South African Wine | Alheit, Meerlust & Klein Constantia – The Fulham Wine Company
NEXT DAY DELIVERY AVAILABLE - ORDER BY 1PM
Menu Search Search
Search Search Cart
0
Cart

South African Wine

Old-vine Chenin, historic Constantia and cool-climate Elgin

South African wine from four areas that do very different things. Stellenbosch brings Meerlust's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Kleine Zalze's Chenin Blanc. Elgin, higher and cooler, brings Lothian's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Klein Constantia works in Constantia, part of an estate first planted in the seventeenth century. Alheit Vineyards hunts old Chenin Blanc vines across the Cape, with Cartology and Huilkrans from the Skurfberg. Tracked UK delivery, next-day available.

Klein Constantia Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine bottle.
Klein Constantia Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc
£19.50
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin Blanc white wine bottle.
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch (2022)
£24.00
Meerlust Chardonnay white wine bottle.
Meerlust Chardonnay Stellenbosch (2023)
£26.00
Meerlust Pinot Noir red wine bottle.
Sold out
Meerlust Pinot Noir, Stellenbosch (2023)
£26.50
Lothian Vineyards Chardonnay white wine bottle.
Lothian Vineyards Chardonnay, Elgin Valley (2022)
£27.75
Lothian Vineyards Pinot Noir red wine bottle.
Lothian Vineyards Pinot Noir, Elgin Valley
£27.75
Alheit Vineyards Huilkrans white wine bottle.
Alheit Vineyards Huilkrans, Skurfberg (2024)
£72.50
Klein Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc white wine bottle.
Sold out
Klein Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc, 2022
£14.25
Alheit Vineyards Cartology white wine bottle.
Sold out
Alheit Vineyards Cartology (2024)
£40.00
Kleine Zalze Project Z Chenin Blanc white wine bottle.
Sold out
Kleine Zalze Project Z Chenin Blanc, 2019
£44.50
Trustpilot

Stellenbosch, Elgin, Constantia and the Skurfberg

Four areas doing four different things. Stellenbosch is the best known, and Meerlust and Kleine Zalze work there. Elgin sits higher and cooler, which is why Lothian's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir taste as they do. Constantia is the historic one - Klein Constantia occupies part of an estate first planted in the seventeenth century, and its Estate Sauvignon Blanc is here. The Skurfberg, far north in the Olifants River area, is where Alheit finds its oldest vines.

Old-vine Chenin Blanc and why it matters

South Africa has more Chenin Blanc planted than any other country, much of it old dry-farmed bush vines that yield very little fruit. For decades that fruit went into bulk wine. The past fifteen years have been spent identifying those blocks and bottling them on their own, and Alheit Vineyards is the clearest example - Cartology is a blend across several old sites, Huilkrans comes from the Skurfberg alone. Kleine Zalze's Family Reserve and Project Z show the Stellenbosch reading of the same grape.

Cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Cape

Both Meerlust and Lothian make a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir, which makes them a fair way to taste what altitude does. Lothian's Elgin sits high and cool; Meerlust's Stellenbosch vineyards are warmer but close enough to False Bay to feel it. The Chardonnays sit with the pure and elegant whites, the Pinot Noirs with the lighter reds.

Cap Classique, and tracked UK delivery

Cap Classique is South Africa's bottle-fermented sparkling wine, made by the same method as Champagne - a second fermentation in the bottle followed by ageing on the lees. Klein Constantia's is a Blanc de Blanc, made only from Chardonnay, and it sits with the rest of the Blanc de Blancs range. Orders go tracked across the UK mainland with next-day available.

The Fulham Wine Co. Take

South Africa has more old Chenin Blanc in the ground than anywhere else, and the past fifteen years have been spent finding those vineyards and taking them seriously. Alheit is the clearest example of that on this list. It is a short range because we only wanted the producers doing something you cannot get anywhere else.

FAQs About South African Wine

What is South Africa best known for?

Chenin Blanc, by some distance. It has more of it planted than anywhere else in the world, much of it very old vines. The country also makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinotage, but the old-vine Chenin is what has changed how South African wine is regarded internationally.

What is Cap Classique?

South African sparkling wine made by the same method as Champagne - second fermentation in the bottle, then extended ageing on the lees. It cannot be called Champagne because that name is restricted to the region in France, but the technique is the same.

Why does old-vine fruit make better wine?

Mainly because old vines produce less. A vine that yields a small crop concentrates what it has into fewer grapes, and deep established roots also cope better with drought and heat. It is not automatic - an old vine badly farmed makes poor wine - but the potential is higher.

Where should I start with South African wine?

With Chenin Blanc, since it is what the country does better than anywhere. Kleine Zalze's Family Reserve is the more familiar Stellenbosch style; Alheit's Cartology is the one that shows why people have started paying attention. If you would rather stay on known ground, the Meerlust Chardonnay is a safe first bottle.

Trustpilot

American Express Apple Pay Diners Club Discover Google Pay Maestro Mastercard Shop Pay Union Pay Visa
© 2026 The Fulham Wine Company.
×