- PLEASE NOTE - OUR WINES AS PER THIS WEBSITE ARE PROMOTIONAL ONLY AND THEREFORE NOT FOR SALE, HOWEVER, YOU MAY CONTACT US AND WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE CONTACT DETAILS OF THE CELLAR
 Our Selection Of Quality Wines
GOOD NEWS! Purchasing superior quality wines online is no longer a daunting task!
Even though the head-office of the QUALITY-SMART-GROUP is situated in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Wine Cellar is in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa on the banks of South Africa's largest river, the Orange River, our comprehensive selection of exquisite wines is available to you anywhere in the world, directly from the cellar! The combined experience and passion for making and supplying exquisite quality South African wines, the team is ideally placed to meet your specific needs. The wine grapes of Orange River originate from 750 expert grape farmers all along the Orange River, also known as the Great Gariep River. These pockets of vineyard land stretch over a distance of more than 300 kilometers. The terroir (geophysical and micro-climatical) diversity of this unequaled "thirstland", translates into the production of cultivar and blended wines of inimitable variation insofar as aroma and taste are concerned. "On-tap" expertise, under-girded by good planning, sustained mutual co-operation and dynamic vineyard and cellar management, are effectively employed to utilize the terroir diversity of this wine producing region and provides for the constant supply of top quality wines. The purchase of Orange River Wines is made effortless with our 'quality-smart' format and we invite you to peruse our exquisite selection to locate the correct blend for your palate. The QUALITY-SMART-GROUP is dedicated to offer an extensive range of dry white wines, natural sweet and dry red wine, as well as dessert wines of the best available quality. These wines are successfully marketed locally and internationally and enjoyed by wine lovers and cognoscenti alike. Our specialist staff members are only a few clicks away and standing by for any queries you may have regarding the selection, making the purchase of your wine online a satisfying and user-friendly pleasure. 
We Pride Ourselves In Our Exquisite Range of Highly Palatable and Enjoyable Wines! VERITAS Awards and Accreditations - 2009
GOLD Award Red Jerepiko 2007 White Muscatel 2009 VERITAS Awards and Accreditations - 2009
BRONZE Awards
Chenin Blanc 2008 Colombard 2009 Red Muscatel 2008 VERITAS Awards and Accreditations - 2009
Awards & Accreditations - Several Wine Grapes Harvested at End of Season 2012
News - From the Cellar The 2012 Wine Season has come to an end and a good quality of wine grapes was harvested totaling 110,592 tons. |
Some Guidelines To Ordering Wine
In recent years, the world of wine and its champions have made impressive strides to overcome that harsh, nagging stereotype that wine lovers are snobby and elitist.
We're fortunate, really, to be living in such an age of drink super-geekdom that has given rise to a wealth of unique venues, companies, and brands. These are genuine passion projects run by folks more than eager to share their enthusiasm and knowledge, lively wine tastings where people won't give you a glaring side-eye if you don't spit after every taste, and wine bars feel as relaxed and casual as your favorite local dive. Take the Cockbar in Los Angeles for instance, whose owner, the appropriately named Caleb Wines, notes: "It seemed like most of the "wine bars" here were just glorified restaurants or reality esoteric and intimidating where, if you didn't know the latest East European varietal you were made to feel like an idiot." More casual and comfortable bars are great, and let's hope more of them continue to appear, but here's the thing - If you open up the wine list and request a "pea-NOT grigg-ee-O" (instead of a pea-no gree-joe) you're going to sound, well, pretty stupid, no matter how lax the locale. And it's not the mispronunciation of names that can make you sound like you don't know what you're talking about - there's also the matter of understanding the basic terminology and knowledge how to approach a wine list, or even what to do if you think that you've poured a defective glass. To that end, we've put together this basic guide to help you imbibe without the risk of embarrassment. Good To Know Wine Terms
Terroir (tear-WAHr) - French term to describe the general make-up of a vineyard - from soil and climate to the drainage and topography that contributes to the character of the wine. Varietal - Another word for grape variety, as an adjective meaning made from a single variety. Vintage - The year the wine grapes were grown and harvested. Dry - Used to describe wines that are not sweet. Tannic - Having an astringent character from compounds found in grape skins and/or wooden casks - primarily noticeable in red wines. How To Approach The Wine List -
Extensive wine lists can be intimidating, there's no denying, but experienced sommelier Allegra Angelo of Michy in Miami has some advice to offer. For one, know what you like(not-so-oakey whites, bold reds, whatever). Second, and most important, don't be afraid to ask for help - If there's no sommelier, seek out the restaurant's "token wine dork" and find out what recommendations he or she may have. Lastly, says Allegra, "Don't be afraid to experiment."
How To Taste
Don't feel like you have to make a big spectacle of evaluating the first taste of the wine you've ordered. Give the sample a couple quick swirls, get a good whiff, and take your sip - no need to attempt the gargle you saw someone do at a wine tasting once.
How To Reject a Bad Wine
Don't let the fear of being "that annoying, picky customer" stop you from rejecting a wine if you think that there's something wrong with it. You're paying for a product and you should be getting what you want. That said, there is the matter of accountability on your part - if you're going to reject a wine for being bad, be sure of your convictions. It helps to be familiar with the characteristic red flag of "corked" or oxidized wine. Be polite, and have the server taste the defective glass; any professional worth his or her salt will be honest about admitting a fault in the wine if there is indeed one.
Chardonnay
This popular, adaptable wine grape can be grown in just about every wine producing country in the world. It is the grape behind the famed dry, white burgundies of France and one of the principal varietals in champagne. Typically, chardonnay is an oaked wine with medium- high acidity and a fuller body. Its flavours and aromas can range from toasty and vanilla (from the oak) to tropical fruits to slightly earthly.
Food pairing - Fatty fishes (think salmon) and rich cream sauces have always been a classic pairing with chardonnay. Pinot Noir - (pea-no nWAHr)
Iconic of Burgundy Reds, great pinot noirs can also be found in wine-growing regions like Oregon, California, New Zealand. Lighter than cabernet sauvignon and merlot, pinot noir is normally a medium-acid, medium tannin wine that has fruity red berry notes and a floral aroma (but can sometimes also have earthy qualities as well).
Food pairing - A versatile wine for food pairing, try it with natural rinded cow's milk cheeses, as well as grilled, or sauteed foods (think grilled chicken with sauteed mushrooms). Champagne And Sparkling Wines
Rule number one - Not all sparkling wine is champagne (shahm-PAHN-yeh). Nothing against Italy's popular prosecco (pro-SECK-oh) and Spain's cava (cah-vah) or even the many great American sparklers, but unless it's made in Champagne, France, it can't be labelled as such.
When it comes to French bubbly, a lot of confusion can stem from the terms used to define the degree of sweetness. Brut (broot) means it's dry, sec (seck) is fairly sweet, and doux (do) means sweet. Food pairing - Bubbly is a classic pre-meal aperitif drink, but Covenant Wines, Jeff Morgan says the most important factor to consider when pairing sparkling wine and food is the presence or lack of acidity. Oysters are a popular match, but also salty or fried snacks (chips, fried chicken) work well too, as the bubbles can cut through the richness. |