BONNIEVALE WINES have upped their game in recent years and the title of Discovery of the Show at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show for Best Value Gold Medallist is a sign that their intent goes deeper than face value. Yet “unpretentious” is stated on the label, and R97 a bottle from the cellar is “welcoming and soothing”
Read moreTHE ENGELBRECHT family and their team have maintained Rust en Vrede’s reputation as one of South Africa’s top red wine cellars for the past 40 years or so, ever since the Stellenbosch estate began specialising in Cabernet and Shiraz, either in collaboration or on their own. All of these reds are Classified, with the Estate blend as well as
Read moreTHE STATUS of Morgenster as one of South Africa’s top cellars hinges largely on the reputation of the Estate Reserve, a top class Bordeaux-style combo and one of the Top 10 red blends overall in the SA Wine Classification. Hall of Fame. R490 a bottle for the 2013 vintage. Of late, however, the Somerset West property’s single varietals have been
Read moreMORGENSTER Cab 2014 at R100 a bottle, Croydon Covenant Cab 2017 at R110, Glenelly Glass Collection Cab 2016 at R115 and Maastricht Cab 2017 at R120. These are the best-priced of the top-scoring wines in the 2019 Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report compiled by Winemag.co.za. The most glowing assessments went to the Croydon and to a 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rust
Read moreOVER the past couple of years, has there been a South African Cabernet Sauvignon producer more successful on the world stage than the Ellis family on the Helshoogte Pass, Stellenbosch? Their current-release 2015 Jonkershoek Cab won gold medals at the Decanter awards and International Wine Challenge (IWC) after one of the most outstanding reviews on Winemag.co.za – this after the 2014
Read moreNEDERBURG has no fewer than THREE Cabernet Sauvignon listings in the 2018 South African Wine Classification, and it’s the only cellar in the country with two wines among the country’s Top 10 Cabs as regards best track records – two of only three that originate outside Stellenbosch! When the 2015 vintage of The Manor House was judged No. 1 in Winemag’s
Read moreWITH South Africa’s Cabernet Sauvignon particularly topical in May, following Winemag’s annual review of the category for their Prescient Report, it seemed a good time to circulate an update of the prices being charged for the country’s leading examples – the Top 20 Cabs according to the SA Wine Classification. Cellar-door prices are those posted by the producers and the market survey
Read moreBELOW are the top Cabernet Sauvignon producers in South Africa over the past 10 years, those with the best track records spanning 2008 to 2017, presented according to where you’ll find their tasting rooms on the various wine routes. For the 2018 SA Cabernet Sauvignon Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be visited
Read moreNO FEWER than 34 of the 89 wines reviewed for the 2018 Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report were considered excellent (90 to 92 points on the 100-point scale). Better still, six more of South Africa’s beauties were regarded as outstanding (93 to 95). And interestingly, the judges’ favourite on the day is from outside Stellenbosch! Full report here. TOP 6 IN
Read moreINTERESTING results there were from the 2017 Winemag tasting of South African Cabernet Sauvignon. From a line-up of 65 Cabs that producers were invited to submit for assessment, panel chair Christian Eedes together with fellow judges Roland Peens and James Pietersen of Cape Town merchants Wine Cellar found 15 beauties they regarded as ‘excellent’ – but none great enough to warrant
Read moreFull Report: Winemag’s 2017 SA Cabernet Sauvignon Report sponsored by financial services company Prescient
Read moreTHE BRITISH Masters of Wine on the tasting panels of leading UK trade publication The Drinks Business included a number of South African wines among the laureates applauded in the 2015/16 Global Chardonnay Masters, Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters and Global Cabernet Sauvignon Masters competition results announced recently. Chief among them was the 2014 vintage of The Single Tree Chardonnay from Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards
Read moreIT’S VERY DIFFICULT to find a classified Cabernet Sauvignon in South Africa at under R100 a bottle these days – a wine of the quality that’s recognised with good reviews for several vintages over the past 10 years, let alone year after year. What you will find is a bunch of wines with interest value and some more than others –
Read moreYOU MIGHT well wonder why Rustenberg Peter Barlow was excluded from the line-up for Winemag.co.za’s 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon report, i.e. given the wine’s great track record over the past 10 years, given that it was scored 5 Stars in the 2014 edition of the report and then chosen as the international judges’ overall favourite at this year’s Trophy Wine Show. You might also wonder
Read moreALL OF THE South African wines below are included in the latest SA Cabernet Sauvignon Classification, with those having the very best track records highlighted and the listing limited to wines whose accolades include very good reviews in 2013/14. Prices are for the latest releases/vintages to be rated – rands per standard 750ml bottle and ex-cellar in most instances (approximate retail prices
Read moreTOP SA CABS in 2013… The following wines achieved outstanding reviews from the judges at blind-tastings around the world during the past 12 months: TOP SOUTH AFRICAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON RATINGS IN 2013 Boekenhoutskloof 2011 – 5 Stars in Platter’s Guide Cederberg Five Generations 2011 – 5 Stars in Platter’s Guide, Double Gold Medal at Veritas Awards Delaire Graff Reserve 2009 – Trophy at
Read moreGREAT BUYS for the festive season… Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa that has been highly recommended this year by one or more of the expert tasting panels around the world AND which costs less than R100 a bottle – with prices given ex-cellar, or approximate retail if the cellar is closed to the public. BLUE CRANE 2010 – R80 BOLAND CELLAR Reserve No
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa, the best reviews of the year – from particularly good value wines including Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection, Dieu Donné and Tokara, to Cabs made at the Cederberg Private Cellar and Stark-Condé in the Jonkershoek Valley that have come under the spotlight again and again and again: Cederberg 2009 – Top 100 SA Wine Challenge selection Cederberg Five Generations
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