Tag Archives: Alvi’s Drift

What to drink as discerning supporters of Springbok Rugby?

WHETHER in the build up to the game, during the match, in celebrating victory or to console yourself in the event of defeat, surely the Rugby World Cup final warrants something appropriate in the glass for any self-respecting fan of the game. And for Springbok supporters, what better choice than a drink from the home of a Springbok, present or

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Mhudi among triumphant Cape wines at Global Chenin Masters

NEW ON the radar. Out of the blue, as it were… The Rangaka family’s M’hudi wine business on their farm in Stellenbosch was founded nearly 20 years ago, but it’s somewhat off the beaten track in the north-western reaches of the district – along the Old Paarl Road in the Koelenhof area – and never before have they achieved an

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Talk about a show of dominance at the Chenin Blanc Challenge

THEY MAKE at least half a dozen Chenins at the Stellenrust winery in the Helderberg and another at their boutique ArtiSons cellar in Bottelary. Even the ‘standard’ version (currently R89pb) has won at the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Challenge before and is one of three Stellenrust wines with such good reviews over the years as to be included among the

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Very best at under R150 a bottle – according to the experts

THE VERY BEST wines of South Africa at under 150 rand a bottle as reviewed by the top panels of experts locally and internationally in 2022. Rated 95 points or higher. There are even a few platinum award winners and trophy laureates among these recommendations, and those highlighted in RED are either included in the 2022 SA Wine Classification, such

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Stellenrust maintains 100% record at Top 10 Chenin Challenge

A NUMBER of things come to mind on perusal of the 2022 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge results. One is how many of the top wines originate in old vineyards, four of which include vines over 50 years old. Another is the depth of quality shown by the leading producers, some of them shining with Chenins other than

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Sauvignon Blanc test match could suggest SA and NZ equally delicious

ON THE EVE of the 100th test match between the Springboks and the All Blacks, on a rugby field in Australia, came the news that the countries’ winemakers had all but shared the spoils in an encounter featuring some of their top Sauvignon Blancs. The overall winner was South Africa, however the two top-scoring wines were from New Zealand, namely

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Tokara wins trophy for best wine at international Mondial du Sauvignon

  THERE WERE OVER 1200 wines from around the world gathered for assessment at Mondial du Sauvignon (Blanc) 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. The contest involved some 40 judges who deliberated for four days in choosing 127 gold medallists, nine of which went on to win trophies – three French wines, two Austrians, one New Zealander, an Italian, one from the

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Worcester enigma? Albertus Viljoen doing Alvi’s founding father proud

  SA WINE LOVERS might struggle to remember a time – not so long ago – when there was only a single bottle of note from the Alvi’s Drift cellar in Worcester: a Muscat de Frontignan, a small bottle and in small quantities, but a fine example and one of South Africa’s Top 10 fortified dessert wines to this day. In

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Impressive Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 offers a bit of this, a bit of that

  CHENIN BLANC might be the most-planted wine grape variety in South Africa, but Sauvignon Blanc is the country’s top-selling variety… A success story for sure, and most cellars are confident about putting their wines on show for scrutiny by the critics. There were 149 submissions from 96 producers vying for a place in the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10,

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Two winners each for Alvi’s Drift and Stellenrust in Chenin Challenge

WHAT a lovely line-up of champions in the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge. Not one from a cellar in the Swartland, Bot River or Paarl in 2020… But hey, two wines from Worcester winery Alvi’s Drift, a first-time winner in this competition convened by the Chenin Blanc Association of South Africa. And while Stellenbosch didn’t dominate, four cellars from

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Alvi’s Drift balancing Pinotage and Shiraz to come up with ‘alpha male’

ALBERTUS VILJOEN was the founder of Worcester farm Alvi’s Drift back in 1928: charismatic, athlete, Springbok rugby player of note. Bismarck was Alvi’s Great Dane: superior in stature, commanding respect, providing a friendly welcome to visitors. And the red blend named in honour of the man and his hound is among the ‘ultra premium’ offerings from Alvi’s Drift: multiple award

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Much to choose from among ‘straight’ and blended SA Shiraz Champs

OF THE laureates at the Shiraz SA Challenge 2018, Saronsberg Full Circle stands out as one of South Africa’s finest red blends having Shiraz in the driver’s seat, with Spier’s Creative Block 3 fast establishing a record over the years that promises to be as impressive. However, while there were 36 blends submitted for review, there were 156 wines presented

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Top honours at NWC go to Spier, Paul Cluver, Stellenbosch Vyds, Nuy

THERE WERE around 600 wines judged at South Africa’s National Wine Challenge 2018 convened by Robin von Holdt’s Buybetterwine.com. The judges comprised chairman Greg Sherwood (UK Master of Wine), Ginette de Fleuriot (Cape Wine Master), sommelier Wayve Kolvesohn, with winemakers Duncan Savage, Matthew Day of Klein Constantia, Richard Kershaw (Master of Wine) and JD Pretorius of Steenberg. Sommelier Higgo Jacobs was

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Baleia and Sijnn among notable newcomers on SA wine radar of late

THE FOLLOWING wines, given in alphabetical order, are among the notable newcomers from South Africa’s winelands so far this decade that notched up another good review in 2015 – no fly-by-nights, no one-hit-wonders, and not the only ones by any means, but particularly interesting for one reason or another. Alvi’s Drift Albertus Viljoen Chenin Blanc. The Worcester champions at Alvi’s Drift have got

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Best Value Chenin – top-rated Chenin Blanc under R50, under R100

AT UNDER R50 a bottle, South Africa’s top Chenin Blancs in 2015 include several classified wines, namely Alvi’s Drift ADS from Worcester, Simonsig of Stellenbosch and Windmeul from Paarl. Stretch to R100 a bottle, and your options expand to encompass the Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection, one of the Top 10 Chenin Blancs in the country on the basis of great track

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KWV, Alvi’s and Du Toitskloof tops in latest value guide

THE BEST VALUE wines of South Africa are particularly topical at around this time of year on publication of the annual Best Value Wine Guide sponsored by the Ultra retail group. Orange River Cellars in Upington won the award as Best Value Winery overall in the latest competition that will culminate with the release of the book, available now in an

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Top 10 SA Chenin Blanc wines at under R50 per bottle

GREAT VALUE Chenin Blanc – South African wines at under R50 a bottle that have received good reviews by one or more of the top tasting panels around the world during the past 18 months. Prices given in SA rand – ex-cellar, or approximate retail in the case of wineries that are closed to the public. At R22pb – Cape Weaver Chenin

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