IF YOUR WINERY is fairly off the beaten track, perhaps your tasting room isn’t attracting quite as many guests as you’d like and you want to bolster your public profile, to take things to the next level, why not relocate where you do your entertaining? The Vondeling farm is in that corner of Paarl called Voor-Paardeberg, just ‘over the hill’
Read moreONE OF THE smallest wine stores on the peninsula south of Cape Town – it’s hard to believe that there’s room for over 300 different bottles in this boutique. Nestled among some milkwood trees adorned with fairy lights, Furny’s on Beach Road in Chapman’s Peak Village / Noordhoek is also one of South Africa’s good Wine Bars. Quite unlike any
Read moreJUST R100 to taste SEVEN current releases at one of THE leading wine estates in South Africa. In fact, there’s no charge to sample these wines if you’re buying a bottle to take home, with a second-label red going for just R135pb, the 2023 rosé less than R100. The top wines from this cellar sell for over R500pb, with the
Read moreAT THE time of writing, word on the grapevine was that arrangements were at an advanced stage in preparation for a public tasting of wines that excelled at the prestigious 2022 Trophy Wine Show. Not long to wait, apparently. In the meantime, the month of August already offers plenty of opportunities for wine lovers to venture out and about –
Read moreIT’S UNIQUE. Over a long weekend in May every year throughout the small towns of Graaff-Reinet and Nieu Bathesda in South Africa’s Great Karoo, thousands of wine lovers arrive from far and wide to meander among the houses, wandering from veranda to veranda – or stoep to stoep, as they say in Afrikaans. Every hotel, guesthouse and BnB is fully
Read moreJUST OVER an hour’s drive (around 80km) from Cape Town, the ‘French corner’ of the Cape winelands – east of Stellenbosch and Paarl – is one of the most popular wine routes in South Africa. Numerous guesthouses and Airbnb options, as well as a wine tram connecting one end of the valley to the other. This is gourmet country.
Read moreYOU’RE ON a visit to the Cape winelands to buy a bottle or three or to enjoy lunch with one or other glorious backdrop. En route you stop for a wine tasting. R100 plus per person. Come time to pay for the tastings and the fella asks if you’d like to leave a gratuity. Hmmm! In South Africa you always
Read moreONCE UPON a time, and not that long ago, Semillon – or Groendruif as some refer to it – was being touted as Franschhoek’s signature grape. These days, the ‘French Corner’ of South Africa’s winelands is more likely to prompt images of Chardonnay, red blends of one sort or another and Cap Classique sparkling wine. Plus, perhaps even more synonymous with this
Read moreWHO SAID the Constantia wine route was mostly about Sauvignon Blanc?! There’s some good Semillon, several fine white blends, a couple of very good Shiraz, and what about the decent Chardonnay, respectable Bordeaux-style red blends and those lovely dessert wines! Beau Constantia Constantia Nek Tel: +27 (0)21 794 8632 Email: winesales@beauconstantia.com Web: www.beauconstantia.com Owners: Pierre & Cecilly du Preez Restaurant: Chefs
Read moreTHE TRUTH WILL OUT! On 1 October, the Excelsior wine estate outside Ashton in the Robertson district posted an article under the headline “How important is winning medals?” (to read in full, click here). On 2 October, freelance writer and professional wine judge Christian Eedes posted an article under the headline “Bling it on – the relative merits of wine
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