IN A SOMEWHAT quiet build-up, the names of the finalists in the Pinotage Association’s 2021 Absa Top 10 competition were disclosed via social media without so much as a tweet! Twenty wines from 16 producers – Beeslaar, Beyerskloof, Diemersdal and Rijk’s each making the cut with two of their beauties among
HOW ABOUT THAT! Two of South Africa’s top-scoring wines in the 2021 Prescient Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report come from cellars in Stellenbosch Kloof, the third from a winery a bit further west of the town centre, where Stellenbosch meets Kuils River. 96 points for DeMorgenzon Maestro Red 2017: “Extraordinary.
NO OTHER SHIRAZ from South Africa has been as successful on the world stage in 2021 as the 2018 vintage from the team at the Cederberg cellar of David Nieuwoudt: Highly Recommended in Platter’s SA Wine Guide; one of the Top 10 gold medallists at Syrah du Monde in France;
THE ONLINE award presentation was a rather dumbed-down affair, not without technical hiccups, but the panel of judges for the 2021 Challenge convened by the industry association Shiraz SA was strong on experience. Among the selectors were Cape Wine Masters Andy Roediger (chair for the ninth year) and Paul Benadé,
AMAZINGLY, given the ramifications of COVID-19 disaster restrictions internationally, there was a record number of entries from producers in 56 countries vying for a top spot in the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK). The 2021 edition of the competition was contested by 18 094 wines, assessed by nearly 170 experts
10 000 WINES from 46 countries, more than 300 judges on the panels tasting ‘blind’, labels out of sight, nine days of deliberation… Belgium’s international Concours Mondial du Bruxelles is one of the world’s largest wine competitions, and while the event was dominated by France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, South
DURBANVILLE and Wellington cellars emerged as the superstars of South Africa’s 2021 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, with Diemersfontein’s Thokozani Cabernet Franc 2019 and De Grendel Op die Berg Chardonnay 2020 the top-scoring red and white respectively, Diemersdal Estate the most successful producer overall. Given the price of R115pb for
‘EXCELLENT’ Merlot they found, but not one of the Top 10 in Winemag’s 2021 Prescient Report was regarded as ‘outstanding’ – none rated higher than 92/100 by the panel comprising editor Christian Eedes (chair), merchant James Pietersen of Cape Town’s Wine Cellar and Ndabezinhle Dube, F&B manager at the President Hotel
THE GOLD medal winners at Syrah du Monde 2021 included the Cederberg Private Cellar of David Nieuwoudt and Nick van Huyssteen’s Saronsberg in Tulbagh, where Dewaldt Heyns is the cellarmaster. France was most impressive with five wines considered among the best on show, followed by Australia (3), Chile, Macedonia, South
FRANCE and Australia were the most successful nations at the 2021 International Wine Challenge in London, one of the biggest competitions of its kind – thousands of entries from over 50 countries, with numerous panels judging over a couple of weeks. South Africa secured 13 gold medals, compared to France’s
THERE WERE A NUMBER of familiar labels among the ‘Best in Class’ and ‘Wine of the Year’ laureates that shone in the 2021 SA National Wine Challenge, but nobody could have anticipated the identity of the overall red wine champion. A newcomer from the Koelenhof Winery, The Legacy 2017 is
IT’S NOT OFTEN that the Winemag panel chaired by editor Christian Eedes rates anything higher than 95 on their 100-point scale, but do so they did after sniffing and sipping the 2020 Filly Chenin Blanc from Cavalli Estate on the foothills of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch. Described as ‘profound’, it
