Affordable Red Wines Under R100 – Wine Matters

I am aware of the fact that I have become a bit of a wine snob, especially when it comes to red wine, but I still believe that you can find good quality wine at a reasonable price. Today, I am sharing a list of my Top Affordable Red Wines.

Affordable Red Wines

My selection of Top Affordable Red Wines 2018 includes a few of my favourites, as well as recommendations from fellow wine lovers. Wines featured are under an R100 and in my opinion excellent value for money.

I am not a wine expert, but rather a wine lover with a reasonably good palate. At least that is what people tell me! In my reviews, you will find aspects of the winemaker’s tasting notes, my thoughts on the wine, as well as my recommendations for food and wine pairings.

The wines listed are in no particular order. I have taken care to ensure that prices quoted are accurate at the time of publishing. However, this is subject to change at the retailers’ discretion. Prices may also vary between retailers.

I have also posted a video on YouTube featuring my favourite affordable reds, so if you want to see me do my thing on camera, please have a watch. {Please excuse the video quality as I filmed the entire video only to discover my camera settings were wrong, rookie mistake!}

Kleine Zalze Shiraz

Made exclusively for Woolworths, the 2016 Kleine Zalze Shiraz is one of my favourite affordable red wines. Shiraz is generally my varietal of choice when selecting a red wine. The Kleine Zalze Shiraz is excellent as an everyday, easy-drinking red wine.

The Kleine Zalze Shiraz delivers notes of ripe red fruit on the nose. The palate is well-balanced with delicious fruitiness, complemented by subtle spice, and has a velvety smooth finish.

Shiraz is a great food wine, especially for winter dishes, as it pairs well with bold flavours such as beef or lamb. It is the perfect accompaniment to a wintery lamb stew. At R79-99 per bottle, it is a good quality, affordable red. It is available in-store and online from Woolworths.

Vondeling Baldrick Shiraz

The 2017 Vondeling Baldrick Shiraz is a new wine discovery and a recommendation from a fellow wine lover. It is a medium-bodied wine with a “savoury” character. You can expect ripe, slightly more tart fruits on the nose, with a subtle spice. The tannins are fresh, and the palate is gentle, not quite as bold as some of its counterparts.

All in all, I think The Vondeling Baldrick Shiraz is a definite contender as an affordable top-quality red wine. The wine will pair well with a variety of dishes. My recommendation would be a pan-seared beef steak, potato wedges and a mushroom sauce. Or, for a veggie option, a mushroom and asparagus risotto. It is a little bit more pricey at R95 but worth a try if you love Shiraz. The wine is available directly from the Estate or the Vondeling Website and online from Cybercellar.

Landskroon Merlot

You may recall my recent write-up about this wine. The 2016 Landskroon Merlot is a full-bodied plummy wine with rich berry flavours. You may also experience a hint of spice from ageing the wine in oak barrels.

I found the Merlot wonderfully smooth, with soft tannins, making it exceptionally “easy drinking.” This wine will pair well with delicious oven-roasted chicken or perfectly accompany a cheese and charcuterie board. The cost of R71 per bottle is excellent value for money. The Landskroon Merlot is available directly from the Estate or on their Website, as well as online from the bottleshop.co.za.

Beyerskloof Pinotage

First, a bit of a history lesson! {for those of you who are not aware} The Pinotage grape variety was created in South Africa in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University.

If you are a South African wine lover, I am sure you will have sampled the Beyerskloof Pinotage before. If not, then you may have been living under a rock. As the Pinotage varietal is unique to South Africa, it is a great talking point at a dinner party if you are entertaining overseas guests.

The Beyerskloof Pinotage delivers intense plum flavours with velvety tannins. The wine is medium-bodied and well-structured, with an elegant, balanced finish.

Pinotage is a wine varietal which pairs well with most flavours. It is not as “meaty” in character as a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon, but that said, it stands up to reasonably well to bold flavours. I have even had success pairing it with a medium-hot curry. The Beyerskloof Pinotage is R71 a bottle and available from the Estate, as well as most wine retailers and online.

Backsberg Pinotage

The 2017 Backsberg Pinotage delivers hints of ripe cherry, coffee bean and sweet strawberry, and subtle undertones of dried herbs complement these flavours. It has a juicy mouthfeel with supple, sweet tannins.

I love the fruity style of this wine, which makes it extremely quaffable on its own, as well as paired with lamb, spicy food and hearty Italian dishes. It worked particularly well with my creamy chicken and rosemary tagliatelle. A bottle of Backsberg Pinotage is R79 and, again really good value for money. The wine is available from the Estate and most wine retailers and online.

Buitenverwatching Meifort

The 2015 Buitenverwachting Meifort is a red Bordeaux style blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. Red Bordeaux blends are typically known for their bold structure and deep flavours. The Meifort expresses both these characteristics and is a genuinely premium wine at a reasonable price.

This full-bodied wine has a complex structure and an almost Christmassy bouquet. You can expect notes of red fruit, hints of spice, as well as tobacco. It is perfect for enjoying on a cold wintery night, paired with roast lamb and all the trimmings. Price-wise the Buitverwachting Meifort is at the top end at R95 a bottle, but you will not be disappointed. Something to note: pricing on the Meifort seems to vary between retailers but is currently available from The Bottle Shop online at R95 per bottle.

Stellenbosch Hills Polkadraai Pinotage/Merlot

Whenever I come across a bottle of wine under R50, especially a red, I am usually sceptical about its quality. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the Polkadraai Pinotage/Merlot from Stellenboch Hills. While it is not in the league of some of the other wines listed, at R49 a bottle, it is a steal.

Made from 70% Pinotage and 30% Merlot, it is an easy-drinking red that offers juicy berry fruit and surprisingly soft tannins. It is the perfect partner for a delicious pizza or tomato-based pasta. The wine is available from the Estate and most wine retailers and online.

Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

As with the Kleine Zalze Shiraz, which I mentioned earlier, the Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot is also made exclusively for Woolworths. On the nose, it offers wonderful dark berry flavours, dark chocolate, think at least 80% cocoa, and French Oak.

This Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend is well balanced on the palate, with developing layers of fruit and a long lingering finish on the tongue.

While we are not big game eaters, I think that this wine would pair well with fragrant roast duck, and equally well with a delicious lamb stew. The Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot scrapes in under R100 at R99.99 and is available in-store at Woolworths and online.

A Few More

These are a few more reds which I thought I should include but did not have the chance to write about them in as much detail:

• The 2016 KWV Roodeberg, is a rather famous red blend, the components of which are a winemaker’s secret. Expect aromatic layers of mixed berries, spicy dried herbs and fruit cake with undertones of fresh strawberry. The palate is well-rounded with nuances of cedary oak and aniseed accompanied by a luscious tannin structure and a lingering finish. R97 a bottle, available online from Cybercellar.
• The 2016 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon, a red wine which displays ripe blackcurrant, dried herbs, as well as notes of spicy oak on the nose. The palate is smooth and soft, with ripe tannins and a lingering finish. It is available from the Estate at R72.99 per bottle.
• The Zonneboem Merlot is an old favourite of mine from way back when I first started drinking red wine. It is an elegant, full to medium-bodied wine, with a delicate fruitiness and, with well-integrated oak flavours. It is available from Makro at R85 per bottle.
• Last but not least and I know there are many more, is the 2013 Spysenierberg “Blue Label” from Montpellier Wine Estate, a red blend of 48% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Shiraz and 5% Petit Verdot. Although it is a blend, the wine is full-bodied, and fragrant on the nose, with juicy red fruit and herbaceous flavours on the palate. Available from the Estate at R85 per bottle.

I hope you have found this list helpful. Please let me know if you have tried any of these wines or what your favourite affordable red wines are.

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