REFLECTING on the past year as regards Wine SA, there is a case to be made for Paarl being home to the champion producer in 2014 after KWV triumphed as the most successful entrant overall at the most prestigious competitions on the South African wine calendar – first at the Trophy Wine Show (for the second time) and then at the Veritas
Read moreNEDERBURG and Nuy remain dominant among South Africa’s most successful sweet wine producers, but the competition is growing and getting stiffer… The following wines achieved outstanding reviews from the judges at blind-tastings around the world in 2013: TOP SOUTH AFRICAN DESSERT WINE RATINGS IN 2013 – UNFORTIFIED Badsberg Badslese Natural Sweet 2012 – 4½ Stars in Platter’s Guide Boekenhoutskloof Noble
Read moreGROOT Constantia, Hamilton Russell, KWV The Mentors, Paul Cluver and Rustenberg Five Soldiers top the list of contenders for South Africa’s champion Chardonnay of the year for 2013… The following wines achieved outstanding reviews from the judges at blind-tastings around the world during the past 12 months: TOP SOUTH AFRICAN CHARDONNAY RATINGS IN 2013 Bartinney 2012 – 4½ Stars, Classic
Read moreTHE OWNERS of Oak Valley Estate might have been the first to build a winery in the vicinity of Grabouw around 100 years ago, but it was Paul Cluver Snr who really got the Elgin winelands going when he planted his first vineyards in the mid-1980s and began bottling on his farm from the late 1990s. It’s been many years
Read moreTHE AMPHITHEATRE at Paul Cluver in the Elgin Valley is a South African wine route destination like none other. Few of the musicians and other entertainers who perform there fail to remark on the natural appeal and glorious intimacy of the venue, and anybody who’s enjoyed a picnic with Paul Cluver wines on the terraces or at one of the
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT Chardonnays from South Africa, the best reviews of the year – from particularly good value wines courtesy of Durbanville Hills and Douglas Green Bellingham to beauties from De Wetshof, Hamilton Russell, Jordan, Mulderbosch, Paul Cluver, Sumaridge, Tokara, Uva Mira and others that have wowed the critics again and again: Almenkerk 2011 – gold medal at Decanter Awards, 4½ Stars in Christian Eedes
Read moreWine of Show at Five NationsChallenge 2012(R130 a bottle) WHAT ELSE must South Africa do to win the Five Nations Wine Challenge in Sydney?! The guys from the Western Cape dominated half a dozen or so of the 16 categories judged in 2012 and won five trophies including “Wine of Show” (top-scoring wine overall), yet it was competition host Australia
Read moreTHE COGNOSCENTI are curious about Spioenkop Wines for a number of reasons – not the least of which is the free-spirited nature of owner-cellarmaster Koen Roose. To meet this Belgian newcomer to the Elgin wine scene is to engage with somebody who’s obviously passionate about making seriously good, characterful wine on his hilltop in the Elgin valley – so passionate
Read moreOVER THE past 10 years, six wineries stand out as the producers with the best track records when it comes to South Africa’s top quality Pinot Noir: Hamilton Russell, Bouchard Finlayson, Sumaridge (all in the Hemel-en-Aarde area outside Hermanus), Chamonix (Franschhoek), Meerlust (Stellenbosch) and Paul Cluver (Elgin). Over the past 18 months, however, three Pinot producers have been winning most
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