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WINE OF THE WEEK: De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Durbanville, South Africa


£8.99, on offer until 20 February, Waitrose and Ocado


De Grendel Sauvignon

The weather in London is looking a bit more Sauvignon Blanc-friendly than it has been recently, but this isn't a bracingly sharp, cold-shower kind of Sauvignon anyway. It's certainly not short on zing and vibrancy, but ageing the newly fermented wine on its lees (yeasty residues) has added a delicate creaminess to the juicy white peach, apricot and grassy pea-shoot flavours. It's only then that the palate dives headlong into a zesty grapefruit finish. I can’t recommend it with haggis, but it makes a reviving aperitif, and a good partner for shellfish and other fish, including with spices, and for goat's cheese, red peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and leafy salads. A bit of pub-quiz background: De Grendel, about 20km east north-east of Cape Town, is one of its oldest farms, with cattle, sheep, horses and blueberries as well as wine; it was bought in 1890 by the De Villiers Graaff family who still own and run it, headed now by Sir De Villiers Graaff, 4th Baronet.

De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2017, Durbanville, South Africa

£8.99, down from £11.99, until 20 February 2018, 258 Waitrose stores, waitrosecellar.com and Ocado

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