The Garland 2020 “silky, effortless” – Platter’s No. 1 Cab
THE GARLAND 2020 from Simonsig in Koelenhof-Stellenbosch is the most highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon in the 2025 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide. Five Stars, 97 points on the […]
How much is too much for a tasting in the Cape winelands?
THERE ARE still some cellars on the Cape wine routes of South Africa where they don’t charge you for a sip of their wines, a tasting of what they produce, […]
Wine Deck in Stellenbosch features chef’s ‘unsung heroes’
IT’S A SMALL, narrow outdoor space, but the new Wine Deck at Mill St Bistro in Stellenbosch promises more than you might think at a glance. Where Mill Street intersects with Church […]
Top SA wines over the past 10 years – 2025 Classification
THERE ARE wines that impress occasionally with this and that vintage, then there are those that please on a fairly regular basis, and then there are those wines that make […]
Casual take on fine-dining at La Motte’s friendly new brasserie
AFTER a lengthy closure of the restaurant at La Motte in Franschhoek, the family farm of Hanneli Rupert-Koegelenberg re-opened its doors during the 2024/25 festive season, welcoming guests to a […]
The Journal from Diemersdal! Top Pinotage in Platter’s Guide
IT WAS scored 95/100 at the 2024 International Wine Challenge in the UK and was then judged best Pinotage reviewed in Platter’s 2025 South African Wine Guide. As such, the […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Springfontein Chenel
AT SPRINGFONTEIN, outside the town of Stanford, the focus is on the South African grape varieties Pinotage and Chenel, albeit that the latter’s arrival on the farm was quite recent […]
Wild Horseshoe 2023! Top-rated white wine in Platter’s Guide
THE MOST highly rated Sauvignon Blanc, the most highly rated white wine and one of the three most highly rated wines overall in the 2025 edition of Platter’s South African […]
Saronsberg Shiraz 2022! Top-rated red wine in Platter’s Guide
THE VAN HUYSSTEEN family’s Saronsberg Cellar is renowned for a number of different wines, but Shiraz is the speciality on this farm in the Tulbagh district east of the Swartland, […]
Christine 2017! Top-rated red blend in Platter’s 2025 Guide
MANY if not most of South Africa’s top red wines released in 2024 are from the 2021 or 2022 vintages – two- or three-year-old wines. Very few of the country’s […]
‘Moonshine’ picnics, why not – between Hermanus and Stanford
IT’S NOT the first year that picnics have been offered alongside the Maanschijn winery at the Stonefields farm on Route 43 between Stanford and Hermanus, but they’re getting a reputation […]
Constantia Glen’s white blend on the mark time and again
WHAT A LOVELY place to relax at on a summer’s day with a chilled glass of something good and interesting… We’re talking Constantia Glen and their No. 2 blend. Again […]