Wines from South Africa to try: a surprising Stellenbosch white and a Swartland Shiraz

I was watching with envy the social media posts by a friend on a trip to South Africa, looking at the glorious sun-drenched vineyards, weighed down with ripe grapes. February always seems to promise more than it gives, and spring seems a long way off.

This week, we can pretend we are in South Africa with two wines from Tesco. Stellenbosch is one of the most historic and best-known vineyards of South Africa, possibly more famous for rich reds than sauvignon blanc, but this one is well worth trying.

Swartland is another traditional wine growing region, better-known for bulk wine until recently. Over the last decade a new generation of younger winemakers have shown that the region has real potential.