Sauvignon Blanc can develop beautifully with age: Top 10 Awards
GIVEN THAT over half the number of entries in the 2022 FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 Competition were made in 2022, i.e. 86 out of 161 wines from 102 producers, […]
Saronsberg wins big at Shiraz SA Challenge – 10 years on
SURE THERE ARE other delightful reds and whites in their range, but it’s Shiraz that they specialise in at Saronsberg. Surely the leading wine outfit in the district of Tulbagh, […]
Durbanville winelands checklist 2022: where to go, what to go for
SAUVIGNON BLANC territory… But they also offer a range of fine wines using different varieties, of course. Particularly in the case of Diemersdal and De Grendel, which might be […]
Outrageous! How can a competition winner not carry the highest score?
AWKWARD! Who was more embarrassed: the good folk at Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch, the South African National Wine Show Association who organise the Veritas Awards, or the sponsors of […]
Spier Red Blend and De Grendel Shiraz ‘share’ top spot at Veritas Awards
THE DUIMPIE BAYLY Veritas Vertex Award for “the overall champion” at the 2021 edition of South Africa’s oldest bottled wine [and brandy] show, still one of the biggest competitions of […]
Some say Syrah, some say Shiraz – Top 10 in 2021 Winemag Report
“SOUTH AFRICAN Syrah can no longer be neatly pigeonholed,” says Winemag editor Christian Eedes in the 2021 Prescient Shiraz Report. “Expect everything from delicate, very fine, to ultra-glossy, rich wines […]
SA Merlot still muddling along in 2021 – according to Winemag Report
‘EXCELLENT’ Merlot they found, but not one of the Top 10 in Winemag’s 2021 Prescient Report was regarded as ‘outstanding’ – none rated higher than 92/100 by the panel comprising editor […]
De Grendel goes back three centuries, four generations – and counting
2020 marks the 300th anniversary of De Grendel as a Cape landmark. Renowned for its award-winning wines and fine-dining restaurant, the estate on the Tygerberg hills outside Cape Town […]
It can be very good, but… Top SA Pinot Noir as contentious as ever
DE GRENDEL, Iona, Kershaw, Lothian, Shannon… The Top 10 in Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Pinot Noir Report include a number of vintages from South African cellars with a history of good reviews […]
The Innocent Syrah again found ‘guilty’ of great value in Winemag Report
AT R94 A BOTTLE, ‘The Innocent’ Syrah 2018 from the Lammershoek (lambs’ corner) farm outside Malmesbury is the only wine among the Top 10 in Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Shiraz Report […]
Shiraz Challenge winners hail from 12 different corners of the Cape
DUE TO lockdown restrictions imposed on local drinks industry players in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, announcing the 2020 Shiraz SA Challenge results was a sombre occasion conducted online […]
Make no mistake! Merlot at its finest is as luscious and velvety as can be
“MERLOT SOMETIMES gets a bad rap for being sweetish, soft and nothing more,” says Christian Eedes, Winemag.co.za editor and tasting panel chair. However, “the best examples are really luscious and […]