Wine of the Month, November 2026

Waterkloof Circle of Life White - £14.50
Real presence and vibrancy from a characterful Stellenbosch white blend

We’ve headed off to South Africa’s premier wine region, Stellenbosch, this month. Not far from Cape Town, it’s a stunningly scenic area of mountain slopes and sheltered valleys leading down towards the dramatic False Bay coastline. And by coincidence, it just happens to be a great place for making wine too. The combination of sun, soil and cooling sea breezes is just right for everything from big, substantial reds to fresh, expressive whites.

What we’ve picked out is quite an interesting white blend. Given it’s got quite a following among wine trade critics and professionals who regularly sing its praises, it’s still very keenly priced – you get plenty for your money here. We’ve had it on the shelves, quietly minding its own business, for a fair few years and thought it was high time it deserved a little shout-out.

A bright, intense blend of mainly Sauvignon Blanc, with about a quarter Chenin Blanc and a smidge of Sémillon, the intrigue lies in the way it’s made. The grapes are fermented – unusually – in two separate batches, then blended back together, put in 600-litre Rhône barrels and allowed around nine months’ maturation on its lees. And as with many Waterkloof wines, they don’t interfere too much in the cellar – fermentations start spontaneously, there are no added enzymes or acids, and that all leads to something with layers of complexity and flavours you wouldn’t necessarily expect at this level.

Making it Wine of the Month is our way of flagging it up as well worth trying, and don’t forget it also comes with the regular inducement of 100 bonus loyalty points per bottle purchased … as if we needed to bribe you.