AT LAST COUNT, the number of visitors to Groot Constantia stood at around 450 000 a year. It’s been the most popular wine farm in South Africa’s Cape winelands for some time, which is not to be confused with wine sales – gone are the days when ‘Joe Soap’ and ‘the man in the street’ would queue up at the
Read moreCHOICES CHOICES CHOICES… Tickets for ‘Wine on the Water’ in St Francis Bay are very hard to come by and those to the Stellenbosch Street Soirees are selling out fast. Interesting that the cellars exhibiting at Cape Town Fresh are mostly from outside CTN, with various districts all over the winelands represented. The Wellington festival will have somewhat of a
Read moreSTARK-CONDÉ. In the Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch. On the Oude Nektar farm, to the south-east of the town. Home to one of South Africa’s most highly rated white blends, a Sauvignon Blanc of note, a fine Cabernet Sauvignon and then some. Among the recommendations at their Postcard Café: either chicken piccata (R145pp) or lightly-cured hake (R195pp) served with the Field Blend
Read moreBEYERSKLOOF. Stellenbosch. Just outside the town on the R304 to the N1. Home to some of South Africa’s most highly rated Pinotages and Cape Blends over the past 10 years, as well as the Red Leaf Bistro. The Pinotage Burger goes for R155, the Pinotage Pizza for R165, perhaps accompanied by the Pinotage Reserve or the Traildust Cape Blend at
Read more“EXQUISITE” is how the top wines were described by judges at the inaugural Global Cabernet Franc Masters hosted by The Drinks Business publication in the UK, where South African producers excelled. The variety is thought to have originated in Spain, with the leading examples traditionally hailing from the Loire and Bordeaux regions of France. Yet in this, the first international
Read moreIT WAS MADE to enjoy when dining on fish, and served chilled, poured at 12°C or so as per most white wines, although it’s not… The 2021 vintage of red Grenache under the Donkiesbaai label is one of half a dozen or so South African bottlings from the variety very highly rated by panels of experts in 2023 – this
Read moreIT’S GOODBYE to the Longtable restaurant at Haskell Vineyards and hello to Stellenbosch Reserve – for lunch (Tue-Sun) and dinner (Thu-Sat), classy yet casual, and a tasting room offering wines from the ‘Stellenbosch Collection’. Think pizza and chicken from the rotisserie, but also a lamb dish, beef fillet, pan-seared fish… On the the winelist and in the tasting room: the
Read moreWHAT WERE the odds! Okay, so the 2019 wasn’t quite the maiden vintage of Beyerskloof’s Eerste Ry Cab – the 2018 and 2019 were released together. Nevertheless, like a front row forward earning his Springbok blazer, the achievement of being the most highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon in the 2024 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide ahead of Cabs that
Read moreBEFORE being honoured with a trophy at the Global Fine Wine Challenge in Sydney, Australia, Tokara’s 2020 Director’s Reserve White blend was a 95-pointer at Decanter’s World Wine Awards in the UK and then a gold medallist at the Global Masters, also in the UK. Tough to better this, and yet… Stellenrust’s 2022 Barrel Fermented Chenin was applauded with the
Read moreIF YOU DEFINE the Simonsberg Wine Route in Stellenbosch as including those cellars on either side of the R44 between the boundary with Paarl to the north and Stellenbosch suburbia to the south, before you turn east to the Helshoogte Pass in the direction of Franschhoek, then there are only a few places of note if you fancy a table
Read moreTHERE are SIX producers in various parts of the Cape winelands who are most applauded in the 2024 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide. Congratulations to The Sadie Family outside Malmesbury, Platter’s Winery of the Year, to Bosman Family Vineyards of Wellington and the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde outside Hermanus, recipient of The Editor’s Award, as well as to those producers
Read moreTHESE 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
Read moreWHO CAN BLAME the trophy winners at London’s International Wine & Spirit Competition for having mixed feelings about their success… Who would have thought it possible that the wines judged to be the best gold medallists on show would be given scores lower than those of some of the other gold medallists that didn’t go on to earn a trophy,
Read moreHIGHLIGHTS of the Chenin & Pinotage online sale by South African auction house Strauss & Co on 11 September ’23 – wines that fetched over R2000 a bottle on the day: CHENIN BLANC Sadie Family’s Skurfberg 2015 R44 555 (US$2360) paid for 6×750ml: R7425/750ml Sadie Family’s ‘T Voetpad 2017 R18 760 (US$994) paid for 3×750ml: R6253/750ml Alheit Radio Lazarus 2015 R9967
Read more59 WINES from 49 producers were reviewed for Winemag’s 2023 Report on Cape Bordeaux Red Blends, i.e. combinations of two or more of the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Delaire Graff’s Botmaskop of Stellenbosch came top in the tasting, although it was scored the same as Allée Bleue of Franschhoek and Constantia Glen – the
Read moreDESCRIBED AT the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards in the UK as “graceful and accomplished”, the Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 was the most highly rated red from South Africa and, from over 18 000 entries internationally, one of 50 wines celebrated as ‘Best in Show’. What the panel of judges experienced was: “Dark, black-red in the glass, with
Read moreTHERE ARE some wines of South Africa that are positioned as not quite top draw but very good, worthy of premium pricing. Better than ‘second labels’ such as Kadette in the case of Kanonkop, Jordan’s Chameleon, DMZ from DeMorgenzon, Glenelly’s Glass Collection, Kloof from Mullineux, Secateurs from AA Badenhorst, First Sighting from Strandveld… No, there are wines which we’re told
Read moreTHE TOP South African wine events taking place from July through August 2023 begin with a focus on Portuguese varieties and styles in Stellenbosch and wind up to the Cape Winemakers Guild Showcase tastings at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town and the Nedbank Atrium in Johannesburg. Event highlights in July include Caroline’s Red Wine Review at the V&A
Read moreTHE HIGH Road cellar in Stellenbosch, the Overhex winery in Worcester and the Zevenwacht estate in Kuils River. THE standout participants at South Africa’s 2023 Trophy Wine Show, convened by veteran wine critic Michael Fridjhon and sponsored by Investec Private Banking. The High Road Director’s Reserve 2019 and Overhex’s 2022 Survivor Cellar Master Series Chardonnay (made using grapes from the
Read moreIONA Chardonnay 2021 of the Elgin Highlands and the 2020 Reserve Cab from Le Riche in the Helderberg vineyards of Stellenbosch were the panels’ favourite South African wines at the 2023 Decanter Awards in London. A record-breaking 18 250 entries were received from 57 countries, assessed by 236 judges including 53 Masters of Wine and 16 Master Sommeliers. After weeks of
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