Tumbleweed Sundance Viognier
£15.79
£21.05 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 12 bottles available
World's Most Admired Wine Brands (2023)
Sunshine in a glass, with the perfume to match. Bruce Jack's Tumbleweed Sundance Viognier pours peach blossom, ripe apricot and a twist of citrus over a whisper of vanilla from neutral oak. Lush but never heavy, it's the kind of aromatic white that turns a Tuesday supper into something a bit more memorable.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We have a soft spot for Viognier when it's done with restraint, and Bruce Jack absolutely nails that balance here. So many Viogniers tip into oily, blowsy territory; this one stays poised, with the perfume turned up but the structure kept tight. The neutral oak adds texture without ever leaving a vanilla bootprint. It's the bottle we reach for when someone tells us they're 'bored of Chardonnay' and want something with a bit more personality. A genuinely characterful white from one of the Cape's most thoughtful winemaking teams, and a easy gateway into South African aromatic whites.
Tasting Notes
Pour a glass and the perfume lifts straight out: peach blossom, white nectarine, and a twist of fresh tangerine, with a soft whisper of vanilla sitting underneath rather than on top. The palate is generous without being heavy, that classic Viognier weight balanced by a citrus-bright line of acidity (no malolactic here, so the freshness stays intact). Six months in neutral oak adds gentle texture, almost a creamy mouthfeel, before the finish tapers off long, floral, and clean.
About This Wine
If you've been looking for a white that does something different to the usual Sauvignon or Chardonnay, this is your moment. Viognier is one of the most perfumed grapes in the world, and in Bruce Jack's hands it sings: peach blossom and honeysuckle on the nose, ripe apricot and nectarine on the palate, all lifted by a citrus snap that stops it ever feeling heavy. The fruit comes from Breedekloof, tucked between two mountain ranges where Atlantic air meets warm Karoo sun. Sandy soils drain hard, push the roots deep, and give wines a freshness that you can taste from the first sip. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented in neutral 225 to 300-litre oak barrels (no new wood here, just gentle shaping), and rested for six months before bottling. Crucially, malolactic conversion is skipped, which keeps a bright, mouth-watering line of acidity running right through the wine. Lush yet linear: that's the trick. Pour it well-chilled with roast chicken and tarragon, a Thai green curry, or a wedge of soft-rinded cheese on a warm evening. It's also brilliant on its own as an aperitif, the kind of bottle that gets people asking what you're drinking. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, and a lovely choice for the friend who thinks they've tried every white grape worth knowing.
Food Pairing
Viognier loves food that meets its aromatic richness halfway. Think roast chicken with lemon and thyme, a Thai green curry with prawns, or a slab of grilled swordfish brushed with olive oil. It's also brilliant with creamy soft cheeses (a wedge of ripe Brie on a Sunday afternoon is hard to beat) and stands up surprisingly well to lightly spiced Moroccan tagines.
- —Roast chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme
- —Thai green prawn curry with jasmine rice
- —Grilled swordfish or sea bass with herb butter
- —Apricot-glazed pork loin
- —Ripe Brie or Camembert with crusty bread
How to Serve
Decanting
No need to decant. Viognier's perfume is delicate and benefits from going straight into the glass. If anything, a brief swirl as you pour will release plenty of aroma without losing freshness.
Ageing & Cellaring
Viognier is at its most expressive young, when the floral perfume and stone-fruit freshness are at their peak. Drink within two to three years of release. Holding it longer risks losing the very aromatics that make this grape so compelling.
The Land
The Viognier sits on mostly sandy soils, which drain freely, aerate well, and hold warmth into the cooler hours. That combination encourages deep root systems and vines that shrug off drought stress, while the sand itself nudges the wine towards brighter, fresher aromatics. Most vines are trellised, with a handful trained as bush vines, all hand harvested and sustainably farmed.
The Winemaking
A gentle hand from the start. Grapes are destemmed, crushed, and pressed to tank to settle before racking into neutral oak barrels (225 to 300 litres) for fermentation. The choice of older, neutral wood is deliberate: it lets the Viognier breathe and build texture without slathering it in vanilla or coconut. Malolactic conversion is held back to preserve a fresh, crisp line of acidity, then the wine rests for six months in barrel before bottling. The result is lush but never heavy, with that signature stone-fruit perfume kept beautifully in focus.
The Swartland Region
Swartland, 'the black land' in Afrikaans, named for the renosterbos that darkens after rain, rolls out north of Cape Town across the hills around Malmesbury and Riebeek-Kasteel. It's hot, dry, and stubbornly characterful: a place of old bush vines, granite and koffieklip soils, and a community of growers who've made it the most quietly thrilling corner of South African wine. Concentration, freshness, and a wild streak you don't find elsewhere, that's Swartland in a glass.
About the Producer
Bruce Jack
Bruce Jack runs a small, tight-knit team out of South Africa, with head winemakers Bruce himself and Marlize Beyers working side by side for more than two decades. Between them they've made wine across several continents, but the through-line has always been authenticity, wines that taste of where they come from, made by people who actually know the vineyards. The 'Off the Charts' range, which the Tumbleweed wines belong to, is their love letter to South Africa's classic grape and region pairings, with labels nodding to the Basotho blanket and the wide, untamed landscapes of the Cape. Bruce Jack has appeared four years running in Drinks International's World's Most Admired Wine Brands, recognition the team has quietly earned, bottle by bottle.