Wine on holiday-now unlike Europe, we steam in the coastal sun here in RSA during Christmas holidays. So unless you plan on putting your prize red wines in the fridge to chill it beyond the required 18 degrees, I would suggest you go for dry rose or some low alcohol, low calorie spritzers.

We have some really good Rose in RSA at the moment, Jordan is getting good press for their current release, although I haven't tasted it as yet, hint hint :-). My favourite is the Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. I was recently given a bottle of the Juanita Cabernet Sauvignon. Excellent quality of wine, yet a little too fruity for my personal taste. If you are a fruity white wine drinker, this will be a good wine to get you onto dry rose and eventually light bodied red wines.

I, on the other hand have been consuming white wine spritzers in serious quantities, sparkling water, with any of the cheapest bottles of wine on the menu. I therefor (drum roll) have to vote for the Bellingham Johannisberger-or this is what the restaurant manager told me it was. I am however not sure if this was indeed the wine I had, as it seemed off dry and Johannisberger changed its name to Legacy a few years back. Any way, it made a fine spritzer, better than the Graca which, yes I actually ordered in a restaurant.

Spritzers are a great way to avoid the inevitable sinus attack from cheap whites, is low in calories and prevents you wanting to go to sleep after lunch when you should be watching your kids in the swimming pool. My spritzer of choice however has to be Drostyhof light, as it comes in 5 litre boxes and is already fairly low in alcohol.

Whatever you are having, always keep the champers on hand, and a good well chilled white with a bit of residual sugar for all the curries and seafood you should be having if you find yourself in Cape Town or the South Coast.

Hope you had some happy holidays.