South Africa: New releases

We first tried the 2021 Secateurs red at a wedding on Adi's farm in November 2021: it's hard to explain just how easy this is to drink.

A blend of Shiraz, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Mourvedre and Grenache, it's so juicy, fine boned, and fresh. Brilliant.

A blend of Syrah, Cinsault and Grenache, with multiple other varieties, co-fermented alongside. This is wonderfully pure and complex, and there’s lots of energy and freshness here, and a fine and mineral finish.

Under a hectare of huge, old Grenache vines, planted in 1952, on the entry to Kalmoesfontein. This is the Cape’s oldest Grenache, and the resulting wine is astonishingly good. Floral and pure, with amazing tension on the palate, and such minerality on the finish. Bravo.

A vineyard planted on Kalmoesfontein in 1954, this is a beautifully complex, savoury, well-balanced Cinsault. There’s notes of rose petal and a core of blue fruit. Delicious.

Tinta Barocca has huge potential in the Swartland, this parcel, planted in 1972, shows it beautifully. There’s notes of iron oxide and black pudding, with a core of dark fruit. Structured and intense, this will age brilliantly.