THE MOST successful South African cellar at the 2019 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon was Delaire Graff of Stellenbosch, winning two gold medals (including one for a nine-year-old Sauvignon Blanc!), with Diemersdal of Durbanville, Strandveld outside Elim in Cape Agulhus, Kleine Zalze of Stellenbosch and Kroonpoort Vineyards also securing gold. 1010 wines from 26 countries were assessed by 73 judges from
A GOOD YEAR it was for South Africa at the 2019 edition of Chardonnay du Monde, an international competition that takes place every year in Burgundy, France. After three days of judging, involving 696 wines from 36 countries assessed by 300 experts from around the world, the 2018 Bon Vallon from De Wetshof Estate in Robertson topped the list of
CONSUMERS are paying roughly four times the value of a bottle of wine when they order in a South African restaurant. So comments wine e-tailer Ryan Sowray of SaleWine, who has noticed a remarkable growth in people ordering wines to take to restaurants and says this is happening not only in South Africa, but globally. “Instead of going to a
WHITES from Tokara and Raats, reds from Haut Espoir, La Bri, Rustenberg, Remhoogte and Tokara, sweets from Nederburg and Boplaas… The top-scoring South African producers in Winemag’s 10 Year Old Report 2019. To quote Christian Eedes, who chaired the three-man panel that included Roland Peens and James Pietersen of Cape Town merchant Wine Cellar: “The 2009 vintage is generally considered
ON THE evenings of Wednesday 6 March and Thursday 14 March, there will be walk-around tastings at Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellars in Cape Town showing 25 of the 5 Star laureates in the 2019 edition of Platter’s SA Wine Guide. For the list, see here. At the tutored tastings on the evenings of Thursday 14 March and Wednesday 20 March,
THE 2019 Cape Wine Auction at Buitenverwachting in Constantia raised over R14-million, bringing the total raised at the event towards the education of needy children in the winelands of South Africa to around R88-million since the annual sale was first held in 2014. One of the highlights on offer was an item comprising 96 bottles of Pinotage from grapes grown
A GREAT restaurant by all accounts: awards aplenty, word of mouth and Cape chefs’ favourite – see here. Special food and amazing view from up on high. Although there aren’t many of South Africa’s top restaurants that require a deposit of R250 per person when making a reservation… So, the meal at Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia will set you back
IN THE 2019 poll conducted by The Inside Guide as to where in Cape Town [and surrounds] South Africa’s top chefs like to dine when not eating at their own establishments, Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia was voted Best Restaurant for a Special Occasion and Best Restaurant Overall. Interestingly though, their choice of Best Restaurant for a Winelands Experience didn’t go
Teubes : Vredendal Cape Rock : Vredendal Mother Rock : Riebeek Kasteel Huis van Chevallerie : Malmesbury Intellego : Malmesbury Testalonga : Eendekuil AA Badenhorst : Malmesbury Fram : Riebeek West Wildehurst : Koringberg Alheit : Hemel-en-Aarde These are the producers whose wines are stocked on a regular basis at Wolfgat in the fishing village of Paternoster on the Strandveld of South
DARN! It was sad to hear that the Wine & Bubbly Festival scheduled to take place on the beach at Plettenberg Bay in March had been cancelled due to ‘late withdrawal of the sponsorship’ – though good to read that Plett Tourism and Plett Winelands ‘will return with another world-class experience in 2020’. Instead then, the main focus of attention in
LOVE HIS WORK! For those who haven’t already had a chuckle over the artist’s recent contributions on the subjects of food and wine pairing, and best value at under R100 a bottle, see here and here. For more about one of South Africa’s famous creatives, click here.
A SAVING of over R150 a bottle on one of South Africa’s Top 10 Chenins! R200pb less for the most highly rated Shiraz and top wine overall at the Michelangelo Awards!! R55 a bottle for one of the country’s Top 10 white blends!!! Almost 50% less than at the farm for a Cabernet in the Top Wine SA Hall of
OF THE TOP wines from Stellenbosch cellars over the past 10 years, Chardonnays outnumber Chenins by almost 2:1 with Cabernet and Cab blends accounting for 80% of the Top 50 reds. The following are the very best track records from the wineries of Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Helderberg, Helshoogte, Jonkershoek, Koelenhof, Kuils River, Polkadraai Hills, Simonsberg, Stellenbosch Kloof and elsewhere
NO COINCIDENCE! The Top 20 wines of the Swartland come from the Top 10 producers of Malmesbury, Riebeek and elsewhere in the district. Shiraz country, Chenin specialists and then some – those with the very best track records over the past 10 years according to the 2019 South African Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Swartland Wine Classification, click
THERE ARE numerous wines made from grapes grown in Elgin and trucked to cellars in other parts of the Cape winelands. The following are 100% Elgin, those with the very best track records from the top cellars in the area according to the SA Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Elgin Wine Classification, click here. • For wine-tasting
HARDLY surprising! The Top 20 wines of Walker Bay come from the Top 10 producers in a district renowned for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – those with the very best track records in Bot River, the Hemel-en-Aarde and elsewhere in the area over the past 10 years according to the 2019 South African Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the
WORTH taking along next time you go wine-tasting or shopping on the Franschhoek wine route, the following are those whites, reds and bubblies with the very best track records from the cellars of the area according to the SA Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Franschhoek Wine Classification, click here. • For wine-tasting options, locations and contact info,
A CHECKLIST that will come in useful when next you head out wine-tasting or shopping on the Paarl wine route, the following are those whites, reds, bubblies and sweets with the very best track records from the cellars of the area according to the 2019 SA Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Paarl Wine Classification, click here. •
PRETTY handy if you’re going wine-tasting or shopping on one of Cape Town’s wonderful wine routes, the following are those reds, whites and sweets with the very best track records from the wineries of Constantia, Durbanville and elsewhere in the city according to the SA Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Cape Town Wine Classification, click here. •
THESE ARE the most highly rated wines of the Cape over the past 10 years – 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 between 2009 and 2018 (inclusive) as celebrated in the annual South African Wine & Cellar Classifications. To be eligible
