First Lady Sauvignon Blanc

£12.99

£17.32 per litre · incl. 20% VAT

In Stock

Sauvignon Blanc with the volume turned up. Passionfruit, lime and green apple leap from the glass, backed by a zippy streak of acidity that keeps every sip moving. From Warwick Estate in Stellenbosch, this is the kind of fresh, food-friendly white you reach for again and again, easy to love, hard to put down.

Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.

Region

South Africa

Grape

Sauvignon Blanc

UK wide delivery

Expert curated

Sourced direct

Our Verdict

We've tasted a lot of Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc, and First Lady earns its place on our shelves by being genuinely well-made and genuinely good value. There's real texture here, that short lees ageing gives it a roundness most wines at this price miss, and the aromatics are properly lifted, not muted. It's the bottle we recommend when someone wants a crowd-pleasing Cape white that won't let them down at a dinner party or a Tuesday night. Honest opinion: this is one of the easiest wines we sell to fall in love with.

Tasting Notes

Passionfruit leads from the glass, bright and tropical, with cut grass and a squeeze of fresh lime sharpening the edges. Green apple and green fig follow, giving the nose that particular tension between zesty and ripe that defines good Cape Sauvignon. The palate is textured rather than lean, cool fermentation and a short spell on the lees lend a subtle creaminess, but the acidity is mouthwatering, pulling everything taut. The finish is crisp, clean, and lingers on exotic fruit.

Passionfruit Lift

Ripe passionfruit drives the nose, joined by green fig and exotic tropical notes, this is Cape Sauvignon at its juiciest.

Lime Zest Snap

A clean citrus streak runs through the palate, lifting the tropical fruit and giving the wine its mouthwatering, refreshing finish.

Cut Grass Freshness

That classic Sauvignon herbal note, fresh-mown lawn and green apple skin, keeps everything bright and unmistakably varietal.

Lees-Brushed Texture

A short rest on the lees adds a subtle creamy weight, softening the edges without dulling the wine's zippy acidity.

About This Wine

Here's a wine that gets it right from the first sniff. Passionfruit, lime zest and crisp green apple come tumbling out of the glass, followed by green fig and a whisper of cut grass, classic Sauvignon Blanc cues, but with the sun-soaked generosity that only the Cape delivers. One sip in and you'll understand why Warwick Estate's First Lady has become a staple on so many UK tables.

The winemaking is all about preserving that vibrancy. Grapes are picked in the cool early hours, given a short skin contact to coax out aromatics, then cool-fermented in stainless steel to lock in the freshness. A brief spell on the lees adds a subtle textural roundness, so the palate feels smooth and mouth-filling rather than sharp, bright acidity with body behind it.

Warwick Estate sits in the heart of Stellenbosch, a family-run property with three generations of winemaking behind it and a quietly serious commitment to working their vineyards more sustainably. The First Lady is their everyday Sauvignon, but there's nothing everyday about the quality.

Serve it well-chilled with grilled prawns, goat's cheese salad, Thai green curry, or a plate of fish and chips on a warm afternoon. It's also a brilliant choice for a thank-you gift or a hostess bottle, universally loved, smartly presented, and delivered to doors right across the UK.

Food Pairing

This is summer-lunch wine. Pour it alongside Thai green curry, a plate of garlic prawns, or a goat's cheese and rocket salad and watch it sing. It's brilliant with seafood, try grilled mackerel, dressed crab, or fish and chips on a bright afternoon. Asparagus, fresh peas, and herby spring dishes all find a natural partner here.

—Garlic prawns with chilli and lemon
—Goat's cheese and rocket salad with toasted pine nuts
—Grilled mackerel with gooseberry sauce
—Thai green chicken curry
—Asparagus and pea risotto

How to Serve

Temperature

Properly cold but not icy, an hour in the fridge, or twenty minutes in an ice bucket from room temperature.

Decanting

No decanting needed. Pour straight from the bottle, this is a wine built around freshness and aromatic lift, and any extended air contact will dull those bright tropical notes.

Glass

A standard tulip-shaped white wine glass concentrates the passionfruit and citrus aromatics without losing freshness.

Cellaring

Store cool, dark, and on its side. Best enjoyed within two to three years of release while the aromatics retain their tropical intensity.

Ageing & Cellaring

Drink now while the tropical aromatics are at their most exuberant, or hold for another two to three years if you prefer Sauvignon Blanc with a touch more weight and softened edges. The lively acidity will carry it gracefully through a short stint in the rack.

The Winemaking

Picked in the cool of early morning to lock in freshness, the grapes head straight to the cellar for de-stemming and a short window of skin contact, anywhere from two to six hours, depending on how the acidity is tracking that year. After a gentle pressing, the juice settles into stainless steel for a slow, cold fermentation that protects every last whisper of tropical aromatics. A brief spell on the lees adds a little texture and roundness before blending and bottling, all without a stave of oak in sight.

About the Producer

South African White

The Alvi's Drift story starts with a bridge. Back in 1928, Albertus Viljoen van der Merwe, Oupa Alvi to everyone who knew him, bought a stretch of land on the Breede River, and two years later commissioned a low-water crossing so locals could move between the two halves of the farm. That crossing, the 'drift' in the name, is still there. Three generations on, Oupa Alvi's grandson Alvi van der Merwe runs the cellar, which is a wonderful detour from his earlier career as a GP working across Canada, the UK and South Africa. He came home in 2003 to join his father Bertie in the vineyards, and now makes the wines alongside his wife Junel, a Cape Wine Master. The Signature range is their everyday calling card: serious winemaking dressed in approachable clothes.

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