Whatever your preferred outdoor activity this January, a great bottle of wine can brighten any occasion. So, to celebrate the possibilities of 2020, we’ve rounded up our best buys for barbecues, picnics and long, lazy lunches. Cheers!

A sumptuous sip of summer

It’s hard not to love Fat Bastard Chenin Blanc 2018. Blended from a selection of the best wine from the year’s ripe harvest, this gorgeous chenin blanc is versatile in style and sweetness. It’s as lively as a golden ray of sunshine – think notes of juicy yellow peach and a hint of vanilla on the palate followed by a tangy note of fresh lime on the finish. The fruit flavours are intense and it has complex character … a sumptuous sip of sunshine indeed! Because of its awesome acidity and inherently sweet flavour, we recommend pairing it with foods that have a sweet and sour element, such as Southeast Asian cuisine or cinnamon-apple pork chops.

Between R85 and R95 from your local bottle store

Live life with a little spice

Loved for its savoury, bell pepper-like flavours, medium-high acidity and mouth-watering taste, Journey’s End Pastor’s Blend – Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018 (pronounced ‘cab-err-nay fronk’) is an elegant, harmonious wine for earlier drinking rather than long cellaring. Notes of juicy plums and brambleberries, a savoury spice dusting from the oak and some dried herbs combined with its natural high acidity and slightly reduced tannin give it versatility for a range of food dishes. Our top tip is to match this wine with real herbs in your dish, such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, coriander, jalapeño pepper, red pepper flakes and black pepper.

Between R89 and R99 from selected retail outlets and wine merchants

A match made in Eden

Give into temptation and taste the forbidden fruits because Vergenoegd Löw Adam & Eve 2019 is as close to the Garden of Eden as you’re going to find on Earth. Adam is a modern take on a merlot; bold and bursting with flavours of soft, ripe plum and red berries. Eve, on the other hand, is Vergenoegd Löw’s first white merlot – complex and rebellious, silky and sublimely sinful. Expect, then, gentle tropical fruit notes and subtle hints of citrus and lemon zest. Because of its position in the middle of the red wine spectrum, Adam matches with a variety of foods like herbed chicken en papillote and lightly spiced dark meats. With enticing aromas and sweet flavours, Eve makes the perfect pairing for mandarin chicken salad, fig and goat cheese pizza, shrimp and pepper alfredo, and yoghurt parfaits.

R390 for the pair from your local bottle store