Louis 2017

South Africa meets the Southern Rhône. Lemberg’s Louis is an intense and punchy blend of Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Grenache that fizzles with dark fruit, peppery spices, hedgerow earthiness, cigar box, oak and meatiness. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, making it a vegan-friendly red, we love this with Mediterranean flavours, herby meze, goulash and cassoulet.

Surrounded by mountains and pressed up against the uber-trendy Swartland, Tulbagh is one of South Africa’s lesser-known wine regions, but stylishly intriguing wineries like Lemberg look set to put it firmly on the fine wine map. Established in 1978, Lemberg became famous for being the smallest estate on the Western Cape, but now it’s loved for producing some of the country’s most intriguing, innovative and unique wines. Although proudly South African, their story is strongly tied to Europe. Lemberg is the old name for Lviv the city, then in Poland and now in the Ukraine, that the original winemaker’s husband came from; they are renowned for the ever-fascinating Hungarian grape variety Hárslevelü; and visitors are welcomed by their four English bulldogs.