Tag Archives: Cederberg

Trizanne and Kleine Zalze among big winners at Trophy Wine Show 2020

97/100 was the top score awarded at the 2020 edition of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. The wine: Shiraz, from grapes harvested near Elim, Cape Agulhas, a 2018 Reserve from Kommetjie resident Trizanne Barnard who rents cellar space in Noordhoek. Other ‘super’ trophies went to Mulderbosch’s Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (top-scoring white wine) and Steen op Hout Chenin Blanc 2019

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Five Soldiers regarded as one of top four Chardonnays in the world

ONCE AGAIN, France was awarded the most (12) ‘Best in Show’ medals (pick of the platinum medallists) at the UK’s international Decanter World Wine Awards with entries received from Bordeaux, Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, Provence and the Loire. Italy claimed second place with eight of the 50 wines considered the best on show in 2020, followed by Australia (6) Portugal (5)

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No holding back Kleine Zalze and Cederberg wines at Concours Mondial

STELLENBOSCH and the Cederberg are where South Africa’s grand gold medallists at Mondial 2020 originated. The 2019 Stellenbosch Vineyard Selection from Chenin champions Kleine Zalze, the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2017 vintage of David Nieuwoudt’s Private Cellar in the Cederberg and the Cape’s 18 gold medallists did the country proud at the three-day international competition hosted this year in

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Eight-year-old Delaire Graff raises eyebrows at Mondial du Sauvignon

THE VAST majority of entries at the annual Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2020 were from the 2019 and 2018 vintages, but there was a South African that stood out for being way older than most: vintage 2012 of the Delaire Graff Coastal Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc, made using a combination of grapes sourced from the districts of Durbanville, Stellenbosch, Darling and

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The Most Raved-About South African Wines in 2019 – Top Two Dozen

  CONTENDERS for the title of SA Wine of the Year? Winery of the Year? Winemaker of the Year? Clearly some awards and ratings count more than others. Then again, it says a lot when a wine wows more than one panel of experts – three or four even. Cederberg? Constantia Glen? Stellenrust? De Grendel? Or any of the other

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Another world-class showing! Kanonkop reigns supreme at IWSC awards

TROPHY FOR the most Outstanding Wine Producer at the 2019 International Wine & Spirit Competition and the most successful in the history of the event, going back to 1969. An impressive ‘feather in the cap’ for Kanonkop, Stellenbosch and the Cape winelands in general, it was one of the highlights during an awards banquet at the Guildhall in London end-November,

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Oops! Something odd about IWSC trophies not going to top-scoring wines

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? In September 2019 the International Wine & Spirit Competition organisers in the UK announce that the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bartinney of Banghoek in Stellenbosch is one of the South African entries to be scored 97 points – as reported here. A month later – see here – the IWSC announces that at the show’s awards

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Six Nations trophies for SA Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux-Style Blend

FOR THE annual Six Nations Wine Challenge staged in Sydney, Australia, entries are submitted following an invitation to the producers from the wine writer and judge representing each of the participating countries. In 2019 the panel of critics comprised South Africa’s Michael Fridjhon (chair), Australia’s Huon Hooke, New Zealand’s Terry Copeland, the USA’s Patrick Comiskey and Canada’s Christopher Waters. Each

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Familiar labels among 10 of South Africa’s best Sauvignon Blancs in 2019

THERE WERE 183 entries from 107 producers in the 2019 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition and/but very few surprises in terms of the results which included three repeat winners – the 2019 vintage of De Grendel Koetshuis, Diemersdal Wild Ferment and Tokara Reserve Collection winning this year after victory with earlier vintages last year. The panel of judges were:

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Barrydale Chardonnay and Traildust Pinotage ‘surprise’ at CWG Auction

  WHO WOULD have thought it possible? The Mullineux couple Chris (viticulturist) and Andrea (winemaker), perhaps! But how amazing it was that the only white wine to fetch over R1000 a bottle on average at South Africa’s 2019 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction in Stellenbosch came from grapes grown in Barrydale, Klein Karoo – more than Ataraxia Chardonnay of Hemel-en-Aarde, more

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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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More evidence that top Shiraz can be grown almost everywhere in SA

THAT DE GRENDEL top-scored (95/100) in the South African Winemag’s 2019 Shiraz Report was not surprising: the cellar is one of the country’s Top 10 producers in this category. However, whereas the better-known Shiraz from this outfit on the Durbanville Wine Route is made from grapes harvested in Paarl and Stellenbosch, the loyalty-club exclusive orginates outside Elim in the district

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Sparkling Cederberg Cap Classique does SA proud at World Champs

IMPRESSIVE! Winner of the only gold medal awarded to a South African bubbly at the 2019 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in London, the Cederberg Brut Blanc de Blancs 2014 was favoured above three silver medallists from Graham Beck of Robertson and another from Le Lude of Franschhoek. With less than two hectares of their mountain vineyards planted to

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Painted Wolf ‘top dog’ at Trophy Wine Show, Bonnievale Cab Best Value

A MULDERBOSCH single-vineyard Chenin and a reserve Cabernet from Stellenview were the top-scoring white and red wines at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. However, the trophy for most successful producer overall went to Painted Wolf Wines of Paarl and that for ‘Discovery of the Show’ to Bonnievale Wines for a Cab of gold medal standard that sells for

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Syrah du Monde shines a light on Hartenberg, Bon Courage, Cederberg

THEY SAY they produce the world’s best Shiraz. A bold claim by the Hartenberg producers in Bottelary, Stellenbosch. And at the 2019 edition of Syrah du Monde, France, they were certainly up there with some of the best, their ‘Stork’ flagship placing among the Top 4, and Bon Courage of Robertson also one of the Top 10 – their ‘Pepper

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Depth of quality, good prices… Top SA wineries in more ways than one

THERE ARE SOME cellars whose reputations hinge on a single wine. Some have just one flagship. Nothing wrong with that. Actually, there are far too many producers in the Cape with far too many wines in their portfolio. More specialists please. However, you’ve gotta hand it to those wineries that consistently offer more than one of the country’s very best,

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Nine of Top 10 Chenin Blanc Challenge winners come from older vines

SUCH CONSISTENCY! Virtually all of the 2018 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge winners are regular visitors to the podiums at various competitions, with five of their beauties among the top Chenins in the SA Wine Classification and three in the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame. From various districts and wards, the champions include a range of styles. The

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Eight golds for South Africa at Du Monde, World Champs, Masters

IT WAS a good start to the month of July 2018 for South African wine producers at Muscats du Monde in France, the Sparkling Wine World Championships and the Drinks Business Global Masters, London – including a Top 10 spot among the sweets for Orange River Cellars and confirmation of Nederburg’s stature when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon. For more about

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For Cabernet lovers targeting the top producers on SA wine routes

BELOW are the top Cabernet Sauvignon producers in South Africa over the past 10 years, those with the best track records spanning 2008 to 2017, presented according to where you’ll find their tasting rooms on the various wine routes. For the 2018 SA Cabernet Sauvignon Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be visited

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Top Sauvignon Blanc from the rocky Cederberg and the plains of Elim

SOME OF US would buy it just for the label! That ‘The Bowline’ combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon in the ‘Ghost Corner’ range of wines from David Nieuwoudt’s Cederberg Private Cellar has an interesting story behind it, is another plus. And, it’s Classified as consistently one of South Africa’s very best white blends. The latest endorsement of its quality and

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