VIOGNIER. There’s a certain sexiness associated with this aromatic white grape, used to make some of the famous white wines of Condrieu in the northern Rhône, southern France, and planted elsewhere including Italy, Australia, New Zealand, California as well as South Africa. The variety is somewhat controversial, too. The origin is uncertain, with Croatia getting the credit according to some.
Read moreWITH THEIR achievements in the 2021 edition of the Perold Absa Cape Blend Competition, the five winners showed once again how consistently good their wines are as combos with Pinotage being the leading component comprising between 30% and 70%. Since the competition was first held by the Pinotage Association in 2011, KWV has now won trophies with seven vintages,
Read moreIT CAN TAKE a while to get your head around the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards held in South Africa. Platinum medals are presented for wines scored 96+ out of 100, but not if they go on to win a trophy. Trophies are awarded to wines that scored highest in their classes, but they are not awarded in every
Read moreIT’S A MAGICAL place, north of Sir Lowry’s Pass on one of South Africa’s less-travelled routes, high up the slopes of the Helderberg with a fantastic view of False Bay that stretches to Cape Point in the distance. The Idiom tasting room and restaurant at Da Capo Vineyards is home to some impressive reds, including a good Cape Blend and Bordeaux-style
Read more“IN A SPECTACULAR show of generosity and opulence…” the 2017 Cape Wine Auction set a new record for the annual fund-raising effort by generating R22.3 million for 22 charities that focus on education and the lives of children in the winelands of South Africa. This year the bidding took place at Anthonij Rupert Wyne in Franschhoek, where estate owner Johann
Read moreENTRIES in the Perold Cape Blend Competition are required to have Pinotage as a leading component – a minimum of 30% but no more than 70%. According to Pinotage Association chairman Beyers Truter: “When the Absa Perold Cape Blend competition was initiated in 2011, the aim was to promote a category that would yield bold, vibrant wines truly representative of South
Read more
