A LONG LUNCH at a good table with a view of the wonderful Cape winelands has to be one of the best ways to spend an afternoon! Especially during the holiday season! The options are many and varied but, as 2020 draws to a close, four are more topical than most. In Somerset West, ‘Botanicum’ has taken over from 95
Read moreBELOW are the top Shiraz/Syrah producers in South Africa over the past 10 years, those with the best track records in terms of glowing reviews by the top panels, presented according to where you’ll find their tasting rooms on the various wine routes. For the full SA Shiraz Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of the top outfits
Read moreWHETHER you’re a festival-goer, wine-router or heading to a wine shop in search of the best on offer from South Africa’s Robertson Wine Valley, this will prove useful: a checklist of every red, white, sparkling and dessert wine vintage from the district that’s got the experts on the top panels smiling big time in 2017 and 2018 to date. Ashton, Bonnievale,
Read moreBELOW are the top Cabernet Sauvignon producers in South Africa over the past 10 years, those with the best track records spanning 2008 to 2017, presented according to where you’ll find their tasting rooms on the various wine routes. For the 2018 SA Cabernet Sauvignon Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be visited
Read moreBELOW are the top Sauvignon Blanc producers in South Africa over the past 10 years, those with the best track records spanning 2008 to 2017, presented according to where you’ll find their tasting rooms on the various wine routes. For the 2018 SA Sauvignon Blanc Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be
Read moreBELOW are the top Chardonnay producers in South Africa over the past 10 years, those with the best track records spanning 2008 to 2017, presented according to where you’ll find their tasting rooms on the various wine routes. For the 2018 SA Chardonnay Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be visited and/or
Read moreSpecialist wine shops and auctions (onland and online), wine route associations, trusts and tourism offices, wine courses, wine organisations and other industry bodies – just click on the links to contact them or to check out their websites: • WINE SHOPS & AUCTIONS • WINE ROUTES, TOURISM • WINE INFO & EDUCATION Back to
Read moreAT 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 moreSTARK-CONDÉ. In the Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch. On the Oude Nektar farm, to the south-east of the town. Home to one of South Africa’s most highly rated white blends, a Sauvignon Blanc of note, a fine Cabernet Sauvignon and then some. Among the recommendations at their Postcard Café: either chicken piccata (R145pp) or lightly-cured hake (R195pp) served with the Field Blend
Read moreCONSTANTIA GLEN. Down the main road from the Constantia Nek traffic circle for those travelling via Hout Bay or Bishop’s Court / Newlands in Cape Town. Home to some of South Africa’s most highly rated blends – white and red – over the past 10 years, as well as a decent restaurant. The Constantia Glen TWO white blend (R100pg) is
Read moreBEYERSKLOOF. Stellenbosch. Just outside the town on the R304 to the N1. Home to some of South Africa’s most highly rated Pinotages and Cape Blends over the past 10 years, as well as the Red Leaf Bistro. The Pinotage Burger goes for R155, the Pinotage Pizza for R165, perhaps accompanied by the Pinotage Reserve or the Traildust Cape Blend at
Read moreBEAUMONT. Bot River. Just off the N2 between Elgin/Houhoek and Caledon. Home to one of the most highly rated South African Chenins over the past 10 years. Recommended with Hot Smoked Trout (R160pp) or an interesting salad (R85) at their Zest Deli – R110 for a glass of the Hope Marguerite Chenin, R45 for their standard Chenin Blanc. Or perhaps
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S top wines over the past 10 years – as judged by the top panels of experts around the world. An update of the best from the Cape winelands – not just with a single bottling, but time and again. Good to very good reviews for numerous vintages, labels out of sight – assessed purely according to quality and
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S wine bars of note! Are there any others that make the cut? Where else across the length and breadth of South Africa… other than at the tasting rooms on the farms themselves… where else is wine the main focus of attention when it comes to what’s in your glass? Places that are unique in their raison d’être, where
Read moreTHERE ARE over 150 farms in Stellenbosch where you are welcome to taste and buy some wine from a cellar on the premises. Of these, around 70 also offer food, either by way of a restaurant or platters of this and that, some of which entail ordering in advance. So which are the best farms to visit in this beautiful
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 moreEVEN WHEN IT comes to the Top 100 Cellars on the various wine routes of South Africa, not all of them are open to the public for tastings and sales all week, all weekend, i.e. including Sundays. See below for those that are, what their Sunday trading hours are plus links to the various destinations should you wish to make
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 moreTHERE ARE some who would like to change the name to Banhoek (without the ‘g’), but be that as it may. The valley in the eastern reaches of the Stellenbosch winelands comprises some top cellars and guesthouses that have banded together across the boundary lines which separate the wards of Banghoek and the Simonsberg on either side of the Helshoogte
Read moreAT THE VERY heart of the South African winelands, Stellenbosch was founded in the year 1679, and harking back to its roots, so to speak, ‘Stellenbosch 1679′ is the name of the new tier of wines introduced by one of the most successful co-operative cellars in the district. The Chenin Blanc was first to catch the aficionados’ attention when it
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