Rich Whites

Straw like colour with greenish hues. Attractive aromas of nectarine, hints of lemon zest and white flower notes. The pallet has great texture and depth and finishes with beautifully balanced acidity, long and flavoursome mid pallet with rich texture reflect conditions of the vintage.

Country: South Africa

Region: Elgin

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13%

This is a Chardonnay of great purity, reflecting site and the season in which it was grown. Meticulous attention and care in the vineyard is most critical in allowing that expression. Elgin is one of the Cape’s coolest wine growing areas with favourable climatic, soil and topographic conditions.

Wonderfully rich and fleshy  from hand harvested bushvine grown grapes in Franschhoek. Wild Yeast fermented. Beautifully poised and elegant. Excellent food wine.

Country: South Africa

Region: Franschhoek

Grapes: 100% Semillon

ABV: 13%

Ideal with white fish dishes, fresh oysters and prawns.

https://www.wildeberg.co.za/

Certified Heritage Vineyards planted in 1905.

Ripe stone fruit and toasted oak aromas with concentrated peach and citrus flavours. Subtle almond and toast nuances make this a sophisticated, rich and mouth-filling wine.

Country: New Zealand 

Region: Hawkes Bay

ABV: 14%

Grape: Chardonnay 

Penny's sister Sally's all time favourite everyday drinking Viognier! 

Country: South Africa

Region: Western Cape

Grapes: Viognier 

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Paella

Powerful aromatics are redolent of ripe citrus fruits. While the palate has concentrated lychee, honeysuckle, nectarines and pineapple.

Country: USA

Region: Oregon

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Pinot Gris

A deliciously complex Chardonnay from the iconic Springfield Estate in South Africa. 

This fresh white wine has flavours of pineapple and pear drops. Deliciously complex in style.

Country: South Africa

Region: Robertson

ABV:13%

Variety: Chardonnay

Springfield Estate goes against the grain in order to make sure the drinking experience is perfect at the consumer end and sustainable at its end. The wines are all about the rocky, unforgiving terroir of Robertson, and stand head and shoulders above most producers for sheer quality.

Springfield Estate

Light golden straw in colour with bright fruit aromas of pear, melon, and peach. The palate has notes of stone-fruit, banana, vanilla, and a hint of buttered popcorn. Rich and decadent, yum!

Country: USA

Region: River Junction California

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

WOW! What a stunning wine. One of the best wines from South Africa.

A full and rich wine with great depth of flavour and character. There are aromas and flavours of ripe apricots, honey and tropical fruit with a touch of vanilla oak and crisp citrus fruit.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch (nestled between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg Mountains

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

Food Match: Fish dishes, shellfish and sushi

David Trafford is one of South Africa’s most individual winemakers. David is completely self-taught, save for a few months working a vintage in St Emilion. By trade he is an architect but in 1983 he decided to plant a small vineyard for fun. In 1991 David turned his part-time hobby into a full-time career. More than twenty years on, he is one of South Africa’s most decorated winemakers.

Label by Rita Trafford: 'Helichrysum Dreaming'

One of Penny's favourite Stellenbosch estates.

Fresh lemon and lime followed by creamy nuttiness on the nose. This wine has a complex structure with a vibrant crisp palate flowing into an elegant oak finish.  

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

Hartenberg Wine

Barrel Ageing 12 months French Oak (225litre) 33 % new, 33% 2nd fill. Balance in 3rd fill barrels. Fermented & matured Maturation Up to 5 years from vintage.

Bright straw yellow colour with brilliant greenish glints. Intense on the nose with tropical fruit, peach skin and citrus aromas. Balanced and well-structured on the palate with great acidity and a lengthy finish.

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y Leon, Rioja Alta

Grapes:

ABV: 13%

Food match: Shell fish or roast veg dishes.

Hacienda el Ternero is a village which dates back to 1077 when it belonged to the Santa Maria de Herrerea Monastery. Notably, it is the only vineyard of DOC Rioja that lies within the region of Castilla y León. In 2009, the village was bought by the current owner. The 60 hectares of vineyards are in the Rioja Alta and sit at an altitude of 650m

Musar Jeune White is an unoaked blend of Viognier, Vermentino, Chardonnay from youthful Bekaa Valley vines. Crisp and aromatic, this is an exciting blend of French and Italian varieties has its own distinct characters of passionfruit, red apples and elderflower with a dry, refreshing finish.

Country: Lebanon

Region: Bekaa Valley

Grapes: Viognier, Vermentino, Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

With ancient roots, a fresh and vibrant white with a strong personality, complex tropical aromas and fruity notes, enriched by elegant spicy hints.

Country: Italy

Region: Crecchio, Abruzzo

ABV: 13%

Grape: Pecorino

Food Match: goats cheese salads, seafood, ideally situated in the sunshine on a terrace overlooking mountains or an ocean and with good company!

Gardner Street Classic has the classic floral, elderflower note we have come to know of contemporary Bacchus married with a touch of stone fruit from the Chardonnay. On the palate there's an abundance of red apple fruit, a touch of wild fennel with the barrel fermented Chardonnay giving mid palate weight and structure to a wine that ultimately finishes with a brisk, present acidity.

Country: England

Region: East Sussex

Grapes: Bacchus 75% , Chardonnay 25%

ABV: 12.5%

Gardner Street is the historic name of Henners’ home village of Herstmonceux. The old name captures the hand-harvested, artisanal craft of tending vines and wines down English country lanes. A modern marriage of fresh, floral Bacchus with a little barrel-fermented Chardonnay.

Elegant, with great complexity, with citrus aromas enveloped in layers of minerality and herbal hints. Full-flavoured with a creamy texture, powerful and long finish.

Country: France

Region: Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley

Grapes: Clairette 55%, Roussanne 20%, Bourboulenc 15%, Grenache Blanc 10%

ABV: 13%

Made with fruit from the legendary first growth vineyard Mezes Maly.

Mézes Mály's characteristics are based around its translation as 'honey pot'. Its incredibly long and exquisitely balanced aromas and flavours combine the very essence of aszu wines.

Apricot and honey on the nose, beautiful fruit driven depth of palate which is bone dry, followed by a gorgeous minerally finish. If you love white Burgundy - this one's for you.

Country: Hungary

Region: Tokaji

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Furmint, Hárslevelû, Muscat

Co-founded in 1990 by wine writer Hugh Johnson, Royal Tokaji has quickly become one of the most important wineries in Tokaj, producing sweet and dry wines.

Walker Bay in South Africa is becoming a shining example of how Stellenbosch no longer holds the mantle of 'best region' in South Africa - there are now other contenders.

Abundantly fruity on the nose with fragrant white peach aromas mingling with a rich, creamy character. These follow well onto the palate and combine seamlessly with crisp minerality and natural acidity.

Country: South Africa

Region: Walker Bay

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Viognier

Since founding Creation in 2002, Jean-Claude and Carolyn have led conservation efforts for the area, becoming one of only nine wineries in South Africa to receive EnviroWines accreditation. It’s not simply an audit, but scientific measurement of every management practice.

Subtle and elegant with a steely core, its aroma portrays freshness and perfume.

Country: South Africa

Region:  Witzenberg Mountain range in Ceres

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Chardonnay

Food Match:

An oaked Chardonnay will be complemented by slightly creamier dishes such as porcini mushroom risotto, or butternut gnocchi with shavings of rich Gruyere cheese. For something out of the ordinary, enjoy it with fried arancini stuffed with goats cheese to pair with this Chardonnay.

Yummy Burgundian Chardonnay from next door to Pouilly-Fuissé. Clean, fleshy white fruit aroma with a subtle honeyed finish.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13%

Fresh and slightly spicy with fleshy, white peach characters and a lovely perfume of jasmine from the Muscat. On the palate this wine is bursting with peach and apricot flavours.  Wonderfully balanced with an impressive backbone of elegant minerality.

Country: Lebanon

Region: Bekaa Valley

Grapes: Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat de Alexandria

ABV: 13.5%

Food match

Mediterranean chicken or fish dishes with grilled vegetables

Soils rich in limestone and broken mountain rock on De Wetshof’s site-specific vineyards allow this wine to emit optimum varietal expression. An unwooded wine, Bon Vallon has a brisk and clean freshness leading into a wide spectrum of classic flavours including citrus, wild flowers and grilled nuts, with a nuanced minerality on the aftertaste.

Country: South Africa

Region: Robertson

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

Half Bottle

One of the most unique and long-lived white wines in the world. A blend of indigenous grapes Obaideh and Merwah, with a deep golden colour and honeyed aromas, full of tropical fruits; pineapple, banana with warm, toasty creamy notes. Pale golden colour with aromas of pear, lemon zest and apple and vanilla on the nose. Hints  of lemon, orange with good body, concentration and mouthfeel , tangy acidity with ripe fruit. 

Country: Lebanon

Region: Bekaa Valley

Grapes: Obaideh and Merwah

ABV:12%

The very scarce 2015 vintage is clean and pure with a lovely vibrant energy. It is a stunning example of the indigenous Merwah grape with its origins in the mountains of Lebanon – it is a rare light skinned grape variety, closely related to Semillon in Bordeaux and gives wines of great ageing potential and elegance.

Medium Lemon yellow colour. Floral aromas of citrus fruits and with mineral notes. A lovely freshness and elegance on the palate, supported by bright acidity. Very well balanced natural wine.

Country: Portugal

Region: Lisbon

Grapes: Arinto, Olho de Lebre, Fernão Pires

ABV: 13%

Winemaker Andre is always interested in experimenting with new and old methods. He is the 5th generation of winemakers at Quinta do Montalto, the farm has 15Ha of Vineyards grown with organic certification since 1997 in Clay and Chalk soils under the Lisbon DOC Encostas D’Aire.
He uses ancient methods the create DOC Medieval Ourem, but also made new Portuguese Amphoras and uses the most modern low intervention techniques for his traditional range.

Beautiful yellow colour, very ”viognier”, spicy, apricots and apricot
kernels, nice typical (viognier) bitterness. Ideal with grilled fishes and seafood.

Country: France

Region: IGP Pays d’Oc

Grapes: Viognier

ABV: 13.4%

A wonderfully complex and textured barrel fermented white Douro with a long, fresh and minerally finish. Made from four different indigenous grape varieties from very high altitude vineyards.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro Valley

Grapes: 46% Rabigato, 29% Viosinho, 24% Gouveio,1% Fernão Pires

ABV: 12.5%

Food Matches: Great with seafood or fleshy pan fried white fish dishes.

Jamie Goode in Wine Anorak: 12.5% alcohol. A blend of local white varieties from Pedra Alta’s highest plots. Complex and nicely restrained with taut lemony fruit and some notes of pear and white peach. Lively and precise with good acidity and nice purity, this has the potential to develop with time, and it’s almost Burgundian in style. 94/100