SO UNTIL further notice, if you trip out along any of South Africa’s wonderful wine routes over the weekend, you can wine and dine to your heart’s content but you can’t buy any bottles to pack into the boot of your car… Which might well put you off! Following a period of prohibition for which the government came under a
Read moreWHEN YOU want to but can’t venture out onto one of South Africa’s wonderful wine routes straight away, the next best thing might be to reminisce about sorties past or to plan your next trip into the countryside. The slideshows on Top Wine SA showcase the best wine producers in South Africa, the best places to eat at in the
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Read moreTHE Fijnwyn Bubbles and Food Festival scheduled to take place in Pretoria on 20 and 21 March was the first top South African wine event in 2020 to be called off in line with the SA government’s banning of gatherings involving more than 100 people as one of the measures to combat the Coronavirus – the pandemic having begun in
Read moreRather useful if you’re going wine-tasting or shopping on one of South Africa’s wonderful wine routes, the following are those wines with the best track records in each of the main areas of the Cape winelands according to the SA Wine Classification – presented according to the location of the wineries, which sometimes isn’t the same as where the grapes
Read moreIT’S DIFFICULT to accept that of South Africa’s Top 30 restaurants in 2019, according to the critics and followers of the Eat Out restaurant guide, only five are located outside Cape Town and the surrounding winelands! Only one in Johannesburg? Only one in Durban? None in Bloemfontein, nor in Port Elizabeth? None at the country’s nature conservancies, game reserves, resorts? Oh
Read morePRETTY handy if you’re going wine-tasting or shopping on one of Cape Town’s wonderful wine routes, the following are those reds, whites and sweets with the very best track records from the wineries of Constantia, Durbanville and elsewhere in the city according to the SA Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Cape Town Wine Classification, click here. •
Read moreTHE TROPHY winners, Best Wines Overall, Top of the Class, Wines of the Year – as singled out by the top panels locally and internationally. These are the most successful vintages from the winelands of South Africa on the world stage in 2018 – presented first by wine type and variety, then alphabetically together with info about the accolades, the
Read moreWHAT YOU’LL SEE on visiting the leading wine producers in the Cape: the tasting venues, the architecture, the cellars, what distinguishes the properties. Showcasing top outfits according to the SA Wine Classification. See below for a slideshow that gives a glimpse of the main attractions on South Africa’s wine routes – to help plan your next trip into the winelands,
Read moreCLICK HERE if you want jump to a record of every South African wine at under R100 to achieve a good review from one of the top panels in 2018 – complete with what they achieved and where the producers are located on the various wine routes of the country. See below for the top achievers in this regard during
Read moreA SURVEY of what top reds and whites are selling for at South Africa’s leading wine shops relative to cellar-door prices points to consistency in some areas and big discrepancies in others. Those who love to visit the wine routes might be disappointed to discover, if they aren’t already well aware, that what you pay on the farm is often
Read moreIT’S A MAGICAL place, north of Sir Lowry’s Pass on one of South Africa’s less-travelled routes, high up the slopes of the Helderberg with a fantastic view of False Bay that stretches to Cape Point in the distance. The Idiom tasting room and restaurant at Da Capo Vineyards is home to some impressive reds, including a good Cape Blend and Bordeaux-style
Read moreTHE 2017 Drinks International Wine Tourism Challenge (UK) culminated with awards for Best Visitor Centre (Codorniu in Spain), Most Innovative Experience (Vineyard Tour Guide App at Yealands in New Zealand), Best Food and Wine Matching (Zonin’s Castello di Albola in Italy), Best Retail Experience (Gonzalez Byass in Spain), Best Promotional Body (Stellenbosch Wine Routes), Best Wine Event (Harvest and From Vine
Read moreTop SA Wines by Area The wines with the best track records in each of the main areas of the Cape winelands: click here Eating at Top Cape Farms Top restaurants, platters and picnics on South Africa’s wine farms, among the vines: click here Bonus Attractions Besides the tasting rooms and restaurants, the Cape winelands have more to offer the
Read more‘THE WINE KINGDOM’ is a marvelous publication ‘Celebrating conservation in the Cape winelands’ – marvelous by way of stunning photographs of beautiful countryside, fauna and flora, marvelous by way of the many success stories and conservation-worthy achievements that involve an industry collaborating out of respect for nature and the environment. And although not a wine guide proper, the coffee-table book features
Read moreALL YOU NEED TO KNOW about the better restaurants, picnics and braais in the winelands of South Africa, i.e. on the farms, in among the vineyards, rather than in the cities, towns and villages. And with the emphasis on TOP – each table, bench or blanket given the nod of approval in the country’s leading restaurant guides Eat Out and Rossouw’s, and/or situated next
Read moreHalf the joy of heading into the winelands is discovering new places, people and wines that hit the spot. However, if you want a check-list of which cellars or sub-routes to focus on, then these are for you – see below. Bearing in mind the tasting and travelling involved in wine-routing, it’s recommended that you choose an area and then
Read moreSA Wine Regions & Districts About the geographical structure of the South African wine industry and how it fits together: an overview South Africa’s Organic Wines What’s the difference between organic, biodymanic and vegan wines. Keeping track of the specialists: click here SA Craft & Artisanal Wines The art of wine, art on wine – presented as such, verbally and
Read moreCOMPILED BY Mike Froud of Top Wine SA and commissioned by MapStudio of New Holland Publishing, My WineRoute South Africa cuts to the chase like no SA wine guide has done before. The book classifies the country’s top wines on the basis of the best track records according to reviews by top critics in blind-tastings around the world over the past 10 years. It’s
Read moreThe greenhouse at Babylonstoren, Paarl: great place for a snack and a glass of vino, or for some tea and cake if you’d prefer THEY ARE TWO of the most talked-about destinations on the wine routes within easy travelling distance of Cape Town, highly recommended on several fronts and each better than the other for this or that. Nobody’s perfect,
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