Wine Region: Western Cape

(2026) I don't know if this is the same wine bottled and on sale in Tesco for £10 at time of review, but same producer and same alcohol, and a very similar style suggests it might be. The thing of note when I compare the Tesco version alongside it that it is from 2026, whereas this has had more time in bottle, being from 2025. It shares the character of tropical passion fruit, gooseberry and green bean, but some smokiness and a hint of leafier herbs appear in this wine that are layered and attractive. The palate is full, unctuous and filled with passion fruit syrup and mango fruitiness, but acidity is good and the whole picture. Watch the video for more information and food-matching ideas.

(2026) This vintage Cap Classique sparkling is made from 87% Pinot Noir and 13% Chardonnay, co-fermented, then cellared for six years before disgorgement. It was bottled with 5.5g/l of residual sugar. This opens in quite vivacious style, strawberry sherbet brightness with just a little redcurrant too. There's a freshness about the palate too, despite the long ageing, no doubt the low dosage adding to its fleet-footed style.

(2026) I was recently relatively negative about the quality of a 'wine' where technology had been used to reduce the alcohol to just 6%. I said in the review that I could see such tech being used to remove one or two percent without drastically affecting quality, but not removing so much. Lo and behold, here is a Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc blend from South Africa where exactly that has been done, reducing was was probably 12.5% or 13% down to just 10.5%. That's less alcohol and fewer calories, and the wine is pretty good: the Sauvignon aromatics dominate with green streaked herbs over citrus and some crunchy apple. On the palate more of the same, without too much sense of dilution to leave this more or less dry and very drinkable if you are seeking to reduce alcohol in your wine. Watch the video for more information.

(2026) It's fairly common in South Africa to blend Pinotage with Bordeaux varieties, but Malbec doesn't usually feature so prominently as in this 70/30 blend of the two grapes. There's a definite floral aspect to this, a touch of violet and rose petal that is attractive, over dark cherry fruit. In the mouth the tannin and acid combine to make quite a fresh style, some spice and more of that red fruit character spanning cherry to raspberry, with a bit of crunch to the finish. Watch the video for more information and food matching ideas. £7 in Asda at time of review.

(2026) Bruce Jack the man has been a renowned Cape winemaker for decades now, though today his company is global. This Chenin blanc fits the bill for the current trend towards moderate alcohol at 11% abv. It is sourced from vineyards in the Western Cape and has a clear apple and pear fruitiness, with a stripe of lemon rind. In the mouth it is light but has a bit of presence with juicy orchard fruits and that citrus freshness. Yes, there is a little sense of dilution here so avoid it you want full-body and concentration, but it's a useful, well-balance and lower alcohol all-rounder. The RRP on this is £8, but at time of review it is £7 in Asda. Look out for deals in Asda or Sainsbury's.

(2026) The blend of this wine has always been kept a bit of a secret, but does change. I can discolose that the 2021 blends 25% each of Pinotage and Cinsault from Stellenbosch, with 50% estate Pinot Noir. Soft cherries and berries, smokiness and I do feel a light rubbery, plummy background note. Sweet and supple fruit, quite pure and elegant on the palate, more tannin here than the Pinot for example, richer and fuller, yet still gentle in style. Made in open fermenters and matured for 11 months in French oak barriques, 20% of which were new. Price and stockist quoted for the 2020 vintage at time of review.

(2026) From vineyards other Garden Route, not far from Mossel Bay, this Wine of Origin Western Cape is a bold, coffee and chocolate style Pinotage. Plump berries and tarry smokiness on the nose are followed by a smooth and creamy palate of dark, spicy flavours, untroubled by too much tannin or acidity.

(2025) From the sunshine of the Western Cape, a fashionably pale salmon/peach pink made from Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage. Strawberry on the nose, with a suggestion of creaminess and a little redcurrant. Mouth-filling and fruity, this is relatively full-throttle compared to some slightly wan examples where the effort for 'pale and interesting' has been at the expense of fruit and body. Enjoyably peachy, orangey and medium-bodied with a present but low-acid finish.

(2025) This Cap Classique had no added dosage, and is bottled with less than 3g/l of residual sugar. A blend of 67% Chardonnay and 33% Pinot Noir from limestone-rich soils, it was fermented in stainless steel and a portion in older barrels, disgorged in August 2022 after 62 months on the lees. Pale green-gold in colour with moderate bubbles, there's plenty of biscuit and brioche to balance the primary citrus character of the fruit. On the palate it is super-dry, a pithy and bittersweet bite of lemon rind and Seville orange drives it, the mid-palate revealing a little fruit sweetness, then the finish steely with a hint of textural creaminess.

(2024) Spier's traditional method rosé cones from the Western Cape and is 100% Pinot Noir. A small percentage was fermented in old French oak barrels, and it was aged on the lees for 14 months. Coppery-pink, the bubbles are moderate and aromas are of rosy red apples and pastille fruits. Though Brut, there is an impression of sweetness and a zippy burst of lemon.