Cheers!

A fiery fragrant brandy, an award-winning red, a warming winter cocktail, and six great-value wines to see you through the cold nights

- Suzy Brokensha

Storming the Bastille 2026

The annual Bastille Festival in Franschhoek, which this year falls on 11 and 12 July, involves dressing in red, white and blue, saying, Mais oui!, Zut alors! or Santé! (depending on how you feel at the time), and drinking loads of wine. There's a best-dressed competition, lovely live jazz, loads of wine tastings and great food. And on Saturday, the sponsor, Prescient Investment Management, is hosting a competition, where someone very lucky will win R20 000 invested in a Prescient unit trust. Tickets cost R450 at Webtickets. franschhoekbastille.co.za

SPARKLE OF GENIUS

Bot River winemaker Melissa Nelsen's gorgeous Genevieve Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique Brut Chardonnay 2020 is the only South African bubbly to be included in Wine Enthusiast's Top 40 Sparkling Wines of 2026. It was awarded an excellent 92 points by wine writer Jesica Vargas: 'It begins with delicate aromas of toasted bread and golden apple. Light notes of almond and white fruit meet on a lively palate. The wine's excellent acidity and elegant bubbles provide a remarkable lingering freshness.' We've long been fans of both Melissa's wines and Melissa herself: She's a qualified pilot who opted to create her stars in a glass rather than reaching for them in flight. Long may she soar!

Subtle and special