IT’S UNFORTUNATE that Lievland Vineyards, also home of M·A·N Family Wines, is closed to the public. For the time being, that is. The renovations underway at this Stellenbosch property in the foothills of the Simonsberg might be completed in time for the 2020 festive season, but it could take until sometime in 2021 before wine lovers can visit the tasting
Read moreANNI is the third daughter of Vrede en Lust owner Dana Buys, her namesake a rather impressive Sauvignon Blanc. From Casey’s Ridge, the family’s farm in Elgin, the grapes are taken to the cellar on their estate in Simondium at the foot of the Simonsberg, Paarl. And what emerges in bottle, adorned with a dove, is an unwooded beauty of
Read moreTHE 2020 National Wine Challenge of South Africa – a.k.a. Robin von Holdt’s Top 100 Wines – attracted “well over 500” entries, down on previous years but not bad given the lockdown(s) due to Covid-19. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in the judges all being locally based, with Greg Sherwood MW unable to fly out from the UK. Ginette de Fleuriot
Read more100 SUBMISSIONS from 78 producers was an impressive level of involvement by the South African wine industry in Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report. Most of the top seeds participated, the majority of the country’s benchmark Cabs on the tasting bench for assessment by the panel comprising editor Christian Eedes (chair) with fine wine retailers Roland Peens and James Pietersen
Read moreOLD AGE isn’t always a good thing when it comes to grape vines, but man, in many instances, can it make a positive difference to what’s in the glass! Big time! Thankfully, very good wines can originate in young vineyards too; the old stuff is scarce and what’s made from it tends to sell at a premium that can be
Read moreIN THE Liquid Assets column of Independent Media’s Personal Finance magazine published in the first quarter of 2020 (see below), four of South Africa’s leading wine producers were in the spotlight for their success on the world stage in 2019. Three are among the Top 30 in the SA Cellar Classification and all have wines in the country’s Top 100
Read more“DO YOU KNOW how hard it is to sell a bottle of Viognier in South Africa,” said the fellow behind the counter of the neighbourhood wine shop, explaining why they hardly ever stocked it. “Not any more,” said the customer, who’d been enquiring about the Ridgeback, hunting for the 2018 vintage, in vain. “Yeah, heard it just got 5
Read moreAMONG the destinations in and around the winelands of South Africa honoured at the 2019 Wine & Food Tourism Conference outside Stellenbosch for offering outstanding, memorable tourist experiences, three were presented with trophies in recognition of their innovative approach to exciting and delighting their guests. The judges focused on how the innovation helped to solve a problem or address a
Read moreWHERE TO EAT on the Paarl Wine Route, on a farm, among the vines? And which wines to seek out, what the panels of experts have recommended recently? For lunch, your choices include Faber at Avondale, several options at Babylonstoren, the Goatshed at Fairview, Glen Carlou, The Kraal at Joostenberg, The Red Table at Nederburg, Rhebokskloof, the Deck at Ridgeback, Rupert &
Read more“PERHAPS the ‘Cape Blend’ is simply a concept that has run out of time” – Winemag’s Christian Eedes, commenting on the poor showing and no-shows by Pinotage-driven combos for the publication’s 2019 Signature Red Blend Report. Perhaps what many Cape Blend producers have a problem with is the random nature of this competition whereby almost anything goes – apart from
Read moreNO DOUBT many a wine lover reacted with shock and disbelief on hearing that Painted Wolf of Paarl had won the title of Most Successful Producer Overall at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. That was until they heard how Jeremy & Emma Borg and ‘the pack’ pulled it off – with champion white and red wines made using the
Read moreTHIS IS the first year that the Stellenbosch Wine Festival is held in Cape Town, instead of Stellenbosch! And just how much progress has Riesling from the Cape winelands made over the past 10 or 20 years? There are quite a few top Wine SA events to contemplate going to in April 2019, whether you’re in Nelspruit, Cape Town,
Read moreDARN! It was sad to hear that the Wine & Bubbly Festival scheduled to take place on the beach at Plettenberg Bay in March had been cancelled due to ‘late withdrawal of the sponsorship’ – though good to read that Plett Tourism and Plett Winelands ‘will return with another world-class experience in 2020’. Instead then, the main focus of attention in
Read moreA CHECKLIST that will come in useful when next you head out wine-tasting or shopping on the Paarl wine route, the following are those whites, reds, bubblies and sweets with the very best track records from the cellars of the area according to the 2019 SA Wine & Cellar Classification. • For the full Paarl Wine Classification, click here. •
Read moreTHE BABYLONSTOREN spread of billionaire businessman Koos Bekker off the Klapmuts Road between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek is best known for its beautiful gardens, orchards, greenhouse, restaurant, hotel and spa. So popular is this destination in the Paarl district that they charge to have a look at the place, booking a table for lunch in what was once an old cow
Read moreNEW ON Top Wine SA! Now you can flip through photographs of the top tables in the winelands of South Africa and then, for more info, just click on the images that appeal. CHECK IT OUT: a slideshow of the best places to eat at among the vines, together with a directory already well used by many food and wine lovers who
Read moreAS THEY SAY: “The new age of the Swartland commenced in 1997 when [Fairview proprietor] Charles Back stumbled across an old tobacco farm, Klein Amoskuil. Bewildered by the quality of grapes in a region better known for its wheat and rolling fynbos hills, Charles set forth to acquire the farm and study its soils and extreme climate. Hence the Spice Route
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 moreTHE NUMBER of wine farms and cellars in South Africa is declining. The total area under vine has been shrinking. Yet turnover is up, domestically and on the export markets. Among the annual industry statistics released by SA Wine Industry Information & Systems (SAWIS), total sales are now at nearly 900 million litres after three years of growth, despite prolonged
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
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