Superstars

Gorgeous, ripe white peach and lime with subtle toasted hazelnut characters. The palate is rich, textural and layered with a long, mineral finish. 

Country: Australia

Region: Tasmania

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

Concentrated black and red berry fruit on the nose with a hint of herbs and fynbos. Other aromas and flavours include tomato leaf, black currant, cocoa powder, milk chocolate and sweet spice. The tannins are ripe and balanced.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13.5%

From the Elgin region, South Africa's coolest and best areas for white wine making. 

Stylish and Burgundian with lime and lemon undertones. Bright citrus, oyster shell minerality, and a hint of almonds and biscuit brioche on the finish. Beautiful floral notes and bright fresh acidity persist. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Elgin

ABV: 13%

Grapes: Chardonnay

In early 1997, Andrew Gunn, an engineer by training was contemplating his next career move. Having always loved the outdoors, the prospect of farming appealed to him and feeling young and energetic enough to start a new career, left the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg to begin the search for the ‘perfect’ farm.

After months of searching and 40 farm visits later, Andrew and a very tired estate agent stumbled upon a solitary run down apple farm on a mountain top overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The prospect of a suitable farm in Elgin intrigued Andrew and on driving through the valley, he became excited by the beauty of the area. Surrounded by the Kogelberg Biosphere and Forestry the property had no agricultural neighbours. The rolling hills and the drive up the mountain to where the farm was situated, 420 meters above sea level, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was love at first sight.

As he drove in and stopped in front of a rather run down Herbert Baker homestead, he felt, “this is where I would like to live”, and the view from the front of the house overlooking the Elgin Valley below, made up his mind.

A delicious, concentrated blend of berries and plums,  subtle liquorice aromas a flavours with a hint of cherry tobacco aromas followed by lively and finely structured tannin.

On a picturesque hillside overlooking a dam, where Golden Delicious and Granny Smith
Orchards once stood, 12 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec and Pinot Noir can now be found.

Paul Wallace, who has worked as a viticultural consultant to many of South Africa’s top
estates, finally had his dream come true in 2003 - he purchased his family farm in Elgin
and, alongside his wife Nicky, put his life’s work to the test. Based on his belief that Elgin
would become one of South Africa’s premium cool climate regions, he threw caution
to the wind and pulled out groves of apple and pear trees, replacing them with vines.
As always, his advice proved sage, and Paul Wallace is now producing some incredibly
exciting wines that show exceptional finesse and clarity.

Country: South Africa

Region: Elgin

Grapes: Malbec

ABV: 14%

Silky and elegant Rhone red. Drinking beautifully now.

Country: France

Region: Rhone Valley

Grapes: Syrah

ABV: 14% 

Scrumptious, complex white wine. Distinct aromas of ripe pineapple, passionfruit and a hint of toasted sesame. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, yet fresh and zesty.  This wine will evolve nicely over a few years, although it's so delicious now, it will be hard to resist drinking immediately.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux

Grapes: Sauvignon, Semillon

ABV: 13.5%

Rich, citrus, lime and almond nose. The ripe and fleshy palate. Creamy mouthfeel with the lime acidity and a super-long, elegant finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

Concentrated aromas of red berries, sweet liquorice, red berries, tobacco, forest floor and minerality. Rich and textured palate full of almond and smoky flavours. Complex, layered with mulberry and savoury, meaty notes with a long, dry finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Malgas, Swellendam, Western Cape

Grapes: Syrah , Touriga Nacional, Mourvédre, Trincadeira and Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14,5%

Sijnn is prounounced 'sen', or 'seine'

Certified IPW sustainable

Blue and black fruits, with meaty, spice notes and smoky oak complexity. Intense, savoury wine, with a dense ferrous palate, and sustained finish. Drink now or keep for up to 20 years.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro Valley

Grapes: Touriga Franca (99%)
Tinta Roriz (1%)

ABV: 14.5%

Quinta da Pedra Alta 'Rio' Tinto is an intense, savoury Douro red, made from parcels from the Quinta's lowest elevations close to the river (Rio).

The long maceration brings balance to the natural intensity of Loureiro grape, amplifying it's salty profile.

Country: Portugal

Region: Minho

Grapes: Loureiro

ABV: 12.5%

We love this wine made from ancient vines grown eroded volcanic soils on the island of Tenerife. Meaty and ripe, yet elegant, with rustic notes of biltong, green capsicum, green leaves, white pepper and juicy red wild berries and a long finish.

Country: Spain

Region: Tenerife

Grapes: Listán Negro

ABV: 13.5%

Food Match: Game, roast, stewed and braised meat, aged cheese

Practicing organic, but not certified.

Gorgeous, natural, silky red made from native Portuguese grapes, the nose could be mistaken for Pinot Noir with it's elegant floral perfumed notes with hints of herbs and ripe crushed strawberry.

Country: Portugal

Region: Bairrada

Grapes: Baga

ABV: 12%

Bracing aromas of red currants, blue berries and violets to start, further opening with time to reveal tones of cassis and wet slate. The palate enters focused and seamless, laced with tensile black and blue fruit tannin and extreme poise and persistence.

Country: Australia

Region: Margaret River, Western Australia

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Food Match: Rump steak

Passel Estate, founded by Wendy and Barry Stimpson, is in the heart of the spectacular Margaret River region. Their six hectares of vineyards are surrounded by an impressive granite outcrop and a pristine nature reserve of ancient flora. Sea breezes from the Indian Ocean provide calming relief in the hot summer months and this special location not only produces some of the region’s finest wine grapes, but also provides sanctuary to the endangered Western Ringtail Possum, whose collective noun is a "Passel”!

One of the most delicious wines in the shop! Bold aromas of white peach and lemon zest with subtle spice and honeycomb notes. Absolutely wonderful.

Country: Germany

Region: Baden

Grapes: Pinot Gris

ABV: 13%

The perfect match with Turkish chicken shish, taboulet and warm crushed potatoes with spring onions.

Located between the Rhine River and the Black Forest, Burkheim produces lush and mineralic wines that are ideal companions to a wide range of modern cuisine. Bercher
produces Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris). All the wines go through extended lees-aging and have a wonderful aging potential.

Tim Atkin South Africa Special Report 2020
“Made by Gottfried Mocke of Boekenhoutskloof, but sold under its own label, this
stylish Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnay is made with fruit that used to go into
Sumaridge. Marrying barrel- and concrete-fermented and aged portions, it has
jasmine and hawthorn aromas, pear and citrus fruit and very subtle wood spices.
2020-25” – 93 Points

Country: South Africa

Region: Hemel en Aarde Ridge

Grapes: 100% Chardonnay

ABV: 13.8%

Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2021
“Spontaneously fermented, like sibling, 60% in new oak, rest concrete’eggs’ (vs
Pinot‘s 100% concrete vats). All-wholebunch 2018 is elegant, with pristine orchard
& stonefruit, hint of apple blossom, creamy vanilla. Dry, with, a grapefruit pith finish.
Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge WO.”
– 4.5 Stars & 94 Points

Made only from a selection of the best grapes from organic vineyards. A rich and complex Rioja with a true sense of place; a serious and sophisticated wine that ages fantastically.

Country: Spain 

Region: Rioja Alavesa

Grapes: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Maturana, Graciano andMerlot

ABV: 14%

Aromas of crushed, black fruit, damson, mint, oak and mocha. Rich, almost succulent black fruit which has great purity and exuberance. Impressive concentration and elegance.

 Country: France

Region: Pomerol. Bordeaux

Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13.5%

One glass of this great wine is simply not enough! Rich, full and outstanding blend of Chenin and Viognier grown on complex, stony soils, with a warm, dry climate and sea breeze unique to the Malgas region. of South Africa Fresh fruit and complex mineral  flavours, this wine carries on for a long while on the finish. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Malgas, Swellendam, Western Cape

Grapes: Chenin Blanc and Viognier

ABV: 14%

Sijnn is prounounced 'sen', or 'seine'

Certified IPW sustainable

Red berry fruit, full of spice, white pepper and floral notes. Supple, intense palate with fine tannin matched by plenty of fruit.

Country: South Africa

Region: Elgin

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Syrah

Food match

Braised lamb and blue cheese, pecorino with rosemary and sundried tomato gremolada!

At 420m above sea-level, set high above the picturesque Elgin Valley Andrew Gunn founded Iona. It is here overlooking the Atlantic ocean that he has secured some of the coolest vineyards in the Cape.

A stunning, elegant red from the volcanic Canary Island of Tenerife. Made from a field blend of red and white indigenous grape varieties, some from very ancient vines up to 150 years old. This complex red has aromas and flavours of wild berries, tomato leaves, black olive, white pepper and has a very long, silky finish. If you love Nebbiolo from the Coste della Sessia or Valetellina, this is the wine for you.

Country: Spain

Region: Valle del Orotova, Tenerife

Grapes: Listán Negro, Bijariego Negro, Castellana, Listan Blanco, Abillo Criollo

ABV: 12.5%

Food Match: Game, roast, stewed and braised meat, aged cheese. Perfect with Christmas Turkey too!

Complex bouquet showing typical rose nuances as well as layers of spice and woodland fruits. The palate is full-bodied, with hints of cherry, dark chocolate and prunes with firm sweet tannins on the finish. The sweet ripe berry fruit makes it approachable now or can be cellared for 10 years.

Region: Piemonte

ABV: 14% 

Grape: Nebbiolo

Food Match: red meats, fowl and hearty casseroles.

Barbaresco Tenuta Roncaglie is made from Nebbiolo grapes cultivated in Poderi Colla's vineyards in the Roncaglie area. As early as 1880, Roncaglie was already recognised as one of the best and most important areas for Barbaresco production, and mentioned in Lorenzo Fantini's important publication on Viticulture and Oenology in the Province of Cuneo. Several years on Daniel Thomasas, in the January 2005 issue of Wine Spectator, wrote: 'Roncaglie is acknowledged to be one of the best crus in the whole of Barbaresco.' The Poderi Colla vineyards have a southerly exposure and is situated at between 240 and 280 metres above sea level. Some of the vines were planted in 1970, some in 1980 and some in 1995. Vine density is around 4,000 to 5,000 plants per hectare and the average yield is 4,000 litres per hectare. Harvesting is usually done between 5th to 15th October. The Nebbiolo grapes (Lampia and Michet subvarieties) are destalked and pressed and the must is macerated on the skins for around 12 to 15 days at 30 degrees Centigrade. This if followed by a malolactic fermentation which is completed before the winter. The wine is transferred to some Slovinian and some French oak casks (partly new) and left to mature for 12 to 14 months. After maturation with wine is racked to stainless steel vats and clarified with egg whites before bottling.

Saperavi is often compared to Malbec, Cabernet Franc and even Gamay depending on how it is made. This is dark, juicy and fresh, dee black in colour, rich and full but finishes really freshly with a gentle grip. Delicious.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13%

Food Pairing:  Sausage caserole, a juicy burger and barbecued meats.

Read all about Penny's recent trip to the cradle of wine, Georgia in her blog here.

Round and elegant wine with classic, subtle buttery notes balanced by juicy acidity. A top quality white Burgundy with more than 10 year aging potential.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 12.5%

Citrus and pear-drop notes are complemented by a delicious nuttiness, with elegant citrus on the finish. The Bateleur improves in dimension and complexity with age and under the correct storage conditions it can mature in the bottle for many years.

Country: South Africa

Region: Robertson

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5%

The Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) is one of Africa’s most majestic birds of prey. This wine was named after an eagle that is rare in both its beauty and occurrence as a tribute to the power and grace of a creature synonymous with our great continent.