UNUSUAL cultivars, niche varieties, alternative grapes, call them what you may… Certain leading South African cellarmasters are making some lovely wines that orginate in vineyards somewhat different from what most people with a taste for good living know all too well. Some are difficult to pronounce, let alone find on the average winelist or bottle store shelf, however the specialist
Read moreASSESSING 77 submissions for their 2019 Alternative Varieties Report, South Africa’s Winemag panel of Christian Eedes (chair), Roland Peens and James Pietersen stopped short of declaring anything to be extraordinary or profound but were impressed, finding 40 wines to be excellent (90 to 92/100) to outstanding (93 to 95/100). Top score went to a Semillon from the Simonsberg-Paarl cellar
Read moreFOCUSING on single-variety wines of South Africa that fall outside the mainstream, Winemag.co.za’s 2018 Alternative Varieties Report includes 26 wines reviewed as excellent (90 to 92/100) and four as outstanding (93 to 95/100) – this from a line-up of 97 wines. The judges, – editor and panel chair Christian Eedes with online retailer Wine Cellar’s Roland Peens and James Pietersen – found
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