices, manufacturing practices and bottling activities.
Wildeberg is also a proud member of the Cape’s Old Vine Project (OVP), which preserves blocks of vines which are 35 years and older. The project encourages producers to farm as close to nature as possible whilst raising awareness of the inherent potential of old vines to produce outstanding and expressive wines.
Specifications
| Year | 2022 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 90% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Franc |
| Country | South Africa |
| Alcohol content | 13% alcohol |
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 9.75 units |
| Type | Red Wine |
| Features | Vegetarian & Vegan |
| Dietary Information | Contains Sulphites |
| Food Matches | Great with charcuterie, a juicy steak or traditional South African Bobotie. |
| Appellation | WO Franschoeck |
2022 The Tea Leaf
Regular price £13.50A naturally fermented old bush vine brew, Tea Leaf hails from vineyards where the vines grow amongst South Africa’s native rooibos (red tea) plants that grow wild alongside the vines.
Tasting Notes
Aromas of ripe citrus and peach with savoury, gently nutty notes. The palate combines firm, high-key fruit with a gentle, sandy texture true to the source vineyards’ soil leading to a long, lightly honeyed finish. A deeply satisfying wine, taut and concentrated, from a blend of high quality bush vine fruit.
Production
From selected coastal vineyards of Chenin, Grenache Gris and Marsanne where the indigenous rooibos tea plant grows wild. Grapes are harvested in the early hours and then a further selection is made by hand at the winery to select the best fruit. The wine is naturally fermented and aged a few months in older 600 litre French oak barrels. No fining and coarse filtered (above 1 micron).
Producer
What’s this then? SKU is a casual band of happy ferments. A circus tent of the Cape’s stranger grapes and blends. We will champion the unfashionable, experiment with the known and express the found before it gets lost. Mistakes are likely, fun certain. Welcome to Strange Kompanjie, a Kultivar Club for the Underdog.
Sustainability
Strange Kompanjie Unlimited wines are certified as part of South Africa’s sustainability accreditation, the ‘Integrated Production of Wine’ (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of audited guidelines specifying agricultural practices, manufacturing practices and bottling activities.
Specifications
| Year | 2022 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 80% Chenin Blanc, 12% Grenache Gris, 7% Marsanne |
| Country | South Africa |
| Alcohol content | 13.5% alcohol |
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 10.1 units |
| Type | White Wine |
| Features | Vegetarian & Vegan |
| Dietary Information | Contains Sulphites |
| Food Match | Simply cooked fish dishes, scallops, salt & pepper squid or fishcakes, light seafood pasta, risotto, rich salads and sushi. |
| Appellation | WO Western Cape |
2020 Waterkloof Boreas
Regular price £29.95A wine is only bottled under the Waterkloof label when one of the vineyard blocks on the Schapenberg offers up something extraordinary. This fourth such release from a great vintage for reds is a wonderfully complex Bordeaux blend, predominantly Cabernet Franc.
Tasting notes
Sublimely complex aromas of redcurrant, plum and red cherry with cedary spice and a hint of pencil shaving. The predominance of Cabernet Franc gives a wine of subtlety and elegance with lifted berry fruit and a supple, finely structured mid palate. Firm yet fine tannins frame the spicy, ethereal finish.
Production
A wine is made under the Waterkloof label, only when one of their vineyard blocks on The Schapenberg offers up something extraordinary. They made their first in 2005 – a Sauvignon Blanc. Finally, seventeen years later their best block of Chenin made the grade and so a second was borne from the outstanding white wine vintage of 2021. Since taking over as winemaker in 2013, having previously been assistant since 2009, Nadia Langenegger and her team have really begun to get the best out of Waterkloof’s red grapes. They believe in evolution rather than revolution and a few modifications were implemented, notably, foot-treading to extract the juice and tannin more gently. Hard work indeed, but also quite fun…well at least the first couple each year are. They have 20 wooden fermenters to get through! The changes have really paid off, even throughout the challenging drought vintages of 2017-2019, but even more so with the help of the fantastic red wine vintage of 2020. Testament to this improvement was a first Platter’s 5 Star Award for not just one but two of our red wines in 2021 – Circle of Life Red 2019 and The Last of The First Pinotage 2020. With the long drought having finally broken, tasting the 2020 red wines from barrel we quickly realized that this would be the first vintage to offer up a Waterkloof red and along came Waterkloof Syrah 2020. However, such was the quality of the red wines across various blocks and grapes on Waterkloof, we also trialed a blend from their best parcels of Bordeaux grape varieties (51% Cabernet Franc/25% Merlot/14% Petit Verdot/10% Cabernet Sauvignon). The result? Waterkloof’s vinous apogee, named after the fiercest wind god and face of Waterkloof – BOREAS. A selection of grapes from across the estate's best blocks of Bordeaux varieties grown at an altitude of 240-250m. Average yield 17 hl/ha. Hand-picked and hand-sorted grapes were whole bunch pressed (other than Cabernet Sauvignon) and naturally fermented in old, open-top, French oak foudres. Gentle maceration with foot treading and manual punch-downs. Ageing took place in French oak barriques and 9,000 ltr old oak foudres for 27 months. No fining, minimal filtration, no additions other than sulphur. 13,390 bottles 2020 produced. Offering great enjoyment in its youth, especially once decanted for a couple of hours, BOREAS has a long future ahead and will develop in complexity over the next 10-15+ years.
Producer
Founded by Paul Boutinot in 2004, Waterkloof is a family-owned, organic, biodynamic and WWF Biodiversity Champion farm perched high up on the windswept Schapenberg, overlooking False Bay and The Atlantic Ocean. Living soils, naturally low yields and a long growing season help provide talented young Cellarmaster Nadia Barnard with naturally balanced grapes that are imbued with a truly defining sense of origin. Those grapes are then transformed into wine with a minimum of intervention. The resulting wines are fine, inimitable and best enjoyed with food.
Sustainability
As well as being ECOCERT certified as organic, and working biodynamically, Waterkloof goes much further than many in its efforts to be a highly sustainable winery. To learn more please visit their website.
Specifications
| Year | 2020 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | Cabernet Franc 51%, Merlot 25%, Petit Verdot 14% |
| Country | South Africa |
|
|
|
| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 10.5 units |
| Type | Red Wine |
| Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
| Features | Vegetarian, Vegan, Sustainable, Natural |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Food Matches | Decant the wine two hours prior to serving to perfectly complement a rib of beef or a similar dish. |
| Origin | Stellenbosch |
| Appellation | WO Stellenbosch |
2023 Raats Family Wines, Original Chenin Blanc, Polkadraai Hills.
Regular price £15.49This Chenin Blanc, cultivated with meticulous care, reflects a symphony of tradition and innovation.
Tasting Notes
100% Chenin Blanc, this has a distinctive yellow apple and pineapple core, alongside notes of green melon and limes. The wine is bursting with fresh fruit flavours ending with zesty citrus flavours, and has a long mineral finish. A very clean and satisfying hand-picked Chenin Blanc that's a versatile wine for food pairing.
Producer
After making wine around the world and honing his craft in the Cape, Bruwer Raats established Raats Family Wines in 2000, based on a policy of ‘excellence through specialisation’, focusing on two unfashionable grapes varieties at the time, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.Purchasing the only land he could afford, some relatively cheap and ‘undesirable’ plots in the Polkadraai Hills, it soon became apparent that the unique granite-based terroir was producing some incredible wines, and is now recognised as one of the finest wards in Stellenbosch. His Eden High Density Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, and the iconic MR de Compostella hold a place as some of South Africa’s finest wines and sit comfortably amongst the best expressions of the varieties on the planet.
Production
From vineyards with an average age of 35 years. Vines are grown in both decomposed granite and Table Mountain sandstone soils. A combination of trellised and bush vines, irrigated as well as dry land that yield approximately 7 – 8 tons per hectare.
Grapes grown from the two soil types are fermented separately, the decomposed granite bringing a lime and mineral character, while the sandstone more topical fruit and structure. The juice was cold settled for 2 to 3 days, then cold fermented (14º - 16ºC) in stainless steel tanks and aged on the lees for 6 months before bottling. No wood ageing.
Accolades & Awards
2022 – 89 Points Tim Atkin MW
2022 – 4.5 Star John Platter
2022 – 92 Points Winemag
Specifications
| Year | 2023 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 100% Chenin Blanc |
| Country | South Africa |
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| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 10.5 units per bottle |
| Type | White Wine |
| Cellaring Potential | Awaiting info |
| Food Matching | An easy to pair wine since it has a wide flavour profile, but we especially recommend it with curry or similar spicy dishes as well as sushi and oysters. |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Origin | Stellenbosch |
| Appellation | WO Western Cape |
