South African Wine

My US friends left behind suggested that I write a little about South Africa, so from time to time I will deviate from my arts related focus of the blog. 
I want to state I am no wine expert.  I just know what I like when I taste it.  It has been fun to explore the local wines here with my husband.  Wine is South Africa is much less expensive than at home and a decent bottle can be picked up for $7-10 (R49-70.)  We have been warned not to buy wine from the supermarket but the selection is so vast I can't help picking up a bottle.  Sure enough the best bottles have not come from the grocery store. 
In the foreground of the picture are my two favorite so far, Alto Rouge and Barbarossa Maria Carbernet Sauvignon.  The farmers markets here serve alcohol (including shots of tequila at one of them, but that's another story) and after buying one glass of Alto Rouge my husband and I had to buy a bottle.  The Barbarossa was a gift from our sponsors when we arrived.
The bottle of Giant Mistake lying down in the photo I purchased totally for the label.  The wine didn't live up to its name but it was not very good either.  The other bottles have been lightweights but for the most part drinkable.  I hope to visit some wineries when we travel down towards Cape Town in a few months.