How to Choose a South African Wine When You Don't Know Where to Start
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Buying wine can feel unnecessarily complicated.
There are grape varieties you may have heard of but never tried, regions you may recognise but know little about, different styles, price points, vintages and a lot of tasting language that can make a simple question - "Which bottle should I buy?" - seem much harder than it needs to be.
The good news is that you don't need to know all of that before buying your next bottle.
You just need somewhere to start.
South Africa is a particularly good place to experiment. We produce everything from fresh, easy-drinking whites to fuller reds, sparkling wines, sweet wines and plenty of styles in between. Chenin Blanc and Pinotage are particularly useful starting points because both have a strong connection to South African wine, while varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz give you plenty of other directions to explore. Boland Cellar's current range covers many of these styles.
The trick is not finding the "best" wine.
It's finding a wine you enjoy - and then using that bottle to work out what you want to try next.
Start with what you already like
Before worrying about grape varieties, think about what you normally enjoy drinking.
Do you like drinks that are fresh and crisp? Do you prefer something richer and fuller? Do you like a little sweetness? Do you usually reach for red wine at a braai, or white wine with dinner?
These are better starting points than trying to memorise every wine term you've ever heard.
If you like fresh, easy-drinking white wines
Start with Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc.
Chenin Blanc is particularly worth trying if you want to explore South African wine. It is one of the country's defining varieties, and it can be made in a wide range of styles. At Boland Cellar, Chenin Blanc is the signature white grape, with the Paarl climate producing wines with fruit intensity and a fuller style. The Classic Selection Chenin Blanc is fresh and fruity, with tropical fruit, lime, melon and guava notes.
Try:
If you normally drink Sauvignon Blanc, try Chenin Blanc next. If Chenin is already your go-to, try Sauvignon Blanc and see what you think.
That's the point.
If you like richer white wines
Try Chardonnay.
Chardonnay can take you in several directions depending on how it is made, so it is a useful variety to explore once you have worked out whether you prefer lighter, fresher whites or something with more weight.
Try:
You don't need to decide that you are "a Chardonnay person". Try a bottle, see what you like about it, and use that experience to choose the next one.
If you like red wine
Start with Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz or a red blend.
If you want something distinctly South African, Pinotage is an obvious place to begin. It is one of the varieties most closely associated with South African wine, and Pinotage is Boland Cellar's leading red grape variety.
Try:
If you prefer a fuller, more structured red, Cabernet Sauvignon is another useful starting point.
Try:
And if you want to try Pinotage in a completely different format, Boland Cellar's Expresso Pinotage puts its Pinotage into a 250ml can. Easy, fresh and the perfect format for one or two glasses to go with your braai.
Try:
Red wine or white wine?
If you are genuinely starting from scratch, this is probably the easiest decision to make.
Choose white wine when...
You're having:
Seafood
Salads
Chicken
Lighter meals
Mild curries
A meal where you want something fresh alongside the food
Chenin Blanc is a particularly useful all-rounder. Boland Cellar recommends its Classic Selection Chenin Blanc with chicken, mild curry dishes and salads, as well as drinking it on its own.
Choose red wine when...
You're having:
Steak
A braai
Richer meat dishes
Hearty meals
Food with stronger flavours
But don't treat this as a set of rules.
Wine and food pairing is much more interesting than "red wine with meat, white wine with fish". The sauce, seasoning, cooking method and overall weight of the dish can change what works.
A grilled chicken breast and a spicy chicken curry are both chicken, but you might want very different wines with them. The same goes for fish. A delicate piece of hake and a rich, buttery seafood dish don't necessarily call for the same bottle.
Use food as a guide, not a rulebook.
Learn a few grape varieties - not all of them
You don't need to memorise every grape variety grown in South Africa.
Start with a handful.
If you want... | Start with... |
Fresh and lively white wine | Sauvignon Blanc |
A versatile South African white | Chenin Blanc |
A fuller white wine | Chardonnay |
A distinctly South African red | Pinotage |
A fuller, structured red | Cabernet Sauvignon |
A richer red style | Shiraz |
Something easy to share | Red blend |
Boland Cellar's current range includes Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and red and white blends, so there is plenty of room to experiment without leaving the range.
And that is useful when you are learning what you like.
You can change one thing at a time.
If you like Chenin Blanc, try another Chenin from a different producer.
If you like Chenin but want something different, try Sauvignon Blanc.
If you usually drink Cabernet Sauvignon, try Pinotage.
If you like Pinotage, try it in another style.
That is how you actually learn about wine.
What do "dry", "full-bodied" and "crisp" actually mean?
Wine descriptions can sometimes make a bottle sound like it requires its own dictionary.
You really only need to understand a few terms when you're starting out.
Dry
A dry wine is not noticeably sweet. It doesn't mean harsh or bitter.
Sweet
A sweet wine has noticeable residual sugar. If you enjoy sweeter drinks, don't assume you need to avoid wine altogether. There are plenty of South African wines made in sweeter styles.
Crisp
Usually used to describe a wine with noticeable freshness and acidity.
Light-bodied
A wine that feels relatively light in your mouth.
Full-bodied
A wine that feels richer and more substantial.
Tannic
Tannin is responsible for that drying, grippy sensation you can get from some red wines.
You don't need to know exactly how much tannin a wine has before buying it.
But once you recognise the sensation, it becomes another useful clue when choosing your next bottle.
Think about the food
One of the easiest ways to choose a wine is to start with dinner.
If you're cooking a Sunday roast, you might want a fuller red.
Having seafood? A fresh white could be a good place to start.
Planning a braai? Pinotage is an obvious South African option.
Making a mild curry? Chenin Blanc could work particularly well.
Having friends over and don't know what everyone likes? Buy a couple of different styles instead of trying to find one bottle that somehow pleases everyone.
That's where a mixed wine case can make sense too.
Boland Cellar has dedicated red, white and mixed wine options in its range, giving you an easy way to try more than one style.
Don't ignore Paarl
When you buy a South African wine, the region on the label can tell you something about where the grapes were grown.
Boland Cellar is based in Paarl, and its wines are made to reflect the Boland region, its people, landscapes and food.
Paarl is particularly interesting for Chenin Blanc. Boland Cellar's Classic Selection Chenin Blanc comes from vineyards in the Paardeberg and surrounding Paarl area, where the warmer conditions contribute to the fruit intensity and fuller style associated with the wine.
So when you're choosing between two bottles, don't only look at the grape.
Look at the region too.
Over time, you may find that you consistently enjoy wines from particular areas. That is another useful piece of information about your own taste.
Does a more expensive wine mean a better wine?
No.
It can mean a more expensive production process, different vineyards, lower yields, more expensive packaging, longer maturation, brand positioning or many other things.
But none of that guarantees that you will enjoy the wine more.
Set a budget that works for you and start there.
Boland Cellar's current online range spans everyday wines through to Reserve wines, so you can explore different styles and price points without treating price as a measure of personal taste.
If you enjoy an R85 bottle more than an R300 bottle, that's useful information.
Buy the R85 bottle.
Wine isn't an exam.
What if you buy a wine you don't like?
This is probably the most useful thing to remember.
You haven't wasted the bottle. You've learned something.
Maybe you discovered that you don't enjoy tannic reds.
Maybe you prefer fresh whites.
Maybe you thought you liked sweet wine but actually prefer dry wine.
Maybe you love Pinotage but don't like every style of Pinotage.
Maybe you prefer Sauvignon Blanc in summer but reach for Chardonnay when you're cooking.
That's useful.
Write down the wines you enjoy.
Take a photo of the label.
Remember the grape variety.
Remember the region.
Remember roughly what you paid.
The next time you're buying wine, use that information.
You don't need to become an expert.
You just need to become better at choosing wine for yourself.
A simple five-step way to choose your next South African wine
If you've read this far and still don't know what to buy, use this:
1. Think about the occasion
Dinner? Braai? Weekend lunch? Friends coming over? Just want a glass?
2. Choose red or white
Keep it simple.
3. Pick a grape variety
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Shiraz.
4. Set your budget
Choose what you are comfortable spending.
5. Change one thing
If you normally buy Sauvignon Blanc, try Chenin Blanc.
If you always buy Cabernet Sauvignon, try Pinotage.
If you normally buy bottles, try a can of Expresso Pinotage.
If you always buy the same wine, try another vintage.
If you normally buy one bottle, try a mixed case.
Keep experimenting. There is always something to consider.
There isn't one right wine
The best way to get better at choosing wine is to stop worrying about choosing the perfect bottle.
Start with something you think you'll enjoy.
Then try something slightly different.
Pay attention to what you liked and what you didn't.
The grape. The region. The style. The food. The price. The vintage. Even the format.
Every bottle gives you another piece of information.
And eventually, choosing wine becomes much less about standing in front of a shelf wondering what everyone else would buy, and much more about knowing what you want to try.
Keep experimenting. There is always something to consider.
