Sometimes you have those days when nothing goes right. You might have woken up with a creeping sense of anxiety or you might have thought you had everything planned down to a tee. Regardless, suddenly everything implodes. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, the universe has another curve ball in store. If you have one of those days between 9 Sept and 2 Oct, you can squarely blame your misfortune on mercury retrograde, but any time after that I’m afraid it’s all on you.
Whenever you do have one of those days there is nothing like a good glass of wine and a delicious meal to set everything right again. These two things never fail to raise my spirits and perhaps that’s a testament to how much I love food and wine but truly I think it’s a universal statement. Our ancestors have both rejoiced and commiserated over food and wine for centuries, so it’s perfectly natural that we would be drawn to these two things as a source of comfort.
After my terrible day today I of course headed straight to the bottle store. I promise I’m not an alcoholic but under no circumstance was I going to cry in the bathtub completely sober. And trust me, it was a cry in the bathtub kind of day. So here I am, lying in the bath, typing up my wine column and drinking a fabulous glass of Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc.
They don’t joke about this wine being ‘basic bitch juice’ for nothing. It is light, easy drinking and oh so delicious. You won’t even notice how much you have drunk until you are white girl wasted. Bonus, it is pretty damn affordable. You can snag it for R75 at Makro, R84.99 at Mothercity Liquor, or R84.90 at Tops.
On the nose the 2020 Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc is reminiscent of gooseberry and pomelo. On the palate it is full-bodied while remaining light. Made up of mostly Sauvignon Blanc grapes you can also taste the greener notes of green pepper, green melon and grass. This is not a subtle wine, it is punchy and energetic and perfect for the approaching summer. I would highly recommend it paired with a crunch Asian slaw or a perfectly cooked fish. It would even pair well with sushi – which is notoriously hard to pair with wine. Enjoy, but always responsibly!
It is illegal to drink alcohol if you are under the age of 18. Don’t drink and drive.