“Life is too short to drink bad wine” – Anonymous

And so it is, why should we waste our precious time drinking a wine that does not satisfy? The Londolozi wine list has a wide selection of different wine styles with something to meet everyone’s needs; from crisp, mineral dry Sauvignon Blanc, fruity off-dry Chenin Blanc to full-bodied buttery Chardonnay, from smooth red berried Pinot Noir to dark, well-structured powerful Shiraz. There are so many choices that picking one can be rather hard. With this in mind I enquired with a few staff members and asked them about their favourite wine. Who better to ask than the people who drink the wines every day? Here are some of the favourites:

Anna Ridgewell

Springfield “Wild Yeast” Chardonnay – “ I love the interesting story of how this wine was named. I enjoy that it is un-wooded, (I am not a fan of wooded Chardonnay!) This is a wine that’s easy to drink at any time!”

The Springfield “Wild Yeast” Chardonnay is an unoaked / unwooded Chardonnay, very complex in style, with flavours of pineapple and pear drops with nutty yeasty cookie dough.

Rich Laburn

Spice Route “Malabar” – “The Spice Route Malabar is without a doubt the most interesting wine I have ever tasted.  As the name suggests, the spice undertones of the wine is a subtle departure from the fruiter flavours commonly associated with red wine. The wine, however, still offers an interesting layering of perfumed aromas such as berry and plum.  Paired with a hearty South African meal of steak, lamb or fresh seafood, this wine offers a truly elegant option at dinner.”

The Spice Route “Malabar” is a Rhône-style blend made from Syrah, Mourvèdre, Petit Sirah, Grenache and Tannat.  It has layered and perfumed aromas of rich berry, plum, chocolate and violet. Well-integrated palate, with opulent tannin structure and balanced mouthfeel.

Wade Williams

Haute Cabrière Pinot Noir – “It is extremely smooth, tasty, easy to drink, and delicious at room temperature on cool nights and slightly chilled on hot summer days!”

The Haute Cabrière Pinot Noir has been matured in French oak for 10 months and has aromas of strawberries and ripe cherries following through to the palate, lingering long in the aftertaste.

Emma Goodman

Oak Valley Chardonnay – “It is crisp, refreshing and full-bodied. It reminds me of hot summer afternoons enjoying a glass on the lawn with friends.”

Oak Valley Chardonnay expresses very distinctive fruit aromas of green apple, orange peel, vanilla and honey oak characters. Mostly flavours of citrus fruits, orange and lime marmalade, with long lemony and mineral finish. Oak is well integrated and subtle. Full bodied, fresh, clean, elegant and beautifully balanced.

Kate Collins 

Graham Beck Brut N/V – “It is a wonderful dry MCC, very refreshing. It makes me feel happy and bubbly and I could easily polish a bottle if left unattended! I enjoy drinking this sparkling wine in the evenings, preferably in one of the camps with a couple of good friends.”

The Graham Beck Brut N/V has light yeasty aromas and secondary tones of limey fresh fruit on the nose with rich creamy complexity on the palate. The exceptionally fine mousse contributes freshness and finesse.

Don Heyneke

Ken Forrester “FMC” Chenin Blanc – “I love the taste of this wine and will never forget the first time I drank it with Hidden Valley Wines owner, Dave Hidden, in the Londolozi Wine Cellar. Great memories were made that evening!”

Pippa van den Heever 

Ken Forrester “FMC” Chenin Blanc – “It is delicious and reminds me of hot summers days, which I am currently missing with all the cool winter days.”

Andrea Campbell 

Ken Forrester “FMC” Chenin Blanc – “It’s delicious, what more do you want?  It is easy drinking and full of fruity flavour.”

The Ken Forrester “FMC” Chenin Blanc is hand selected primarily from low yielding, old bush wines (planted in 1974).  Natural wild yeast fermentation and maturation in new French oak barrels, also left on the lees and some botrytis is always present due to repetitive harvesting – rich, layered with dried apricot, vanilla and honey.

Kate Goodman

Graham Beck Brut Rosé N/V – “I have always regarded champagne as a luxury with a sophisticated feel to it. I don’t often get to drink French Champagne, but the Graham Beck Brut Rosé MCC is a great South African example which rivals the French version at a great price and at the same time lets me feel special and sophisticated.”

The Graham Beck Brut Rosé N/V has whiffs of raspberries, cherries and a few secondary aromas of minerality on the nose. The palate delivers a lively mousse but fine in the mouth, with subtle red berry flavours enlivened by bright acids. Showing hints of oyster shell and fresh lavender.

Tammy Surtees 

Hartenberg “The Stork” Shiraz – “This beautiful full-bodied wine is a fantastic representation of quality red wines in South Africa”.

The Hartenberg “The Stork” Shiraz has rich black fruit flavours (dominated by cherries) white pepper, and violets on the nose.

Bronwyn Varty

Constantia Glen “Three” – Preferably the 2009 vintage. “ This wonderful red holds so many magical memories – wine is about stories and friends. Constantia Glen “Three” is the wine that I have drunk beside many campfires.  It’s light, it’s easy and when you wake up in the morning you still feel amazing!  Constantia Glen is described as a wine of balance, elegance and remarkable character – now who does that remind you of?”

The striking dark fruit aromas of the Constantia Glen “Three” follow seamlessly onto a mouth-filling palate with incredible texture from ripe, velvety tannins. This elegant wine has minerality to balance the rich dark fruit aromas and silky round tannins. Full-bodied with a juicy texture, this wine has a long, soft finish making it extremely refined with excellent aging potential, yet also very approachable at this early stage of development.

I always find it interesting how people’s palates vary and how different wines are perceived differently.  All the wines on the Londolozi wine list are excellent but hopefully the above recommendations from people who drink these wines often will make it a little easier to choose one when visiting us.  And, I must agree with the general consensus, you definitely can’t go wrong with the Ken Forrester “FMC” Chenin Blanc!

Is there a particular wine on our list that you enjoy the most?  What kind of South African wines would you like to see on our wine list?