Tag Archives: Breedekloof

A rather rare, very unusual wine… Avon Clairette Blanche

AVON is the name of Isak Visagie’s farm on the slopes of the Olifantsberg in the Breedekloof Valley where uniWines of Rawsonville sources the Clairette Blanche grapes for one of their old vine projects, an experimental wine in the DaschBosch range. The farm had been planted mainly to Palomino (Frans druif) and Muscat d’Alexandrie (Hanepoot). It was in 1977 that

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‘A pot of Semillon at the end of the rainbow’ – Breedekloof

THE WINNER of Wineland Media’s 2022 photo competition, sponsored by FELCO and conducted via social media, was Nicolaas van Rensburg of the Breedekloof farm Morgenrood. The caption for his image: “A pot of Semillon at the end of the rainbow.” Semillon is one of the Breedekloof’s strengths, with the Deetlefs ‘Familie’ version from the family’s farm outside Rawsonville among the

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More than ‘braai wine’, Bonfire Hill thanks to a rescue mission of sorts

FOR JUST R69 a bottle you can get a delicious blend of Chenin and Roussanne from Wellington, Grenache Blanc from the Breedekloof and Viognier from Robertson – a mix that placed among the Top 10 and offered best ‘bang for your buck’ in Winemag’s 2021 Cape White Blend Report. In fact, at the time of writing the 2020 Bonfire Hill

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SA wines from really old vines up to several dozen and counting

OLD AGE isn’t always a good thing when it comes to grape vines, but man, in many instances, can it make a positive difference to what’s in the glass! Big time! Thankfully, very good wines can originate in young vineyards too; the old stuff is scarce and what’s made from it tends to sell at a premium that can be

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South Africa’s Chenin success story inspiring winemakers worldwide

  WHAT a lovely collection of stories and images associated with the 2019 edition of the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge! A new label on David Nieuwoudt’s Five Generations. Classical music playing to the vines and wines at Wendy Appelbaum’s DeMorgenzon. A tribute to Cape Town’s company gardens (artwork on back label). A river analogy from Flagstone. A

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Muskadel SA put their hands together for Badsberg and Mont Blois

TOP MUSCADELS from the Cape remain oh such good fortified dessert wines, but oh so underrated – downplayed, you could argue, even by some of the producers themselves, let alone consumers with a sweet tooth who also seem to place a higher value on unfortified desserts including Noble Late Harvest, Natural Sweet and Straw Wine. The Muskadel SA association doesn’t have

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Special vintage of Du Toitskloof Red Muscadel all but sold out

THERE’S a bit of ‘hush hush’ to this wine. It orginates from a single vineyard, within a few kilometers’ radius from the cellar outside Rawsonville, but nobody’s saying just where the block is to be found. It’s a little like gold, this red Muscat – with demand growing as word got around that the latest laureate is even better than the

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Grand Constance and Writer’s Block excel in showcasing their terroir

GROOT CONSTANTIA was declared top achiever at the 2018 Novare SA Terroir Wine Awards, with winemaker Boela Gerber’s Natural Sweet Grand Constance 2015 and port-styled Cape Ruby 2016 the most successful of eight wines whose combined scores lifted the trophy. It’s been another good year by way of reviews for this dessert wine from South Africa’s oldest producer: Best in

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Breedekloof’s flagship Chenins promise much but it’s early days still

SPEAKING 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

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Opstal one of the game-changers in the Breedekloof – well worth a visit

IT’S A LOVELY drive through the countryside to the vineyards of Slanghoek Valley. Visitors typically head out along the N1 highway, taking the R101 to Rawsonville just east of the Du Toitskloof Pass/Huguenot Tunnel (or via Worcester) before turning north along ‘The Route Less Travelled’ than most others in the Cape winelands. It’s alongside the Slanghoek Road in the Breedekloof that the

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Breedekloof Chenin among 80 beauties that wowed team of tasters for 2014 edition of Platter’s SA Wine Guide

THERE ARE FEW surprises among the top-rated wines in Platter’s 2014 South African Wine Guide that goes onto the bookshelves this month. Most of the 5 Star laureates or their makers have good track records – the cellarmasters and/or winery owners are familiar faces at the various podiums, which is great for those who appreciate consistently high standards. And most of the

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Experts’ choice: South Africa’s top port wines in 2012

THE 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

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