GLEN CARLOU has been a Chardonnay and Cabernet specialist since 1988. As they put it at the cellar on the slopes of the Simonsberg in Paarl, the conversation is led by ‘Quartz Stone Chardonnay’ and ‘Gravel Quarry Cabernet Sauvignon’ – two naturally-fermented, single-vineyard delights, which at the time of writing were on offer from the farm for R420pb and R530pb
Read moreOF THE FIVE Worcester wineries that qualify for the South African Cellar Classification, one has made a success of a flagship range associated with places outside the district. The most established of Overhex proprietor Gerhard van der Wath’s Survivor wines, the Pinotage and Chenin Blanc, are made using Swartland grapes harvested over 100km away, as is the Syrah. The Survivor
Read moreTHE International Wine & Spirit Competition organisers in the UK are holding back on announcing their 2021 trophy winners, but in the meantime they’ve disclosed the names of gold medallists including 26 South African wines (see below for those scored 96 or 95 out of 100) while teasing the audience with some feedback from the judges. The top-scoring SA wines
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S 2020 Veritas Awards attracted some 1300 entries that were assessed over five days by 64 judges teamed-up into panels of three – all local wine experts, as the travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the participation of international critics. The most keenly contested categories were Red Blends (181 entries), Sauvignon Blanc (149), Cabernet Sauvignon (123),
Read moreGOLD MEDAL and a score of 96 at the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK), Best in Class at the Trophy Wine Show (SA), Grand Gold Medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (BE). Amazing accolades for the 2017 vintage of Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon in 2020 – or rather, as to be expected! And no doubt there will be
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S medal winners in the annual International Wine & Spirit Competition (UK) are announced during September, a month after the judging that takes place in Cape Town. The names of trophy winners from around the world are revealed mid-October, followed by an awards banquet in London end-November when more accolades are presented, including the IWSC trophy for SA
Read moreTHEY 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
Read moreTHE STATUS of Morgenster as one of South Africa’s top cellars hinges largely on the reputation of the Estate Reserve, a top class Bordeaux-style combo and one of the Top 10 red blends overall in the SA Wine Classification. Hall of Fame. R490 a bottle for the 2013 vintage. Of late, however, the Somerset West property’s single varietals have been
Read moreCLEARLY the biggest winners at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2018 are Warwick, Leeuwenkuil and Spier: Warwick the Most Successful Producer with trophies for their 2015 Cab Franc and Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend, Professor Black 2017; Leeuwenkuil for their 2015 Heritage Syrah, judged best red overall; and Spier for their 21 Gables Chenin 2016, the top-scoring white wine overall. These
Read moreONLY R94 a bottle, and in such good company! You might well have expected Bon Courage to lead with their flagship Inkará Shiraz, yet it’s with the relatively humble Pepper Tree version that they have excelled at Syrah du Monde in the Rhône Valley, France – the 2016 vintage from this Robertson wine estate selected among the Top 10 gold
Read moreTHE COMPETITION is unusual insofar as the assessments are done and the medallists announced in two tranches six months apart, followed weeks later by news of various trophy winners, and a couple of months after that by an awards dinner at which the top trophies are presented. One of the biggest events of its kind as regards the thousands of
Read moreIT BEGGARS belief on hearing that a red wine from one of the main drags on South Africa’s Paarl wine route can be judged good enough to win a gold medal yet sell for just R48 per bottle at the cellar door on the farm. Believe it. Landskroon pulled it off as a laureate at the 2018 Cab Franc Challenge!
Read moreAUSTRIA, host of Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2018, scooped the second-most number of medals at the competition behind France: 78 to 126. In third place, South Africa achieved 22 medals (11 gold and 11 silver) ahead of Italy (21) and New Zealand (16). Although when it came to the trophy laureates, New Zealand’s Clos Henri (Marlborough) was the only producer
Read moreTWENTY-THREE gold medals to South African wines with seven beauties going on to win trophies at the 2017 International Wine Challenge in London. Some are recent vintages of wines with great track records, such as Cape Point’s flagship white blend, DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin, Bouchard Finlayson Pinot, Stellenrust Chenin and those champions from Paul Cluver and Saronsberg that feature regularly in the
Read moreGOLD 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 moreNOT 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 moreTALK ABOUT hitting it off with the French! The 2013 vintage of Groot Constantia Shiraz has been voted one of the Top 10 among the gold medallists at this year’s Syrah du Monde in the village of Ampuis, Northern Rhône Valley, France. SA GOLD MEDALLISTS AT SYRAH DU MONDE 2015 Cederberg CWG Auction Reserve Teen die Hoog Shiraz 2012 Groot Constantia Shiraz
Read moreBOSCHENDAL bubbly winemaker Lizelle Gerber is on a roll. The 2008 vintage of the Grande Cuvée Brut didn’t perform as spectacularly as her 2007 but the 2009 is off to a great start with a gold medal at the recent Michelangelo Awards and now first place in the latest Amorim Tsogo Sun Méthode Cap Classique Challenge even before the wine is
Read moreA GROWING NUMBER of wine lovers today are falling for Groot Constantia’s Grand Constance – a Grande Dame reborn, you might say. The thing is, this unfortified dessert wine is coming of age (again) after some of the vintages following the (re)launch eight years or so ago were met with mixed reviews – down-to-earth cellarmaster Boela Gerber is open about how things weren’t quite
Read moreTHE BIGGEST wine competition in the world takes place in London and involves over 400 judges including over 40 Masters of Wine (UK) as well as wine journalists and wine buyers from around the globe. Medal winners are announced in May every year with trophies presented at an awards dinner held in September. The top-performing South African wines this year
Read more
