Let's face it, we all love sharing a bottle of incredible wine with someone special, but affording a bottle that lives up to the occasion is another matter entirely.
Have you ever wondered if there was a magical list where you could easily find the country's top wines (judged among the finest wines in the world) under R150?
Well, there is. Our good friends at Platter's Wine Guide, South Africa's premier guide to wine, keep theirs constantly updated.
Here's a cherry-picked selection of real corkers:
For excellent white wines under R130, the following wines all received a coveted 4.5 stars from Platter's, so they're sure to stand out.
- Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chardonnay 2016 sports a vivid fruit, nutty oak appeal, lovely freshness and length
- Van Loveren's Christina Van Loveren Limited Release Chardonnay 2016 combines buttered toast and nuts with intense citrus
- Groenekloof Sauvignon Blanc 2017 by Neil Ellis, a textbook example of variety with its intense capsicum, crushed green herb aromas, wet pebble minerality, elevated acidity
- Zorgvliet's delightful Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc also 2017 is exceptional and its zesty lemon finish sets up the next sip
- Rossouw's Heritage 2015 from the Perdeberg Dry Land Collection, an exciting blend of Chenin & Roussanne boasting a spectrum of summer flavours, balanced perfectly with silky vanilla notes.
In the under R150 category:
- Bon Courage Range Noble Late Harvest with 4.5 stars showing admirable tension and vibrancy with its tangy stonefruit and pineapple, pierced through by limy acidity.
- KWV's Cape Tawny is our standout port at 4.5 stars
- Bubbly - the poised, pure and persistent Tanzanite Wine's Méthode Cap Classique, also at a sparkling 4.5 Stars.
Finally, for the indulgent reds at under R150 - our top performers, all achieving 4.5 Stars from Platter’s:
- Raka's Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barrel Select Merlot all 2015
- Zorgvliet's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon with its liquid silk texture and exceptional clarity
- Synergy Cape Blend 2015 from Beyerskloof packed with ripe red fruit, yet elegant
- Tokara 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is always serious and sturdily built
- De Grendel Shiraz 2015 - deeply rich and complex
- KWV Cathedral Cellar Triptych 2015 with its signature plush velvety texture, pedigreed and well-structured
- Windmeul Cellar's Reserve deserves special mention with their 2016 Reserve Pinotage and 2015 Shiraz and Cape Blend each garnering 4.5 Stars.
Come and taste some of these stellar wines and a whole constellation of others in a winter WINEderland at the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show presented by the Cape Times from 12 to 14 July, at Sun Exhibits, GrandWest.
All of these farms will be exhibiting at least one of our stops on the nationwide tour. Find out where at wineshow.co.za.