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Most highly rated white blends from South Africa in 2023
FOR A WHILE longer at least, most of South Africa's leading blended whites remain combinations of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, but the number of outstanding ...
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Most highly rated Shiraz / Syrah from South Africa in 2023
SOME SAY Shiraz, some say Syrah… These are South Africa's top-rated expressions of the variety from the top panels of wine judges internationally during 2023 ...
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Most highly rated Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa in 2023
IF YOU LIKE Sauvignon Blanc, no doubt you'll love these beauties – the most glowing reviews of South African expressions by the top panels of ...
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Most highly rated Pinotage in 2023 – top panels have voted
‘BORN' in South Africa and, at its best, one of the country's delightful ambassadors. These are the expressions of Pinotage that really wowed the top ...
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Most highly rated Chenin Blanc from South Africa in 2023
SOUTH AFRICA'S Chenin Blanc is such a strong category and getting stronger, pulling ahead of France, with over 40 wines receiving particularly good reviews from ...
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Most highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon of South Africa in 2023
WHEN IT COMES TO South African Cab, there's no question as to which part of the country's winelands dominates the category. Not that Stellenbosch has ...
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Most highly rated Chardonnay from South Africa in 2023
OH FOR A BOTTLE or a case of each! The panels of experts have spoken… See below for the honours roll when it comes to ...
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These are THE top SA wine events in November and December 2023
NOVEMBER 2023 1 NOVEMBER Caroline's White Wine Review | Cape Town 1 NOVEMBER Veritas Tasting | Johannesburg 4 NOVEMBER Cap Classique Affair | Stellenbosch 4 & ...
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What to drink as discerning supporters of Springbok Rugby?
WHETHER in the build up to the game, during the match, in celebrating victory or to console yourself in the event of defeat, surely the ...
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Top wines to the fore again in Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10
DE GRENDEL, Diemersdal, Kleine Zalze, Steenberg, Tokara and Zorgvliet are among the standout wineries in the 2023 FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10, the panel's ...
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A rather rare, very unusual wine… Ayama Vermentino
THE FIRST Vermentino vineyards planted in South Africa were on Ayama in the Voor-Paardeberg area in the north-eastern reaches of the Paarl wine district, close ...
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What does it mean to win double gold at the Veritas Awards?
TO WIN the trophy for top-scoring wine at the Veritas Awards is a fairly big deal! In 2023, there were 1247 entries (including spirits) in ...
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Top Pinotage and Cape Blends revisited – up close and personal
THE 2023 Absa Top 10 Pinotage and Perold Cape Blend awards have been reported on already, but for many wine lovers it's not enough to ...
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Taste the very finest at Caroline’s 2023 White Wine Review
Caroline’s annual White Wine Review, hailed as one of the most coveted tasting events on the South African wine calendar, returns to The Lookout Venue ...
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Pinotage Rosé champs again: Landskroon, Rooiberg, Windmeul …
[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]THE PINOTAGE Association's competition for ‘pink' wines made from South Africa's Pinot Noir Cinsault cross was introduced fairly recently, yet already many Pinotage ...
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Leeu Passant Cabernet Franc fetches top price at CWG Auction
FROM A SINGLE, east-facing vineyard in Franschhoek, planted around the time that Leeu Passant was founded just 10 years ago, “this is the first release ...
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Three IWSC trophies for Cape wines but weird rating system
WHO CAN BLAME the trophy winners at London's International Wine & Spirit Competition for having mixed feelings about their success… Who would have thought it ...
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Six Cape Blend winners in a category that's limping along
HOW MUCH longer will it take for the concept of a ‘Cape Blend' to gain traction, one wonders. Some are really good, yet more than ...
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Under R150 and Classified – great value wine year after year
MANY STOPPED paying attention to the Michelangelo Awards when it was pointed out that, like the South African Young Wine Show, the entries include tank- ...
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Mhudi among triumphant Cape wines at Global Chenin Masters
NEW ON the radar. Out of the blue, as it were… The Rangaka family's M'hudi wine business on their farm in Stellenbosch was founded nearly ...
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Old GS Cabernet continues to command top prices on auction
BOTTLES of the mysterious and rare George Spies Cabernet (Durbanville grapes, Paarl cellar) are regularly made available via the South African auction house Strauss & ...
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Talk about a show of dominance at the Chenin Blanc Challenge
THEY MAKE at least half a dozen Chenins at the Stellenrust winery in the Helderberg and another at their boutique ArtiSons cellar in Bottelary. Even ...
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The most applauded Cap Classique sparkling wine in 2023
SHINING in a line-up of 157 sparklers on the tasting bench at the 2023 Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, the 2017 vintage of KWV's Laborie Blanc ...
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A rather rare, very unusual wine… Lowerland Tolbos Tannat
THERE IS more than one South African wine made using the Tannat variety of grapes, but they are very few and far between – and ...
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Sadie Family and Alheit dominate the bidding once again
HIGHLIGHTS of the Chenin & Pinotage online sale by South African auction house Strauss & Co on 11 September '23 – wines that fetched over R2000 ...
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Tim Atkin MW vs Greg Sherwood MW vs Christian Eedes vs …
[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]WHO HASN'T seen one of those wine bottle stickers denoting a Tim Atkin rating or award! The assessments by this British Master of ...
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New vintage releases from La Petite Ferme, Franschhoek
Overlooking the Franschhoek Valley, La Petite Ferme – the name translates simply as ‘the small farm' – is situated alongside the Oliphants Pass on the ...
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What are the best SA wines at under R150? And at under R100?
MOST of South Africa's top-rated wines these days cost over R250 a bottle – more than 300 of the wines scored 93 points plus in ...
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Humble Sauvignon Blanc pulls it off at Michelangelo Awards
HOW ABOUT THAT! The Grand Prix trophy winners for the top-scoring red and white wines at the 2023 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards (SA) ...
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