Wine tasting: Bellingham Bernard series, South Africa

Franschhoek ("French corner" in Dutch) is in the Western Cape region of South Africa, settled by French Huguenot refugees escaping religious persecution in the 17th century.

Nowadays the town is known as the country's gourmet capital and boasts the region's top restaurants.

Usually, where there is a strong food culture, wine follows closely behind. Franschhoek is no exception and is home to many highly regarded wineries.

One of these is the Bellingham estate, founded by Bernard Podlashuk and his wife Fredagh in 1943. Bellingham has since been acquired by wine giant DGB, and with the addition of considerable resources, Podlashuk has been allowed to put his creative skills to good use. The result of this is the Bernard Series.

As wine writer Michael Fridjhon says: "The Bernard Series represents some very smart winemaking, with carefully sourced fruit - often from one, perhaps two sites - crafted into thoughtfully composed, finely detailed, high-end wines."