Best Value Wine Guide 2012
The best South African wines less than R60. Buy Now.
Articles and Directories
- Best Value Awards
- Best Value Cellar Overall
- Best Value Cellar Directory
- Best Value in Numbers
- Best Value Wine Guide 2011
Best Value Wines
- Best Value Whites
- Best Value Rosé
- Best Value Reds
- Best Value Port and Sherry
- Best Value Dessert and Sparkling Wines
Bargain hunting
Everyone loves a bargain. but, with thousands of bottles staring at you from retail shelves and a minefield of ‘good deals’, how do you separate quality wines from the ordinary? It’s tough to make your choice – even if you know a thing or two about Sauvignon or can tell your American oak from your French. This is where the Best Value Wine Guide comes in; identifying those wines that deliver on quality as well as price. And that’s why, whether you’re someone who is just beginning to learn to love wine or an avid wine collector whose cellar is bursting at the seams, you’ll find that this guide is written for you.
For 12 years, Best Value has proven that buying wine on a budget doesn’t mean you need to compromise on taste. In fact, this year there’s an impressive 380 wines that offer more bang for your buck below the R60 price threshold. The wines range from the super-quaffers to the more serious, and cover everything from Sauvignon Blanc to sparkling wines, Port and Noble Late harvests. Something to suit every taste.
For 12 years this booklet has proven that buying wine on a budget doesn’t mean you need to compromise on taste.
Each of the wines featured within these pages scored 21⁄2 Stars or more (in other words, ‘above average’ and ‘appealing’) when assessed by our panel of rigorous judges. Not always an easy task. And what’s even more exciting for consumers is that, of the 380 wines to make the cut, 244 cost less than R40 per bottle. and within that, 177 cost less than R35! That really is great quality at a particularly pocket-friendly price.
Using the retail price and star rating, a Value score was calculated for each wine, and those that achieved a Value rating of 19 or 20 received Value Awards – this year, a total of 49 across the categories.
Over and above the multitude of fabulous wines in this year’s guide, the 2012 edition is a particularly exciting one. After 12 years as one of Wine magazine’s most successful consumer-orientated wine guides, the Best Value Wine Guide has entered a new era. Still published by RamsayMedia, it is now distributed to Getaway magazine subscribers and is available for purchase online. Be sure to look out for those iconic red stickers on the shelves of your favourite wine retailer or cellar tasting room, which still guarantee that the wine you buy will appeal to the taste buds as well as your wallet.
There’s simply no excuse for you not to be drinking better, cheaper wine in 2012.
Consumers are the winners
In life, as in wine, it is not necessarily what you pay that is important but what you receive. That is why Ultra Liquors is once again proud to bring you the Best Value Wine Guide. In the book’s 12 years of publication, we’ve assisted many consumers in discovering great value wines at fantastic prices.
It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. In the 2009 guide there were just 30 Value Awards issued. And here we are, three years later, with wine prices having risen and the economic challenges facing producers intensified, and there are no fewer than 49 wines deemed worthy of the ultimate accolade; they hit the quality-to-price ratio sweet spot. Incidentally, since the inception of this guide, more than 10 000 wines have been tasted by the judges!
It is exciting to see so many wines were entered into the Best Value competition again this year – 982 in all. of that, 380 wines were selected and included in the pages of the guide. To all those wineries, producers and brands that made it between the covers of the book this year, congratulations on your achievement. We encourage you to maintain and grow this category and your representation in it.
... since the inception of this guide, more than 10 000 wines have been tasted by the judges!
At Ultra Liquors we take wine seriously and have invested in developing knowledgeable staff. Our 570-person permanent team receives training on a regular basis; in 2011 14 staffers completed courses at the Cape Wine Academy. This means that we are suitably equipped to help our customers to make informed buying decisions.
Wine lovers, especially those with a nose for value, will love shopping at Ultra Liquors. Our wines on shelf are arranged by price, then by alphabet, making it easier to navigate.
Moreover, our customer loyalty card offers great rewards. This, together with our quarterly wine catalogue (more than 500 000 copies printed), helps ensure our customers return time and again on their quest for great wine. In 2011, Ultra Liquors received the PMR Diamond Arrow Award for being rated highest in the category of wine, spirits and alcoholic beverage retailers, and we’re particularly proud of this achievement.
We believe in not only talking the talk of best value, but walking the walk too. Our own label wines – namely Table Bay and Secret Cellar – continue to garner praise and awards. In the 2011 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show our Table Bay Chenin Blanc was placed third in the Best Value for Money category. Nine of our wines were awarded 3 Stars or more in the 2011 edition of Platter’s Guide to South African Wines and, in this issue of the Best Value Wine Guide, three Table Bay wines were selected with a further two Secret Cellar wines given Value Awards. At various wine shows around the country, consumers are often amazed at the quality-price ratio of these two brands.
Lastly, it remains for me to thank all our loyal customers, staff and wine suppliers for their continued support over the years.
Bottoms up!
