There’s never a time of day or season when young and easy to drink whites wines are out of order. You can bring out the weekend vibe on Saturday morning, brighten the mood of a Monday afternoon repast or make it a proper Friday night with the easy drinking and flavourful white wines, all incredibly priced under Rs 3000. Cheers!
Colterenzio, Lumo Pinot Grigio 2021
Pinot Grigio stands for all things easy and pleasing. No wonder it is Italy’s favourite white wine, universally adored the world over. The grape itself originally known as Pinot Gris was randomly imported from France to northern Italy where crafty winemakers saw the opportunity to turn a restrained wine into a cracking good one bursting with citrus and peach buoyed by crisp acidity. Stretch yourself out on the porch with this ideal day drinker – you can’t go wrong with Pinot Grigio.
The MAN Family has notched for itself the niche of making deliciously drink now wines and their Steen rates as a sterling example. South Africa is far and away the largest producer of Chenin Blanc and call their zesty style Steen. This easy drinking white produced in the region of Paarl, gushes with high notes of pear, pineapple and apples, elevated by zippy acid and minerality on the mouthfeel. Toss up scrumptious Sunday salad and lose the screwcap on this delicious white, double quick.
This perennial pleaser of white wine is as much a pleasure to drink as it is, preceded by great reputation. Vinified by owner winemaker and modern revolutionary Fred Loimer, this delectably fruit forward white impressed the hell of Robert Parker, earning it a rare 91 points. Gruner Vetliner is Austria’s indigenous and most popular wine grape, turning out crisp and refreshing whites, perfectly exemplified by this popular Loimer style, which teems with flavours of lime, apples and spice, laced with minerality and finishing clean.
Self-taught artisanal winemaker doesn’t do ordinary. Each of this Tuscan producer’s ferments beams with unique character and while most of his wines are red, he has shown good form with this crisp white blend. Led by Vermentino, the white wine holds its own with a bright personality in a region best known for intense reds. Reflecting the sunny charm of Tuscany terroir, the wine expresses notes of flowers, peaches and citrus, buoyed by generous acidity. Casamatta is Italian for Crazy Horse and this vinous stallion is one pleasing ride.
This wine’s story is as interesting as that of South African wine itself. This deliciously sweet pleaser all around is a unique light bodied style that South Africa rightfully calls its own given its history of bottling this style before a modern revolution that made it the new world powerhouse it is today. Robertson Valley is perfectly placed to produce this style thanks to copious sunshine and warm afternoons that ripen the fruit early. This wine thrills the palate with intense fragrance and a balance of sweet character and ripe tropical fruit. So chill this wine down to 10 degrees C and savour its naturally sweet palate.