Top 3 in Platter’s 2025 Guide from Elgin, Durbanville, Tulbagh
THE TOP-RATED wines in the 2025 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide – scored 98/100 – are the Cap Classique sparkler Cipher Blanc de Noirs 2018 from the Elgin […]
Some trophies mean more than others at the IWSC, London
CONTRARY TO what some people might think, certain wine producer trophy laureates at the mega International Wine & Spirit Competition in the UK are determined less according to the quality […]
Top scores at Veritas revealed! Eight wineries awarded 95+
THE DOUBLE GOLD winners at the 2024 Veritas Awards have disclosed what the competition organisers will not… Apart from presenting the Vertex trophy for the most highly rated of the […]
When a gold medal meant the same at every show…
OH THAT there could be an internationally accepted, universally agreed-upon 100-point system for scoring wine. If only the convenors of the competitions, shows, challenges and reports could concur as to […]
Most highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon of South Africa in 2023
WHEN IT COMES TO South African Cab, there’s no question as to which part of the country’s winelands dominates the category. Not that Stellenbosch has it all their own way… […]
Most highly rated Chardonnay from South Africa in 2023
OH FOR A BOTTLE or a case of each! The panels of experts have spoken… See below for the honours roll when it comes to the South African Chardonnays most […]
Tim Atkin MW vs Greg Sherwood MW vs Christian Eedes vs …
[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]WHO HASN’T seen one of those wine bottle stickers denoting a Tim Atkin rating or award! The assessments by this British Master of Wine are conducted with full […]
Some Veritas champs recommended by more than one panel …
OF THE 95 wines judged worthy of double gold medals at South Africa’s 2022 Veritas Awards, there are 19 standouts on the basis of various tasting results… 95 is a […]
Scores of 90-plus don’t all equate to really outstanding wine
IT’S NOT OFTEN that you see wine estates trumpeting about a silver medal, yet the sound of popping corks can get pretty pretty loud when a respected critic or tasting […]
Wines that aren’t rated ‘blind’ cannot rank among the best
OF COURSE wine ratings matter! Reviews by panels of experts, that is, i.e. if you want to gauge just how good a wine is. We’re talking about assessments of what’s […]
Outrageous! How can a competition winner not carry the highest score?
AWKWARD! Who was more embarrassed: the good folk at Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch, the South African National Wine Show Association who organise the Veritas Awards, or the sponsors of […]
Too low? Too high? If only we could all agree on wine rating definitions
THE CONTENTIOUS issue of wine ratings and awards continues to flare up from time to time, with outspoken wine lovers, wine scribes, critics and judges at odds with each other […]
