THE 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 moreTHE 2017 ABSA Top 10 Pinotage competition culminated with the presentation of trophies to winning wine producers at Cavalli estate outside Somerset West. The event commemorated 21 years of the Pinotage Association’s competition that contributes to setting benchmarks as regards South Africa’s most successful ‘indigenous’ variety. There were 147 entries and the laureates were applauded as fine ambassadors of Wine
Read moreSA CHARDONNAY UNDER R100 Douglas Green Chardonnay 2016 – gold medal at Chardonnay du Monde, approx retail price of R55 pb KWV Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay 2016 – high silver at Decanter Awards and silver at International Wine Challenge, R90 pb ex-cellar in Paarl Simonsig Chardonnay 2015 – silver medal at Chardonnay du Monde and among Top 100 at National Wine Challenge, R90 pb
Read moreTHE ORGANISERS of the Decanter World Wine Awards in the UK describe their competition as the “most influential”. Ditto the International Wine Challenge, also of the UK, which goes further in claiming to be “the finest” and the “most meticulous”. But these are modest compared to The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships: “The most respected, prestigious and rigorous… No
Read moreTHE 2017 Winemag Report on SA Merlot involved the assessment of 67 wines from 50 producers and culminated in five wines rated 90-plus (see below). Published in association with the industry’s producer body that goes by the name of the Merlot Forum, the full report posted on Winemag.co.za states that: “Local Merlot often makes for less ambitious and less expensive wines
Read moreOH DEAR! Ninety ‘grand golds’ go to wonderful wines from around the world at the 2017 edition of Concours Mondial, but none of them to South Africa – despite the entry of some vintages from Cape cellars that have built up some pretty solid reputations for their Cabernet, Shiraz, Pinotage and various red blends, for example. Nevertheless, 10 gold medals for
Read moreBASED 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
Read moreFor ALL of the top-rated, most highly awarded South African wines of the year according to the most authoritative panels of experts locally and internationally, see here. Showcased below are 20 of the Cape’s world-class wines that were particularly well received around the globe in 2016: Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2015 5 Stars in Platter’s SA Wine Guide, trophy
Read moreOF ALL THE reds, whites, rosés, desserts and ports to receive very good reviews from one of the top panels locally or internationally in 2016, these rank as South Africa’s best value wines at under R100 a bottle – all highly rated, including some platinum award recipients, even some trophy winners. The prices given below are those at the cellar door when surveyed
Read moreNOW THAT’S what we’re talking about! THAT’S how to show it’s worth the asking price!! Winning one of only six Master awards (scored over 95/100) presented after the British Drinks Business magazine’s 2016 Global Chardonnay Masters competition involving some 200 entries from around the world, the 2014 vintage of Capensis also scored highly in the local Winemag.co.za Chardonnay report earlier in the year.
Read moreDeMORGENZON is unquestionably one of South Africa’s top white wine producers and the success of this Stellenbosch outfit on the show circuit internationally over the past couple of years has been particularly impressive. The team returned from the 2016 Decanter World Wine Awards in London with a trophy for best Chardonnay, which could have put a few Burgundian noses out of joint,
Read more“PINOTAGE has the heart of a lion and the tongue of a woman; after drinking a certain quantity you can talk forever and fight like the devil!” – Anonymous. More memorable wine quotes here. The Top 10 Pinotage in terms of South African wines with the best track records over the past 10 years (2006 – 2015) are the following: Beyerskloof
Read moreTHERE WAS much twittering in SA food and wine circles at the news that a South African restaurant called Jan in the city of Nice on the French Riviera had earned a star in the highly respected Michelin guide – one star indicative of ‘very good’ cuisine, two stars pronouncing ‘excellent’ and three stars denoting ‘exquisite’, a dining establishment considered to be among the
Read moreTHERE WERE a number of South African wineries that excelled in 2015 by way of good reviews, however none were more frequent visitors to the podium than the grande dame Groot Constantia – a property dating back to 1685 but which ranks right up there with the best in the modern era too. Winemaker Boela Gerber is very modest about his team’s achievements
Read moreWHICH ARE THE TOP wineries in South Africa? The best overall – the Top 20 producers, say? Such a selection cannot be without some controversy, largely because it depends on how you measure the leading cellars, and when. Do you consider the top label, a single wine from each cellar, or should we look at everything they produce, or maybe something in
Read moreTHE SA Wine & Cellar Classifications point to the current ‘who’s who’ of the South African winelands – all of the top wines and cellars over the past 10 years, including the very best in each class. Ten years’ tasting results, the best track records, involving the TOP TASTING PANELS, local and international – a pooling of expert opinions about South
Read moreTHE SA Wine & Cellar Classifications point to the current ‘who’s who’ of the South African winelands – all of the top wines and cellars over the past 10 years, including the very best in each class. Ten years’ tasting results, the best track records, involving the TOP TASTING PANELS, local and international – a pooling of expert opinions about South
Read moreTHE 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
Read moreTHERE ARE fine-dining tables indoors with artworks on the walls, but the views from the verandah of a reed-lined dam and the Helderberg are difficult to resist! The new restaurant destination on the Somerset West wine route that is 95 at Morgenster is not the place for a simple plate of grub and a glass of any old vino. This is a
Read moreIT’S ONE OF THOSE wine route destinations off the beaten track that’s worth seeking out for the wines but also for the location – above the basin and south of where most of the other Elgin cellars are to be found, close to the sea, and dramatic in terms of the scenery, the weather and the family behind it all. The
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