Posts
Still a while to wait for the Cab Franc Challenge winner
THERE ISN'T much of South Africa's 2024 Cab Franc Challenge winner, and at the time of writing – after the results went public, a week ...
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No surprises at Strauss & Co's ‘Bordeaux Auction'
IT WAS A tussle between Meerlust and Kanonkop for the highest price fetched by South African wine at Strauss & Co's ‘Bordeaux Auction' conducted online ...
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Hunting for top wines from South Africa's really old vines
SOUTH AFRICA'S old-vine wine certification requires that the plants should be more advanced in years than the majority, however some would argue that the authorities ...
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The most ‘luxurious' wines of South Africa – R1500 pb plus
GENERALLY SPEAKING, these are not wines submitted for reviewing by any of the top panels locally or internationally – although occasionally there are some wonderful ...
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What?! Paarl wine farm has fans chuckling on April Fools' Day
“Fairview Wine and Cheese unveils revolutionary ‘Goat Labour' initiative” “In a move that has raised eyebrows and provoked uproar among traditionalists, Fairview Wine and Cheese, ...
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South Africa's top ORGANIC wine ratings during the past year
FOR AN UPDATE of all the organic wines produced in South Africa that are officially certified as such, click here. Below are those from the ...
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First of South Africa's champion white wines in 2024
GLEN CARLOU has been a Chardonnay and Cabernet specialist since 1988. As they put it at the cellar on the slopes of the Simonsberg in ...
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When a gold medal meant the same at every show…
OH THAT there could be an internationally accepted, universally agreed-upon 100-point system for scoring wine. If only the convenors of the competitions, shows, challenges and ...
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Glen Carlou ranks among Top 10 at Chardonnay du Monde
SOUTH AFRICA achieved three gold medals at the 2024 edition of Chardonnay du Monde in Burgundy, France, with one of the winning wines – the ...
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Savage red blend outdoes Sadie's in auction of 10-year-olds
STRAUSS & Co's wine department was happy with the results of their timed online ‘2014 Vintage' auction that came to a close on 11 March ...
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The latest prices of South Africa's most highly rated wines
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 ...
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Wine festivals aplenty in March 2024… Too many perhaps?
CHOICES CHOICES CHOICES… Tickets for ‘Wine on the Water' in St Francis Bay are very hard to come by and those to the Stellenbosch Street ...
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Stark-Condé… Hall of Fame winery, good-value lunch
STARK-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 ...
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Go Wellington – wine route revival prompts closer inspection
ODDLY ENOUGH, not all of the cellars in Wellington are members of the local wine route. Not officially, that is. For example, Mischa Estate to ...
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Constantia Glen… Hall of Fame winery, good lunch
CONSTANTIA GLEN. Down the main road from the Constantia Nek traffic circle for those travelling via Hout Bay or Bishop's Court / Newlands in Cape ...
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Sadie Family Columella 2015 goes for R5472pb on auction
THE Sadie Family of the Paardeberg outside Malmesbury in the Swartland dominated proceedings in terms of the highest prices paid for South African wines at ...
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Beyerskloof… Hall of Fame winery, good-value lunch
BEYERSKLOOF. 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 ...
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1st Global Cabernet Franc Masters dominated by… SA
“EXQUISITE” is how the top wines were described by judges at the inaugural Global Cabernet Franc Masters hosted by The Drinks Business publication in the ...
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Beaumont… Hall of Fame winery, good-value lunch
BEAUMONT. 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 ...
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Some in Top Wine SA Hall of Fame show next level consistency
THERE ARE wine lovers who are obsessed with pecking orders, rankings, insisting on there being one that is best overall, numero uno. Others, while no ...
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Best of The Best Under R250pb – 2024 SA Wine Classification
LESS THAN R100 a bottle for one of the most consistently highly rated wines over the past 10 years might seem impossible, and yet… While ...
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2024 SA Wine Classification – Best Track Records
SOUTH AFRICA'S top wines over the past 10 years – as judged by the top panels of experts around the world. An update of the ...
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Champion Cap Classique, the ‘Joy of Life', not yet sold out
AMAZINGLY, well into 2024 – after the December festivities, months since the wine top-scored at the 2023 Veritas Awards to win the Duimpie Bayly Vertex ...
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Top-notch Grenache! Perfect with fish on a hot summer's day
IT WAS MADE to enjoy when dining on fish, and served chilled, poured at 12°C or so as per most white wines, although it's not… ...
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A number of top SA wine cellars boycott Platter's 2024 guide
IT'S RIDICULOUS! A number of top winery proprietors or cellarmasters in the Cape winelands turned down the invitation to be listed in Platter's 2024 South ...
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Paarl estate Bacco grabs attention a year after opening
ITALIAN for Bacchus, the Roman God of Wine, Bacco is also the name of a new wine estate in the Simonsberg area of Paarl where ...
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Very best value at under R150 a bottle – according to the experts
THE VERY BEST wines of South Africa at under 150 rand a bottle as reviewed by the top panels of experts locally and internationally in ...
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Stellenbosch Res steps up a gear… Haskell winds it down…
IT'S GOODBYE to the Longtable restaurant at Haskell Vineyards and hello to Stellenbosch Reserve – for lunch (Tue-Sun) and dinner (Thu-Sat), classy yet casual, and ...
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Hemel-en-Aarde Pinot Noir shines in Decanter panel-tasting
FOR THE December 2023 issue of Decanter Magazine in the UK, a panel comprising Masters of Wine Anne Krebiehl (chair), Justin Knock and Dirceu Vianna ...
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What a debut! ‘Eerste Ry' Cab triumphs beyond expectation
WHAT WERE the odds! Okay, so the 2019 wasn't quite the maiden vintage of Beyerskloof's Eerste Ry Cab – the 2018 and 2019 were released ...
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