Wine Club 7 December

We’ve Christmas firmly in our sights this week. I’ve written many times here and elsewhere about suffering from that debilitating festive condition known as CADDAD — Christmas Affected Doom, Depression and Despondency — and about how the only known cure is a regular supply of fine vino spaced generously throughout the holiday season. Well, I reckon fellow sufferers and those folk fortunate enough to enjoy this time of year will be more than happy with this selection from Mr Wheeler.

We start with the 2017 Sumaridge Estate Sauvignon Blanc (1) from the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde — ‘Heaven and Earth’ — Valley in South Africa’s Western Cape. This is a blessed spot and one I’ve visited many times, largely to get happily sozzled while gawping at the southern right whales from the terrace of Bientang’s Cave on the water’s edge in nearby Hermanus. Plenty of hot sun cooled by breezes off the bay leads to wines of perfect ripeness and exhilarating freshness here — and this is a prime example.