THREE wines of South Africa placed among the Top 10 at Syrah du Monde 2022, held in the Northern Rhône Valley of France. This was on a par with Australia and just one fewer than France, however it was a Cape Shiraz – the 2019 vintage of Glen Carlou Syrah of Paarl – that the judges ranked No. 1. Pity that
Read moreTHE PRICE of over R1000 a bottle puts Bouchard Finlayson’s flagship Pinot Noir from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley into the realm of South Africa’s luxury wines, although for less than half that you can get the same vintage of their Galpin Peak. In fact it wasn’t that long ago that the “cameo selection” Tête de Cuvée also carried the name Galpin
Read moreTHE R43 244 fetched for a single bottle of the 1966 GS Cabernet at the Strauss & Co auction in Johannesburg on 15 May 2022 was the second-highest price ever paid for this wine – the highest being R91 040, fetched in a sale conducted by the same auction house in September 2021. The occasion this time round was the
Read moreOF 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 in the glass by those in the know, labels out of sight – reaching consensus without being influenced by the brand status, marketing, winemaker or the location of the vineyards.
Read moreNOW IN ITS 38th year, the International Wine Challenge (IWC) is one of the world’s most rigorous wine competitions. Every medal winner is assessed ‘blind’ on at least three separate occasions by a minimum of two panels of judges tasting together, and then again by two of the show’s co-chairs, who in 2022 comprised Tim Atkin MW, Sam Caporn MW,
Read more“CHENIN BLANC is famously versatile, and it would be wrong to say that any one style prevailed among the top performing wines,” said Winemag editor Christian Eedes in the 2022 Prescient Report, compiled after the assessment of 82 entries from 61 producers in the Cape winelands. “Chenin is South Africa’s most-planted grape, and it is amazing how well it works
Read more“THE BEST Shiraz is nothing if not peppery and many will have quite grippy tannins as a result of whole-bunch fermentation… Shiraz is for those who aren’t afraid of some flavour intensity.” So says Winemag editor Christian Eedes, who chaired the panel tasting of 99 South African wines from 82 producers submitted for the 2022 Prescient Shiraz Report. Also on
Read moreON THE FARM Dekkersvlei in Klein Drakenstein, Paarl, Mellasat is off the beaten track. At these vineyards, proprietor Stephen Richardson, cellarmaster Gizelle Coetzee and their team like to do things somewhat differently. In fact this one’s never been done before… There’s nothing else quite like it. Not the first Cap Classique sparkling wine made using Pinotage to some degree, but
Read moreWITH SOME vintages it’s recommended that for a refreshing drink you can chill this blend, described by the De Villiers family as a “fun-loving” wine. In recent years, however, the Paul Hugo Red has over-delivered relative what you might expect from the second tier in Landskroon’s portfolio. The 2020 is one of the standouts since the maiden vintage 2006. Judged
Read moreR300 FOR a good sirloin or pepper-crusted fillet with fries, salad and a decent glass of red. Or R300 for salmon, potatoes, greens and a decent glass of white. On the deck or patio, under the oaks, outside a top restaurant of a top cellar on a sunny afternoon in the beautiful winelands of the Cape. Have you been
Read moreIN THE ANNUAL address by the director general of the Paris-based International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) about the state of the wine industry worldwide, Spain’s Pau Roca reported that 2021 had seen a boom in international trade, a record high in both volume and value. “However the scenario for 2022 looks uncertain due to the turbulence posed by
Read moreCHAMONIX of Franschhoek are on track in building a good track record with their Cabernet Franc, but who would have given short odds on them coming top of the class in South Africa’s 2022 Cab Franc Challenge? Congrat’s to the team – more respected for their Chardonnay, Troika red blend and Pinot Noir – whose Challenge entry was fancied ahead
Read moreWHY SPARKLING wine made according to the Mèthode Ancestral(e) is different relative to bubbly made the ‘traditional’ way – aka Champagne, Cava and Cap Classique – is that the fermentation involves a single, continuous process. From a stainless-steel tank, the fermenting wine is bottled and sealed at the point where there is just enough grape sugar remaining to make for
Read moreOF THE FIVE Worcester wineries that qualify for the South African Cellar Classification, one has made a success of a flagship range associated with places outside the district. The most established of Overhex proprietor Gerhard van der Wath’s Survivor wines, the Pinotage and Chenin Blanc, are made using Swartland grapes harvested over 100km away, as is the Syrah. The Survivor
Read moreSURELY EVERY wine lover is familiar with a magnum, twice the size of a standard 750ml bottle, but when last did anybody put a 6L methusalah on their table? Many of us would not be comfortable pouring wine from an 18L melchior or solomon bottle weighing over 30kg, let alone a primat, with the 27L goliath tipping the scales at
Read moreEVEN WHEN it isn’t Easter, there are at least nine top cellars in the Cape winelands of South Africa where the tasting-room experiences extend to chocolate-and-wine pairings. Clearly dessert wine is not the only route to go to enjoy a good marriage, but there are also a number of options should you want to dive straight in, so to speak:
Read moreANCESTRAL(E)… Oldest method of making sparkling wine, whereby the wine is bottled during the (single) fermentation process, before the completion of alcoholic fermentation. (Excerpt from Mini Wine Encyclopaedia on Top Wine SA) Less involved, a shorter route to bottling than Champagne (France), Cava (Spain) or Cap Classique (South Africa). No second fermentation, and no dosage (addition of sugar-and-wine ‘liqueur’) after
Read moreAT THE SA fine wine auction by Strauss & Co on 3 April 2022, highlights of the sale focusing on three top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers in the Hemel-en-Aarde were as follows: • Six bottles of Crystallum Cuvée Cinéma Pinot Noir 2009 fetched R8000 (R9380 incl VAT and fees), compared to the pre-auction estimate of R9000 to R12 000. •
Read moreEVEN WHEN IT comes to the Top 100 Cellars on the various wine routes of South Africa, not all of them are open to the public for tastings and sales all week, all weekend, i.e. including Sundays. See below for those that are, what their Sunday trading hours are plus links to the various destinations should you wish to make
Read moreOF SOUTH AFRICA’S top wine cellars that are open to the public, some have taken their tasting-room experience to another level when it comes to matching what’s in the glass with what’s on the plate, or vice versa. See below for what is currently on offer – just click on the links for more information and how to book a
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