TOP SCORES at South Africa’s 2024 Fine Wine Awards went to the Spier wine farm in Stellenbosch, for their white blend Frans K Smit 2018, and to the boutique wine cellar Hout Bay Vineyards for their Cap Classique sparkling wine, Klasiek by Catherine 2020. Both scored 96/100, with 21 wines
“WARM RED flavours, cloves and blackcurrant. A delicate palate with juicy tannins. Pairs well with Italian dishes, especially tomato-based ones, grilled chicken and Charcuterie, e.g. pâtés, terrines and salamis.” That’s how the Du Toit family describe their 2021 Kloovenburg Merlot, the highest scoring wine in the SA Merlot industry association’s
KWV, Paarl. SCHENKFONTEIN! Where’s that? Stofjas! What’s that? Thor Semillon nothing to do with the Marvel fantasy! Port Capital comes second? Best value gold medallist a Shiraz at just R115 a bottle… Some discoveries, some surprises, as well as endorsements for numerous cellars with established credentials. The 2024 edition of
NOT EXACTLY déjà vu, but more than a few of the winners at South Africa’s National Wine Challenge in 2024 also collected top-of-the-class awards in 2023: De Krans Tritonia Verdelho, Dornier Equanimity Cabernet Sauvignon, Graham Beck Cuvée Clive Cap Classique, Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve White, Paul Cluver Seven Flags Chardonnay,
PATIENCE required… The 2022 Saronsberg Shiraz came top at the 2024 Syrah du Monde held in the Rhône, France. This just weeks after the Tulbagh cellar struck gold with the same vintage at the International Wine Challenge (UK). However, the wanna-have will only be released onto the market in 2025.
THERE WERE 75 single-variety South African Chenins submitted for assessment in Winemag’s 2024 Prescient Chenin Blanc Report, with 49 rated 90-plus and three of these regarded as particularly outstanding, worthy of 95 according to the panel’s 100-point scoring system. However, their favourite among the top three, the Best Overall: Flagstone
THE TASTING PANEL of South Africa’s Winemag.co.za has never scored any glass of red or white higher than 96 out of 100, and prior to May 2024 had only awarded such a score to nine wines since they began using a 100-point scale. In 2023 they found just one wine
THERE ARE very few SA wines selling for Under R150pb being showcased on Top Wine SA as of May ’24. Which says a couple of things: that prices are climbing, to state the obvious, and that only those wines that have been highly rated by a top panel during the
CHARDONNAYS from Lothian Vineyards of Elgin and Whalehaven of Hermanus were South Africa’s top-scoring gold medallists at the 2024 International Wine Challenge in London. The 2022 vintage from Lothian and the 2023 Seascape Reserve (WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde) from Whalehaven achieved 96/100 – just above 13 other gold medal winners from
THERE ISN’T much of South Africa’s 2024 Cab Franc Challenge winner, and at the time of writing – after the results went public, a week after the awards presentation – the bottles had yet to be labelled, let alone released onto the market! Hopefully the 2021 vintage of Mitre’s Edge
FOR AN UPDATE of all the organic wines produced in South Africa that are officially certified as such, click here. Below are those from the Cape that received good to very good reviews from the top panels of experts in 2023. There are numerous winemakers and viticulturists who adhere to
OH THAT there could be an internationally accepted, universally agreed-upon 100-point system for scoring wine. If only the convenors of the competitions, shows, challenges and reports could concur as to where on the spectrum a wine is considered very good, exceptionally good, world class and super wonderful, as good as
