ROBERTSON’S ‘Wine on the River’ as summer gets underway, the ‘Robertson Slow’ at winter’s end, the ‘Wacky Wine Weekend’ mid-year and the ‘Hands-On Harvest’ time in February/March attract thousands to the Breede River Valley and the Robertson district in particular. The festivals are fun times for the local communities from Rooiberg west of the hub to Ashton in the east and Bonnievale as well as McGregor to the south, but they also serve as wonderful excuses for Capetonions and folk from around the country and beyond to visit some of South Africa’s wine farms and wine people quite different relative to those on the ‘other side of the mountain’ in Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Constantia et al.

The cellars in the Robertson district range from a few of the Cape’s premier wineries to many of the country’s best value-for-money wine producers. For snapshots of the various outfits in their own words, see here. For what they list as their flagships, see here. And below are pointers for wine lovers seeking out the area’s whites and reds, bubblies and sweets that have received good reviews from the experts on respected tasting panels domestically and internationally in 2016/2015, i.e. limited to the most recent releases to have rated well and excluding wines that the producers had declared ‘sold out’ at the time of writing.

White Wine Recommendations

CHARDONNAY

Ashton Kelder Chardonnay Limited Release 2012
Bon Courage Unwooded Chardonnay 2016
Bonnievale Wines Chardonnay 2016
Capensis Chardonnay 2013
Christina van Loveren Chardonnay 2014
De Wetshof Bateleur Chardonnay 2013
De Wetshof Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2016
De Wetshof Finesse Chardonnay 2015
De Wetshof Limestone Hill Chardonnay 2016
Excelsior Chardonnay 2015
Fröhlich Wooded Chardonnay 2014
Graham Beck Lonehill Chardonnay 2014
Kranskop Chardonnay 2015
Rietvallei JMB Chardonnay 2015
Robertson Winery Constitution Road Chardonnay 2015
Robertson Winery Kings River Chardonnay 2013
Tangled Tree Butterscotch Chardonnay 2015 (Van Loveren)
Weltevrede Place of Rocks Chardonnay 2015

CHENIN BLANC

Graham Beck Bowed Head Chenin Blanc 2014
Van Loveren Chenin No. 5 2016

COLOMBAR

Bon Courage André’s Fame Colombard 2016
Rooiberg Cape White 2015

SAUVIGNON BLANC

Ashton Kelder Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Bonnievale Wines Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Christina van Loveren Sauvignon Blanc 2014
DuVon Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Goedverwacht Great Expectations Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run Sauvignon Blanc 2014
John B Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (Rietvallei)
Kranskop Sauvignon Blanc 2015

VIOGNIER

Excelsior Viognier 2015

WHITE BLENDS

Rietvallei Estéanna White 2016
Van Loveren Daydream Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2015
Zandvliet My Best Friend Cape White 2015

Sparkling Wine Recommendations

Bon Courage Jacques Bruére Blanc de Blancs 2010 (MCC)
Bon Courage Jacques Bruére Brut Reserve 2010 (MCC)
Bon Courage Jacques Bruére Brut Rosé 2010 (MCC)
Christina van Loveren Brut NV  (MCC)
De Wetshof Brut 2009 (MCC)
De Wetshof Pinot Noir Brut 2010 (Rosé, MCC)
Graham Beck Brut Blanc de Blancs 2011 (MCC)
Graham Beck Brut NV  (MCC)
Graham Beck Brut Rosé 2010 (MCC)
Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV  (MCC)
Graham Beck Brut Zero 2011 (MCC)
Graham Beck Cuvée Clive 2009 (MCC)
Weltevrede Philip Jonker Brut Entheos Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV  (MCC)
Weltevrede Philip Jonker Brut The Ring 2010 (MCC)

Rosé Wine Recommendations

Arabella Pink Panacea 2015
Excelsior Shiraz Rosé 2016
Fat Bastard Pinot Noir Rosé 2014 (Robertson Winery)
Fröhlich Rosé 2016
Frölich Carménère Rosé 2016
Goedverwacht Great Expectations Shiraz Rosé 2016
Quando Mourvèdre Rosé 2016
Tangled Tree Moscato Rosé 2015 (Van Loveren)
Van Loveren Blanc de Noir Red Muscadel Blush 2016

Red Wine Recommendations

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Graham Beck The Coffeestone Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Robertson Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Robertson Winery Prospect Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Rooiberg Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2014
Vierkoppen Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

MERLOT

Bonnievale Wines Merlot 2015
De Wetshof Louis Michel Thibault Merlot 2012
Excelsior Merlot 2014

PINOT NOIR

Robertson Winery Pinot Noir 2014

PINOTAGE

Robertson Winery Phanto Ridge Pinotage 2012
Rooiberg Pinotage Reserve 2015

SHIRAZ

Bemind Shiraz 2014
Bon Courage Inkará Shiraz 2014
Bonnievale Wines Shiraz 2014
Christina van Loveren Shiraz 2013
Excelsior Paddock Shiraz 2015
Fat Bastard Shiraz 2013 (Robertson Winery)
Graham Beck The Ridge Syrah 2012
Robertson Winery Constitution Road Shiraz 2012
Robertson Winery Wolfkloof Shiraz 2013
Rooiberg Shiraz Reserve 2014
Zandvliet Kalkveld Shiraz 2014

RED BLENDS

Arabella In Unison Reserve 2013
Ashton Kelder Roodewal 2013
Bonnievale Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2014
Rietvallei Estéanna Red 2012
Viljoensdrift River Grandeur Cape Blend 2015

Dessert & Port Wine Recommendations

Bon Courage Noble Late Harvest 2015
Bon Courage Red Muscadel 2016
McGregor Red Muscadel 2014
McGregor White Muscadel 2011
Oude Rust Red Muscadel 2014 (Mooiuitsig)
Robertson Winery Cape Ruby 2013 (Port)
Robertson Winery Gewürztraminer Special Late Harvest 2016
Rooiberg Cape Vintage 2013 (Port)
Rooiberg Red Muscadel 2015
Van Loveren Red Muscadel 2015
Wonderfontein White Muscadel 2012
Zandvliet My Best Friend Sweet Natural Muscat 2016

 

• For all of the top SA wine ratings during the past two years, together with the prices of the wines, click here.