AT LAST COUNT, the number of visitors to Groot Constantia stood at around 450 000 a year. It’s been the most popular wine farm in South Africa’s Cape winelands for some time, which is not to be confused with wine sales – gone are the days when ‘Joe Soap’ and ‘the man in the street’ would queue up at the
Read moreJUST a generation ago, the prices of reds and whites at a South African wine farm were very seldom less than what they sold for at wine shops in the towns nearby. Only a few winery proprietors would risk the wrath of retailers who might well refuse to stock the product of any supplier who dared to undercut them. Times
Read moreUSED TO BE that Chateau Libertas from SFW/Distell represented many a South African wine lover’s staple red. That and the likes of a Groot Constantia dry red and KWV Roodeberg, if you could get it, Douglas Green St Augustine if you couldn’t. The sort of red you might graduate to after Tassenberg, before going on to, say, Alto Rouge or
Read moreSJOE! The Trophy Wine Show got it so right when they honoured the 2019 Thokozani Cabernet Franc as Discovery of the Show in 2022. Best value gold medallist in South Africa’s premier wine competition, open to wines of all categories, this beauty from the Diemersfontein cellar in Wellington was also top of its class at the National Wine Challenge (SA)
Read moreWHAT’S YOUR favourite SA wine shop and why? Where do you shop for the best deals on South African wine? Who is most likely to have the wine you’re looking for – or good at getting you what they don’t have then and there? Your opinions and recommendations are welcome – it would be great to share them. In
Read moreIT WAS inevitable, after another round of prohibition in South Africa, once wine sales were allowed again end-July 2021 at Lockdown Level 3 in terms of the COVID-19 Disaster Restrictions, top priority among those needing to stock up again was to look for the bargains on offer. People needed to get a case of something / anything decent onto those
Read moreWHEN DISTELL submitted a little bottle of 200-year-old Grand Constance dessert wine for sale on the 2021 Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction it was estimated to fetch R80 000 to R130 000. After all, once destined for delivery to Napoleon and until recently secured in the Stellenbosch company’s ‘Tabernacle’, the Constantia museum piece has one hellava backstory. That it
Read moreTEN YEARS AGO, the average price of the Top 10 Chenin Blancs according to the 2011 South African Wine Classification was R89 a bottle. Come February 2021 the figure stands at R303pb, with the industry’s annual general price increases due in March. Percentage wise, the other main varieties of SA vino haven’t appreciated in value to quite the same extent,
Read moreOF COURSE, South African Sauvignon Blanc can be one of the most rewarding varieties, a seriously enjoyable white when the winemakers are on their game and the grapes come from the right vineyards. But darn, the chances of success could be better. Chardonnay, especially, as well as Chenin Blanc, are generally more reliable, better bang for your buck – whether
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 moreHAVING read Winemag’s Signature Red Blend Report in which two vintages of Alto Rouge from the Helderberg in Stellenbosch were given excellent reviews and priced at R120 a bottle, the hunt was on. However, shopping for a bargain wine requires a good sense of humour! Alto Rouge was on special at Pick n Pay for R100 a bottle, as we
Read moreCONSUMERS are paying roughly four times the value of a bottle of wine when they order in a South African restaurant. So comments wine e-tailer Ryan Sowray of SaleWine, who has noticed a remarkable growth in people ordering wines to take to restaurants and says this is happening not only in South Africa, but globally. “Instead of going to a
Read moreA SAVING of over R150 a bottle on one of South Africa’s Top 10 Chenins! R200pb less for the most highly rated Shiraz and top wine overall at the Michelangelo Awards!! R55 a bottle for one of the country’s Top 10 white blends!!! Almost 50% less than at the farm for a Cabernet in the Top Wine SA Hall of
Read moreTHE 2017 Uber Value SA Wine Guide was published in December. Four months later – after the annual general price hikes and VAT increase in March and April 2018 – a number of the wines that received very good reviews from one or more of the top panels in 2017 and which were previously selling at under R100 a bottle
Read moreMARCH 1 is traditionally when the annual general price increases are implemented by most South African wine farms and distributors to address production cost increases, inflation, etc. In 2018 many producers delayed their yearly hikes or indicated that a second adjustment would follow that in March because of the increase in VAT, due to come about in April. There are
Read moreOF ALL THE wines to receive very good reviews from one or more of the top panels locally or internationally in 2017, these rank as South Africa’s best value at under R100 a bottle – including some platinum award winners, even some trophy winners. The prices given below are those at the cellar door as supplied by the producers, or approximate retail prices in
Read moreAS WITH most things, after a certain point no wine is worth the asking price – no matter how good it is. Beyond that, there is another point up to which avid wine enthusiasts and collectors might splash out or invest, mindful of paying a premium but happy to indulge their wonts. Of course, just where these points are on the sliding scale can vary immensely
Read moreTHE 2016 Muskadel SA awards point to some of the great value wine producers at under R100 a bottle, or even under R50 at the cellar door – and not just in the fortified dessert wine categories. Du Toitskloof Red Muscadel 2014 at R50 and Orange River Cellars White Muscadel 2015 at R50 were commended for the packaging as well as
Read moreTHERE ARE THOSE that can be too spirity, over the top, but the leading examples are quite wonderful among the dessert wine offerings of the Cape. At their best, the fortified red and white Muscadels and Jerepigos made from Muscat grape varieties – typically d’Alexandrie or de Frontignan – show complexity and alluring sweetness without being cloying. And generally speaking, they’re
Read moreWHAT LEADS TO a wine being positioned as ultra-premium price-wise could be a rarity factor coupled with consumer/collector demand, the investment that’s gone into the maturation/ageing of the product, brand value, perhaps simply the cellar’s wish to offer a statement wine demanding attention even when or precisely because it’s beyond the realm of affordability for many folks. Invariably though –
Read more
