Results of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2017
Full Report: Results of the 2017 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – Valladolid, Castilla y León, Spain
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Winemag’s South African Cabernet Sauvignon Report 2017
Full Report: Winemag’s 2017 SA Cabernet Sauvignon Report sponsored by financial services company Prescient
Read moreSA wine grape harvest excels despite drought – Vinpro
Full Report: SA wine grape harvest excels despite drought – Vinpro
Read moreBig, bigger, better? Few top Cape cellars take large bottles to next level
WINE BOTTLE SIZES: HALF = 375ml STANDARD = 750ml MAGNUM = 1,5L JEROBOAM = 3L REHOBOAM = 4,5L / 5L METHUSELAH/IMPERIAL = 6L SALMANAZAR = 9L BALTHAZAR = 12L NEBUCHADNEZZAR = 15L MELCHIOR = 18L GOLIATH/PRIMAT = 27L THERE’S SOMETHING special about having a large bottle of wine on the table – something grand, pleasing on the eye. Plus, there are collectors who reason that wines aged in big bottles
Read moreNational Wine Challenge honours some of South Africa’s top cellars …
IT’S REPORTED that there were over 500 entries in the 2017 edition of the National Wine Challenge, now in its seventh year as a competition that culminates with awards for the Top 100 entries from South African vintners and Grand Cru awards for the wines judged to be best in each class. The number of submissions is some way off the
Read moreBouchard Finlayson Pinot to the fore again – again with Tête de Cuvée
GOLD at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2016 and now gold at the 2017 Global Pinot Noir Masters judged primarily by Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers for The Drinks Business publication, also in the UK. Bouchard Finlayson’s 2013 Tête de Cuvée is proving to be as popular with the cognoscenti as the 2012 was a couple of
Read moreWhich SA wines boast best track records? Depends on who you ask!
FROM TIME to time Top Wine SA has fielded queries regarding how the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications compare with the South African Wine Index, which also has to do with good track records. For those who remain curious about the SAWi Wine Excellence Awards or how Top Wine SA’s selection of the country’s Top 100 and the Hall of Fame differ from
Read moreDiemersdal and Steenberg lead SA charge at Mondial du Sauvignon
AT THE 2017 edition of Concours Mondial du Sauvignon in Bordeaux, France, 861 wines from 22 countries were scored by 65 judges from 17 countries over two days, with trophies awarded for eight wines and medals for 242 – 87 gold and 155 silver. Two of South Africa’s 45 Sauvignon Blanc entries – one from Diemersdal and another from Steenberg – won
Read moreAgainst the odds? Five Generations Cab one of South Africa’s very best!
THERE ARE PARTS of the South African winescape that for various reasons dominate particular categories. Sure there are exceptions to the rule(s), but Calitzdorp is the Port capital and the Breede River Valley districts of Breedekloof, Robertson and Worcester are where most of the fortified Muscat champions are based. The Cape’s best Pinot Noir tends to come from the Cape
Read moreAnother unwooded standout! Bon Courage Chardonnay shines in France
UNWOODED, unoaked, sans barrique… South African Chardonnay that hasn’t spent any time in a barrel is hardly a new phenomenon, but the numbers are growing and the quality is on the rise. It’s a great option for wine lovers who can’t stomach wooded whites, some seek it out because it presents an opportunity to enjoy the varietal character in its purist
Read moreGrowing in sex appeal? Cab Franc tasting yields 14 gold medallists
NOT THAT long ago, a Bordeaux-style blend from the Helderberg in Stellenbosch called Cordoba Crescendo, made by Chris Keet, stood out as a Cape red with something of a cult status. Contrary to the majority of combos in this category dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Crescendo had Cabernet Franc playing the leading role. The brand is no more – a
Read moreSouth Africa’s top wine shops online, on shelf, on price, on service, et al
THERE ARE plenty of wine shops with an online presence delivering South African vino to most corners of the country and around the world, but who’s doing the best job, how to weigh them up against one another, where to go for that elusive beauty or special bargain from the Cape? A survey of which stores offer a good number of the
Read moreBrand marketing part and parcel of Cape Wine Auction, Franschhoek
“IN A SPECTACULAR show of generosity and opulence…” the 2017 Cape Wine Auction set a new record for the annual fund-raising effort by generating R22.3 million for 22 charities that focus on education and the lives of children in the winelands of South Africa. This year the bidding took place at Anthonij Rupert Wyne in Franschhoek, where estate owner Johann
Read moreCreation, Delheim and La Motte excel in Wine Tourism Challenge 2017
THE 2017 Drinks International Wine Tourism Challenge (UK) culminated with awards for Best Visitor Centre (Codorniu in Spain), Most Innovative Experience (Vineyard Tour Guide App at Yealands in New Zealand), Best Food and Wine Matching (Zonin’s Castello di Albola in Italy), Best Retail Experience (Gonzalez Byass in Spain), Best Promotional Body (Stellenbosch Wine Routes), Best Wine Event (Harvest and From Vine
Read moreWellington’s Imbuko Wines wins award for Best Value Producer 2017
IMBUKO of Wellington has been judged Best Value Producer in Getaway magazine’s 2017 ‘Best Value Wines’ Guide, with three Imbuko bottlings among the 14 winners of a competition culminating in Value Awards for South African wines selling at no more than R80 pb. Those offering ‘best bang for your buck’ were mainly from Wellington, Worcester and the Breedekloof wards of
Read moreHemel-en-Aarde the home of South Africa’s champion Pinot Noir
FROM THE VALLEY to the upper slopes and over the ridge, wonderful views left, right and centre… The Hemel-en-Aarde wards outside Hermanus in the district of Walker Bay account for six of South Africa’s Top 10 Pinot Noir – two of the others originating in Elgin (Paul Cluver Seven Flags and Oak Valley), one in Franschhoek (Chamonix Reserve) and one in Stellenbosch
Read moreSouth Africa’s Top 20 wineries vary big time in size, range, location
THE 2017 SA Cellar Classification confirms the ‘who’s who’ of the Cape winelands when it comes to those producers whose wines have been most fancied most often by panels of experts around the world during the 10-year period 2007 to 2016. And in this regard, obviously, the Top 20 outfits overall make for a rather special bunch. In general, the reputation
Read moreTop 100 South African Wines, Top Wine SA Hall of Fame – 2017 update
CONSIDERING the most highly rated of South Africa’s most successful wines of the 10 years 2007 to 2016, the country’s strongest suits are not surprising. What might raise eyebrows is that there aren’t more Cap Classique sparkling wines or that there isn’t a single varietal Merlot or Semillon in the 2017 Top 100 SA Wine Classification or Top Wine SA Hall
Read more2017 SA Wine & Cellar Classifications confirm who’s (still) on top form
BASED ON THE BEST track records in 28 local and international forums for the assessment of wine quality and interest value over the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications celebrate the country’s leading outfits – those who are regularly on top form, their product judged top-notch again and again, year after year. To be eligible for
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