South Africa is renowned for its production of truly excellent wines. The Western Cape region is especially famous for being the origin of wines bought and sold around the globe.
Many of these, whether consumed locally or abroad, come at rather hefty price tags. Wine aficionados around South Africa, some of which are the richest people in the land, favour these.
Priced at approximately R1800, Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance is a natural, sweet wine. It is made from Muscat Blanc and petit grains grapes, which have a Greek origin.
“With over 300 years of history in every bottle. This is a recreation of the original mythical Constantia sweet wine so beloved in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a legendary wine reintroduced in 1986, Vin de Constance has consistently appeared on the lists of the world’s top wines,” said Top Wines SA about Klein Constantia’s prized dessert wine.
For a rare, red blend, there’s Spier’s Frans K Smit. Rated 94/100 by critics on wine-searcher.com, costs R1050 at the wine farm itself. Also available at specialised retailers. It is a real gem, indeed.
The Sadie Family Columella Red can be a real treat to discerning taste buds. It is made from Mourvedre and Syrah grapes and pips the R2000-mark at around R2100 per bottle in selected wine stores.
Hailing from Stellenbosch, the Jordan Cape Winemakers Guild Sophia is a Bordeaux red blend. This also costs approximately R2100 per bottle – and more if the price mark-up takes advantage of the status of this renowned red.
Chenin Blanc is not as popular as some other varietals, but the Sadie Family Die Ouwingerdreeks Mevrou Kirsten does the grape justice and will set buyers back about R2400 per bottle. It has the highest wine-searchers critics’ score of 95/100.
The Pinotage arguably originated in South Africa, but has since been claimed by other nations such as New Zealand. The Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage remembers its roots in Stellenbosch and has a price tag of around R2400 per bottle as well.
“To many, Kanonkop is considered to be the South African equivalent of a Premier Cru or First Growth. For others, Kanonkop is not just a wine estate,” said Top Wine SA of the Kanonkop wine farm.
For a big jump from the mid-R2000s to the late R3000s, the De Toren Expression Unique Book XVII Red hosts an outstanding combination of cabernet sauvignon and Malbec grapes. It’s really beautiful wine.
“A tribute to the viticulture wisdom, research and scrupulous documentation of ancient Roman philosopher, Pliny the Elder, this limited-edition wine, produced in association with Luxumbourg-registered company, Expression Unique SARL, is worthy of its illustrious place on the global fine-wine podium,” stated Top Wine SA about the De Toren Expression Unique Book XVII Red.
It’s De Toren again, this time with the Black Lion Shiraz. Stellenbosch is prolific with high-quality, globally-recognised wines, expensive, too. This shiraz comes in at around R4100 per bottle.
Lastly, the Tokara Telos is a masterful cabernet sauvignon and, to some, well worth its price of about R5100 per bottle.
From the above, it’s clear to see that South Africa serves the world some really fine wine which suits diverse income brackets.
