CONSTANTIA GLEN. Down the main road from the Constantia Nek traffic circle for those travelling via Hout Bay or Bishop’s Court / Newlands in Cape Town. Home to some of South Africa’s most highly rated blends – white and red – over the past 10 years, as well as a decent restaurant. The Constantia Glen TWO white blend (R100pg) is
Read moreBEYERSKLOOF. Stellenbosch. Just outside the town on the R304 to the N1. Home to some of South Africa’s most highly rated Pinotages and Cape Blends over the past 10 years, as well as the Red Leaf Bistro. The Pinotage Burger goes for R155, the Pinotage Pizza for R165, perhaps accompanied by the Pinotage Reserve or the Traildust Cape Blend at
Read moreBEAUMONT. Bot River. Just off the N2 between Elgin/Houhoek and Caledon. Home to one of the most highly rated South African Chenins over the past 10 years. Recommended with Hot Smoked Trout (R160pp) or an interesting salad (R85) at their Zest Deli – R110 for a glass of the Hope Marguerite Chenin, R45 for their standard Chenin Blanc. Or perhaps
Read moreTHERE ARE wine lovers who are obsessed with pecking orders, rankings, insisting on there being one that is best overall, numero uno. Others, while no less discerning, are relaxed about there being a number of top wines, levels of interest value, degrees of greatness – that when it comes to the best there can be more than one, i.e. somewhat
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S top wines over the past 10 years – as judged by the top panels of experts around the world. An update of the best from the Cape winelands – not just with a single bottling, but time and again. Good to very good reviews for numerous vintages, labels out of sight – assessed purely according to quality and
Read moreTOP WINE SA Hall of Fame, one of the Top 100 in the 2022 SA Wine Classification, among South Africa’s Top 10 white blends and one of the country’s Wines of the Year in 2021. The barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc Semillon combo from Cape Point Vineyards, the “world class winery by the sea” in Noordhoek, owned by Sybrand van der Spuy and with
Read moreTOP WINE SA Hall of Fame, one of the Top 100 in the 2022 SA Wine Classification, among South Africa’s Top 10 Chenins and one of the country’s Wines of the Year in 2021. The Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc from Stellenrust in Stellenbosch, where the business is headed up by Kobie van der Westhuizen (viticulturist) and Tertius Boshoff (cellarmaster). Consistently top quality,
Read moreTOP WINE SA Hall of Fame, one of the Top 100 in the 2022 SA Wine Classification, among South Africa’s Top 10 Chenins and one of the country’s Wines of the Year in 2021. The 21 Gables barrel-fermented, barrel-matured Chenin Blanc from the Enthoven family’s Spier wine farm in Stellenbosch. Consistently top quality, always interesting and good value. Outstanding! The range of
Read moreWHAT’S YOUR favourite SA wine shop and why? Where do you shop for the best deals on South African wine? Who is most likely to have the wine you’re looking for – or good at getting you what they don’t have then and there? Your opinions and recommendations are welcome – it would be great to share them. In
Read moreOF THE THOUSANDS of wines produced in South Africa, 719 qualified for inclusion in the 2022 SA Wine Classification on the basis of good reviews from the top panels over the past 10 years – 2012 to 2021. The Classification, updated annually since 2004, showcases the Top 10 and Top 20 track records in each category as well as the
Read moreOF THE THOUSANDS of wines produced in South Africa, 725 qualified for inclusion in the 2021 SA Wine Classification on the basis of good reviews from the top panels over the past 10 years. The Classification showcases the Top 10 and Top 20 in each category as well as the Top 100 wines overall, with the standouts among these top-rated
Read moreNO OTHER CAPE PORT has been more highly rated during the past 12 months. In 2020 it was judged Best in Class at the Trophy Wine Show, Best in Class at the National Wine Challenge and one of the Top 10 in the Winemag’s report on the category. This after several top accolades in 2019: 5 Stars in Platter’s SA Wine
Read moreBASED ON THE BEST track records in over 30 top local and international forums for the assessment of wine quality and interest value during the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications showcase the country’s leading outfits – those regularly on top form, their product judged excellent to outstanding again and again, year after year. The bar
Read moreBEST in Constantia, one of the Top 10 in South Africa. Groot Constantia Chardonnay is one of the three most successful wines from the grandest estate on the Cape Peninsula, among the country’s Top 100 Wines Overall and in the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame. Last year the 2017 vintage was a star at the National Wine Challenge and considered Outstanding
Read moreSO CONSISTENT! None of South Africa’s other great white blends have been as highly rated for as long. With their Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc Semillon combo, Vergelegen hasn’t missed a beat, so to speak. Anglo American’s flagship white wine from their estate on the slopes of the Helderberg in Somerset West has been a hit since the maiden vintage 2001 right
Read moreBASED ON THE BEST track records in over 30 top local and international forums for the assessment of wine quality and interest value during the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications showcase the country’s leading outfits – those regularly on top form, their product judged excellent to outstanding again and again, year after year. Newcomers and
Read moreTHE LATE Giulio Bertrand established a tradition at his Morgenster wine and olive farm in Somerset West of releasing Bordeaux-style reds only when they have had the benefits of ageing, although he and his winemakers weren’t averse to strutting the qualities of their beauties in their youth, too. So it is again with the 2014 Estate Reserve, a small quantity of
Read moreA SURVEY of what top reds and whites are selling for at South Africa’s leading wine shops relative to cellar-door prices points to consistency in some areas and big discrepancies in others. Those who love to visit the wine routes might be disappointed to discover, if they aren’t already well aware, that what you pay on the farm is often
Read moreBASED ON THE BEST track records in over 30 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 regularly on top form, their product judged top-notch again and again, year after year. To be eligible for the
Read moreFROM TIME to time Top Wine SA has fielded queries regarding how the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications compare with the South African Wine Index, which also has to do with good track records. For those who remain curious about the SAWi Wine Excellence Awards or how Top Wine SA’s selection of the country’s Top 100 and the Hall of Fame differ from
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