8 Great tasting wines at under R40.

4 whites under R40.

South Africa seems to throb with wine snobs and critics who baulk at the prospect of sipping a wine which costs under R40.  Well, I have news for those winos, I just got to taste 8 wines under R40 and they were smashing.

Mike Bampfield Duggan from Wine Concepts was the very man to find these gems.

He owns Wine Concepts and I met up with him in his Newlands branch.

The mission; to taste eight wines, all priced under R40, which would represent great value for money and taste great.

I have to say it was an outstanding line up of tasty wines.

 Mike is your man if you want to find hidden gems and serious bargains.

He’s been working with wine for over thirty years, and  he’s  not a wine snob.

4 reds under R40.

In fact, he’s totally refreshing in his approach, down to earth, and very witty.

Mike loves talking about bargains, ‘’There are some real knock outs at less than R40.  I’m always pleasantly surprised by the wines that can be found in that price bracket’.

Then he adds, ‘‘People shouldn’t be taken in by awards. A gold label on a bottle does not mean it’s the best. Remember, a lot of wines don’t even enter competitions”.

 With these words ringing in my ears, we started  the tasting.

Mike pours while telling us at Wine Concepts ‘’We will never oversell, and get you to buy something more expensive’’. He likes it if people give him a price bracket and he can work around their budget. With the pouring done Mike guides us through his selection, and here are the results.

The line up of the white wines we tasted were;

Mike B Duggan cuts through the forest of bull when it comes to great value wines.

1 Splattered Toad, Sauvignon Blanc at  R38.50

Tastes of summer, fresh fruit salad, pears. This wine is made by Duncan Savage of Cape Point fame.

One of Mike’s best selling wines.

2  Klein Zalze Chenin, Blanc R39.50

Tastes of guava, apricots and pineapples. This winery is famous for their Chenin’s. It’s a cracker.

3  Hill and Dale Sauvignon Blanc, R40.00

Cooked apple, pineapple and smooth. Made in Stellenbosch. Very impressive.

4  Blue Cove Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, R37.00

Tastes of almond, hay, melon rhubarb.

This is a ’08 and according to Mike, proves that a sauvignon can age very well.

Comes from Louis Nel from Hidden Valley. The grapes are from Elim.

A very food friendly wine would be great with fish.

Mike’s favourite was the  Splattered Toad

Spill’s favourite  definitely the Kleine Zalze

We switch to the red wines.

Mike says that ’’ red wines are a little bit different because people think that  a red wine under R40  couldn’t be up to much.’’ Then he says, with a twinkle in his eye,

‘’Wait until you taste this line up!’’.

1  Chamonix Rouge, R35.00.Tastes of raspberries, blueberries, mint, blackcurrant. You would pay 100 rand for that.

This is a favourite of Mike’s.

2  Zandvliet, My Best Friend Red.  R39.50. 

A Cabernet Sauvignon from Robertson.

Tastes rich, meaty, roast beef. It’s unwooded. No oak at all, which Mike says is unusual.

Would be great with pizza. Delicious.

3  Vrede en Lust  2005 Simond, R28.00

From Franschhoek.Tastes of black pepper, mint, fruit pastilles with a liquorice smell.

4  Vrede en Lust 2003, Cara R28.00.

A little stunner. Tastes smoky, leathery, minty and pine. This wine contains the same grapes as the wine before but more cab in this one. This was a complete knock out.

Mike loved the  Chamonix Rouge and gave it a big thumbs up

Spill went and bought a case of Vrede en Lust 3003, Cara.  Says it all.

I just couldn’t believe this wine. The taste was amazing and the price surely unbeatable for what you get. I don’t think you could beat this. The best value ever.

While Mike and  Spill were doing this tasting, people were coming in and out of the shop.

One man wanted to join in, so we gave him a little taste of the Vrede en Lust ’03 Cara.

He couldn’t believe the taste and the price. He went up to the counter and immediately bought four cases.

So what do I think? There’s brilliant drinking out there for under R40, but you need a guide.

A  truffler to pick out the gems and that is what Mike is, a wine gem seeker and finder.

Let me leave you with one of Mike’s pearls of wisdom.  What does Mike think of screw caps?

‘‘Love them, nobody can say a wine is corked anymore, just that it’s screwed.’’

Wine Concepts,

Kloof Street, Gardens, 021 426 4401.

Newlands Village, 021 671 9030.

Wine Concepts branch in Newlands Village.