BEST WINE on Show! Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Shiraz 2015 was awarded top score at the 2018 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, the largest competition of its kind in South Africa with 30 judges from 16 countries on the panels assessing over 2000 entries. The latest achievement of this Stellenbosch beauty, one of the Top 10 Shiraz in the
Read moreSPIER 21 GABLES is a range of single varietal wines, the premium offerings from this Stellenbosch outfit. The name pays tribute to the farm’s Cape Dutch architectural legacy, and forming the cornerstone of the range are a Chenin Blanc and a Pinotage, both included among the Top 10 of their type in the SA Wine Classification, with the portfolio having
Read moreNICE! Following the naming of South Africa’s 15 gold medallists at the 2018 International Wine Challenge (UK), the announcement of the country’s trophy winners pointed to some of the country’s all-time greats… You can’t talk about top Cape Pinot without including Bouchard Finlayson of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – cellarmaster Peter Finlayson headed up the first winery in the area. Kaapzicht of Bottelary
Read moreSUCCESS in South Africa’s Cab Franc Challenge, then at the SA Terroir Awards, and now in one of the country’s biggest wine competition… The 2014 vintage of Lisha Nelson Cabernet Franc from the Nelson Estate in Paarl must surely be in short supply after winning big time at the 2017 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards in Cape Town. Named
Read moreONE OF THE most talked-about South African reds following the announcement of the 2017 Trophy Wine Show results is Landzicht’s 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Judged top of its class ahead of many fancied Stellenbosch Cabs, it’s a wine from the Northern Cape, not that far from the Free State, over 900km from Cape Town… 955m above sea level in a
Read moreTHE 2017 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show celebrates the achievements of producers from Constantia to the Northern Cape and properties that have been part of the Cape wine landscape for centuries as well as those where winemaking only began within the past 10 years. Winner of the trophy for Most Successful Producer: Tokara of Helshoogte, on the slopes of the
Read moreFOR SOME the 2016 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards were remarkable for the level of success enjoyed by the Chenins (three trophies, one platinum award, eight double golds, 16 gold medals) and the Pinotage entries (2 trophies, two platinum awards, 10 double golds, eight gold medals). For many though this major competition on the South African wine calendar will
Read moreTHE STRING of Boplaas victories in South Africa’s annual CAPPA Port Challenge has been broken. However, Calitzdorp wineries’ ‘stranglehold’ on this championship staged by the Cape Port Producers Association remains firm! Following wins for Carel Nel and his Calitzdorp family’s Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve and Cape Tawny wines in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the 2016 SA Port Challenge trophy went to Mike
Read moreTEN YEARS ago Oldenburg Vineyards in Banghoek outside Stellenbosch en route to Franschhoek hadn’t yet bottled their first wine. Today they have a growing reputation for good Chenin, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, two of which have excelled at one of the world’s biggest wine shows, now in its 32nd year… Also stepping into the spotlight more than once at
Read moreHEREWITH the 2015 Classic Wine Trophy winners, as awarded by a panel of predominantly French judges at Cape Town’s Taj Hotel who “sought to recognise, reward and promote elegance, balance, finesse, ageability and sense of place”: Bellingham The Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah 2013 – DGB is on a roll Boschkloof Epilogue Shiraz 2012 – New addition to portfolio of
Read moreCaptivating scenery, classy wine, Constantia GlenCONSTANTIA GLEN hasn’t been making wine for a decade yet, but already it’s a destination of note among the Cape’s panoramic farms just below Constantia Nek that offer a bite to eat and a growing reputation for good vino. The first wines, made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes, met with mixed reviews. Over the past four or
Read moreTHE STAND-OUT red blends, the best reviews of the year from around the world – and mostly premium-priced, with only seven under R100 a bottle (highlighted below), 38 ranging between R100 and R200pb, 26 between R200 and R300pb, eight between R300 and R400pb, and eight ranging between R450 and R725 per bottle: AA Badenhorst 2009 – highly recommended in Platter’s Guide
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