Caroline’s annual White Wine Review, hailed as one of the most coveted tasting events on the South African wine calendar, returns to The Lookout Venue at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Wednesday 1 November. Presented by Caroline Rillema of the legendary Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellar, this world-class showcase gives wine enthusiasts the rare opportunity to discover and savour the
Read moreFROM JANUARY to August 2023, the top panels of wine experts judged some 700 of South Africa’s finest to be at least high silver or gold medal standard. Of these, around 140 were considered 96 points or higher, Best in Class, Top 10 or 12, worthy of grand gold, platinum or master awards, trophy laureates, competition winners or Wines of
Read moreTHIS IS the first year that the Stellenbosch Wine Festival is held in Cape Town, instead of Stellenbosch! And just how much progress has Riesling from the Cape winelands made over the past 10 or 20 years? There are quite a few top Wine SA events to contemplate going to in April 2019, whether you’re in Nelspruit, Cape Town,
Read moreTHERE ARE THOSE of us who love the good Rieslings made in South Africa, but we’re in the minority – or at least that’s how it feels, given how few of the country’s cellars include this variety in their range, given how few SA wine-lovers feel comfortable about occasionally buying it instead of the Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Chenin or white blends that
Read moreCHARLES BACK remembers well the first plantings of Viognier on his Fairview farm in Paarl back in the 1990s. Who knew then what would work where when it came to experimenting with grape varieties not widely planted in South Africa, if at all, but new or unusual is very appealing to winemakers looking for a USP, something exciting. And wow has
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S 2014 Wine & Cellar Classifications based on the best track records in 25 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years have just been released. To be eligible for Classification, a wine must have been made and bottled in South Africa and must have earned very good reviews by at least one of the top judging
Read moreRAATS and Warwick continue to impress in South Africa’s Cab Franc class but the competition is mounting. There’s a lot more to the choice of good SA Semillon and interesting Viognier these days. And if there’s one South African brand that has stood out for good reviews in more categories than any other range in 2013, it’s The Mentors from
Read moreSOME OF THE big names will be missing at Hartenberg’s ‘Riesling Rocks’ festival this Saturday afternoon (9 Feb), but hey, you can be sure of a great day… Delectable snacking and sipping on the lawns of the estate off the Bottelary Road (M23) in Stellenbosch – an opportunity to explore Riesling’s reputation as a particularly versatile variety when it comes to
Read moreIT SEEMS LIKE only yesterday that you could count the number of South Africa’s good Rieslings on a few fingers and that the labels of these wines were so much more confusing than they are today. Shame on the producers – including Theuniskraal and Van Loveren – who persist in calling wines what they’re not, namely ‘Cape Riesling’ instead of
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT South African wines made from niche varieties, the best reviews of the year – including a particularly successful Viognier, which many winemakers regard as better suited for blending with other varieties, a Grenache Blanc with great interest value, and a couple of dry reds from cultivars more commonly associated with port-style fortified wines: WHITE WINES Altydgedacht Gewürztraminer
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