THE TOP South African wines in terms of the average prices fetched at the 2017 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction in Stellenbosch were as follows, with a case = 6 × 750ml or 4.5 litre equivalent: TOP 10 REDS IN MOST DEMAND Beyerskloof CWG Traildust Pinotage 2015 R8692 per case, R1449 per bottle – Stellenbosch Cellar Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2014 R8138
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 moreMORE THAN two weeks after the 2017 Nederburg Auction on 16 September, the full results of South Africa’s premier sale of fine wines including mature beauties and golden oldies had yet to get the auditor’s stamp of approval. Presumably this is simply a case of an administrative hold-up and that nothing’s gone awry! For the last post-event reports (pre-October 1)
Read moreTHERE 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
Read moreAT THE TIME of writing, 46 years after South Africa’s first Méthode Champensoise sparkling wine was made at Simonsig in Stellenbosch (Kaapse Vonkel Brut 1971), the number of Cap Classique bubblies had grown to around 300, produced at some 200 cellars adhering to the traditional method* that dates back to the 17th century and which resulted in the famous wines
Read moreAFTER MUCH anticipation, the trophy laureates at the 2017 Amorim Cap Classique Challenge were announced at an awards function in Cape Town: Simonsig Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs 2012 (overall winner), Domaine des Dieux Claudia Brut 2011 and Simonsig Woolworths Pinot Noir Rosé 2015, as well as Graham Beck Brut Zero 2005 in the Museum Class for wines no longer on
Read moreIF YOU’RE contemplating which Franschhoek wineries to buy from, the following have the best track records in the valley over the past 10 years – full SA Wine & Cellar Classifications here. ALLÉE BLEUE Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Chenin Blanc L’Amour Toujours (Red Blend) Pinotage BELLINGHAM The Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah The Bernard Series Bush Vine Pinotage The Bernard Series
Read moreKANONKOP, Spier and Nederburg have placed top of their class in the 2017 International Wine & Spirit Competition, London – Kanonkop leading with three vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon from the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch, Spier of Stellenbosch excelling with the same vintage of their Pinotage that triumphed at Mondial earlier in the year as well as at the 2016 Veritas
Read more“OF ALL THE major red grapes, Syrah must be the hardest to classify. Not only does it have two names – Syrah and Shiraz – but each reflects a different personality. This is a variety that can produce restrained and delicate wines, or, depending on climate and treatment, something rich and powerful” – Patrick Schmitt, The Drinks Business, UK. “As for
Read moreTHE NEDERBURG AUCTION is an opportunity to buy some rare South African wines at what is reputed to be the fifth biggest sale of its kind in the world and the the ‘Oldest in the New World’. For most wine lovers, attendance is still by invitation only, but whether you purchase with the help of a retailer bidding on your behalf,
Read moreTHERE ARE good reasons why Cabernet and Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc have come to be the most widely planted grape varieties in many wine-producing countries around the world. But of course, there are exceptions to the rule, unusual delights ranging from national and regional specialities to niche cultivars that many wine lovers might not have
Read more“THE CHALLENGE with Chenin Blanc is that there are so many styles,” comments Top Wine SA reader Peter F May. “The names [of the 2017 Top 10 Challenge winners] give no indication where they are on the dry-to-sweet scale, and, apart from the three with ‘barrel fermented’ in their names, how much if any wooding they’ve had. Did the judges prefer wooded,
Read moreSO PERHAPS you are going to be in Bot River in the Walker Bay district of the Cape South Coast for the Spring Weekend. Or maybe you’re just contemplating this area of South Africa’s winelands as they put out an extra welcome mat, step up the charm and make a bit more noise at this time of year. What to
Read moreIN THE fifth Winemag.co.za Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend Report (referred to in previous years as the White Hot Wine Awards) now presented together with Wooded Sauvignon Blanc reviews, 34 of the 56 South African wines assessed scored 90 points or higher in accordance with the online publication’s 100-point quality scale. Judged Best Overall: Nitida Coronata Integration 2016, WO Durbanville. According
Read moreSPEAKING 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
Read moreIT WAS NO surprise to see DeMorgenzon, Spier and Stellenrust among the Top 10 in the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Challenge 2017. All Classified wines, with Stellenrust also in the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame, and all multiple winners of the SA Chenin producer association’s Top 10 award. The only wine to place among the laureates in all four
Read moreTHERE ARE THOSE of us who love the good Rieslings made in South Africa, but we’re in the minority – or at least that’s how it feels, given how few of the country’s cellars include this variety in their range, given how few SA wine-lovers feel comfortable about occasionally buying it instead of the Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Chenin or white blends that
Read moreTHERE WERE 161 entries in the 2017 edition of Rosé Rocks – 128 still and 33 sparkling Cap Classique. According to the competition chairman, Cape Wine Master Allan Mullins: “The quality of rosé wine being produced in South Africa is on par with the best that Spain and France produce!” And we’ve seen some consistency from top producers of the drier styles
Read moreTHE 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,
Read moreAT THE HEIGHT of summer the temperature on Dirk Malan’s farm outside the town of Keimoes approaches 50 degrees C – particularly in the ‘Berg Shiraz’ block that forms the basis of the Lyra Vega blend, a vineyard up against a klip koppie (hill of stone). It can be very dry too. Even with the help of irrigation, wine farming alongside
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