AFTER the major Joburg wine fest that is WineX, comes a new Chenin celebration at the Perdeberg cellar in Paarl and a party of note in Riebeek Kasteel. The Veritas roadshow travels to Durban before ending in PE, while the Tops at Spar Wine Show will put up the tent in East London, then Nelspruit. Those up for a road
Read moreWHERE TO EAT on the Constantia Wine Route, on a farm, among the vines? And which wines to seek out, what has been highly recommended by the panels of experts? For lunch, you could consider the new venues: Steenberg’s Tryn (main dining area pictured above) has various general indoor, outdoor and private fine-dining spaces, a bar and a menu
Read moreESTABLISHED as the Nederburg Auction, Paarl, it was ‘reinvented’ in 2019 as the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction, held over two days in October at the Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch, with Charlie Foley of British auction house Christie’s wielding the gavel. Sponsored by Libertas Vineyards & Estates of Distell, the October sale is billed as one of the most
Read moreTHE ANNUAL Robertson Wine Valley’s winter wine festival has been cancelled… Having been enjoyed by revellers for the past 17 years, the Wacky Wine Weekend will not take place again! “It is a bitter-sweet decision, but it was time,” said Robertson Wine Route manager Beatrix Galloway. Apparently the festival was giving the wines of Robertson a bad name [busloads of
Read moreAS THE UPWARD pressure on wine prices increases, savvy bargain hunters know to look to top cellars’ second labels, up-and-coming producers outside the premier league, and cellars buying in grapes from far and wide, not constrained by the rules and regulations of ‘estate wine’ legislation. This was the focus in an article recently published by Independent Media’s Personal Finance magazine –
Read moreHOW DID THAT HAPPEN? In September 2019 the International Wine & Spirit Competition organisers in the UK announce that the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bartinney of Banghoek in Stellenbosch is one of the South African entries to be scored 97 points – as reported here. A month later – see here – the IWSC announces that at the show’s awards
Read moreWHAT ARE the chances! Using grapes gown near Elim, Cape Agulhas, they top-scored in Winemag’s SA Shiraz roundup, and with grapes grown near Ceres they topped the charts first in the publication’s SA Pinot Noir review and then in their Prescient Chardonnay Report in which 65 South African producers participated. All in the same year! Congratulations to cellarmaster Charles
Read moreTOP SCORE OVERALL to a Chardonnay from a boutique producer off the beaten track. Only one double gold for Shiraz, one of the most keenly contested categories in which 149 wines were entered! The Veritas Awards are seldom without some surprises or discoveries. As one South Africa’s major wine and spirit competitions – attracting 1491 entries in 2019 – the
Read moreFOR THE annual Six Nations Wine Challenge staged in Sydney, Australia, entries are submitted following an invitation to the producers from the wine writer and judge representing each of the participating countries. In 2019 the panel of critics comprised South Africa’s Michael Fridjhon (chair), Australia’s Huon Hooke, New Zealand’s Terry Copeland, the USA’s Patrick Comiskey and Canada’s Christopher Waters. Each
Read moreTHERE WERE 183 entries from 107 producers in the 2019 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition and/but very few surprises in terms of the results which included three repeat winners – the 2019 vintage of De Grendel Koetshuis, Diemersdal Wild Ferment and Tokara Reserve Collection winning this year after victory with earlier vintages last year. The panel of judges were:
Read moreAS IT BECOMES increasingly challenging to find good quality, interesting wines at under R100 a bottle, suggestions by the various panels of experts cannot but go down well with wine lovers looking for quaffers, stocking up for parties, hosting a braai, wanting something for anytime enjoyment. For an update of what’s been recommended on this front during the past year,
Read moreIT CAN TAKE a while to get your head around the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards held in South Africa. Platinum medals are presented for wines scored 96+ out of 100, but not if they go on to win a trophy. Trophies are awarded to wines that scored highest in their classes, but they are not awarded in every
Read moreWHO WOULD have thought it possible? The Mullineux couple Chris (viticulturist) and Andrea (winemaker), perhaps! But how amazing it was that the only white wine to fetch over R1000 a bottle on average at South Africa’s 2019 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction in Stellenbosch came from grapes grown in Barrydale, Klein Karoo – more than Ataraxia Chardonnay of Hemel-en-Aarde, more
Read moreTHE TOPS at Spar Wine Show takes place in Menlyn Park, Pretoria, the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction at Spier in Stellenbosch. No, this Stellenbosch Wine Festival takes place at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg. The Old Vine Project Masterclass is hosted by Wine Menu in Kramerville, Johannesburg. The Institute of Cape Wine Masters will present an evening with
Read moreWHERE TO EAT on the Franschhoek Wine Route, on a farm, among the vines? And which wines to seek out, what the panels of experts have highly recommended recently? For lunch, your best bets include The Werf and Rhone Homestead at Boschendal, Franschhoek Cellar (also Bellingham cellar door), Pierneef à La Motte, Racine at Chamonix, AND the new venues
Read moreAMONG the destinations in and around the winelands of South Africa honoured at the 2019 Wine & Food Tourism Conference outside Stellenbosch for offering outstanding, memorable tourist experiences, three were presented with trophies in recognition of their innovative approach to exciting and delighting their guests. The judges focused on how the innovation helped to solve a problem or address a
Read moreLOOKING for a seamless experience from arrival to departure, a sense that the hosts know what you want before you want it and, above all, warm hospitality… Among the destinations in and around the winelands of South Africa honoured at the 2019 Wine & Food Tourism Conference outside Stellenbosch for offering outstanding, memorable tourist experiences, three were presented with trophies
Read moreTHE STAND OUT WINES in South Africa’s 2019 Sommeliers Selection feature a Glen Carlou Chardonnay and the Grand Plaisir red blend from the slopes of the Simonsberg in Paarl. Both are described as Elegant & Classy among the Listed Wines hailed in various categories that include Economically Savvy, Fresh & Crunchy, Voluptuous & Rich, Luscious & Aromatic. The competition is
Read moreTHE MOST in-demand South African lots at the first Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auction to be held in Cape Town, organised in collaboration with retailer Wine Cellar and sommelier Higgo Jacobs… Following the inaugural event in Johannesburg three months earlier, the Cape reds, whites and sweets to fetch over R2000 a bottle/750ml at the September sale were as follows:
Read moreVICTORY at the 2019 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge went to an eleven-year-old Prestige Cuvée from Boschendal of Franschhoek, the 2008 Jean Le Long Blanc de Blancs – made from Chardonnay, spending five years on the lees (spent yeast) prior to degorgement and another year on the cork prior to release. This bottle-fermented sparkling wine had already earned gold and
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