Social Wine Launched at Tesco #thesocialwine

Back in July I wrote about the 'social wine' campaign, launched to help the South African Enaleni community build a sustainable future. Until now, they have only been able to sell their grapes to other wine makers, unable to afford to produce, make and market their own product.

Drinks industry leader Enotria, along with supermarket giant Tesco, aimed to create a wine brand for the community which was selected, named and designed with the help of the Tesco community and social media applications. It's hoped that sales of the wine in the U.K. through Tesco stores, and online, will create a sustainable revenue stream for the growing community.

Having taken part in the tasting stage - all in the name of blogging of course! - where a group of press and bloggers carefully selected from three whites (1,2 &3) and two reds (A & B) before voting for a favourite, it's great to meet the finished product. The wines were tasted blind so no one was swayed by their preference, but collectively, by process of very techinical voting, we chose 2 and B (which it turns out were Chardonnay and Shiraz).

After the tasting event, a competition was run via an app on Tesco's Facebook page, which invited anyone and everyone to suggest a name for the wine, and design a label. Whilst the name I entered made it to the top 10 (unfortunately I didn't win!), the new brand really encompasses the ethos of the project and the community involved - Enaleni's Dream. The winning bottle design by Rebecca Boamah, won her a trip to South Africa to meet the community, the winery workers and visit the bottling plant where the finished product came together. The back label name-checks Rebecca's contribution, the naming winner, and the winery workers.

Launched offically at the Tesco Wine Fair, held last weekend, Enaleni's Dream Chardonnay and Enaleni's Dream Shiraz are the two newest wines to the Tesco Wine's online range of over 1500 products, and will soon be available in 500 stores across the UK.

On sale ot £7.99 per bottle, this is an opportunity for us to help a community build a sustainable future, with funds going directly to the Enaleni families and workers to benefit initiatives in education and healthcare.

I met Wilhemina from the Enaleni community at the Fair, which was a delight having taken part in the project from its early stages. After her first ever trip on a plane, and being wowed with the sights of London, she was a little overwhelmed (and jetlagged!) but agreed that the Fair was a great chance for people to get to taste their wine and really understand what the project is about.

With grapes from the Enaleni Farm in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa, both the white and the red are easy-drinking and best served with friends - after all it is the social wine!

Enaleni's Dream Chardonnay is dry and crisp, with pronounced citrus and green apple flavours. At 14% alcohol it's by no means a light white, but paired with a mature cheddar cheese, it's like a party in your mouth! Enaleni's Dream Shiraz also packs a punch at 14%, but the flavours of berry fruits and plums, with a hint of delicate spice make this a fab foodie wine. Serve at room temperature and enjoy with roasted red meats, game, stews and braiis - Afrikaans for "barbecue" or "grill", a social custom in South Africa.

Both are available from Tesco Wine for £47.94 for a case of six, but keep your eyes peeled on your local Tesco store - you can soon be living the Dream too...

Follow the Enaleni Project on Twitter (@EnaleniProject) to show your support - they're new to Tweeting :-)