THE TOPS at Spar Wine Show takes place in Menlyn Park, Pretoria, the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction at Spier in Stellenbosch. No, this Stellenbosch Wine Festival takes place at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg. The Old Vine Project Masterclass is hosted by Wine Menu in Kramerville, Johannesburg. The Institute of Cape Wine Masters will present an evening with
Read moreALTHOUGH they make some of the good Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for which Elgin is famous, Almenkerk Estate in the middle of the valley is more renowned among some wine lovers for their reds – and we’re not talking Pinot Noir, for which the area is also well known. The Belgian/Dutch Van Almenkerk family is one of just two
Read moreNEW ON THE SA Wine Calendar are the Stellenbosch Fine Wine & Food Festival and the Elgin Wine Fair, but also happening in August are a number of annual events that are as popular as ever: the Free State Wine Show in Bloemfontein, Robertson Slow, the CWG Auction Showcase tastings in Cape Town and Johannesburg as well as the Mercury
Read moreTHERE were 9150 wines from 46 countries judged at the 2019 edition of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Aigle, Switzerland. Spain won 626 medals, followed by France (614), Italy (383) and Portugal (365). The host country won 172 awards and South Africa was also among the 10 most successful wine-producing nations in the competion, with a medal haul of
Read moreTHERE ARE numerous wines made from grapes grown in Elgin and trucked to cellars in other parts of the Cape winelands. The following are 100% Elgin, those with the very best track records from the top cellars in the area according to the SA Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Elgin Wine Classification, click here. • For wine-tasting
Read moreOVER THE TOP? Perhaps. But while there are very few occasions when you can feel relaxed talking about a No. 1 rather than a Top 10, say, surely this is one of them. The 2015 vintage of Mount Bullet from Shannon Vineyards was judged Best Merlot in South Africa’s 2018 National Wine Challenge and awarded top score in Winemag’s annual Merlot
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 moreBELOW are the top Sauvignon Blanc 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 Sauvignon Blanc Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be
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 moreWHERE to go for an interesting plate of food, a decent glass of wine and a relaxing ambience come lunchtime in the Elgin basin outside Grabouw. Well, there’s The Pool Room at Oak Valley, and there was Fresh at Paul Cluver… And/but just opened is SALT, taking over from Fresh, with the promise of the best in the district when
Read more“THE 2000 hectares of old vines that South Africa has is important… It’s part of our history, part of our future, but it’s not going to take our industry forward… What about the other 95 000 hectares!” So reasons Bruwer Raats, applauded as top producer in Platter’s SA Wine Guide, champion of the varieties Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, outspoken winemaker
Read moreTHERE ARE THOSE of us who love the good Rieslings made in South Africa, but we’re in the minority – or at least that’s how it feels, given how few of the country’s cellars include this variety in their range, given how few SA wine-lovers feel comfortable about occasionally buying it instead of the Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Chenin or white blends that
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 moreTHE 2017 SA Cellar Classification confirms the ‘who’s who’ of the Cape winelands when it comes to those producers whose wines have been most fancied most often by panels of experts around the world during the 10-year period 2007 to 2016. And in this regard, obviously, the Top 20 outfits overall make for a rather special bunch. In general, the reputation
Read moreIN WHAT AMOUNTS to a closing-down sale running until the end of March, the prices of everything at the Winters Drift shop next to the Elgin railway station east of Grabouw were slashed by 35% following a decision of the powers that be to cull the brand and to replace the vineyards with orchards – apples and pears. Apparently the wine side
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 moreASKED to come up with a line-up of wines he “considered as South Africa’s aspirational Cap Classiques” that wine lovers won’t buy or drink every day, Graham Beck cellarmaster Pieter Ferreira chose a selection that he regarded as “under the radar but sparkling up a storm”. His presentation along these lines was at the 2015 Cape Wine trade show in the
Read moreTHE 2013, white version of Faithful Hound from Stellenbosch winery Mulderbosch was the top-scoring wine in the 2015 ‘Riscura White Hot Wine Awards’ staged by Winemag.co.za. The ‘Hound’ was made from Franschhoek Semillon and Elgin Sauvignon Blanc, with a couple of 100% Elgin entries – Oak Valley Mountain Reserve 2011 and Highlands Road Sine Cera 2013 – also excelling in this competition
Read moreDEMORGENZON, Elgin Vintners, Lomond, Paul Cluver and Perdeberg were among the International Trophy winners at the 2015 Decanter World Wine Awards – DeMorgenzon (Stellenbosch) with their flagship white blend, Elgin Vintners with their Pinot Noir, Lomond with a Syrah, Paul Cluver (Elgin) with a Riesling for UK retailer Marks & Spencer and Perdeberg (Paarl) with a Chenin from their Dryland Collection. Overall, Paul Cluver was
Read moreSOMETHING(S) to bear in mind if planning a trip to the Cool Wine & Country Festival in Elgin between 9am and 5pm on 2 & 3 May that involves a weekend pass costing R100 pp: Not every Elgin wine will be on show – non-participants include Richard Kershaw, Spioenkop and Sutherland (of Thelema), plus a number of other producers who
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