OF THE 1120 entries from 23 countries in the 2022 edition of Concours Mondial du Sauvignon, 225 were wooded wines – including the 2021 vintage of The Journal from Diemersdal in Durbanville, one of nine trophy winners as the best of four gold medallists from South Africa. The other SA stars included the Coastal Cuvée 2017 from Delaire Graff in
Read moreAS IF FOOD and wine pairing isn’t challenging enough! Get it right and the enjoyment of both what’s on the plate and in the glass will be enhanced, although it’s hardly straightforward. Apparently something similar applies to music: depending on what you’re playing, some wines are more suitable than others: think smooth red and mellow jazz, or perhaps good Chardonnay
Read moreIT’S NOT the first museum in South Africa’s winelands, but the latest creation at Koos Bekker and Karen Roos’s Babylonstoren on the Simonsberg foothills in Paarl is one of the standouts when it comes to the various bonus attractions on the farms, among the vineyards, i.e. besides the cellars, tasting rooms, restaurants, farm stalls, gift shops and places to stay.
Read morePRETTY NEAT! In 2021 they did it with their Finesse 2020. In 2022 they’ve done it with their Bateleur 2020. One of the Top 10 gold medallists at Chardonnay du Monde two years in succession. Up against top producers from around the world, and in Burgundy, France. Go De Wetshof! Go Robertson! There were 546 entries from 32 countries,
Read moreRATHER IMPRESSIVE! At the sale of 10-year-old wines by the South African auction house Strauss & Co, somebody paid over R4000 for a bottle of dessert wine from Andrea and Chris Mullineux’s Roundhouse farm outside Malmesbury in the Swartland. The bottle of ‘Essence’ is just 250ml in size, which would put the cost of a standard 750ml equivalent at over
Read moreVIOGNIER. There’s a certain sexiness associated with this aromatic white grape, used to make some of the famous white wines of Condrieu in the northern Rhône, southern France, and planted elsewhere including Italy, Australia, New Zealand, California as well as South Africa. The variety is somewhat controversial, too. The origin is uncertain, with Croatia getting the credit according to some.
Read moreSJOE! The Trophy Wine Show got it so right when they honoured the 2019 Thokozani Cabernet Franc as Discovery of the Show in 2022. Best value gold medallist in South Africa’s premier wine competition, open to wines of all categories, this beauty from the Diemersfontein cellar in Wellington was also top of its class at the National Wine Challenge (SA)
Read moreA SOUTH AFRICAN wine producer got in touch to voice his discontent regarding the critics, the show judges, locally and internationally… How is it possible that Merlot makes such a high percentage of the red wine bought in this country yet there are not many brands that qualify for the SA Wine Classification. The producer preferred not to be
Read moreDE TOREN, SADIE FAMILY, Porseleinberg and Hartenberg fetched the highest bids for South African wines at the Strauss & Co auction of Shiraz and Rhône-style blends on 21 Feb 2022. The rare and sought-after lots on sale featured various local as well as French producers, with other respected names from the Cape winelands including Badenhorst, Boschkloof, Cederberg, David & Nadia,
Read moreTOP WINE SA Hall of Fame, one of the Top 100 in the 2022 SA Wine Classification, among South Africa’s Top 10 white blends and one of the country’s Wines of the Year in 2021. The barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc Semillon combo from Cape Point Vineyards, the “world class winery by the sea” in Noordhoek, owned by Sybrand van der Spuy and with
Read moreTHE 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 wines from Pinotage are WO Stellenbosch. Eleven of the Top 20 Red Blends. Also, 11 of the Top 20 Chenins are from here, and nine of the Top 20 Chardonnays.
Read moreIT’S ARGUABLE THAT you can’t really call this a wine route. Many of the top cellars operate quite independently, many require you to make an appointment in advance of visiting and some are not keen on dealing directly with the general public on a daily basis. One of the exceptions is AA Badenhorst, where they also offer lunch and
Read moreSAUVIGNON BLANC territory… But they also offer a range of fine wines using different varieties, of course. Particularly in the case of Diemersdal and De Grendel, which might be associated with other estates on this wine route but is around the corner from Durbanville Hills in Panorama – and which also stands out for making some of their finest
Read moreCHARDONNAY and bubbly are what come to mind for many when contemplating the cellars of the Robertson Wine Valley. But they also offer good reds, and sweet pleasures too. See below for the top wineries in the area and what they’re best at. For the names of exactly which wines from the area have the best track records, see
Read moreFROM THE FOOTHILLS of Paarl Rock Mountain to the Simonsberg, Voor Paardeberg and beyond, this is a wine route encompassing some of South Africa’s biggest cellars as well as some of its smallest. Babylonstoren, Fairview and Spice Route are among the most popular tourist destinations in this district where the boundary lines separating Paarl from Franschhoek and Stellenbosch can
Read moreMANY WOULD ARGUE that their Chardonnay is more impressive than their Pinot, and they make some other outstanding wines here too – with a number of the cellars’ beauties originating in vineyards outside the area! But it tends to be Pinot Noir that the Hemel-en-Aarde winelands are best known for, and certainly its what the winemakers make the most noise
Read moreJUST OVER an hour’s drive (around 80km) from Cape Town, the ‘French corner’ of the Cape winelands – east of Stellenbosch and Paarl – is one of the most popular wine routes in South Africa. Numerous guesthouses and Airbnb options, as well as a wine tram connecting one end of the valley to the other. This is gourmet country.
Read moreHARD TO BELIEVE that 20 years ago this wine route was still struggling to get off the ground, so to speak. Whereas today, not only is Elgin home to some of the country’s top cellars but numerous wineries in Stellenbosch and elsewhere use grapes from the area and proudly proclaim as much on their labels. Many of the wine-tasting venues
Read moreSOME STRUGGLE to get their heads around the law that allows for wines from Durbanville being labelled as Capetonian. Some feel that even Cape Point and Kommetjie are too far from the Mother City to be considered part of Cape Town. Perhaps we could agree that the wineries in the vicinity of Table Mountain have something in common – including
Read moreMORE OR LESS equidistant between Elgin and Caledon, the winelands of Bot River extend east of the Houw Hoek Pass and north of the villages Fisherhaven and Hawston on the outskirts of Hermanus – just over an hour and a half (about 90km) from Cape Town. The recommended restaurants on the wine route include those at Gabriëlskloof, Arcangelli and Wildekrans,
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