Freshly caught shellfish and beachside BBQs

Chill, chill, chill!

Dynamo-duo, Pauline and Hanneke (pH – see?) are friends first and foremost, but they also make some pretty sensational wines – Paulette for Paulus Wine Co. and Hanneke for AA Badenhorst. On the side, they team up to make magic under their Vino pH label. They’re championing underdog grapes and making them into some of the coolest wines to come out of South Africa at the moment.

You know we love a forgotten grape – and Palomino as a dry white wine sure ticks that box! Rescued from being distilled away into brandy, pH has given this baby a new lease on life.

Place: Swartland, South Africa
Grape: Palomino
Style: Sassy and saline
Ingredients: Grapes + as little sulphur as possible

Mushroom soufflé, butternut ravioli with brown butter sage, tuna tacos, lime & hazelnut macaroons

Refrigerate overnight and keep it on ice

Melissa Nelson is a self-taught winemaker who fell in love with the Bot River region and the camaraderie amongst the winemakers in the region (her grapes grow just down the way from Luddite). Her aim was pretty simple – to make more than they could drink. More than a decade later, that simple aim has led to some simply amazing bubbles!

Made in the same method as traditional Champagne, but a lot less subtle (without sacrificing elegance!), this little lady is a great way to get to know what the hype around bubbles is all about.

Place: Bot River, Overberg, South Africa
Grape: Chardonnay
Style: Elegant and crisp
Ingredients: Grapes, Champagne yeast and a pinch of SO2

Beetroot carpaccio, char siu, goats cheese salad

Pop in the fridge the day before serving (the thicker glass used for bubbly takes longer to chill) and keep it on ice once open

Melissa Nelson is a self-taught winemaker who fell in love with the Bot River region and the camaraderie amongst the winemakers in the region (her grapes grow just down the way from Luddite). Her aim was pretty simple – to make more than they could drink. More than a decade later, that simple aim has led to some simply amazing bubbles!

She vowed to never use anything but traditional Champagne grapes (usually Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) but the Shiraz on her farm was just too good to let go – and it has made Melissa Nelson’s first rosé bubble an absolute stunner!

Place: Bot River, Overberg, South Africa
Grape: Shiraz
Style: Festive and fabulous

Think hard intense cheeses, creamy delicious pasta dishes and even a good ol' stuffed mushroom.

Refrigerate overnight and keep it on ice

Melissa Nelson is a self-taught winemaker who fell in love with the Bot River region and the camaraderie amongst the winemakers in the region (her grapes grow just down the way from Luddite). Her aim was pretty simple – to make more than they could drink. More than a decade later, that simple aim has led to some simply amazing bubbles!

Melissa has been keeping this gem at the winery quietly ageing for 10 years until she disgorged it and released it in 2023 - that's what RD means - Recently Disgorged. 

Place: Bot River, Overberg, South Africa
Grape: Chardonnay
Style: Elegant and crisp
Ingredients: Grapes, Champagne yeast and a pinch of SO2

Steamed seafood, paprika-spiked potatoes, roast goose

Chilled but you can keep it out of the fridge once it's open

Hubby to the ‘H’ in pH, is but one of many monikers for Thinus Krüger – cowboy, maverick, rock star are just a few of the others. Big hair, big moustache, big ideas and big adventures are the hallmarks of his pioneering project, named after a Norwegian ship that attempted to sail to both the North & South Poles. He’s headed to the edges of the winemaking map to find what vineyards lie over the next horizon, resulting in audacious and unusual wines that make the world feel like the good place it should be.

This baby comes from the only Grenache Gris vineyard in South Africa and Thinus is the only one making it in an orange skin contact style!

Place: Voor Paardeberg, South Africa
Grape: Grenache Gris
Style: Melty gummy goodness
Ingredients: Grapes + SO2

Watermelon & mint salad, a pool lounger under an umbrella, your best friend

On ice, darling

Chad and Bree Stock, a husband-and-wife team, have merged their superpowers and unique backgrounds in wine to create Ltd. +, which emerged as a collaboration with farmers in the area, inspired to develop a diverse and sustainable wine landscape. The wines, often made from less common grape varieties adopting innovative techniques, are changing preconceived notions of Oregon wine.

Where do we start? The whole project is geared toward ensuring Oregon remains a viable wine-growing region through climate change. They’re not only encouraging growers to work with a more diverse spread of grapes that will weather the changing weather, but they’re also ensuring that seasonal workers are employed for longer because these alternative grapes ripen at different times. They’re also active supporters of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities in wine.

Goodness me, this little bottle makes us happy. It’s got personality in a sort of cheeky Shirley Temple way.

Place: Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Grapes: Dolcetto, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir
Style: Sassy & fun
Ingredients: Grapes & minimal sulphites