Bales’ Choice

For well over a decade Wade Bales has explored the Cape winelands, along the way establishing close working relationships with many of the Cape’s finest winemakers.  He has scoured their vineyards and cellars, leaving no stone unturned in his search for the excellent wines featured under the Bales Choice label.  We hope you will enjoy these unpretentious, easy-drinking wines that reflect a typically South African lifestyle.

Blend of 50% Chenin, 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Viognier and 5% Chardonnay.  A fresh crisp wine.  Pear, citrus and apple on the nose combine with oak vanillins, honey and fresh almonds providing a complex structure.  On the palate, the citrus and lovely fresh peaches fill the mouth.  Well integrated oak adds complexity.  An ideal summer wine to be enjoyed next to the pool with a lightly tossed salad.

100% Merlot.  A brilliant lively, clear wine, the colour of freshly cut watermelon.  Something to excite one’s senses!  A complex nose comprising of pink grapefruit, peppery nasturtium and hints of strawberry jam, granadillas and guava.  A full palate of pomegranate, pink grapefruit and honey, with a hint of spiciness in the aftertaste.  A pleasantly off-dry, lingering finish.  Serve well chilled.  An excellent aperitif or picnic wine.

Blend of 56% Shiraz, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 4% Roobernet.  An nose of dark chocolate and raspberry, complimented by the peppery, nutmeg and cinnamon notes of the Shiraz component.  Soft, velvety tannins with lively fruit that ends in a long dry finish.  Drinking well now, but will benefit from two to three years’ bottle maturation.  An everyday social red to be enjoyed on its own or with cold cuts, steak or lamb shank.

Bales' Choice "The White Stuff"

50% Chenin Blanc, 35% Chardonnay and 15% Sauvignon Blanc The grapes were lightly crushed and allowed brief skin contact before being racked to the tanks and fermenting with select yeast strains.   After a twenty day fermentation, the wine was left on the lees for three months for extended lees contact. The wine was lightly fined and filtered prior to bottling.

Bales' Choice Perfectly Pink Rosé

 A brilliant, lively, clear wine, strawberry in colour. A complex nose, but the aromas are mainly in the rose petal, strawberry and cherry spectrum.  A dry lingering palate of pomegranate and berry fruits fills your mouth.  Serve well chilled.  An excellent aperitif or picnic wine.  The ideal summer salad wine.  Serve with fresh, seared tuna steaks; veal limone; poached salmon; asparagus quiche; cold crayfish salad; vegetable spring rolls dipped in soy sauce; ideal with sushi and other Japanese delights.