The World Cup of South Africa Wines by the Glass

Everyone knows how difficult it is to find a restaurant or wine bar that serves more than a couple of mediocre wines by the glass, usually at an outrageous markup. Well, if you’re traveling to Cape Town for the World Cup, one of the world’s greatest wine bars is within walking distance of the Green Point Stadium where some of the most exciting games will be played. Belthazar, located on the pier at the V&A Waterfront has an incredible 250 wines by the glass and over 600 wines on its wine list. Of course, most these wines are South African, but why would you drink anything else in Cape Town? Prior to entering you might want to pick up the2010 Platter’s South African Wine Guide to help narrow down your choices, although Belthazar’s wine menu already tells you how many stars each wine has earned. I found the sommeliers there to be very generous about letting one sample wines. My favorite—the Lomond 2008 Pincushion Sauvignon Blanc with its chalky minerality and spearmint and saline notes and incredible persistence on the finish. Only available in South Africa, as far as I know, so make sure you try it after the game.