White wine from the Cape: four bottles for different dinners

The Sauvignon Blanc for shellfish

Of these four, Vergelegen Premium Sauvignon Blanc has the most outside recognition. Natalie Earl scored it 91 in Decanter, and it holds a Gold from the International Wine Challenge and a Silver from the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Vergelegen's vineyards climb a hillside and face two directions, north-west and south-east. The cooler, south-facing blocks keep acidity and aroma, the warmer ones build riper fruit and texture, and the winemaker blends from both. In the glass that gives a Sauvignon with plenty of zip and enough fruit weight to stop it feeling thin.

Pour it with Cornish crab on sourdough toast or Loch Fyne oysters with lemon. Grilled mackerel with gooseberry sauce is a closer match still, since the sauce has the same tart green edge as the wine and the acidity cuts through the oily fish. It makes a sensible gift for someone who already drinks Sauvignon Blanc. Open it within two to three years of release; a short rest in the rack can soften its edges a little, but keeping it longer gains nothing.

Viognier for spice and coconut

Viognier is a scented grape, and its blossom and apricot aromas fade fast if the fruit or the fermentation gets too warm. At Alvi's Drift, the Breede River tempers the daytime heat and cool nights hold on to the florals and the acidity.

In the cellar, Alvi's Drift Signature Viognier is made from free-run juice, fermented slowly and cool, with no oak, then left on its fine lees for several months. That lees time gives it a soft, almost creamy weight, so it fills the mouth more than an unoaked white might lead you to expect. Coconut and lemongrass prawn laksa is the dish for it, as the stone fruit sits comfortably against the coconut and the spice. Pan-fried sea bass with apricot and almond couscous works too, as does a slice of quiche Lorraine with a green salad.

Choose this white for someone who finds Sauvignon Blanc too sharp. Serve it at 10°C. It will keep for two to three years, slowly swapping some perfume for a softer, honeyed character, but the scent is the reason to buy it, so open it young.

Food pairing for Alvi's Drift Signature Viognier, Thai green chicken curry with jasmine

A white wine blend with more body

For roast chicken with lemon and thyme, open The Wolftrap White, the heaviest of the four. It is a blend that leans on Swartland fruit, and each grape has a role. Viognier gives the perfume of peach and stone fruit, Chenin Blanc supplies acidity and a layered middle, and Grenache Blanc adds yellow plum and a zesty edge. A light touch of oak rounds it off, and the result is medium to full-bodied.

It comes from Boekenhoutskloof, and the bottles on sale are the 2021 vintage. Drink it over the next two to three years, while the orchard fruit and the herbal notes are at their most expressive. Pork belly with apple compote suits it, and so does grilled sea bass with herb butter. Serve it at 10°C, cool enough to keep it fresh and warm enough to let the peach come through. Pour it at a table where some guests usually drink oaked white.

Which one to open first

For a single bottle to cover a mixed dinner, the Wolftrap is our pick, because its body and acidity let it move between chicken, pork and fish. The Vergelegen is the better choice when the meal is built around shellfish or oily fish, where its acidity counts for most. Choose the Reyneke for fried food and the Alvi's Drift for anything with coconut, lemongrass or chilli. None of the four is made for the cellar, so there is no case for laying any of them down.

The full shelf of South African white wines is on one page, including the grapes this shortlist leaves out. Anyone taking home two or more of these four should open the Alvi's Drift first, since its blossom scent fades soonest.