THE QUALITY and interest value of Chardonnay that has never seen the inside of a barrel is streets ahead of what it was at the turn of the century, but still! Who would have predicted that it had risen to the level that it could triumph over wooded masterpieces on the world stage. To quote the organisers of Chardonnay du
Read moreA GOOD YEAR it was for South Africa at the 2019 edition of Chardonnay du Monde, an international competition that takes place every year in Burgundy, France. After three days of judging, involving 696 wines from 36 countries assessed by 300 experts from around the world, the 2018 Bon Vallon from De Wetshof Estate in Robertson topped the list of
Read moreALMOST sold out on the farm at the time of writing, the 2016 vintage of Glenelly Estate Reserve Chardonnay has proved very popular among aficionados around the world: gold medals at the Trophy Wine Show in South Africa, the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK) as well as at the Six Nations Wine Challenge in Australia. Based on the south-western foothills
Read more“IS SOUTH AFRICAN Chardonnay suffering from ‘tall poppy syndrome’?” asked Winemag’s Christian Eedes in the 2018 Prescient Chardonnay Report. “In the past decade or so, the variety as made locally has achieved notable prominence but there has been a tendency in more recent times to disparage it in some quarters, the argument being that it is still some distance behind other New World
Read moreELGIN’S strong suits are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, in that order. This district of the SA winelands is also home to some interesting white blends, Riesling, Shiraz and then some. Not all of the producers open their doors to the wine-loving public all of the time, with some only offering tastings and sales at their cellar doors on
Read moreWHAT’S not to like about Douglas Green Chardonnay 2017? Maybe that you can’t buy it from the cellar while on the Wellington wine route, only from a supermarket. Or perhaps that there’s no reference on the label to where the grapes come from: ‘Western Cape’ isn’t helpful; WO Robertson is a nice-to-know. Otherwise all good: latest of the good reviews from
Read moreBELOW are the top Chardonnay 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 Chardonnay Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be visited and/or
Read moreINCREDIBLE? First a double gold medal at the Michelangelo awards in South Africa and now gold at Chardonnay du Monde in Burgundy, France. At around R56 a bottle, the 2017 Douglas Green Chardonnay is the latest in a string of vintages that have had wine cognoscente doing a double take – the 2016 having also won gold in France, the
Read morePUBLICATION of the 2017 Prescient Chardonnay Report on Winemag.co.za prompted debate about the standout examples made from this variety in South African cellars as reviewed this year to date. Perhaps the most celebrated for top quality: DeMorgenzon Reserve 2016 at R350pb, Eikendal 2015 at R163, Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2016 at R93 and Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2015 at R400pb, all from
Read moreRECEIVING 17 200 entries for the 2017 edition, the World Wine Awards convened by Decanter magazine (UK) is the largest wine competition on the planet. Special kudos to Paul Cluver of Elgin and Klein Constantia as the only South African wineries to get through the final round of judging when, of the 209 platinum award winners, 34 were chosen as the
Read moreFull report here: Top South African Chardonnay – Decanter Panel Tasting 120 wines assessed: seven considered outstanding, 47 highly recommended. The judges: Masters of Wine Tim Atkin, John Hoskins and Greg Sherwood. Top-Scoring Chardonnays of the tasting: Ataraxia 2015 Kershaw 2014 Neil Ellis Whitehall 2015 Paul Cluver Estate 2015 Paul Cluver Seven Flags 2015 Rustenberg Stellenbosch 2015 Sutherland 2015 (Thelema)
Read moreUNWOODED, unoaked, sans barrique… South African Chardonnay that hasn’t spent any time in a barrel is hardly a new phenomenon, but the numbers are growing and the quality is on the rise. It’s a great option for wine lovers who can’t stomach wooded whites, some seek it out because it presents an opportunity to enjoy the varietal character in its purist
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 moreAT THE 2016 Chardonnay du Monde held at Château des Ravatys of the Pasteur Institute at Saint Lager in the Burgundy region of France, 15 South African wines placed among the 259 wines to win a medal. Of the 782 entries from over 30 countries around the world, Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chardonnay from the 2015 vintage was the only SA representative included among
Read moreIT’S ONE OF THOSE wine route destinations off the beaten track that’s worth seeking out for the wines but also for the location – above the basin and south of where most of the other Elgin cellars are to be found, close to the sea, and dramatic in terms of the scenery, the weather and the family behind it all. The
Read moreWHEN BARGAIN-HUNTING for good South African Chardonnay at under R100 a bottle, generally speaking it pays to look at what’s coming out of the cellars up and down either side of the Breede River, from the top end of the Breedekloof just south of Wolseley, through Rawsonville and Worcester to Robertson and Bonnievale, where Fröhlich Family Wines are among the newcomers
Read moreEIKENDAL’S latest releases of their so-called ícon wines – the 2014 Chardonnay at R127 pb and the 2013 red blend Classique at R223 pb – promise much. Such are the good track records of these wines that it’s amazing to some that the Stellenbosch property still has a low profile relative to many of the other Top 50 wine cellars in South Africa. It was
Read moreLOUISVALE… Very low profile in recent times, and then POW! Top rating with a Bordeaux-style red blend in the first Ultra Value Wine Challenge after it had collected silver at the Trophy Wine Show earlier in the year, and then the title of Best Rosé at the annual Cap Classique Challenge for South African sparkling wines made according to the traditional
Read moreTHE WINEMAKING team led by cellarmaster Boela Gerber at Groot Constantia have got off to a great start to the year, first with a haul of silverware and certificates at the South African Classic Wine Trophy competition and now with a place among the Top 10 at Chardonnay du Monde in Burgundy, France. Groot Constantia Chardonnay 2013 was the only SA wine included among
Read moreMANY WINE lovers can remember when not that long ago most of the big-name Chardonnays from the top white wine cellars in South Africa (and elsewhere) smacked of oak. Heavily wooded Chardonnay became a turn-off, and an increasing number of both casual as well as serious wine consumers preferred wines that hadn’t seen the inside of a barrel when it comes
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