The Taste case:
Allan Mullins’ pick of six good but inexpensive wines
1 Woolworths Kleine Zalze
Chenin Blanc 2L box
Serve chilled, in your best decanter (with extra smugness) then ask your friends what they think. They will enthuse over the peach, apricot and pineapple aromas, enjoy the lush, fruit-packed palate. No one will guess that it’s a box wine. Quality in chateau cardboard at last, and at a great price. R124.99
2 Woolworths Delheim Pinotage Shiraz Rosé 2019
Pale dry, elegant rosé wines are the drink of choice in the sunny south of France and in South Africa. It’s a versatile wine that suits both picnics and more formal meals. This one has the iconic pale salmon colour; 75% Pinotage provides raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate flavours, and the Shiraz adds spice and blackberry notes. R74.99
3 Woolworths Diemersdal Passion Fruit Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Thys Louw is a Sauvignon Blanc wizard who makes a variety of innovative styles on his family farm, Diemersdal, in Durbanville. Be assured that no passion fruit juice has been added to this wine, but he has achieved the gorgeous aroma and flavour from the selection of specific vineyards and careful winemaking. R59.99
4 Woolworths La Motte Grand Rouge 2017
This Woolies favourite, which always overdelivers for its price, is celebrating its 30-year anniversary since Jacques Borman and I blended the first one in 1990. It consists predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the 2017 has a splash of Grenache to soften the tannins and add red fruit. An easy-drinking red for any occasion. R69.99
5 Diemersdal Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc
On top of the enticing flavours of gooseberry, citrus, lime and passion fruit, there is the crackling, popping fizz, which bursts with an uplifting gusto. An essential element for any get-together and the perfect accompaniment to fruit-based desserts. R109.99
6 Spier Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Spier red-wine maker Johan Jordaan sourced the vines for this wine at sites ranging between 20 and 55 km from the cold Atlantic, and the varying climates have given him great scope for blending. You’ll enjoy its cassis, blackberry and dark chocolate aromas and mellow plate. Johan enjoys it with a baconand-blue cheese burger, which elevates the fruit aromas of the
wine. Try it and see. R89.99