Since I began paying more attention to what I was drinking, I realised a few things about what was in my glass. The first is that  it’s pretty easy to find inoffensive wines locally, but far harder to find interesting ones. The more I drank, the more I felt that too many wines tasted mass-produced. I began to see the supermarket wine shelves as some sort of cellar constructed by Andy Warhol’s minions. There were plenty of ripe oaky reds, banal Sauvignon Blancs and Chenins, hundreds of wines with a dollop of sugar, but very few wines that I could comfortably label as delicious.

I want a deliciousness that stems from fruit, from purity, it’s a delicousness that slaps your palate around, wakes it up, gives your tongue a high-five. It’s the difference between freshly squeezed orange juice and the 1,5 litre carton that’s “Pure Orange Juice (and other fruits)”. Such wines are readily available, but I generally find they are imported, and as such at a price point that the general wine drinking public will find excessive.

Now, making predictions is a fools game, but I feel as though I can see a corner in the distance. It’s a corner that local producers are turning, or at least preparing to turn. The big, overworked and oaked wines are on their way out. Elegance, finesse, and freshness are on their way in. Chatting to Richard Rowe, head winemaker at KWV the other day on Wine Harry & Song, he told me that that’s what he’s is trying to bring to the whole range of KWV wines: freshness, less oak and more elegance.

While this is going to be an effect that will trickle down from the top in terms of price – which I think may take a little longer than I would like – I am finding more cheaper wines that are just downright delicious, and have a purity about them that makes me smile with every sip.

I have already mentioned the Tobias Mouvedre 2010, which was underpriced, delicious, and full of chutzpah when it was still available. But it’s all sold out, so we have to wait for the 2011. (Bryan, if you are reading this you better step up and deliver, we’re ready.) As my staple scrumptious bargain wine is sold out and I have the foresight of a goldfish, I had to go in search of some others. Here’s what I’ve found recently.

First, two wines from wine making magician Christophe Durand of Vin d’Orrance. They are the Simply Red and Simply White.

Simply White 2011

It’s made up of 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Viognier from the Swartland. I like wines whose taste I can remember, and what I remember clearest about this wine was the juicy citrus burst as I took a sip. I’m not talking about a little pear, lemon, and apple here, I am saying it explodes into your mouth like a naartjie to the face. The viognier isn’t overblown, and it gives the wine a gentle peachy finish. Then you have another glass, and then another. There’s no spoofy sweetness, just a damn fine wine to drink.

Simply Red 2010

Tasting the red – a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Viognier – it’s pretty obvious that these two are a double act. Again, a really brilliant purity of flavour. It showed fynbos, black sour cherry, dark chocolate, and a savoury, slightly meaty edge. Again freshness and drinkability were the reason this wine was made. Wonderful.

Tasting both of these wines one word stood out for me: purity. The vineyards must be good, and the wine making delicate. The price. This wine is going to retail for around R65. Say whaaat? I know, right. You can’t even get three pints of Guinness for that.

Available at: Vino pronto, Carolines Fine Wines, Wine Cellar, Wine Concepts Kloof and Newlands.

Another wonderfully delcious wine, if a tad more expensive, is The Raats Family wines Dolomite Cabernet Franc that will retail for around R98. Now while this is not a rock bottom price, what you are getting for your money is quite ridiculous.

There are 40-odd single variety Cabernet Franc producers in the Western Cape, and none do the job more successfully than Bruwer Raats. I attended a 10 year vertical tasting of his top-end Cabenet Franc recently, and they are portraits of balance and finesse. Bruwer said at the tasting, “One thing I put a prize on is elegance, complexity, freshness and acidity… and Cabernet Franc is the perfect variety to give all those building blocks.”

The Cabernet Franc we were tasting sells for R300-plus a bottle. The dolomite, for a third of the price, provides everything I mentioned above – freshness, complexity, drinkability, but also an excellent introduction to the variety.

Available at: &Union, Wine Cellar, Chapman’s Peak Liquor Store, Vino Pronto.

To bring us back to the 50 Rand mark, another excessively drinkable wine that I’ve had recently is the Winery of Good Hope’s Bush Vine Pinotage. Pinotage generally gets a pretty bad rap, the ugly duckling of the wine world without many fairytale endings. But this bright unwooded version is all about red fruit, a hint of spice, and a very pleasant tart finish.

Availability: Wine Cellar.

None of these wines are made in tiny tiny quantities, they all offer very good value for money, and most importantly, none are spoofy. They are all intent on displaying fresh, clean pure flavours, and everyone passes my ultimate wine test: can I finish a bottle comfortably on my own.

Have you tasted these or other wines that have made you smile recently? Wines that have made it impossible not to finish the bottle? Let us know in the comments.

Note on availability: I am currently working on where to find these wines in Jo’burg and around the country, and the farms haven’t got back to me. I’ll update the post as soon as I know. If you are desperate send me a mail and I will get the right person from the farm to contact you.