AT LAST COUNT, the number of visitors to Groot Constantia stood at around 450 000 a year. It’s been the most popular wine farm in South Africa’s Cape winelands for some time, which is not to be confused with wine sales – gone are the days when ‘Joe Soap’ and ‘the man in the street’ would queue up at the
Read moreWHO WAS CELEBRATING most after the 2019 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards? Chef James Gaag of La Colombe at Silvermist Estate in Constantia, voted the top restaurant in South Africa, Bertus Basson of Eike and Overture at Hidden Valley in Stellenbosch who was judged Chef of the Year, or Ivor Jones of Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia who was considered No. 1
Read moreAMONG the destinations in and around the winelands of South Africa honoured at the 2019 Wine & Food Tourism Conference outside Stellenbosch for offering outstanding, memorable tourist experiences, three were presented with trophies in recognition of their innovative approach to exciting and delighting their guests. The judges focused on how the innovation helped to solve a problem or address a
Read moreUNUSUAL cultivars, niche varieties, alternative grapes, call them what you may… Certain leading South African cellarmasters are making some lovely wines that orginate in vineyards somewhat different from what most people with a taste for good living know all too well. Some are difficult to pronounce, let alone find on the average winelist or bottle store shelf, however the specialist
Read moreNO COINCIDENCE! The Top 20 wines of the Swartland come from the Top 10 producers of Malmesbury, Riebeek and elsewhere in the district. Shiraz country, Chenin specialists and then some – those with the very best track records over the past 10 years according to the 2019 South African Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Swartland Wine Classification, click
Read moreAS THEY SAY: “The new age of the Swartland commenced in 1997 when [Fairview proprietor] Charles Back stumbled across an old tobacco farm, Klein Amoskuil. Bewildered by the quality of grapes in a region better known for its wheat and rolling fynbos hills, Charles set forth to acquire the farm and study its soils and extreme climate. Hence the Spice Route
Read moreTHE OLD VINE PROJECT has on record 10 vineyards in South Africa that are older than 100 years, however, with the odd exception, their locations, the names of the property owners and the wines made from them (if any) are strictly confidential. No doubt these are precious plants. Perish the thought that they might go up in smoke or be dug
Read moreTHERE ARE good reasons why Cabernet and Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc have come to be the most widely planted grape varieties in many wine-producing countries around the world. But of course, there are exceptions to the rule, unusual delights ranging from national and regional specialities to niche cultivars that many wine lovers might not have
Read more“THE CHALLENGE with Chenin Blanc is that there are so many styles,” comments Top Wine SA reader Peter F May. “The names [of the 2017 Top 10 Challenge winners] give no indication where they are on the dry-to-sweet scale, and, apart from the three with ‘barrel fermented’ in their names, how much if any wooding they’ve had. Did the judges prefer wooded,
Read moreCOULD wine lovers take a big liking to South African red wines made solely from Grenache? It’s early days still, but notable how many leading cellars in the Cape have warmed to this variety, widely planted in Spain and France, typically used in Rhône-style, Shiraz-led blends but also making for very respectable single-varietal wines. That SA Grenache on its own
Read moreThe greenhouse at Babylonstoren, Paarl: great place for a snack and a glass of vino, or for some tea and cake if you’d prefer THEY ARE TWO of the most talked-about destinations on the wine routes within easy travelling distance of Cape Town, highly recommended on several fronts and each better than the other for this or that. Nobody’s perfect,
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