Drinking responsibly is nothing new. Living mindfully means you should take a good look at the estates and the wines you’re choosing … with conservation, organic, vegan-friendly and low alcohol being part of your buying decisions.
From the organic, biodynamic winery Waterkloof, Circle of Life White 2016 is a blend of mostly Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and a touch of Sémillon. Beautiful aromatics of lime and gooseberry. From around R160 a bottle. Details: waterkloofwines.co.za.
Award-winning Flagstone Free Run Reserve Sauvignon Blanc is all layers of fruit complexity with aromas of asparagus, green fig, citrus, passion fruit as well as a hint of guava. It’s full bodied, complex and classy … and best of all, it’s vegan! With a limited release of 2100 bottles, you can get if for R220 a bottle from the flagstonewines.com
For an Almost Zero alcohol wine (0.3 per cent, to be exact), we suggest you stock up on this Van Loveren Family Vineyards Radiant Red (there’s a Wondeful White and Ravishing Rosé, too.) It’s made using traditional winemaking methods, combined with modern de-alcoholisation methods, and you’ll find it at your local stores for around R69.
Two exceptional vegan-friendly options from Bouchard Finlayson are the Missionvale Chardonnay 2017 (with flavours of pineapple and white pear and a mere hint of toasted hazelnut) and Hannibal 2017, (originally prompted by the classic taste and palate of Italian varieties, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. R276 and R331 respectively, from bouchardfinlayson.co.za
Delheim is an industry leader in its commitment to conservation and responsible production practices. The farm uses a bio-natural water management plant that recycles all cellar waste water, takes care to preserve substantial tracts of mountain fynbos, and promotes bio-diversity. The Delheim Chenin Blanc Wild Ferment is made in one of the most natural processes – by allowing spontaneous fermentation by indigenous yeast. Around R145 a bottle. Details: delheim.com
Demonstrating their commitment to a greener, animal-friendly future, Spier was the first winery in the world to receive Control Union Vegan Standard certification by the accredited certifying body, Control Union. So an excellent choice for vegans are the Spier Creative Block 2 (a Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon blend) and the Seaward Chardonnay, two of the four vegan wines from Spier’s vegan range. R110 each from spier.co.za
Mensa winemaker Ben Snyman crafts only vegan-friendly wines, eschewing the use of any animal products in the cellar. There are two fabulous vegan-friendly wines – Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a beautifully balanced wine brimming with citrus and tropical fruit, and Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 has all intense flavours of dark chocolate and blackberry. R80 and R90 from mensawines.com