THE VAST majority of entries at the annual Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2020 were from the 2019 and 2018 vintages, but there was a South African that stood out for being way older than most: vintage 2012 of the Delaire Graff Coastal Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc, made using a combination of grapes sourced from the districts of Durbanville, Stellenbosch, Darling and
THERE IS MORE wine consumed in the USA than in any other country on the planet, yet there are few international wine competitions of much significance in the States, with most reviews by individual critics rather than by panels of judges, labels out of sight. Among the exceptions are the TEXSOM International Wine Awards in Dallas, Texas, where the
IT WAS IN 1694 that Rust en Vrede was established among the foothills of what became known as the Helderberg area of the Stellenbosch winelands. The Engelbrecht family have been the proprietors since the late 1970s, and for over 40 years the farm has been one of South Africa’s leading producers, specialising in red wines. The ‘Estate’ blend of
THE CONTENTIOUS issue of wine ratings and awards continues to flare up from time to time, with outspoken wine lovers, wine scribes, critics and judges at odds with each other to the point of disbelief, even outrage. The problem? Firstly, there’s not enough consensus regarding which scoring system to use – star ratings aside, there are different versions of the
HAVING RAISED over R17-million from the charitably-minded who attended the 2020 edition of The Cape Wine Auction at Boschendal in Franschhoek, the event increased the total amount raised since the inaugural sale in 2014 at Delaire Graff in Stellenbosch to over R100-million. Sponsored by Nedbank Private Wealth, the glamorous celebration of Wine South Africa unites the industry with the philanthropic
MANY ARE UNAWARE or forget that in parts of the world the cultivation of wine grape varieties is stictly controlled. As some well know, this was once the case in South Africa, whereas now you can plant anything anywhere, so to speak. Naturally, there are some areas that are better suited to wine farming than others, and certain grape varieties
OF COURSE, South African Sauvignon Blanc can be one of the most rewarding varieties, a seriously enjoyable white when the winemakers are on their game and the grapes come from the right vineyards. But darn, the chances of success could be better. Chardonnay, especially, as well as Chenin Blanc, are generally more reliable, better bang for your buck – whether
THE PANEL tasting convenor: Decanter Magazine, United Kingdom. The focus: single-vineyard New World Pinot Noir. The judges: James Doidge (London-based importer), Roger Jones (UK restaurateur, wine critic, chef) and Master of Wine Dirccu Vianna (wine writer and educator in the UK). On the tasting bench: 100 wines, of which 43 were highly recommended, six were outstanding, with one regarded as
WINE CELLAR director and fine wine ‘addict’ Roland Peens drew attention to this marvel with a tweet. A unique bottle of sweet Constantia, vintage 1835, in a 750ml bottle on which the design of the current 500ml version from Klein Constantia is based, with a tarred label and “lightly dirty” capsule, from the private cellar of Château de Saint Aignan
THESE ARE the most highly rated wines of the Cape between 2010 and 2019 – those with the best track records involving numerous vintages in over 30 local and international forums for the assessment of wine quality and interest value. To be eligible for the Classification, updated annually since 2004, wines must have earned good to excellent reviews for at
BASED ON THE BEST track records in over 30 top local and international forums for the assessment of wine quality and interest value during the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications showcase the country’s leading outfits – those regularly on top form, their product judged excellent to outstanding again and again, year after year. The bar
AT THE LATEST Global Masters convened by The Drinks Business publication in the UK: “Once more, South Africa proved itself a great place for first-rate Chardonnay at an accessible price, particularly the wines from De Grendel, who have crafted a lovely and affordable Chardonnay from the Ceres Plateau in the Witzenburg Mountains.” The wine: De Grendel Op Die Berg 2019,
THELEMA has long been one of South Africa’s leading Cabernet Sauvignon producers and these days the focus at the top end of the pyramid is on a Bordeaux-style blend, the flagship ‘Rabelais’ being a Cab-driven partnership involving Petit Verdot. Of late, however, two of the Webb family’s other reds that have been grabbing attention are the Reserve Merlot from their
THE VERY BEST VALUE wines of South Africa at under R100 a bottle in 2019. Recommended by the top panels of wine experts locally and internationally. Better than standard gold (some gold medals count more than others); 93 points or more if only scored out of 100 (some scores of 90 to 92 equate to silver). Shining in the company
WALKING UP AND DOWN the aisles of a good wine shop, you tend to be faced with a manageable number of options to choose from when it comes to the niche or unusual varieties, the bargain barrel or the cabinet of luxury brands. However, when the choice is mind-boggling in size, you might need a strategy or some recommendations based
FROM A SMALL block of seriously old, gnarled and twisted Semillon bush vines planted in the Franschhoek valley circa 1905, grapes for The Pilgrimage Semillon are in very short supply. Taken down the road to Duncan Spence’s Rickety Bridge estate, the fruit is entrusted to cellarmaster Donovan Ackerman and his team in coming up with a very limited edition, less than
KANONKOP PAUL SAUER tops the list of most ‘investment-worthy’ South African wines produced over the past 20 years and sold in 2019 at one of the various Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auctions or at the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction (CFRW) in Stellenbosch. That’s according to Roland Peens, director of Wine Cellar, the Cape Town-based merchants associated with
CONTENDERS for the title of SA Wine of the Year? Winery of the Year? Winemaker of the Year? Clearly some awards and ratings count more than others. Then again, it says a lot when a wine wows more than one panel of experts – three or four even. Cederberg? Constantia Glen? Stellenrust? De Grendel? Or any of the other
TROPHY FOR the most Outstanding Wine Producer at the 2019 International Wine & Spirit Competition and the most successful in the history of the event, going back to 1969. An impressive ‘feather in the cap’ for Kanonkop, Stellenbosch and the Cape winelands in general, it was one of the highlights during an awards banquet at the Guildhall in London end-November,
HUMBLE, respect for the land, with a sense of place, small scale, a family affair. He is the winemaker, she is the manager, their children share their names with the vineyards, and the wines are good, very good. No bells and whistles at this boutique outfit in the middle of the Hemel-en-Aarde – above the Valley proper, below the
