Tag Archives: rating

Glen Carlou ranks among Top 10 at Chardonnay du Monde, Burgundy

SOUTH AFRICA achieved three gold medals at the 2024 edition of Chardonnay du Monde in Burgundy, France, with one of the winning wines – the 2023 vintage of Glen Carlou’s wooded version – ranked among the Top 10. WO Paarl, R190pb ex-cellar! Some 200 wine experts from around the world were involved in the judging of 579 entries comprising various

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Most highly rated red blends from South Africa in 2023

THESE ARE the red blends from South Africa’s winelands that most impressed the top panels internationally in 2023 to date, with by far the majority of them – those highlighted in red – included in the SA Wine Classification showcasing good track records over the past 10 years. Many of these producers have been pulling it off virtually vintage after

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Most highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon of South Africa in 2023

WHEN IT COMES TO South African Cab, there’s no question as to which part of the country’s winelands dominates the category. Not that Stellenbosch has it all their own way… See below for what has been most highly rated by the panels of experts internationally during 2023 to date. Highlighted in red are those Cabernets that qualified for the SA

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Most highly rated Chardonnay from South Africa in 2023

OH FOR A BOTTLE or a case of each! The panels of experts have spoken… See below for the honours roll when it comes to the South African Chardonnays most highly rated internationally during 2023 to date. Highlighted in red are those that qualified for the SA Wine Classification showcasing good track records over the past 10 years.   Almenkerk

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Tim Atkin MW vs Greg Sherwood MW vs Christian Eedes vs …

WHO HASN’T seen one of those wine bottle stickers denoting a Tim Atkin rating or award! The assessments by this British Master of Wine are conducted with full knowledge of whose wine it is and where it comes from, what vintage it is and how it was made – they are not ‘blind’ tastings, labels out of sight, and sometimes

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South Africa’s most highly rated red wines in 2023 to date

FROM JANUARY to August 2023, the top panels of wine experts judged some 700 of South Africa’s finest to be at least high silver or gold medal standard. Of these, around 140 were considered 96 points or higher, Best in Class, Top 10 or 12, worthy of grand gold, platinum or master awards, trophy laureates, competition winners or Wines of

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South Africa’s most highly rated white wines in 2023 to date

FROM JANUARY to August 2023, the top panels of wine experts judged some 700 of South Africa’s finest to be at least high silver or gold medal standard. Of these, around 140 were considered 96 points or higher, Best in Class, Top 10 or 12, worthy of grand gold, platinum or master awards, trophy laureates, competition winners or Wines of

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Today Cape Cab Franc lovers spoilt for choice – 2023 update

CABERNET FRANC is top of mind for many wine lovers, particularly at Carnival time in the Cape winelands. No longer are South Africa’s leading examples confined to Stellenbosch. See below for the current champions, and for the complete picture when it comes to the panels’ favourites, click on the links.   TOP RATINGS – 12 MONTHS TO DATE Anthology Cabernet

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Some Veritas champs recommended by more than one panel …

OF THE 95 wines judged worthy of double gold medals at South Africa’s 2022 Veritas Awards, there are 19 standouts on the basis of various tasting results… 95 is a big number, and the organisers won’t publish the scores, which range from 93 to 100, i.e. they tell the respective wine producers who entered the wines, but they won’t tell

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Scores of 90-plus don’t all equate to really outstanding wine

IT’S NOT OFTEN that you see wine estates trumpeting about a silver medal, yet the sound of popping corks can get pretty pretty loud when a respected critic or tasting panel awards a score in the 90s – regardless of whether or not it warrants a gold medal, let alone double gold or platinum. It’s amazing how the mind works:

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Wines that aren’t rated ‘blind’ cannot rank among the best

OF COURSE wine ratings matter! Reviews by panels of experts, that is, i.e. if you want to gauge just how good a wine is. We’re talking about assessments of what’s in the glass by those in the know, labels out of sight – reaching consensus without being influenced by the brand status, marketing, winemaker or the location of the vineyards.

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SA Red Wines of the Year! South Africa’s Most Highly Rated in 2021

SOME AWARDS carry more weight than others, and there’s something to be said for a wine that ticks the boxes for a number of top tasting panels. Over 1500 South African wines were highly rated around the world in 2021, and the following are the red wines among them that received the most glowing reviews of the year – Cabernet

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Winemag Chardonnay Report points to many outstanding wines, however

MOST OF the South African wines assessed for Winemag’s 2021 Prescient Chardonnay Report were from grapes harvested in 2020, which the judges felt was “a slightly lesser vintage” relative to 2019 when it comes to this variety,  “the wines not having the same fruit concentration”. Their absolute favourites of the 93 Chardonnays submitted by 67 producers were: from Stellenbosch cellars,

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South Africa’s top wines in 2021 include 55 that were also on top in 2011

GOING BY the reviews of multiple vintages of South African wines by panels of connoisseurs the world over during the past 10 years, the following are those with the Top 10 track records in each category according to the 2021 SA Wine Classification. Highlighted in bold are those that also topped the Classification back in 2011. Talk about consistency! Continuing

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Chardonnay du Monde gold medallists include great value under R60!

INCREDIBLE? First a double gold medal at the Michelangelo awards in South Africa and now gold at Chardonnay du Monde in Burgundy, France. At around R56 a bottle, the 2017 Douglas Green Chardonnay is the latest in a string of vintages that have had wine cognoscente doing a double take – the 2016 having also won gold in France, the

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Good wines will be appreciated even when ‘Palates under Pressure’

No Hein, no! You don’t give yourself or your wines enough credit! Leopard’s Leap represents good value relative to a lot of the stuff on-shelf, with La Motte’s finest regarded by plenty as pretty impressive. Many wine lovers would argue with you: luck has little to do with it; your farm’s good reputation is well-earned. And we bet you have

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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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Top score in Winemag Pinot Report goes to Creation, Hemel-en-Aarde

THERE WERE 52 entries from 33 South African producers assessed for the 2017 Pinot Noir Report on Winemag.co.za. The top-scoring wines were as follows (see below), with Creation Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 judged best overall: “Gleaming garnet with an inviting bouquet… Peppercorn and clove… Layers of dried fruit mingle with hints of raspberry and piquant spice… A lingering wine with

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Breedekloof’s flagship Chenins promise much but it’s early days still

SPEAKING for the Breedekloof Makers, Attie Louw of Opstal Estate in the Slanghoek ward north-west of Rawsonville and Worcester reports that since 2015 the band of winemakers have been upping their efforts in focusing on the crafting of small-volume, boutique Chenin Blanc. They have committed to emphasising the [top] quality that specially selected, diverse sites in the Breede River Valley

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Synonymous with Pinotage, Lanzerac’s Pionier among the best in 2017

THE STORY of how Pinotage came to be is well documented by the producers’ association, and there are eight names in the South African winelands associated with the establishment of the cultivar that remain classified as champions of the variety: KWV (of Paarl), DeWaal, Lanzerac, Kanonkop, Simonsig, Delheim and Spier (all of Stellenbosch), as well as Groot Constantia. Of these,

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