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Category: 2020

Artisanal, Luxury, Craft… A different take on Top Wine SA

Many hold the view that to substantiate the concept of winemaking as an art form, it’s not enough to be limited in volume, exclusive by nature, embellished with an intriguing backstory… Craft/artisanal wines should also present as art, it is said, verbally and visually. For more about the palettes and

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Fine wine about quality and interest value, but what else?

A FEW DECADES ago, wine lovers looking for recommendations as to which South African reds, whites or sweets were a cut above the rest might have relied on certification that the country’s Wine & Spirit Board had pronounced the contents of a bottle to be of ‘Superior’ quality. Then came

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South African wine production up, exports down – statistics

SPEAKING during a conference conducted online during the Covid-19 lockdown affecting many countries around the globe, Pau Roca of Spain, the director general of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) headquarted in Paris, announced that there had been a marked decrease in production in 2019 compared to 2018.

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If only we could all agree on wine rating definitions

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

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Hemel-en-Aarde tops tasting of New World Pinot – Decanter, UK

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

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“By far the most expensive SA Wine.” Constantia Wyn 1835

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”

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South Africa’s Top 100 Most Highly Rated Wines in 2020

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,

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2020 SA Wine Classification – those most fancied most often

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

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