THE STAND-OUT desserts from South Africa this year, the best sweet wine reviews around the world – from the great unfortified Natural Sweets and Noble Lates led by Vin de Constance, Fleur du Cap, Edelkeur and Eminence to the fantastic-value fortified sweets led by Badsberg, Bon Courage, KWV, Nuy and Slanghoek: UNFORTIFIED DESSERT Boekenhoutskloof Noble Late Harvest 2009 – highly recommended in Platter’s Guide
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT port-style wines from South Africa, the best reviews of the year… Klein Karoo producers Axe Hill, Boplaas, the Calitzdorp Cellar and De Krans remain dominant, with Bergsig of the Breedekloof and KWV of Paarl offering the main alternatives at this level of quality – a standard that irked the Portuguese so much that the European Union banned South African cellars from using
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT Merlot from South Africa, the best reviews of the year – and how particularly outstanding these are, given the difficulty in producing top quality single-varietal Merlot as opposed to using it in blends. In fact, up to 15% of a so-called single-varietal wine can comprise a variety or varieties other than that which the wine is sold as…
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT Chenin Blanc wines from South Africa, the best reviews of the year – DeMorgenzon, Jean Daneel, Jordan, Kanu, Stellenrust and Spier shone more often than most, although what great value-for-money from Mulderbosch, Leopard’s Leap, Villiera and Douglas Green Bellingham: Beaumont Hope Marguerite 2011 – 5 Stars in Platter’s Guide Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine 2010 – Top 100 SA Wine Challenge
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa, the best reviews of the year – from particularly good value wines including Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection, Dieu Donné and Tokara, to Cabs made at the Cederberg Private Cellar and Stark-Condé in the Jonkershoek Valley that have come under the spotlight again and again and again: Cederberg 2009 – Top 100 SA Wine Challenge selection Cederberg Five Generations
Read moreONLY 2840 BOTTLES. 36% Pinotage, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Shiraz, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Tannat, 5% Mal- bec. 85% Stellenbosch, 15% Paarl. 16 months’ barrel maturation (70% new) KWV’s PEROLD TRIBUTUM has got off to a promising start: silver medal at the 2012 International Wine Challenge, another at this year’s International Wine & Spirit Competition (also in London), and now one of the Top
Read moreWindmeul Cellar, R44, Paarl THE 2012 VERITAS AWARDS include particularly impressive performances by KWV, Nederburg, Cederberg, Durbanville Hills, Marianne, Nuy, Rust en Vrede, Simonsig, Spier and Windmeul – all winning four or more gold or double gold medals at the South African National Wine Show Association’s major competition of the year. However for cash-strapped wine shoppers looking for bargains among
Read moreIMAGINE: a good red wine selling for R30 a bottle that comes recommended by one of the best judging panels in the country. We’re talking about the blend from a winery off the beaten track between Worcester and Villiersdorp that won silver and a score of 81 out of 100 at this year’s Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. Be warned
Read moreAt Super Single Vineyards’ Sutherland-Karoo outpost in the Northern Cape they talk about summertime highs and lows of 32ºC and 5ºC respectively. In fact the highs can reach 40º, and come wintertime the mercury drops to between -3º (on average) and -11º (occasionally). What’s more, the lowest temperature recorded in Sutherland so far this century stands at -16º (2003) and
Read more
