THE WINNING wines in South Africa’s 2015 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition do not include any that were made at cellars in Darling, Durbanville, Cape Agulhas or the Cape Peninsula – some of the areas renowned for quality, interesting wines in this class. However they do include the Cederberg Private Cellar and Stellenbosch stalwarts Kleine Zalze and Tokara (using Elgin grapes) and Nederburg of Paarl
Read moreEIKENDAL’S latest releases of their so-called ícon wines – the 2014 Chardonnay at R127 pb and the 2013 red blend Classique at R223 pb – promise much. Such are the good track records of these wines that it’s amazing to some that the Stellenbosch property still has a low profile relative to many of the other Top 50 wine cellars in South Africa. It was
Read moreA CLASSIC Wine Trophy in the first quarter of the year, a trophy at the International Wine Challenge in London during the second quarter and then selection among the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 in the third… It’s a wonder that the 2014 DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc hadn’t already sold out by the time the Chenin Blanc Association’s latest awards
Read moreTHE HONOUR for most trophies won by a producer at the Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition since it began 19 years back (1997) is shared by Kanonkop of Stellenbosch and Rijk’s of Tulbagh at 10 each. However during the last 10 years of the shoot-out (2006 to 2015), the judges on the Top 10 tasting panels have awarded seven to Rijk’s, six to Windmeul
Read moreNO SIMONSIG, no Beyerskloof, no Diemersfontein, no Kaapzicht and/but… There are some familiar names plus a bunch of respectable newcomers among the 20 finalists in the 2015 Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition of which the winners are due to be announced on Friday, August 28. The biggest head-turner among the Top 20 chosen from over 150 entries in the Pinotage (Producers) Association’s taste-off this
Read moreTALK ABOUT hitting it off with the French! The 2013 vintage of Groot Constantia Shiraz has been voted one of the Top 10 among the gold medallists at this year’s Syrah du Monde in the village of Ampuis, Northern Rhône Valley, France. SA GOLD MEDALLISTS AT SYRAH DU MONDE 2015 Cederberg CWG Auction Reserve Teen die Hoog Shiraz 2012 Groot Constantia Shiraz
Read moreMANY WINE lovers can remember when not that long ago most of the big-name Chardonnays from the top white wine cellars in South Africa (and elsewhere) smacked of oak. Heavily wooded Chardonnay became a turn-off, and an increasing number of both casual as well as serious wine consumers preferred wines that hadn’t seen the inside of a barrel when it comes
Read moreTHE MOST successful wine outfits in and around the town of Robertson in a district that also encompasses Ashton, Bonnievale and McGregor, tend to be those close to the Breede River. And Robertson’s Top 10 producers according to track records spanning the 10 years 2005 to 2014 include some of South Africa’s leading bubbly producers as well as cellars with good
Read moreBASED ON THE best track records in 26 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications celebrate the country’s leading outfits – those who are regularly on top form, their product judged top-notch again and again, year after year. To be eligible for the Classification, updated annually since 2004, a wine must
Read moreALTHOUGH THE EXACT pecking order regarding the very best wine producers in South Africa will forever be debatable, there is little argument amongst the cognoscenti that The Sadie Family is comfortably among the Top 10 in terms of the special nature and interest value of what they produce. Yet to many, this cellar in the foothills of the Paardeberg outside Malmesbury in the
Read moreTHERE ARE FEW surprises among the winners of the Pinotage Association’s 2014 Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition… Delheim Vera Cruz is better known for its prowess in the Shiraz category – the Vera Cruz Pinotage is a maiden vintage. And it’s suspected that certain Pinotage heavyweights including Kanonkop didn’t enter on this occasion – there is also no Kaapzicht Steytler,
Read moreTHE TULBAGH WINES with the best track records over the past 10 years stand out as follows – all regular recipients of good reviews by top judges internationally: TOP REDS PINOTAGE – Rijk’s, Manley, Klein Tulbagh SHIRAZ – Saronsberg, Rijk’s, Saronsberg Provenance RED BLENDS – Saronsberg Full Circle, Saronsberg Seismic, Saronsberg Provenance Rooi TOP WHITES CHENIN BLANC – Rijk’s VIOGNIER – Saronsberg WHITE BLEND – Fable
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S 2014 Wine & Cellar Classifications based on the best track records in 25 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years feature eight new inclusions among the Top 100 Cellars: De Morgenzon, Laborie Wine Estate, Newton Johnson Family Vineyards, Nitida Cellars, Quoin Rock Winery, Rall Wines, Reyneke Wines and Van Loveren. However the majority of the
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S 2014 Wine & Cellar Classifications on the basis of the best track records in 25 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years have just been released. To be eligible for Classification, a wine must have been made and bottled in South Africa and must have earned very good reviews by at least one of the
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S 2014 Wine & Cellar Classifications on the basis of the best track records in 25 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years have just been released. To be eligible for Classification, a wine must have been made and bottled in South Africa and must have earned very good reviews by at least one of the
Read moreSOUTH AFRICA’S 2014 Wine & Cellar Classifications based on the best track records in 25 local and international blind-tasting forums over the past 10 years have just been released. To be eligible for Classification, a wine must have been made and bottled in South Africa and must have earned very good reviews by at least one of the top judging
Read moreSYRAH du Monde is held in May every year at Château d’Ampuis in the northern Rhône, France. A taste-off involving some of the world’s best Shiraz, it’s a respected international competition which in 2013 involved 423 wines from 28 countries. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded, with much praise heaped on the Top 10. This year five South African
Read moreJordan, Stellenbosch: one of South Africa’s very best wine estates, especially for whites Jordan Wine Estate is the leading contender for the title of this year’s SA Chardonnay Champion. As one of the Top 10 White Wine Cellars in South Africa and one of the country’s Top 20 Cellars Overall, Jordan also fields good Chenin, Sauvignon, Riesling as well red and dessert
Read morePainted Wolf Wines join“Pinotage brotherhood” NO KANONKOP or Beyerskloof wine among the Pinotage Association’s Absa Top 10 competition! Can this be? And it doesn’t stop there: there’s also no L’Avenir, no DeWaal and no Stellenzicht Pinotage among the award winners – not even among the Top 20! On the other hand, top performers in the competition to date who were called up
Read moreGREAT VALUE Chenin Blanc – South African wines at under R50 a bottle that have received good reviews by one or more of the top tasting panels around the world during the past 18 months. Prices given in SA rand – ex-cellar, or approximate retail in the case of wineries that are closed to the public. At R22pb – Cape Weaver Chenin
Read more
