The Garland 2020 “silky, effortless” – Platter’s No. 1 Cab
THE GARLAND 2020 from Simonsig in Koelenhof-Stellenbosch is the most highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon in the 2025 edition of Platter’s South African Wine Guide. Five Stars, 97 points on the […]
Tokara aims to set new benchmark for SA Cabernet
FOR THE Ferreiras to call the second super-premium wine from their Stellenbosch estate ‘Tokara Simonsberg Cabernet Sauvignon’ is intriguing. The vines that the grapes come from for this single-varietal wine […]
First of South Africa’s champion white wines in 2024
GLEN CARLOU has been a Chardonnay and Cabernet specialist since 1988. As they put it at the cellar on the slopes of the Simonsberg in Paarl, the conversation is led […]
Glen Carlou ranks among Top 10 at Chardonnay du Monde
SOUTH AFRICA achieved three gold medals at the 2024 edition of Chardonnay du Monde in Burgundy, France, with one of the winning wines – the 2023 vintage of Glen Carlou’s […]
Paarl estate Bacco grabs attention a year after opening
ITALIAN for Bacchus, the Roman God of Wine, Bacco is also the name of a new wine estate in the Simonsberg area of Paarl where proprietor Nathan Jankelowitz and his […]
Sprankel! Babylonstoren top Cap Classique in Platter’s guide
2018 is the eighth vintage of Babylonstoren’s Cap Classique. How time flies! The bottle-fermented sparkler has a good track record and this year could be the best to date. It’s […]
New lunch spot on Simonsberg Wine Route, Stellenbosch
IF YOU DEFINE the Simonsberg Wine Route in Stellenbosch as including those cellars on either side of the R44 between the boundary with Paarl to the north and Stellenbosch suburbia […]
Stellenbosch winelands checklist 2022: where to go, what to go for
THE NUMBERS go some way to painting the picture! Fifteen of South Africa’s Top 20 Cabs are from Stellenbosch. Cabernet Sauvignon, that is. Ten of the country’s Top 20 […]
Onward and upward for Cabernet specialist Finlayson, David Finlayson
EDGEBASTON is the name of his wine farm on the slopes of the Simonsberg, but Finlayson is the name that most people in the know associate with top winemakers in […]
Cool-climate Sauvignon selling at a cool price for a wine of this class
ANNI is the third daughter of Vrede en Lust owner Dana Buys, her namesake a rather impressive Sauvignon Blanc. From Casey’s Ridge, the family’s farm in Elgin, the grapes are […]
SA wines from really old vines up to several dozen and counting
OLD AGE isn’t always a good thing when it comes to grape vines, but man, in many instances, can it make a positive difference to what’s in the glass! Big […]
New from room with a view… Thelema remains a wine route favourite
THELEMA has long been one of South Africa’s leading Cabernet Sauvignon producers and these days the focus at the top end of the pyramid is on a Bordeaux-style blend, the […]