Tag Archives: best wine

South Africa’s top white blend ratings in 2013, plus the best white blends at under R80 – the experts’ choice

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CAPE POINT, Chamonix, Delaire Graff, DeMorgenzon, Steenberg, Tokara and Vergelegen top the list of contenders for South Africa’s champion white blend producer for 2013… The following wines achieved outstanding reviews from the judges at blind-tastings around the world during the past 12 months: TOP SOUTH AFRICAN WHITE BLEND RATINGS IN 2013 AA Badenhorst 2011 – 4½ Stars in Platter’s Guide

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Charcuterie, cheese, good bread and more at the Jordan Bakery – casual alternative to classy restaurant next door

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THE BAKERY at Jordan affords visitors to the estate in Stellenbosch Kloof an opportunity to wine and snack on a deck under the trees just below and to the side of the highly rated Jordan Restaurant… Upstairs is one of the Top 10 kitchens in the country where patrons indulge in fine dining and pay the price that comes with

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Brand new guide showcases best of the Cape winelands: top wines and cellars, top restaurants, markets, events

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COMPILED 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

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KWV and Eikendal take top accolades at Trophy Wine Show

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THE SUCCESS of KWV at the 2012 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show didn’t surprise those who’ve been tracking the quality and character of The Mentors range launched by this Paarl producer a few years ago. Australian cellarmaster Richard Rowe, local winemaker Johann Fourie and their team at the winery have been turning heads with The Mentors since day one. However,

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EU awards focus the spotlight on Spier, Nederburg, Cirrus…

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ANNOUNCED in quick succession, the results of the 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards and International Wine Challenge in London offered tips aplenty – albeit with few surprises in the gold medal stakes when it came to South Africa’s top-performing cellars. Among the attention grabbers on both stages were the 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2010 from Spier, who have done so well

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‘Top 100 SA Wines’ competition intriguing, but you wonder…

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NOW IN ITS second year, Top 100 SA Wines has a few things going for it as an authoritative competition, e.g. the sommelier, several Masters of Wine and some leading winemakers involved in managing the tasting procedures and judging processes, contributing to credible results. However, although there are a number of top cellars among the entrants there are too many

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Miracle wine, born out of determination and risk

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At Super Single Vineyards’ Sutherland-Karoo outpost in the Northern Cape they talk about summertime highs and lows of 32ºC and 5ºC respectively. In fact the highs can reach 40º, and come wintertime the mercury drops to between -3º (on average) and -11º (occasionally). What’s more, the lowest temperature recorded in Sutherland so far this century stands at -16º (2003) and

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Trophy winners include amazing stuff from Karoo

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So now we know the names of all the trophy winners… The Overall Winners in the 2012 Classic Wine Trophy competition include a red from Stellenbosch (using grapes from Sutherland), a white from Walker Bay (near Hermanus), a bubbly from a cellar on the Franschhoek perimeter and a sweet wine from Voor Paardeberg on the outskirts of Paarl. BEST RED

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Glen Carlou shines in 2012 ‘Classic’ wine competition

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Glen Carlou of Paarl was an icon wine property in the hands of Walter and David Finlayson (now focusing on Edgebaston in Stellenbosch) and that it’s still among South Africa’s leading producers was highlighted by the French-palate judges at the 2012 Classic Wine Trophy competition. One of only three cellars to scoop more than a single gold medal at the

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Kleine Zalze Chenin always hits the spot

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I confess! Come lunchtime on a sunny day outdoors, you’ll often find a bottle of Kleine Zalze Chenin in our ice-bucket. Stylish fruit is what does it for me, I guess – and this isn’t their flagship I’m talking about, but the most affordable at around R30 a bottle. Sure there are finer wines, but better value-for-money? And a quaffing red

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Of course wine competitions and ratings count

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What rubbish it is when people spout off about how the best wine is the one in your glass, about how everybody’s taste is different and wine judges’ palates are unreliable, or about how wines can’t be properly assessed without being served with food. Enjoying wine is about more than just the alcohol strength and for sure, life is too short

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Few Surprises in Top 10 Pinotage competition

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No doubt one or two wineries on the Pinotage Association’s recently-published list of the 10 best Pinotage producers would have come as a surprise to some, but for followers of the Absa Top 10 competition that has been running since 1997 it all made sense. The following cellars, given in alphabetical order, have excelled consistently over the years with quality track

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Pinotage Wine Guide like none other

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IN LESS than a century South Africa’s Pinot Noir Cinsaut cross has developed to become one of the most widely planted red grape varieties in the country, responsible for drinks that range from humble quaffers to fine wines deserving of their place in the company of the world’s very best. January 2012 marked the launch of South Africa’s Pinotage Wine

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