IT’S ONE OF THOSE wine route destinations off the beaten track that’s worth seeking out for the wines but also for the location – above the basin and south of where most of the other Elgin cellars are to be found, close to the sea, and dramatic in terms of the scenery, the weather and the family behind it all. The
THERE ARE VERY FEW successful wines of the serious kind which don’t have a place to call home. Until recently, Bellingham was virtually such a brand – a lovely collection of wines in The Bernard Series and a few other ranges that also have interest value, but if you wanted to go for a tasting or purchase from the cellar door it was
OUTSIDE THE MAINSTREAM as regards the great white wines of South Africa, there are three varieties that have been grabbing a little more attention in recent years by way of good to very good reviews for small bottlings from some of the best winemakers in the Cape. Roussanne, Verdelho and Grenache Blanc are the names of the grapes, which locally remain obscure
OF ALL THE reds, whites, desserts and ports to receive good reviews in 2015, those honoured as ‘Uber Value’ on Top Wine SA are South Africa’s Best Value Wines with the Best Track Records at Under R100 a bottle. All top-rated – gold, double gold or platinum, 90 points or better out of 100, highly recommended, 5 Stars, trophy laureates, competition winners –
THE RED BLENDS from South Africa’s winelands that were the subject of good reviews in 2015 include plenty to choose from at under R100 a bottle. At under R50 there are fun labels such as Balance (depicted by an elephant on a stool) from Worcester’s Overhex, wines with a story behind them such as Sixpence of Opstal, Rawsonville, as well less frivolous
IF YOU’RE LOOKING for top-rated Shiraz in the bargain bins, there’s virtually nothing from South Africa at under R50 a bottle these days. However, between R50 and R100 there are a number of reliable wines that qualified for the 2015 SA Shiraz Classification, such are their good track records over the past 10 years. The following all received good reviews in 2015 and
THERE IS PLENTY on offer in the way of good South African Sauvignon Blanc at under R100 a bottle – including quite a number of wines with good track records over the past 10 years. At under R50 a bottle, Merwida has been building a good repution, and for a few more greenbacks you can get some of the Top 20
REALLY GOOD Pinotage at under R100 a bottle is becoming increasingly scarce – particularly if you’re looking for wine with a really good track record over the past 10 years. However, of the bottlings that did bring smiles to the faces on one or more of the top tasting panels in 2015 and whose price tags have been kept to double digits,
AT UNDER R50 a bottle, South Africa’s top Chenin Blancs in 2015 include several classified wines, namely Alvi’s Drift ADS from Worcester, Simonsig of Stellenbosch and Windmeul from Paarl. Stretch to R100 a bottle, and your options expand to encompass the Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection, one of the Top 10 Chenin Blancs in the country on the basis of great track
IT’S VERY DIFFICULT to find a classified Cabernet Sauvignon in South Africa at under R100 a bottle these days – a wine of the quality that’s recognised with good reviews for several vintages over the past 10 years, let alone year after year. What you will find is a bunch of wines with interest value and some more than others –
WHEN BARGAIN-HUNTING for good South African Chardonnay at under R100 a bottle, generally speaking it pays to look at what’s coming out of the cellars up and down either side of the Breede River, from the top end of the Breedekloof just south of Wolseley, through Rawsonville and Worcester to Robertson and Bonnievale, where Fröhlich Family Wines are among the newcomers
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW about the better restaurants, picnics and braais in the winelands of South Africa, i.e. on the farms, in among the vineyards, rather than in the cities, towns and villages. And with the emphasis on TOP – each table, bench or blanket given the nod of approval in the country’s leading restaurant guides Eat Out and Rossouw’s, and/or situated next
THE LATEST of the most outstanding achievements going the way of South African wines and cellars – the IWSC Winemaker of the Year award to Abrie Beeslaar of Kanonkop – inevitably raises the question about top contenders for 2015 SA Champion(s) status. The following ranked as favourites among the top tasting panels this year – 25 wines from 24 producers: Bellingham The Bernard
THE AWARDS and recommendations in the 2016 editions of South Africa’s leading restaurant guides Eat Out (c/o Mercedes-Benz) and Rossouw’s (by Diners Club) are a great help in flagging the country’s best places to wine and dine. Combine these with what’s offered at the Top 100 Cellars and you have pretty much the closest you can get to a definitive ‘who’s who’ in the
ONE OF THE annual wine competitions viewed with scepticism in some quarters culminates in South Africa’s Green Wine Awards… Ducks, chickens and cows in the vineyards, horses instead of tractors, natural winemaking and minimal intervention as regards fertiliser and pest control, organically-grown grapes and biodynamic farming principles… All very eco-friendly, but surely the idea should be to come up with wines that
IT HAPPENS at least once a year that a few wine producers and/or critics whinge on one or other topic relating to wine ratings and awards: about the pros and cons of ‘sighted’ versus ‘blind’ tastings (with or without the labels in view); or the merits and demerits of wines being reviewed by an individual critic versus a panel of
ASKED to come up with a line-up of wines he “considered as South Africa’s aspirational Cap Classiques” that wine lovers won’t buy or drink every day, Graham Beck cellarmaster Pieter Ferreira chose a selection that he regarded as “under the radar but sparkling up a storm”. His presentation along these lines was at the 2015 Cape Wine trade show in the
THERE ARE plenty of food and wine happenings around South Africa at this time of year, but the main attractions on the 2015 Calendar of SA wine events in November are as follows: TOP-NOTCH CHARDONNAYS Limited-seating tastings of award-winning Chardonnays presented by Winemag.co.za at Radisson hotels in Johannesburg and Cape Town on the 4th and 11th respectively. Expect a line-up of 10 beauties
AT THE LAUNCH of the 2016 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide, it was announced that the top ratings went to Mullineux & Leeu of Riebeek Kasteel in the Swartland and Warwick of the Simonsberg ward in Stellenbosch. The White Lady Chardonnay 2014 from Warwick was declared Platter’s White Wine of the Year, whereas Mullineux bottlings were applauded as
SCHEDULED to be launched to the public at the Sunset Market on the old square in the village on Friday 27 November, the Stanford Wine Route spans the area east of Hermanus, north of Gansbaai, south of Caledon and west of Cape Agulhas. Another beautiful part of the Cape winelands, it includes eight members on a meander that’s been growing and
