Tag Archives: Ondine

SA Semillon worth seeking out – and not all what they might seem at first

“THERE’S SOMETHING strange happening in South Africa’s Semillon vineyards. Green bunches turn red the one year, then back to green the next. Hung like Christmas baubles on gnarled bushvines, the shapeshifting clusters are an enduring mystery” – Malu Lambert talking about Semillon Gris in Decanter (UK). Full article here. One of the Semillons recommended in the piece is La Colline

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Some surprises among the expected in Cab Franc Challenge results

WHAT AN intriguing selection, the Top 6 in the 2018 Cab Franc Challenge. Where do Anthology wines come from? Well, the Johannesburg proprietor has been renting cellar space at Marklew in Stellenbosch for several years now. My Wyn is another small producer, high up the side of a mountain in Franschhoek. Rainbow’s End isn’t much bigger, situated in the Banghoek area between Stellenbosch and

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2018 off to a good start at Ormonde: top winemaker, top Sauvignon

DROUGHTS aside, to state the obvious… Darling can be a pretty good place to grow vines and harvest grapes for making lovely wines – especially Sauvignon Blanc. So good, in fact, that it’s remarkable how many producers based outside the district use fruit from the area – even though few spell this out on their labels. Successful wines from non-Darling wineries

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South Africa 3rd at Mondial du Sauvignon – ahead of Italy, New Zealand

AUSTRIA, 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

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Top 10 SA Sauvignon Blanc wines at under R65 a bottle

GREAT VALUE from Sauvignon Blanc at under R65 per bottle – South African wines that have received good reviews by one or more of the top tasting panels around the world during the past 18 months. Prices given in SA rand, ex-cellar or approximate retail in the case of wineries that are closed to the public: At R50pb – Rietvallei Sauvignon

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