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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2025 ‘Salt River’ Sauvignon Blanc, Savage Wines

2025 ‘Salt River’ Sauvignon Blanc, Savage Wines

Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa

Salt Current

Focused, textural and thrillingly saline, Salt River opens with grapefruit, Cape gooseberry and green apple, layered with orange blossom, cut grass and wet stone. The palate is bright and concentrated, with silky citrus fruit shaped by chalky grip, fresh acidity and a subtle hint of white pepper. It’s generous without becoming tropical, textured without losing precision, finishing long, mineral and wonderfully sea-salty.

For when: the seafood is on ice, the sun is still out, and ordinary Sauvignon simply will not do.

Pairs with: oysters, ceviche, grilled prawns, sashimi, goat’s cheese, asparagus or steamed fish with ginger.

Salt River takes its name from the Cape Town neighbourhood where Duncan Savage makes his wines. Sourced from five vineyards across Stellenbosch, the blend is built around a 38-year-old bush-vine parcel on the slopes of Bottelary, with additional sites bringing freshness, fragrance and granitic tension. Having spent 14 years making some of South Africa’s finest coastal Sauvignon Blanc, Savage understands how to give the variety depth without sacrificing energy. Salt River is his introduction to that style: vivid, quietly complex and unmistakably shaped by the Cape.

Whats in the bottle
100% Sauvignon Blanc

Notable Awards
93+ points, Greg Sherwood MW

£21.75 - £21.75
£21.75
£21.75 - £21.75
£21.75
Availability:
In stock

Duncan Savage established Savage Wines with the 2011 vintage after spending 14 years as winemaker at Cape Point Vineyards. During that time, he developed a particular understanding of South Africa’s maritime vineyards and earned considerable acclaim for Sauvignon Blancs defined by texture, freshness and salinity.

Savage now works from an urban winery in Salt River, Cape Town, sourcing fruit from carefully chosen coastal and high-altitude vineyards across the Western Cape. Rather than owning vineyards, he works closely with growers and selects distinctive sites capable of producing wines with natural balance, energy and a clear sense of place.

His approach in the cellar is deliberately restrained. Healthy fruit, thoughtful picking dates and gentle handling allow him to intervene as little as possible while still guiding each wine towards purity and precision. The resulting range is elegant rather than showy, combining concentrated fruit with bright acidity, fine structure and a distinctly savoury character.

Salt River Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent introduction to the Savage style. Although immediately refreshing and approachable, its old-vine fruit, varied fermentation vessels and extended lees contact provide considerably more depth and texture than its modest position in the range might suggest.

The 2025 Salt River is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from five vineyard sites across Stellenbosch. A 38-year-old bush-vine vineyard on the slopes of Bottelary forms the core of the blend, supported by further bush-vine and trellised parcels planted on granite-rich soils. The different aspects and sites contribute aromatic detail, natural acidity and the characteristic saline quality of the finished wine.

The warm, dry and consistent conditions of the 2025 growing season allowed the grapes to ripen steadily while retaining freshness. Individual parcels were harvested in stages throughout February as each reached the desired balance of flavour, sugar and acidity.

After sorting and pressing, the juice was fermented in a combination of stainless-steel tanks, concrete eggs and old oak barrels. Stainless steel preserves the wine’s brightness and aromatics, while concrete and seasoned oak introduce texture without adding overt oak flavour. The wine remained on its lees for four months before bottling, followed by a further two months of development before release.

Alcohol: 13.5%. Residual sugar: 2.8g/L. Total acidity: 5.4g/L. pH: 3.32. Closure: natural cork. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.