Yup, in this house wine is the one thing that kept us sane during the past few weeks. The wine is finished now, though. But, one thing I’ve learned in this time is that these are all earthly things. Wine can be replaced (except for the 2012 Estate Wine we got from Rust & Vrede Wine Estate for our engagement – oh, my, word!).

So, here is the list of wines we enjoyed during lockdown. I can confidently say that I don’t think South Africa really has bad wine. We’re fortunate to have some really great terroirs.

Obviously, we started with the cheaper wines and as lockdown progressed, the more expensive wines had to come down from the rack. We also had white on warmer days and red on colder days. I am actually a red wine kinda gal, so I was ecstatic when lockdown kicked off with a couple of wintery days! We even had a chance to try out our new Hydrofire fireplace!

Darling Cellars Reserve Merlot

An elegant wine, this was also an easy red and not too heavy, so it worked as well on warmer days as on cooler days. It’s quite a complex wine with a whole list of flavours including vanilla, ripe red plum, raspberry, liquorice, coffee, chocolate and more.

Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2019

A wine for late summer, late afternoon libation I’d say. It comes with whiffs of dill, lime, grapefruit and nettles and its intensity of green and tropical fruit on the palate is always a pleasant surprise.

Spier Signature Collection Chardonnay

Butterscotch is another one of my favourites on the nose and Spier’s Signature Collection Chardonnay’s got it. On the palate it is creamy with layered fruit.

Roodeberg Classic Rosé 2019

I’m not really a Rosé fan, but this one is really a good wine – a dry Rosé with delicate aromas of strawberries, candy floss and raspberry.

Stellenbosch Hills 1707 Reserve Red 2016 Vintage

This wine was like a hug after a very difficult day. I love reds with a hint of chocolate, cigar box and red berry fruit and this one is exactly that.

Deetlefs’ Stonecross Chenin Blanc

Another lovely white for late afternoons after mom and dad finished trying to work despite all the lockdown challenges. It comes with aromas of apricots, golden delicious apples and fresh lime juice.

Avondale Samsara Syrah 2010

This is a deep wine. One that should not be enjoyed lightly. Wow. It’s full and round and definitely one of the frontrunners on my list of favourite reds. Think soft wood, white pepper, violets, vibrant red berries, cloves, cinnamon and more.

XOXOXO