THE SECOND Top 10 competition organised by South Africa’s Merlot Forum attracted 69 entries from most of the Cape’s wine regions. Notable relative to the inaugural panel tasting was the “dynamic spread” of offerings. “This year’s entries were a tad more exciting,” reflected the convener of the judging panel, Vondeling
THE HIGH Road cellar in Stellenbosch, the Overhex winery in Worcester and the Zevenwacht estate in Kuils River. THE standout participants at South Africa’s 2023 Trophy Wine Show, convened by veteran wine critic Michael Fridjhon and sponsored by Investec Private Banking. The High Road Director’s Reserve 2019 and Overhex’s 2022
IONA Chardonnay 2021 of the Elgin Highlands and the 2020 Reserve Cab from Le Riche in the Helderberg vineyards of Stellenbosch were the panels’ favourite South African wines at the 2023 Decanter Awards in London. A record-breaking 18 250 entries were received from 57 countries, assessed by 236 judges including 53
PUFFERY aside, behind the smoke and mirrors… The National Wine Challenge attracts entries from some of South Africa’s top wine producers, the judges and tasting director are respected professionals, plus there are often several good-value discoveries or confirmations as well as something or other that prompts you to ponder… Best
CABERNET FRANC is top of mind for many wine lovers, particularly at Carnival time in the Cape winelands. No longer are South Africa’s leading examples confined to Stellenbosch. See below for the current champions, and for the complete picture when it comes to the panels’ favourites, click on the links.
CONCOURS MONDIAL is based in Brussels, Belgium, however the mammoth competition is staged in various locations with the different types of wine judged at different times of the year. In May 2023, over 300 industry experts from around the world converged on the coastal town of Porec in western Croatia
JUDGES at the 2023 International Wine Challenge in London were impressed by South African entries in a variety of classes, but the Chardonnay especially. Six of the 15 gold medals that went the way of Cape wine producers were for Chardonnay, with the 2021 vintage of Paul Cluver’s Seven Flags
SHIRAZ from South Africa’s Hartenberg, Kleine Zalze and Cederberg cellars were among the top gold medallists at the international Syrah du Monde 2023. Contested by 20 countries, the competition takes place in Ampuis, a town in the Rhône region of France, where 80 of the 241 wines assessed during the
WHO KNOWS what happened! With just days to go before the first Pinotage Festival of 2023 came news that the Stellenbosch event scheduled for 13 May had been cancelled. No doubt many wine lovers were looking forward to seeing who would be strutting their stuff and, for just R150pp, getting
THERE WERE only 20 cases of the single-block, single-barrel Cab Franc Challenge winner made available for purchase after results of the 2023 edition of the competition were announced in Stellenbosch. As for the rest of the Anthology, 2020 vintage, “we’ll be drinking to celebrate,” said the producers. “Lucky us.” Convenor
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
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
About
Top Wine SA is your go-to site for South Africa’s top-rated wines and their prices, top-rated wines at under R200 a bottle, other SA wine recommendations, the top SA wine events calendar, news and comment. Home of the SA Wine Classification and the Hall of Fame, keeping tabs on the best track records of the country’s top wines as judged by the top panels locally and internationally. A directory of the country’s top producers as well as where to eat and stay on the top farms, among the vines. And there’s more, much more…
Menu
Copyright 2025 Top Wine SA | Privacy Policy | Website by Webfactory
