South African Sauvignon Blanc: Aldi's $5.99 Summer Gem from Cambalala

Ever wonder if a $5.99 wine could actually be worth drinking? The Cambalala South African Sauvignon Blanc 2024 from Aldi not only answers that question with a resounding yes but might actually change how you think about budget wines altogether.

This surprisingly sophisticated sipper from South Africa's Western Cape brings a subtle, refined take on Sauvignon Blanc's characteristic profile. Unlike the aggressive grassiness that dominates many New Zealand versions, Kambalala offers a gentler experience with delicate floral aromas leading to flavors of nectarine, dried pineapple, honey, and subtle tropical fruits. There's an interesting textural quality—a silky, almost syrupy mouthfeel despite being completely dry—that adds dimension without compromising refreshment.

The wine's name perfectly captures its essence - "Cambalala" means "take it easy" or "chill" in South African parlance, and that's exactly what this wine encourages. It's not complex enough to demand deep contemplation but far too good to be dismissed as merely acceptable. Instead, it occupies that sweet spot where enjoyment meets exceptional value, making it perfect for casual entertaining when you want something tasty but don't want to break the bank. Stock your refrigerator with a couple of bottles (it's only $12 for two!), and you're instantly ready for impromptu gatherings on the patio. The screw cap closure—albeit a surprisingly tight one—makes it all the more convenient for summer sipping.

Have you tried South African Sauvignon Blanc before? If not, this approachable, affordable bottle might be the perfect introduction to what this region can offer. Give it a proper chill, invite some friends over, and discover how sometimes the best wine values come from unexpected places. Subscribe to our podcast for more hidden gems that deliver serious bang for your buck!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Kambalala Wine
• 2:00 Tasting Notes and Flavors
• 4:30 Perfect Patio Wine Value
• 6:00 Final Thoughts and Meaning of Kambalala

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome, it's Domain, dave. Again, as always, cheapwinefindercom With another podcast for a wine review. We wrote up on the CheapWineFindercom website, like we do three times a week. Here we got a summer wine, even though it's not quite summer yet. It's from Aldi and it's a 599 South African Sauvignon Blanc. It's called and I'm not sure where to put the accents on this it's spelled C-A-M-B-A-L-A-L-A Come balala, south African Sauvignon Blanc 2024. They're south of the hemisphere, so their winters and summers and winters and all that are different than ours. And these inexpensive Sauvignon Blancs don't need aging, don't need a lot of time to mate, and it's $5.99. I know almost nothing about this other than what it tastes like. Kambalala is, as a name, is owned by Aldi and looking in the internet, they seem to have a bunch of South African wines under this name. I've only seen this one, $ one, 599 Sauvignon Blanc. Also, I put a link on the website of all the wines available at Aldi in the UK and their wine selection puts our wine in US shops to shame. There were three pages of about 25 wines a page, all available, all inexpensive, and we get the same things over and over again. But we got this one now at least, at least in chicago for my uh.

Speaker 1: 2:00

So how was it? It? It was nice. This is not a bad.

Speaker 1: 2:05

I don't know who made it. It's from the Western Cape of South Africa. Western Cape is kind of like the general area where all the different growing areas are and like most of the most of the vineyards are. So it doesn't you know, it doesn't narrow where it came from. Don't know who made it. Don't know exactly where it came from, don't know who made it. Don't know exactly where it was grown, don't know how they made it. Those South African I mean not South African Sauvignon Blanc wines are kind of, if there's any wine that's farmed to market, it's Sauvignon Blanc. Because they pick the grapes. The winemaker might use a different batch of yeast, because different yeast bring out different flavors, and they might decide which temperature to ferment it at, because there's some leeway there. But other than that, they just press the grapes, do their thing when it's fermented, bottle it or let it rest for a month or two, bottle it and let it rest another month and out the door it goes. So when you see a 599 Sauvignon Blanc, it's not like oh, there's no way they can make it for 599, especially from South Africa and ship it all the way to the Midwest where I'm at, but they kind of can because it doesn't.

Speaker 1: 3:20

You know it's this. It goes from being grapes to being wine in a fairly simple and quick method. I'm going to take a sip. It reminds me of a milder, more subtle new zealand savion blanc. It's got that grassiness, but not too much. It's got the same flavors. For the most part there is a um, there was a syrupy little nature to to the mouthfe, which isn't all that bad. It's kind of you ever had peaches and syrup canned peaches. It kind of has that kind of syrup to it, though it's a dry wine. It's not a sweet wine. It's got all the flavors. It's got nectarine and I found dried pineapple and a little bit of honey. Honey and peaches, pears, apple, some tropical fruit. I mean for $5.99 Sauvignon Blanc. And it had a decent nose too. The nose was subtle but it was nice and floral. I mean it did all the things you'd expect a Sauvignon Blanc to do and it did it for $5.99. Did I say that three or four times already? So there you go.

Speaker 1: 4:40

This is a, you know, this is a who knows what. This is a wine that they don't talk about. But you don't need to. There isn't all that much to say about it because it's so simple to make and it turns out. South Africa is a pretty nice place. Most of where the grapes are grown are either coastal or mountain or both. So where the grapes came from, it's fine, and whoever made it knew how to make Sauvignon Blanc. This is perfect patio. I mean, this is the kind at $5.99.

Speaker 1: 5:16

You grab a couple of bottles, put it in the refrigerator when friends come over and you're going to sit out in the deck or wherever you're going to sit, it's a screw top. I actually had to get a wrench to take the screw top off because it was on so tight. But you know, maybe, uh, maybe you're stronger, but but even though I did get it, I wasn't going to let anything stop me from opening it up. But yeah, this is a perfect wine to have just waiting. You know, put it in the refrigerator. You know you don't want to put wine in the refrigerator too long, but you know, for a while it'll be fine.

Speaker 1: 5:50

Someone comes over. You spend 12 bucks on two bottles. You sit, you talk. You don't have to think too much about the wine. It's not one of those wines that you have to contemplate, your neighbor. So at $5.99, it tastes pretty good and it's really well-priced, you really can't complain. Yeah, you might say well, I like this Sauvignon Blanc better than that. It's a $15, $20 Sauvignon Blanc. No kidding, you might like them better, but when you compare the value, that might change things. Adios, this is Domain Dave CheapWineFightercom. Like us where you like your podcasts. Kambala Ala, south African Sauvignon Blanc 2024. Oh, and Kambalala means take it easy, chill. You know that's what it means and it's a good wine for that. And plus, put a chill on the bottle, it makes it even better. So, adios, keep it cheap and I'll be talking to everybody in a couple of days. Adios, bye-bye.