AMAZINGLY, at the time of writing, it was still not yet sold out. At under R100, the most keenly-priced of the 28 top-scoring Chenin Blancs and Chenin-driven blends in a panel-tasting of 223 South African bottlings reviewed for the international Decanter Magazine. This is one of the bargains of the year, with an interest value that had Masters of Wine
VERY BRAVE, some might say, to hold a festival on THAT day, April fools day. Nevertheless, Saturday 1 April should be a glorious time for the Noordhoek Crush at the local Farm Village. Apparently the weather will be ‘perfect’ for sampling some of over 80 wines from more than 20 producers representing various parts of the Cape winelands – and
THE WINE is “herbaceous” and a whole lot more according to the judges who liked it so much that a trophy was awarded to the producers Villiera for best wooded Sauvignon Blanc on show – the international Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2023, a competition based in Brussels, with the tasting panels gathered in Franschhoek (the first time outside Europe in
R44 555 was the second-highest price paid to date for a rare bottle of the GS Cabernet 1966 – the highest being R91 040 in 2021 – and/but no other South African wine came close in terms of demand for what was on offer at the Strauss & Co auction in Cape Town on 26 March. That said, a five-litre bottle of
JUST THREE months into 2023 and international panels of wine experts have found more than a dozen South African delights from various corners of the Western Cape that are selling for under R100 a bottle. In the first quarter of the year, 150 of the country’s wines received good to very good reviews – 50 selling for between R100 and R200pb,
IT’S WINE FESTIVAL time in Gauteng province SA: Corks & Forks at the Idlewild Country Estate in Olifantsfontein / Irene south of Pretoria on Saturday 25 March, the Johannesburg Cap Classique & Champagne Festival at the Inanda Polo Club in Sandton on both the 25th and Sunday the 26th. Both events are billed as classy and sophisticated, Corks & Forks
SURPRISING to some, when the results of Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2023 were announced no gold medals were awarded to any farm on Constantia’s Sauvignon Blanc Route, although there were plenty of golds presented to cellars in various other parts of the Cape winelands renowned for good expressions of the variety. Also somewhat surprising is that the top-scoring South African
GO BELLINGHAM! After panel-tastings of over 7500 wines by 242 wine experts from 46 countries over six days in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, the 32nd edition of the Mundus Vini international wine awards culminated in the presentation of 70 grand gold medals, one of them going to a red from the Cape winelands. The 2019 Bush
THE FANCY Fijnwyn and Fijnwyn Bubbles Wine & Food Markets on 20 and 21 March at the Shokran Events Venue in Pretoria East both involve unlimited wine tastings, live music and a farm setting (pecan and almond orchards), but there the similarity ends. The more exclusive fancy festival includes a harvest table of food and a larger variety of wines
JUST a generation ago, the prices of reds and whites at a South African wine farm were very seldom less than what they sold for at wine shops in the towns nearby. Only a few winery proprietors would risk the wrath of retailers who might well refuse to stock the product of any supplier who dared to undercut them. Times
IN THE March 2023 issue of the British magazine Decanter, no fewer than 28 of South Africa’s Chenin Blancs (or blends comprising at least 85% Chenin) were considered outstanding, excellent wines of great complexity and character, rated between 95 and 97 on a 100-point scale. This followed a three-day panel tasting of 223 wines submitted by either the producers or
TOUGH BREAK for Doolhof Wine Estate and cellarmaster Gielie Beukes! The Wellington producers were among the winners of the highest accolade presented at the 2022 Global Malbec Masters in the UK with their Bloedklip 2018, one of five South African wines to earn such a top award at the series of Global Wine Masters panel tastings* conducted in association with
NOPE! The La Motte Estate in Franschhoek is not closed. Although operations at the Pierneef restaurant and various other visitor attractions were suspended for renovations expected to be underway until sometime in 2024, an Artisanal Bakery and Garden Café now operate from Wednesday to Sunday at the farm’s Jonkershuis. Dating back to 1752, the Cape Dutch building has been extended
AT THE FIRST Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auction of 2023, The Sadie Family’s red blend Columella fetched the highest prices paid for Cape beauties during a sale of collectables from the Rhône Valley, France, and Rhône-style offerings from Australia, the USA and South Africa. Most in demand of all the wines – procured by Cape Town retailer Wine Cellar
AT THE TIME of writing, there were plenty of South Africa’s highly rated wines priced at under R100 a bottle that were not yet sold out – highly rated by one or more of the top panels, with the prices, vintages and availability re-checked during the past few days. Included in the listing below are some that qualified for the
THERE 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
BRAND NEW on the Paarl wine route, off the beaten track, are the bistro, cellar and tasting room at Brookdale Estate of British businessman and property developer Tim Rudd. Among the foothills of the Klein Drakenstein mountains, the home of luxurious accommodation – and one of the most talked-about South African Chenin Blancs on the world stage last year –
THE FARRO restaurant at Gabriëlskloof, Bot River… As per the Eat Out guide, one of the best places to lunch at in South Africa, not just in the Cape winelands! And the wines on offer are rather special too: the Landscape Series, Estate Range and Projects under the farm’s label, but also those of Crystallum, Thorne & Daughters, Anysbos, Momento,
In the January 2023 issue of the UK’s Decanter Magazine, three South African wines are included among the team’s favourites during the previous 12 months: Mullineux Olerasay NV, Piekenierskloof Grenache 2020 and Rascallion Devonian Chenin Blanc 2021.
2023 South African Wine & Classifications, the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame. Wines of the Cape with the best track records over the past 10 years, as rated by the top panels over the past 10 years.
