My top 10 “go-to” wines under R100

I love my wine!

Having grown up with a Father who’s passionate about collecting, cellaring, drinking and appreciating wine, I’ve spent most of my life learning to appreciate, understand and fall in love with wine.

From a young age my dad would let me sniff and sip his wine and get me to tell him what I could smell or what flavours I could taste. All the knowledge I’ve acquired over the years as well as my love for wine is all thanks to him.

I’ve always found it fascinating that fermented grapes can be made so complex and that the vintage, the varietal and the barrels used for fermentation can all play such a massive role in changing the flavours of wine and how the art of pairing your wine with your food can create such a wonderful experience.

I must admit, it took me a little while to “get into” wine.

As a teenager I much preferred the sweet taste of a Smirnoff to a Sauvignon Blanc. But as I grew older and the more wine I tried and tasted the more I began to “get” the wine thing. I am, however, definitely more of a white wine lover than red, so there is still a lot more learning to be done in that department.

Over the last two years I’ve had the privilege of attending many of the winemag public tastings and awards evenings for the top SA wines across the varietals. It is here where I have also been able to learn from both the winemakers and the wine gurus and where I have gotten to taste the very best of our SA wines.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a glass or 2 of wine every night of my life. For me, it completes a meal and a dinner wouldn’t be the same without it.

Having lived with a Dad with a large cellar and over 2000 carefully aged bottles at home I’ve been fortunate enough to drink wine from all over the world and taste a variety of wines in many different price brackets. However, being newly married, and having moved out of home, I can’t afford as many FMC’s or Jordan Nine Yards as I’d like to but, what I’ve learnt over the years is we are so lucky that in South Africa we have so many amazing value wines. And with the help and guidance of my Father I’ve been able to find and drink some incredible wine without breaking the bank.

So I thought I’d share my 10 favourite white wines under R100 which I definitely think you should put in your trolley next. (Prices may vary depending on where you go but Ultra Liquors/Makro usually have the best deals)

1. Alvis Drift Chardonnay Reserve – R90
2. Alvis Drift CVC Reserve (Chard, Chenin, Viognier) – R90
3. Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chardonnay – R90
4. Warwick The First Lady Unoaked Chardonnay – R65
5. De Wetshof Limestone Hill Chardonnay- R75
6. Simonsig Chenin Blanc – R50
7. The Wolftrap White (Viognier, Chenin & Grenache Blanc) – R40
8. Perdeberg Vineyard Collection Chenin Blanc -R68
9. Tokara Chardonnay – R85
10. Rustenburg Unwooded Chardonnay – R70

As a bonus I thought I’d add my favourite bottle of bubbles under R100 which was our MCC of choice for our Wedding:

11. J.C.Le Roux Brut – R95

And my favourite Rosé:

12. The Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage Rosé – R55

I hope that my top wines under R100 will help with the daunting task of staring at a shelf full of wines you’ve never tried and having to pick one for a dinner, date or gift.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my choices of wines under R100, and I’d love to hear some of your faves that you think I should try, so feel free to message me or comment below with your picks!

Happy Wining!!

With love,

Amber Denae xxx