A rather rare, very unusual wine… Klein Amoskuil’s Fino Sherry
AT THE TIME of writing, the bone-dry Fino-style sherry from the farm Klein Amoskuil in the Malmesbury ward of the Swartland district was the only wine of it’s kind on […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Pilgrim Viura (Macabeo)
VIURA, also known as Macabeo, is a white wine grape that originated in Spain, where it is an important variety in the regions of Rioja and Catalonia – also widely […]
Another winner from the Riebeek Valley: RAAR Shiraz 2023
‘RAAR’ translates as ‘rare’ or ‘scarce’ and, as such, is regarded by the Riebeek Valley Wine Company as a fitting name for their range of small-volume, hand-crafted reds and whites […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Ayama Vermentino
THE FIRST Vermentino vineyards planted in South Africa were on Ayama in the Voor-Paardeberg area in the north-eastern reaches of the Paarl wine district, close to the Swartland border. Taken […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Lowerland Tolbos Tannat
THERE IS more than one South African wine made using the Tannat variety of grapes, but they are very few and far between – and this one comes from grapes […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Newton Johnson Albariño
ALSO KNOWN as Alvarinho in Spain and Portugal where it is used to make white wines including Vinho Verde, the Albariño grape was used for the first time in South […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Ayama Vermentino
THE FIRST Vermentino vineyards planted in South Africa were on Ayama in the Voor-Paardeberg area in the north-eastern reaches of the Paarl wine district, close to the Swartland border. Taken from the […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Lozärn Carménère
THE BORDEAUX grape variety Carménère is extremely scarce in South Africa – less than 10ha of vines in total, of which there is less than a couple of hectares at […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… Limited Release Therona
STELLENBOSCH Vineyards on the Lynedoch side of town are one of the very few producers of wine made from Therona grapes, grown only in South Africa. The variety was largely […]
A rather rare, very unusual wine… AA Badenhorst Palomino
SOME WINES are pretty much ‘one of a kind’, almost incomparable. Some of them from the Cape winelands. This one the ‘Salt of lthe Earth’. In South Africa, Palomino grapes […]
Wondering about the most expensive wines? What the world records are?
WHEN 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 […]
Niche, obscure, extraordinary varieties… ‘Unusuals’ well worth exploring
THERE ARE good reasons why Cabernet and Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc have come to be the most widely planted grape varieties in many wine-producing countries […]
