JUDGES at the 2023 International Wine Challenge in London were impressed by South African entries in a variety of classes, but the Chardonnay especially. Six of the 15 gold medals that went the way of Cape wine producers were for Chardonnay, with the 2021 vintage of Paul Cluver’s Seven Flags given 97 on the scorecard… Days after the names of
Read moreWHAT TO LIKE about Winemag‘s pick of South Africa’s ‘Top 20 Wines’ in 2021, ‘The Best Wines in South Africa’ and their choice of ‘Winery of the Year’? Well, good to see Vergelegen in the spotlight again: top estate, veteran winemaker, impressive track record. Interesting to see what Winemag rated most highly: Cavalli Filly Chenin Blanc 2020 and DeMorgenzon Maestro
Read moreHOW ABOUT THAT! Less than a month after the 2020 Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin in DGB’s Bellingham portfolio was included among South Africa’s Top 10 Challenge winners, it went on to score 95/100 at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London. The 2020 Donkiesbaai Steen from the Guardian Peak cellar is also a multiple award winner, having received good
Read moreCONSISTENCY is a wonderful thing, as is the emergence of new stars and the resurgence of others. It would be surprising should Stellenrust and DeMorgenzon not feature among the Top 10 in the annual Challenge staged by the Chenin Blanc Association of South Africa, sponsored by Standard Bank. Ditto two other Stellenbosch cellars, Kleine Zalze and Ken Forrester –
Read more“SOUTH AFRICAN Syrah can no longer be neatly pigeonholed,” says Winemag editor Christian Eedes in the 2021 Prescient Shiraz Report. “Expect everything from delicate, very fine, to ultra-glossy, rich wines – and the Shiraz/Syrah distinction is no longer really a clue to what’s inside the bottle.” There were 96 entries from 75 producers located in various areas of the Cape
Read moreHOW ABOUT THAT! Two of South Africa’s top-scoring wines in the 2021 Prescient Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report come from cellars in Stellenbosch Kloof, the third from a winery a bit further west of the town centre, where Stellenbosch meets Kuils River. 96 points for DeMorgenzon Maestro Red 2017: “Extraordinary. Profound.” 95 points for Overgaauw Tria Corda 2017 and Zevenwacht
Read moreTEN YEARS AGO, the average price of the Top 10 Chenin Blancs according to the 2011 South African Wine Classification was R89 a bottle. Come February 2021 the figure stands at R303pb, with the industry’s annual general price increases due in March. Percentage wise, the other main varieties of SA vino haven’t appreciated in value to quite the same extent,
Read moreAMAZING ACHIEVEMENT! A Top 10 rating for every red and white that Tokara submitted for assessment in the various Winemag reports of 2020, with three of the bottlings judged best in their category: the 2017 Director’s Reserve (White Blend), the 2019 Reserve Chardonnay and the 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – the latter also getting the nod as Best Red Wine
Read moreIN THE LAST of the world’s major wine competitions of the year, Boschendal (Franschhoek) and Groot Constantia (Cape Town) scooped two of the top trophies going – Boschendal Elgin Chardonnay 2018 named top South African White Wine and Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2019 judged best Sauvignon Blanc. Period. This was the first time in 10 years that the top Sauvignon
Read moreWHAT a lovely line-up of champions in the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge. Not one from a cellar in the Swartland, Bot River or Paarl in 2020… But hey, two wines from Worcester winery Alvi’s Drift, a first-time winner in this competition convened by the Chenin Blanc Association of South Africa. And while Stellenbosch didn’t dominate, four cellars from
Read moreTHE POWERS that be at Winemag.co.za delay the announcement of exactly how the panel rated their South African favourites in the publication’s various category reviews – a Top 10 is all they’ll tell us in each instance until divulging the rankings / scores out of 100 and the names of all the winners at a gala function come the end
Read moreHAVING RAISED over R17-million from the charitably-minded who attended the 2020 edition of The Cape Wine Auction at Boschendal in Franschhoek, the event increased the total amount raised since the inaugural sale in 2014 at Delaire Graff in Stellenbosch to over R100-million. Sponsored by Nedbank Private Wealth, the glamorous celebration of Wine South Africa unites the industry with the philanthropic
Read moreESTABLISHED as the Nederburg Auction, Paarl, it was ‘reinvented’ in 2019 as the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction, held over two days in October at the Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch, with Charlie Foley of British auction house Christie’s wielding the gavel. Sponsored by Libertas Vineyards & Estates of Distell, the October sale is billed as one of the most
Read moreWHAT a lovely collection of stories and images associated with the 2019 edition of the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge! A new label on David Nieuwoudt’s Five Generations. Classical music playing to the vines and wines at Wendy Appelbaum’s DeMorgenzon. A tribute to Cape Town’s company gardens (artwork on back label). A river analogy from Flagstone. A
Read moreSUCH CONSISTENCY! Virtually all of the 2018 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge winners are regular visitors to the podiums at various competitions, with five of their beauties among the top Chenins in the SA Wine Classification and three in the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame. From various districts and wards, the champions include a range of styles. The
Read moreIT’S THE BIGGEST wine competition in the world and among those with the biggest clout in terms of the status associated with its top awards. The 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards in London attracted 16 972 entries from countries around the globe, and, in typical fashion, France was the most successful of the nations represented, winning 15 of the 50 ‘Best in
Read more“THE 2000 hectares of old vines that South Africa has is important… It’s part of our history, part of our future, but it’s not going to take our industry forward… What about the other 95 000 hectares!” So reasons Bruwer Raats, applauded as top producer in Platter’s SA Wine Guide, champion of the varieties Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, outspoken winemaker
Read moreBellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel SMV 2014 5 Stars and 97/100 in Platter’s, double gold at Veritas, gold at Decanter Awards, winner in Shiraz SA Challenge R275pb, DGB, Franschhoek Cellar Blend of Shiraz (87%), Mourvèdre (10%) and Viognier, (3%), WO Agter-Paarl Barrel-fermented and matured in French oak barrels for 14 months Alc 14 % | RS 4.5 g/l |
Read more“THE CHALLENGE with Chenin Blanc is that there are so many styles,” comments Top Wine SA reader Peter F May. “The names [of the 2017 Top 10 Challenge winners] give no indication where they are on the dry-to-sweet scale, and, apart from the three with ‘barrel fermented’ in their names, how much if any wooding they’ve had. Did the judges prefer wooded,
Read moreIT WAS NO surprise to see DeMorgenzon, Spier and Stellenrust among the Top 10 in the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Challenge 2017. All Classified wines, with Stellenrust also in the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, and all multiple winners of the SA Chenin producer association’s Top 10 award. The only wine to place among the laureates in all four
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