ASKED to come up with a line-up of wines he “considered as South Africa’s aspirational Cap Classiques” that wine lovers won’t buy or drink every day, Graham Beck cellarmaster Pieter Ferreira chose a selection that he regarded as “under the radar but sparkling up a storm”. His presentation along these lines was at the 2015 Cape Wine trade show in the
Read moreTHE 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 moreONCE AGAIN South Africa has excelled at the Six Nations Wine Challenge in Sydney, Australia. At the 2015 edition of the competition, up against Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Chile and Argentina, Cape cellars achieved four trophies and dominated the classes Chardonnay, White Blends and varieties including Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. The Challenge was won by New Zealand, with Australia second and
Read moreTHE GOOD people of Kanonkop on the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch regularly mention that doing well in competitions is not of prime concern… Yet the estate and/or their agents continue to enter various vintages in various taste-offs and they continue to shine with their Pinotage, their Bordeaux-style red blend Paul Sauer, their Cabernet. And it can be frustrating, albeit understandable, when the award winners are ‘sold out’ at
Read moreA SURPRISING result, to say the least! The winner of the 2015 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge contested by 114 bubblies comes from a farm better known for red wines, especially Pinotage, aromatic whites including Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc – and not forgetting the Italian variety Barbera. However, while Altydgedacht has been making sparklers from Chardonnay in the traditional way since 2008,
Read moreYOU COULD be forgiven for wondering whether Perold Tributum’s success at the Pinotage Association’s Perold Absa Cape Blend competition was stage-managed, engineered… However, the KWV flagship has also got the nod at Veritas, the International Wine & Spirit Competition and International Wine Challenge, the Decanter World Wine Awards, etc, etc. So nothing untoward! The producers’ association holds the view that a Cape Blend should include
Read moreTHE 2013, white version of Faithful Hound from Stellenbosch winery Mulderbosch was the top-scoring wine in the 2015 ‘Riscura White Hot Wine Awards’ staged by Winemag.co.za. The ‘Hound’ was made from Franschhoek Semillon and Elgin Sauvignon Blanc, with a couple of 100% Elgin entries – Oak Valley Mountain Reserve 2011 and Highlands Road Sine Cera 2013 – also excelling in this competition
Read moreAN EARLIER POST listed South African wines that were (a) below R100 a bottle, (b) highly rated during the 18 months to July 2015, and (c) likely to still be available for purchase. The response was a call to cut to the chase, to come up with the most easily affordable recommendations suitable for a very casual lunch or supper: what’s out
Read moreFINDING good wine on sale for less than R50 a bottle has become a big ask, and not only in terms of reds. It might be so that there’s far less rubbish being made these days, but at under R50 there’s plenty of plonk, pedestrian and boring stuff as well as simple fruity drinks that are more like cooldrinks than products of the vine.
Read moreGOING BY the last count in 2014, South Africa has some 3300 farms on which grapes are being grown for making wine and there are around 550 wineries in the various regions, districts and wards. According to industry data published by SAWIS, about 200 farms are registered for the production of Estate Wine – wine that is grown, produced and bottled on
Read moreCOULD wine lovers take a big liking to South African red wines made solely from Grenache? It’s early days still, but notable how many leading cellars in the Cape have warmed to this variety, widely planted in Spain and France, typically used in Rhône-style, Shiraz-led blends but also making for very respectable single-varietal wines. That SA Grenache on its own
Read moreAT THE DAWN of the new millennium there were only 20 or so South African wineries producing sparkling wine according to the traditional or classic method for which the French are famous. Today there are over 100 cellars in the Cape making Cap Classique on a regular or occasional basis. The category has been booming, in part at least thanks
Read moreTHE NAMES of South Africa’s top wines in each category are included in the 2015 SA Wine Classifications based on consistently good reviews at blind-tastings conducted by experts locally and around the world. Here is how things stacked up when considering the Top 100 SA wines across all types and varieties over the 10 years 2005 to 2015: TOP
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 moreREFLECTING on the past year as regards Wine SA, there is a case to be made for Paarl being home to the champion producer in 2014 after KWV triumphed as the most successful entrant overall at the most prestigious competitions on the South African wine calendar – first at the Trophy Wine Show (for the second time) and then at the Veritas
Read moreWHERE TO PICNIC in the winelands of South Africa, near a winery, not far from the vines? Here are the best spots to purchase a picnic basket full of good food and wine in the countryside when wine-routing in the Cape. The are all on farms associated with highly rated reds or whites, bubblies or sweet dessert wines, i.e. the venues are
Read more“PERFUMED NOSE, with good expression of spice, rose petals, Turkish delight and lychees… Floral flavours and a mélange of fruits… Lingering finish… Enjoyed on its own or as an accompaniment to spicy foods, curries and sushi” – Altydgedacht‘s tasting notes for their Gewürztraminer 2014, winner of a Double Gold medal at this year’s Six Nations Wine Challenge in Sydney, Australia. There are very
Read moreA DIFFERENT TAKE on Platter’s absolute favourite wines in the current era… Following on from commentary about the 2015 edition of this South African wine guide that has just gone on sale and a look at the most prolific recipients of the book’s ultimate accolade in recent history (see here), it will interest some to hear that there are only
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 moreIF YOU ARE into South African ‘Wine of Origin’, micro climates, soil types, grape clones, et al, then the advent of the country’s Single Vineyard Wine was one of the best things to come along since the concept of Estate Wine took a knock when the laws were relaxed some years back. There have been many SA wine drinkers who’ve been
Read more
