Tag Archives: Spioenkop

Classified! Elgin checklist for wine lovers seeking gems of the district

ELGIN’S strong suits are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, in that order. This district of the SA winelands is also home to some interesting white blends, Riesling, Shiraz and then some. Not all of the producers open their doors to the wine-loving public all of the time, with some only offering tastings and sales at their cellar doors on

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Winters Drift calls it a day despite growing respect for wines of Elgin

IN WHAT AMOUNTS to a closing-down sale running until the end of March, the prices of everything at the Winters Drift shop next to the Elgin railway station east of Grabouw were slashed by 35% following a decision of the powers that be to cull the brand and to replace the vineyards with orchards – apples and pears. Apparently the wine side

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Beautiful Elgin graduates to top wine-producing area and visitor-friendly route with growing number of restaurants

THE OWNERS of Oak Valley Estate might have been the first to build a winery in the vicinity of Grabouw around 100 years ago, but it was Paul Cluver Snr who really got the Elgin winelands going when he planted his first vineyards in the mid-1980s and began bottling on his farm from the late 1990s. It’s been many years

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10 of South Africa’s top Rieslings on show at Hartenberg

SOME 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

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Elgin winelands might fulfill great expectations after all

THE COGNOSCENTI are curious about Spioenkop Wines for a number of reasons – not the least of which is the free-spirited nature of owner-cellarmaster Koen Roose. To meet this Belgian newcomer to the Elgin wine scene is to engage with somebody who’s obviously passionate about making seriously good, characterful wine on his hilltop in the Elgin valley – so passionate

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