DURBANVILLE and Wellington cellars emerged as the superstars of South Africa’s 2021 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, with Diemersfontein’s Thokozani Cabernet Franc 2019 and De Grendel Op die Berg Chardonnay 2020 the top-scoring red and white respectively, Diemersdal Estate the most successful producer overall. Given the price of R115pb for the Thokozani Cab Franc at the winery in Wellington, Diemersfontein
Read more‘EXCELLENT’ Merlot they found, but not one of the Top 10 in Winemag’s 2021 Prescient Report was regarded as ‘outstanding’ – none rated higher than 92/100 by the panel comprising editor Christian Eedes (chair), merchant James Pietersen of Cape Town’s Wine Cellar and Ndabezinhle Dube, F&B manager at the President Hotel in the Mother City. “Merlot’s crucial characterisitc is arguably its
Read moreWHEN DISTELL submitted a little bottle of 200-year-old Grand Constance dessert wine for sale on the 2021 Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction it was estimated to fetch R80 000 to R130 000. After all, once destined for delivery to Napoleon and until recently secured in the Stellenbosch company’s ‘Tabernacle’, the Constantia museum piece has one hellava backstory. That it
Read moreUPS AND DOWNS were the order of the day at Strauss & Co’s mid-year fine wine online auction on 7 June 2021. Some of the wines highlighted by the Wine Cellar merchants and the auctioneers prior to the sale with a Stellenbosch theme didn’t attract quite the level of interest that was anticipated. The case of Laurence Graff Reserve 2011
Read moreTHE GOLD medal winners at Syrah du Monde 2021 included the Cederberg Private Cellar of David Nieuwoudt and Nick van Huyssteen’s Saronsberg in Tulbagh, where Dewaldt Heyns is the cellarmaster. France was most impressive with five wines considered among the best on show, followed by Australia (3), Chile, Macedonia, South Africa, Portugal and Morocco. South Africa’s standout Shiraz was the
Read moreCLEARLY as inflation takes its toll, compounded by the impact of wine producers in the Cape asking for prices more in line with what their direct competitiors in other top wine-producing countries are getting, it’s becoming increaingly challenging to find the good stuff at under R100 a bottle. We’re talking wine good enough to impress the critics on a panel,
Read moreAT THE VERY heart of the South African winelands, Stellenbosch was founded in the year 1679, and harking back to its roots, so to speak, ‘Stellenbosch 1679′ is the name of the new tier of wines introduced by one of the most successful co-operative cellars in the district. The Chenin Blanc was first to catch the aficionados’ attention when it
Read moreWHILE DEDICATED to the conservation of the highly-endangered African wild dogs and their natural habitat, Painted Wolf Wines are so much more than the plethora of bottlings adorned with various forms of wildlife illustrations and animal names that do precious little for the reputation of the Cape’s finest reds and whites. A couple of years ago Jeremy and Emma Borg’s 2018
Read moreBOTH OF the top-scoring wines in Winemag’s 2021 Cape White Blend Report were from the Wildeberg outfit in Franschhoek. A pretty impressive showing by Cellarmaster JD Rossouw and the team, and not for the first time. Last year, the 2019 Wildeberg Red blend was selected among the winners of the Shiraz SA Challenge, while another red combo, the 2019 Underworld
Read moreFRANCE and Australia were the most successful nations at the 2021 International Wine Challenge in London, one of the biggest competitions of its kind – thousands of entries from over 50 countries, with numerous panels judging over a couple of weeks. South Africa secured 13 gold medals, compared to France’s 77 and Australia’s 49, and Elgin cellar Paul Cluver was
Read moreTHE ANNUAL updates on the length, breadth, size and nature of the wine business in the leading wine-producing country on the continent of Africa can differ somewhat depending on whether you’re looking at things from inside or out. In April came an announcement from the OIV in Paris that in the world of wine South Africa’s national vineyard spanned 122
Read moreTHERE WERE A NUMBER of familiar labels among the ‘Best in Class’ and ‘Wine of the Year’ laureates that shone in the 2021 SA National Wine Challenge, but nobody could have anticipated the identity of the overall red wine champion. A newcomer from the Koelenhof Winery, The Legacy 2017 is the first (Cab-led) red blend in the premium ‘Stellenbosch 1679’
Read moreFOR JUST R69 a bottle you can get a delicious blend of Chenin and Roussanne from Wellington, Grenache Blanc from the Breedekloof and Viognier from Robertson – a mix that placed among the Top 10 and offered best ‘bang for your buck’ in Winemag’s 2021 Cape White Blend Report. In fact, at the time of writing the 2020 Bonfire Hill
Read moreIT’S NOT OFTEN that the Winemag panel chaired by editor Christian Eedes rates anything higher than 95 on their 100-point scale, but do so they did after sniffing and sipping the 2020 Filly Chenin Blanc from Cavalli Estate on the foothills of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch. Described as ‘profound’, it was the judges’ favourite in a lineup of 90 wines
Read moreIN YEAR ONE of the Covid-19 crisis, wine consumption internationally dropped by [just] 3%. “A Year of Resilience”, was how the director general of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) Pau Roca described 2020 at the OIV’s 2021 conference about the state of the world, viticulturally and viniculturally speaking. From the OIV’s headquarters in Paris, Roca reported
Read moreWOULDN’T it be something to see the luxury brands De Toren and 4G Wines slug it out in a head-to-head on auction, to test how seriously mature Meerlust Rubicon fares under the gavel against Kanonkop Paul Sauer of a similar age, or to get bidders to show which way they’re leaning these days when it comes to the sweets of
Read moreCONSTANTIA Fresh dinners rather than a bash on the lawn. A Chenin Blanc picnic in Stellenbosch instead of a party on the beach in Cape Town. Then some belated tastings of 2020 Veritas award winners, the first of them to take place in Paarl. But there’s more! A different kind of sparkling wine festival in Franschhoek, food and wine affairs
Read moreTHERE WERE 83 entries received from 43 producers for Winemag’s 2021 Prescient Cap Classique Report. Seven of the Top 10 were 100% Chardonnay, including the most highly rated duo in the line-up from Môreson of Franschhoek (Miss Molly) and Newstead of Plettenberg Bay, both vintage 2015. In fact only one of the standouts was made using grapes other than the
Read moreSTRAUSS & Co’s 2021 ‘Cape Heritage’ Fine Wine Auction focused on Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. The online sale also listed red and white blends, including a rare old beauty regarded as one of the benchmarks of yesteryear. For some the 1957 Chateau Libertas was the standout, fetching the highest price on the day of R17 588 for a single bottle
Read moreTHERE WERE OVER 1200 wines from around the world gathered for assessment at Mondial du Sauvignon (Blanc) 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. The contest involved some 40 judges who deliberated for four days in choosing 127 gold medallists, nine of which went on to win trophies – three French wines, two Austrians, one New Zealander, an Italian, one from the
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