Did you know South Africa has been making wine for 364 years?

Here is a tremendous offer on wines from this ‘New World’ country…

THERE IS A great deal of talk in wine circles about Old World and New World wines. Some supermarkets divide their aisles this way. South Africa is often lumped in with the New World, yet it has been producing wines since the 17th century.

It is now one of the top 10 wine-producing countries in the world. What it offers is good value and a wide variety of wines.

It’s probably best-known for its white wine made from Chenin Blanc and its red wine made from its national grape, Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. I’m also a fan of its Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc white wines, its red blends (which usually feature Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and its Shiraz (which I often prefer to Australian Shiraz wines).

The Chardonnay that’s on offer to BAGMA members here was recently named the best Chardonnay in The Independent newspaper. But all six wines in the mixed case “punch above their weight”, according to Dan FarrellWright of Wickhams, which handles the FREE delivery for us.

For this month’s offer we’ve rounded up a selection of lovely wines to introduce you to the country and what it has to offer in terms of wine. As well as saving £11, you will also be helping the country – whose wine industry suffered severely during the pandemic – to celebrate 364 years since the first wine was made from Cape grapes. This occasion was noted by Jan van Riebeeck in his diary in 1659: “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.” Praise be, indeed!

BAGMA Wine Club’s superb value collection of South African wines

● Aquiline Sauvignon Blanc, Western Cape 2021

● PF Ruby 2017, Stellenbosch

● False Bay ‘Slow’ Chenin Blanc 2022

● Wild House Shiraz 2020, Western Cape

● De Wetshof Estate Bon Vallon ‘Sur Lie’ Chardonnay 2022

● The Earth Beneath Our Feet Pinotage 2015, Franschhoek

If you bought the wines separately, it would cost you £81 but the BAGMA price is £70. This includes delivery.

How to join the club

Firstly, you don’t need to join the BAGMA Wine Club to take advantage of this fantastic offer from Wickhams. Secondly, joining is simple and free. All you need to do is send an email to membership@ bagma.com saying you’re interested in joining. This is mainly so we can contact you with news of special events and offers if they don’t coincide with the publication of the BAGMA Bulletin. If you are new to BAGMA and are wondering why the association has launched a wine club, it’s because our part-time editor Chris Boiling also works in the wine world and we are taking advantage of his great access to great wine offers.