WE ARE NOT crazy about the name of this competition; a case of lost in translation! Effervescents du Monde reminds some of us about the sort of fizzy fruit salts you might take to sort out a bout of indigestion: ENO! But there are plenty of Champagne and other bubbly houses that participate in this ‘Sparkling World’: the 2017 edition attracted over
Read more“THE SAUVIGNON Blanc Interest Group of South Africa (SBIG) fosters excellence in making and marketing South African Sauvignon Blanc locally and internationally… The annual FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition was started in 2007 to promote innovation and excellence in the category and reward those making wines of true distinction.” So how did things pan out in the 2017 taste-off?
Read moreTHE ORGANISERS of the Decanter World Wine Awards in the UK describe their competition as the “most influential”. Ditto the International Wine Challenge, also of the UK, which goes further in claiming to be “the finest” and the “most meticulous”. But these are modest compared to The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships: “The most respected, prestigious and rigorous… No
Read moreTHE 2017 Winemag Report on SA Merlot involved the assessment of 67 wines from 50 producers and culminated in five wines rated 90-plus (see below). Published in association with the industry’s producer body that goes by the name of the Merlot Forum, the full report posted on Winemag.co.za states that: “Local Merlot often makes for less ambitious and less expensive wines
Read moreTWENTY-THREE gold medals to South African wines with seven beauties going on to win trophies at the 2017 International Wine Challenge in London. Some are recent vintages of wines with great track records, such as Cape Point’s flagship white blend, DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin, Bouchard Finlayson Pinot, Stellenrust Chenin and those champions from Paul Cluver and Saronsberg that feature regularly in the
Read moreIT’S REPORTED that there were over 500 entries in the 2017 edition of the National Wine Challenge, now in its seventh year as a competition that culminates with awards for the Top 100 entries from South African vintners and Grand Cru awards for the wines judged to be best in each class. The number of submissions is some way off the
Read moreIF THERE WAS a trophy presented at the Veritas Awards for best value-for-money offered by the highest-scoring wines, the winner in 2016 would probably have been Boschendal for The Pavillion Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, expected to sell for R55 a bottle from the cellar on the outskirts of Franschhoek and under R50 in the supermarkets. Its main rivals for the title would have
Read moreTHE WINNERS of the 2016 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge include five of the top wines in the SA Chenin Classification based on track records spanning the past 10 years. Of these beauties, two stand out as the country’s most successful Chenins on local and international podiums this year: DeMorgenzon Reserve 2015 and Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2015, with the KZ also
Read moreTHE RED BLENDS from South Africa’s winelands that were the subject of good reviews in 2015 include plenty to choose from at under R100 a bottle. At under R50 there are fun labels such as Balance (depicted by an elephant on a stool) from Worcester’s Overhex, wines with a story behind them such as Sixpence of Opstal, Rawsonville, as well less frivolous
Read morePARTICULARLY good reviews for Rustenberg and Groot Constantia on the show circuit in 2015 have revived discussions about the so-called ‘First Growths’ in the winelands of South Africa – First Growths being defined as the areas or wines from those areas regarded as among the very finest of a particular district or region, based on the concept of terroir, which has to
Read moreMANY IN FRANSCHHOEK pride themselves on the town’s reputation as a leading sparkling wine producer and the annual Cap Classique & Champagne festival is a marvellous affair. One out of every three cellars in the district produces bubbly, the vignerons promote their Cap Classique route and some of the wineries are specialists who make little or nothing else. And yet…
Read moreWHERE TO PICNIC in the winelands of South Africa, near a winery, not far from the vines? Here are the best spots to purchase a picnic basket full of good food and wine in the countryside when wine-routing in the Cape. The are all on farms associated with highly rated reds or whites, bubblies or sweet dessert wines, i.e. the venues are
Read moreTHE 2013 FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc Awards organised by the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group of South Africa again threw the spotlight on a number of wines regularly applauded as counting among the country’s best, as well as on some that have repeatedly vied for attention on the best-value scale. WINNERS AT THE FNB SAUVIGNON BLANC AWARDS Alexanderfontein Chip
Read moreBOSCHENDAL bubbly winemaker Lizelle Gerber is on a roll. The 2008 vintage of the Grande Cuvée Brut didn’t perform as spectacularly as her 2007 but the 2009 is off to a great start with a gold medal at the recent Michelangelo Awards and now first place in the latest Amorim Tsogo Sun Méthode Cap Classique Challenge even before the wine is
Read moreCAP CLASSIQUE sparkling wines highly recommended this year by one or more of the expert tasting panels around the world AND which cost less than R100 a bottle – with prices given ex-cellar, or approximate retail if the cellar is closed to the public. Fantastic for those festive season parties. BOSCHENDAL Le Grand Pavillon Brut Rosé NV – R99 DARLING CELLARS Blanc de
Read moreSYRAH, SHIRAZ, whatever you prefer to call it, here are the stand-out examples from South Africa in 2012, the top wines as reviewed by expert tasting panels around the world – and with more than a couple of accolades for Boschendal, Cederberg, Cirrus, Ernie Els, Fairview, Hartenberg, Mullineux and Saronsberg: Allée Bleue 2010 – gold medal at International Wine & Spirit Competition
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT Cap Classique sparkling wines, the best South African bubbly reviews of the year by experts around the globe. Once again the big guns command attention for all the right reasons, but there are now also plenty of other sparklers offering better value than Champagne. Bring on the festive season! Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2007 – trophy at Classic Awards, Top 100
Read moreBOEKENHOUTSKLOOF was judged Platter’s Winery of the Year in 2011/2012 and this year the title goes to Chamonix on the other side of the valley in Franschhoek. The award was presented at the launch of the 2013 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide where the names of the top-rated wines in the book were announced: Chamonix got thenod for
Read moreIF YOU’RE planning a sparkling occasion with folk who appreciate the finer things in life and want to make sure they enjoy the bubbly you’re serving, well… According to some of the best wine critics locally and in the UK, the following vintage Cap Classiques will do very nicely thank you – and in most instances for less than a
Read moreGREAT VALUE Chenin Blanc – South African wines at under R50 a bottle that have received good reviews by one or more of the top tasting panels around the world during the past 18 months. Prices given in SA rand – ex-cellar, or approximate retail in the case of wineries that are closed to the public. At R22pb – Cape Weaver Chenin
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