THREE wines of South Africa placed among the Top 10 at Syrah du Monde 2022, held in the Northern Rhône Valley of France. This was on a par with Australia and just one fewer than France, however it was a Cape Shiraz – the 2019 vintage of Glen Carlou Syrah of Paarl – that the judges ranked No. 1. Pity that
Read moreTHE GOLD medal winners at Syrah du Monde 2021 included the Cederberg Private Cellar of David Nieuwoudt and Nick van Huyssteen’s Saronsberg in Tulbagh, where Dewaldt Heyns is the cellarmaster. France was most impressive with five wines considered among the best on show, followed by Australia (3), Chile, Macedonia, South Africa, Portugal and Morocco. South Africa’s standout Shiraz was the
Read moreTHERE WERE 307 wines from 27 countries on the tasting bench at Syrah du Monde 2020, the 14th edition of this international competition held in the Rhône Valley, France. After three days of judging dry and sweet wines, reds, rosés, bubblies and desserts made from Shiraz, 101 medals were awarded – 87 silvers and just 14 golds, of which two
Read moreHARTENBERG Estate’s charming underground cellar is not only the home of maturing Shiraz and then some, but also a gallery of 12 artworks by German coppersmith Karl Heinz Wilhelm depicting the various phases of cultivating and producing wine. On the surface, the Mackenzie family’s vineyards are planted to a number of different varieties, however this farm in the Bottelary
Read moreTHEY SAY they produce the world’s best Shiraz. A bold claim by the Hartenberg producers in Bottelary, Stellenbosch. And at the 2019 edition of Syrah du Monde, France, they were certainly up there with some of the best, their ‘Stork’ flagship placing among the Top 4, and Bon Courage of Robertson also one of the Top 10 – their ‘Pepper
Read moreONLY R94 a bottle, and in such good company! You might well have expected Bon Courage to lead with their flagship Inkará Shiraz, yet it’s with the relatively humble Pepper Tree version that they have excelled at Syrah du Monde in the Rhône Valley, France – the 2016 vintage from this Robertson wine estate selected among the Top 10 gold
Read moreSYRAH du Monde 2017 involved 372 entries from 26 countries. Judging took place over two days at the Ampuis Castle overlooking the Rhône River and surrounded by grapevines in the heart of the Côte-Rôtie, France – although 55 of the 100 panel members were from outside France. Once all was said and done, gold medals were awarded for 33 wines,
Read moreAFTER three days of judging 374 wines from 23 countries, the judges at Syrah du Monde 2016 in the northern Rhône Valley of France awarded 124 medals – 35 golds, including five to South African wine producers, and 89 silvers, 11 to cellars in the Cape. And of the gold medallists, two South African wines went on to be selected among
Read moreSYRAH du Monde is held in May every year at Château d’Ampuis in the northern Rhône, France. A taste-off involving some of the world’s best Shiraz, it’s a respected international competition which in 2013 involved 423 wines from 28 countries. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded, with much praise heaped on the Top 10. This year five South African
Read moreANNOUNCED in quick succession, the results of the 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards and International Wine Challenge in London offered tips aplenty – albeit with few surprises in the gold medal stakes when it came to South Africa’s top-performing cellars. Among the attention grabbers on both stages were the 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2010 from Spier, who have done so well
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