THE ONLINE award presentation was a rather dumbed-down affair, not without technical hiccups, but the panel of judges for the 2021 Challenge convened by the industry association Shiraz SA was strong on experience. Among the selectors were Cape Wine Masters Andy Roediger (chair for the ninth year) and Paul Benadé, cellarmasters Frans Smit (Spier) and Richard Kershaw MW, as well
Read moreTHE GOLD medal winners at Syrah du Monde 2021 included the Cederberg Private Cellar of David Nieuwoudt and Nick van Huyssteen’s Saronsberg in Tulbagh, where Dewaldt Heyns is the cellarmaster. France was most impressive with five wines considered among the best on show, followed by Australia (3), Chile, Macedonia, South Africa, Portugal and Morocco. South Africa’s standout Shiraz was the
Read moreTHESE ARE the South African wines most highly rated in 2020, contenders for the title of SA Wine of the Year! Or should that be Winery of the Year, or Winemaker of the Year? Clearly some reviews count more than others. On the other hand, it says a lot when a wine wows more than one panel of experts
Read moreTHERE WERE 307 wines from 27 countries on the tasting bench at Syrah du Monde 2020, the 14th edition of this international competition held in the Rhône Valley, France. After three days of judging dry and sweet wines, reds, rosés, bubblies and desserts made from Shiraz, 101 medals were awarded – 87 silvers and just 14 golds, of which two
Read more“A WILD RED wine” is how they describe it on the label. The maiden vintage of the Wildeberg Shiraz Cab Franc combo is hardly 12 months old and comes from vines that have only yielded a few vintages to date. There are only 10 hectares planted to vine on the small farm at the bottom of steep slopes in the
Read moreAT R94 A BOTTLE, ‘The Innocent’ Syrah 2018 from the Lammershoek (lambs’ corner) farm outside Malmesbury is the only wine among the Top 10 in Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Shiraz Report priced at under R100 – pulling off the same feat that its predecessor achieved in the publisher’s 2019 report on South African expressions of the variety. Two other standouts in
Read moreDUE TO lockdown restrictions imposed on local drinks industry players in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, announcing the 2020 Shiraz SA Challenge results was a sombre occasion conducted online without the winners in attendance. A virtually dry celebration! The judging, held over four days at Nederburg in Paarl, was chaired by Cape Wine Master Andy Roediger, with the panellists
Read moreFOR THE MOST PART, the results of Strauss & Co’s ‘Rhône-themed’ fine wine online auction conducted in collaboration with the merchants Wine Cellar and sommelier Higgo Jacobs from 6 to 14 April 2020 were to be expected. But how impressive was the demand for that youngster from Donovan Rall, and could that old Zandvliet really still be alive and well?
Read moreIT WAS IN 1694 that Rust en Vrede was established among the foothills of what became known as the Helderberg area of the Stellenbosch winelands. The Engelbrecht family have been the proprietors since the late 1970s, and for over 40 years the farm has been one of South Africa’s leading producers, specialising in red wines. The ‘Estate’ blend of
Read moreMANY ARE UNAWARE or forget that in parts of the world the cultivation of wine grape varieties is stictly controlled. As some well know, this was once the case in South Africa, whereas now you can plant anything anywhere, so to speak. Naturally, there are some areas that are better suited to wine farming than others, and certain grape varieties
Read moreWALKING UP AND DOWN the aisles of a good wine shop, you tend to be faced with a manageable number of options to choose from when it comes to the niche or unusual varieties, the bargain barrel or the cabinet of luxury brands. However, when the choice is mind-boggling in size, you might need a strategy or some recommendations based
Read moreTROPHY FOR the most Outstanding Wine Producer at the 2019 International Wine & Spirit Competition and the most successful in the history of the event, going back to 1969. An impressive ‘feather in the cap’ for Kanonkop, Stellenbosch and the Cape winelands in general, it was one of the highlights during an awards banquet at the Guildhall in London end-November,
Read moreTHAT DE GRENDEL top-scored (95/100) in the South African Winemag’s 2019 Shiraz Report was not surprising: the cellar is one of the country’s Top 10 producers in this category. However, whereas the better-known Shiraz from this outfit on the Durbanville Wine Route is made from grapes harvested in Paarl and Stellenbosch, the loyalty-club exclusive orginates outside Elim in the district
Read moreALTHOUGH they make some of the good Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for which Elgin is famous, Almenkerk Estate in the middle of the valley is more renowned among some wine lovers for their reds – and we’re not talking Pinot Noir, for which the area is also well known. The Belgian/Dutch Van Almenkerk family is one of just two
Read moreALBERTUS VILJOEN was the founder of Worcester farm Alvi’s Drift back in 1928: charismatic, athlete, Springbok rugby player of note. Bismarck was Alvi’s Great Dane: superior in stature, commanding respect, providing a friendly welcome to visitors. And the red blend named in honour of the man and his hound is among the ‘ultra premium’ offerings from Alvi’s Drift: multiple award
Read moreTHEY SAY they produce the world’s best Shiraz. A bold claim by the Hartenberg producers in Bottelary, Stellenbosch. And at the 2019 edition of Syrah du Monde, France, they were certainly up there with some of the best, their ‘Stork’ flagship placing among the Top 4, and Bon Courage of Robertson also one of the Top 10 – their ‘Pepper
Read moreTHERE were 207 entries in the 2019 Shiraz SA Challenge, including 36 Shiraz-driven blends. The judges were Cape Wine Masters Andy Roediger (panel chair) and Elsie Pells, cellarmasters Charles Hopkins (De Grendel) and Edmund Terblanche (La Motte), wine writer/brand manager Samarie Smith (Benguela Cove), international judge Claus Fischer of Germany (Mundus Vini), wine consultant Jeanne-Mari de Villiers (VinJeanne) and Cape
Read moreTHE SORT of place you can fall in love with. Quaint. A wine farm in the traditional sense. Sprawling vineyards. Dirt roads. Classic design. Duck pond and gardens. Organic feel. Welcoming yet somewhat secluded: only open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays (otherwise by appointment), and only four wines, apart from the occasional once-off. Also selling under Kleinood’s Tamboerskloof
Read moreTHE WINELANDS of Tulbagh are best known for Cap Classique, Pinotage and Shiraz. Or vice versa, you could say. And when it comes to Shiraz from this district in the Upper Breede River Valley, Saronsberg is second to none. From one of the Top 20 cellars in the country, both the Rhône-style blend Full Circle and the single-varietal Shiraz are among
Read moreTHE CREATIVE Block range of wines from Spier in Stellenbosch is one that explores the art of blending, which in the case of No. 3 is about balancing the components of a Rhône-style combination, with Shiraz playing the leading role. The figure has to do with the number of varieties in the blend. And like its predecessors, the 2015 is rather
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