Tag Archives: Delaire

Trophy Wine Show Superstars: Diemersdal, Thokozani, De Grendel

DURBANVILLE and Wellington cellars emerged as the superstars of South Africa’s 2021 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, with Diemersfontein’s Thokozani Cabernet Franc 2019 and De Grendel Op die Berg Chardonnay 2020 the top-scoring red and white respectively, Diemersdal Estate the most successful producer overall. Given the price of R115pb for the Thokozani Cab Franc at the winery in Wellington, Diemersfontein

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Cavalli Filly gallops to first place in Winemag Chenin Blanc Report

IT’S NOT OFTEN that the Winemag panel chaired by editor Christian Eedes rates anything higher than 95 on their 100-point scale, but do so they did after sniffing and sipping the 2020 Filly Chenin Blanc from Cavalli Estate on the foothills of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch. Described as ‘profound’, it was the judges’ favourite in a lineup of 90 wines

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Another win on Winemag for De Grendel, this time for Ceres Chardonnay

  WHAT ARE the chances! Using grapes gown near Elim, Cape Agulhas, they top-scored in Winemag’s SA Shiraz roundup, and with grapes grown near Ceres they topped the charts first in the publication’s SA Pinot Noir review and then in their Prescient Chardonnay Report in which 65 South African producers participated. All in the same year! Congratulations to cellarmaster Charles

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Zorgvliet takes the title in Winemag’s Bordeaux-Style Red Blend Report

IN THE 2018 report on South African Bordeaux-Style Red Blends by Winemag.co.za, six wines were rated outstanding (93 to 94 out of 100) and 27 were considered excellent (90 to 92). In total, 81 wines from 64 producers were reviewed by the panel comprising Winemag’s Christian Eedes (chair), Roland Peens and James Pietersen (both of Cape Town merchant Wine Cellar).

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Top SA Chardonnays not all from Stellenbosch, Elgin – 2017 Report

PUBLICATION of the 2017 Prescient Chardonnay Report on Winemag.co.za prompted debate about the standout examples made from this variety in South African cellars as reviewed this year to date. Perhaps the most celebrated for top quality: DeMorgenzon Reserve 2016 at R350pb, Eikendal 2015 at R163, Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2016 at R93 and Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2015 at R400pb, all from

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Winemag Merlot Report showcases five ‘excellent’ expressions but…

THE 2017 Winemag Report on SA Merlot involved the assessment of 67 wines from 50 producers and culminated in five wines rated 90-plus (see below). Published in association with the industry’s producer body that goes by the name of the Merlot Forum, the full report posted on Winemag.co.za states that: “Local Merlot often makes for less ambitious and less expensive wines

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Boplaas Tawny Non-Vintage takes the title at Cape Port Challenge

FOR THE report on the 2017 Challenge convened by the Cape Port Producers Association and the full results of the competition, see here. The panel of judges included Christine Rudman CWM (chair), Cathy van Zyl MW, Winnie Bowman CWM, Colin Frith (Hon CWM), Raymond Noppe CWM and sommelier Gregory Mutambe. TOP CAPE PORTS IN 2017 CHALLENGE Boplaas Cape Tawny NV –

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Vergelegen hard to beat when it comes to Cape wine route destinations

SAO BENTO da Vitoria Monastery in Oporto, Portugal, was the venue for the 2016 Great Wine Capitals Global Networks’ Best of Wine Tourism Awards, the culmination of a competition entered by 359 wine estates from South Australia, Rioja in Spain, Bordeaux in France, the Cape winelands, Rheinhessen in Germany, Mendoza in Argentina, Porto in Portugal, Napa Valley in the USA and

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Delaire Graff ‘Most Successful Producer Overall’ at Trophy Wine Show

THE TITLE of top producer at South Africa’s Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show has gone to some pretty distinguished cellars over the years: De Trafford and Vergelegen were joint winners in 2002, Vergelegen won again in 2003 and 2004, Diemersfontein triumphed in 2005 before Vergelegen regained the title in 2006, and then followed Cape Point Vineyards (2007), Nederburg twice (2008 and 2009),

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Morgenster and HRV most applauded by French judges at 2014 Classic Wine Trophy awards function in Cape Town

UNIQUE insofar as it’s the only wine competition in South Africa where all of the judges are French, the annual Classic Wine Trophy taste-off is hosted at the Taj Hotel in Cape Town and this year there were two producers who grabbed most of the glory – Morgenster of Somerset West and Hamilton Russell Vineyards of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley outside

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South Africa’s top white blend ratings in 2013, plus the best white blends at under R80 – the experts’ choice

CAPE POINT, Chamonix, Delaire Graff, DeMorgenzon, Steenberg, Tokara and Vergelegen top the list of contenders for South Africa’s champion white blend producer for 2013… The following wines achieved outstanding reviews from the judges at blind-tastings around the world during the past 12 months: TOP SOUTH AFRICAN WHITE BLEND RATINGS IN 2013 AA Badenhorst 2011 – 4½ Stars in Platter’s Guide

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Boplaas, De Grendel, Flagstone, KWV and Nederburg pronounced top producers at 2013 Veritas Awards

APPLAUDED as the top-performing cellars at the 2013 Veritas Awards according to the type and number of medals won were: KWV, Nederburg, Boplaas, De Grendel and Flagstone. Also singled out for special mention were: Delaire Graff, Eagles’ Nest, Graham Beck, Kanonkop, Rustenberg, Simonsig, Spier,  Tokara and Windmeul. Among the newcomers of note? Rivendell near Bot River (good Sauvignon Blanc) and Kleinhoekkloof near Ashton (standout Merlot). For the

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Stark-Condé takes top trophy at 2013 Trophy Wine Show

The Three Pines vineyard at Stark-Condé, Jonkershoek Valley  STARK-CONDÉ WINES in the Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch was the Most Successful Producer at the 2013 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, followed by the cellars of KWV, Delaire Graff, Rustenberg, Cederberg, Rijk’s, Jordan, Diemersfontein, Eikendal, Hillcrest and Simonsig. And just as interesting as the latest reviews regarding some of South Africa’s top quality

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SA Sauvignon Blanc champions triumph again in France

TALK ABOUT the top seeds winning through time and again… At the 2013 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon held in the Loire, France, there was only one real surprise among the most successful South African entries – Totus 2009 being a few years older than most of the other gold medallists and from a Stellenbosch producer new to the podium and

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Chamonix delights French palates at Classic Wine Trophy

THE RESULTS of the 2013 Classic Wine Trophy competition are hardly surprising in terms of the class winners. Particularly not when it comes to the overall victor, with Chamonix scooping three of the 14 trophies awarded in various categories at the Taj Hotel in Cape Town just a few months after being named Winery of the Year in the 2013 edition of

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Team SA dominates at Five Nations Challenge and yet…

Wine of Show at Five NationsChallenge 2012(R130 a bottle) WHAT ELSE must South Africa do to win the Five Nations Wine Challenge in Sydney?! The guys from the Western Cape dominated half a dozen or so of the 16 categories judged in 2012 and won five trophies including “Wine of Show” (top-scoring wine overall), yet it was competition host Australia

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