Wine

Classic ancient vine Semillon selected from 2 small plots, the oldest planted in 1905. The fruit for the Wildeberg wines comes from the Franschhoek Valley only, hand-harvested, naturally-fermented and gently matured in the mountain barrel hall on the farm. Restrained, delicate aromas with bright citrus fruit offset by savoury, waxy notes. The palate has an impactful attack of taut, stony, highly textural citrus tang and terrific mouthfeel. A subtle, beautifully balanced wine with layers of expression.

Harvested from Chenin blanc bush vines planted in 1977. Skin fermented (naturally) until dry. Punch down, once daily. The wine was then pressed and matured in 400 litre Ceramic eggs for 7 months.

A briny nose of lemon zest, beeswax and freshly crushed sea-salt, the palate delights in an immediate attack of tangy citrus twang, sandpaper texture and cheek-tickling breadth of freshness. Rich and generous nonetheless, this has a long, lemon drizzle cake texture, flavour and nuance, if that cake was made absolutely bone dry.

Alex Zahel makes Gemischter Satz (a field blend from the hills surrounding Vienna), in fact he makes quite a few and he makes some of the very best available. Ein Kleines Fass translates as "a small barrell" and is a prper Gemischter Satz being a blend of Gruner, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Furmin t& Orangetraube. It is distinctly orange both in colour and style having seen more than a few hours of skin contact so it’s got quite a tannic edge to it but perfect with pork or maybe some soft cheese.

On the nose there is the nectar of field flowers such as camomile, elderflower, iris. Mineral on the palate with a finish of almond, typical of classic Garganega.

Azienda Agricola Inama

With the colour of arterial blood, the nose reveals wild berries, rhubarb and custard. The palate is dense, concentrated and brooding opening to a rich mid-palate with cherry-stone fruit and bitter plum and a long finish with a gentle brick-like texture.

Alpha Box & Dice

Made from low-yielding old vines of Grenache and Carignan Noir, with Syrah and Mourvèdre grown in the hills above the village of Cairanne in the southern Rhône valley. Hand-picked grapes are vinified only by naturally occuring yeasts, aided by manual pigeage and gentle remontage in open topped oak vats (tronconique). Les Deux Barriques is matured for 24 months in French oak demi-muid (600 litre barrels); the wine is neither fined or filtered before botting at Domaine Boutinot in Cairanne.

Only made in the very finest vintages, this is the fifth release of Les Deux Barriques and it embodies the phenomenal concentration and complexity of the 2015 vintage. Primary fruit and overt oak have evolved into rich, autumnal aromas of dried fruit, with flavours of blueberries and black tea on the finish.

Juicy bright flamboyant Montepulciano with a quickening beetroot tang. This has a really more-ish acidity with a bitter cherry attack crying out for fatty carpaccio.

Alpha Box & Dice

This is a bright, bloody Shiraz from old river land vines blended with Barossa Cabernet that gives the nose a grapite, leafy lift. A South Australian classic the palate reflects the rich iron source soils with notes of ripe, fresh red cherries with a touch of star anise from the local eucalypt influence.