HOW ABOUT THAT! The Grand Prix trophy winners for the top-scoring red and white wines at the 2023 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards (SA) are Allée Bleue of Franschhoek for their 2018 Single Vineyard Syrah, and Rooiberg of Robertson for their 2023 Game Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. Who said Sauvignon Blanc can’t be taken seriously! 96+ out of 100. But
Read moreTHE MICHELANGELO wine tastings at Southern Sun’s Rosebank Hotel (JHB) and Garden Court uMhlanga (DBN) in April/May are appealing. Although the timing is rather unusual… Now into its 27th year since the inaugural Michelangelo Awards in 1997, the judging at the biggest competition of its kind in South Africa tends to take place around July/August, with the results announced in
Read moreWE MIGHT never know whether the pink wine from Aaldering of Devon Valley in Stellenbosch was a contender for one of the 2022 Pinotage Rosé Awards. It might have been interesting to see whether the panel appointed by the Pinotage Association concurred with that at the Michelangelo Awards (SA) who a few weeks earlier had presented a trophy no less
Read moreIN THE BACK corner of the Robertson Wine Valley is where the De Jongh family tell you their wine farm Kleinhoekkloof is located. It’s next to the Langeberg Mountains; you get there via Ashton, although it might be closer to Montagu as the crow flies. They’ve been bottling here since 2006, but the Grand Prix Trophy for the top-scoring dry
Read moreIT WAS JUST a matter of time, some would say. The Benguela Cove estate alongside the Bot River Lagoon on the road to Hermanus has been on many a wine lover’s radar since entrepreneur Penny Streeter and her family began investing in the area and particularly after cellarmaster Johann Fourie came on board five years ago. Their success at the
Read moreTHE Michelangelo Awards remains one of the biggest South African wine competitions, contested by many leading cellars in the Cape winelands. The 2020 edition attracted 1558 entries, and, as in 2019, the judges were particularly impressed by the Chardonnay class: the Grand Prix Trophy on this occasion was presented for the Chamonix 2018 from Franschhoek, following the top score for
Read moreTHE CONTENTIOUS issue of wine ratings and awards continues to flare up from time to time, with outspoken wine lovers, wine scribes, critics and judges at odds with each other to the point of disbelief, even outrage. The problem? Firstly, there’s not enough consensus regarding which scoring system to use – star ratings aside, there are different versions of the
Read moreIT CAN TAKE a while to get your head around the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards held in South Africa. Platinum medals are presented for wines scored 96+ out of 100, but not if they go on to win a trophy. Trophies are awarded to wines that scored highest in their classes, but they are not awarded in every
Read moreTHE WINELANDS of Tulbagh are best known for Cap Classique, Pinotage and Shiraz. Or vice versa, you could say. And when it comes to Shiraz from this district in the Upper Breede River Valley, Saronsberg is second to none. From one of the Top 20 cellars in the country, both the Rhône-style blend Full Circle and the single-varietal Shiraz are among
Read moreNAMED AFTER the coach house that De Grendel founder Sir David Graaff built in 1898 to shelter his horses, wagons and carriages, the Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc used to be made from grapes harvested partly from a vineyard near the old coach house and partly from vines located in Darling. For the 2017 vintage, the grapes came from Darling and Lutzville, none from the
Read moreSUCCESS in South Africa’s Cab Franc Challenge, then at the SA Terroir Awards, and now in one of the country’s biggest wine competition… The 2014 vintage of Lisha Nelson Cabernet Franc from the Nelson Estate in Paarl must surely be in short supply after winning big time at the 2017 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards in Cape Town. Named
Read moreWINE AWARDS, ratings, reviews, recommendations. They needn’t be complicated or controversial, however it helps to know what you’re dealing with in distinguishing between pretty darn useful, somewhat interesting, and just a waste of time… Some folk get into a froth over whose opinions count most – besides your own that is – and some troubled souls even question whether wines
Read moreFOR SOME the 2016 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards were remarkable for the level of success enjoyed by the Chenins (three trophies, one platinum award, eight double golds, 16 gold medals) and the Pinotage entries (2 trophies, two platinum awards, 10 double golds, eight gold medals). For many though this major competition on the South African wine calendar will
Read moreTHE 2015 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards attracted 1665 entries from 364 producers for assessment by panels comprising judges from around the world. Seventeen specialists from 15 countries deliberated over six days in choosing the various class winners, trophy laureates and recipients of platinum, double gold, gold and silver medals. Platinum denotes a score of 96 or more out of 100, with
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT red blends, the best reviews of the year from around the world – and mostly premium-priced, with only seven under R100 a bottle (highlighted below), 38 ranging between R100 and R200pb, 26 between R200 and R300pb, eight between R300 and R400pb, and eight ranging between R450 and R725 per bottle: AA Badenhorst 2009 – highly recommended in Platter’s Guide
Read moreTHERE ISN’T A CELLAR DOOR on the Cape’s wine routes where you can head to for a tasting of The Bernard Series under the Bellingham label. There isn’t a manor house to marvel at or a restaurant to wine and dine in, and the reds and whites in the Series are made using grapes sourced from various areas of the
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