BELOW are the top Chardonnay producers in South Africa over the past 10 years, those with the best track records spanning 2008 to 2017, presented according to where you’ll find their tasting rooms on the various wine routes. For the 2018 SA Chardonnay Classification, see here, and for the contact info and addresses of those outfits that can be visited and/or
Read moreAUSTRIA, host of Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2018, scooped the second-most number of medals at the competition behind France: 78 to 126. In third place, South Africa achieved 22 medals (11 gold and 11 silver) ahead of Italy (21) and New Zealand (16). Although when it came to the trophy laureates, New Zealand’s Clos Henri (Marlborough) was the only producer
Read moreINCREDIBLE? First a double gold medal at the Michelangelo awards in South Africa and now gold at Chardonnay du Monde in Burgundy, France. At around R56 a bottle, the 2017 Douglas Green Chardonnay is the latest in a string of vintages that have had wine cognoscente doing a double take – the 2016 having also won gold in France, the
Read moreKUDOS to Franschhoek estate La Motte for winning an international award in the 2018 Tourism Challenge run by the Drinks International magazine of the UK. The category: Best Food and Wine Matching Experience. And it’s not the first time that they’ve achieved this accolade. The judges were impressed by the ranking of Pierneef à La Motte as one of the best
Read moreFOCUSING on single-variety wines of South Africa that fall outside the mainstream, Winemag.co.za’s 2018 Alternative Varieties Report includes 26 wines reviewed as excellent (90 to 92/100) and four as outstanding (93 to 95/100) – this from a line-up of 97 wines. The judges, – editor and panel chair Christian Eedes with online retailer Wine Cellar’s Roland Peens and James Pietersen – found
Read moreTHE PRIDE OF AFRICA. The Most Luxurious Train in the World, they say. Indeed, many would consider Rovos Rail to be one of the jewels in the crown as regards South African tourism. It’s a wonderful way to take in the beauty of the countryside; a rather special kind of safari. But come on now, the winelist needs a shake-up!
Read moreYAY! AND YET! It was great to hear that there are a couple of new venues to choose from come lunchtime in the winelands of Constantia. Not so great was to discover that at one of them they don’t sell any wine to accompany your meal, and at the other the management is somewhat cheeky… At the Nest Deli on Constantia
Read moreINTERESTING it was to see the brands involved and what the charitably minded were keen to buy at the 2018 Cape Wine Auction hosted at Rustenberg and Tokara in Stellenbosch. The prime objective of the two-day event is to support children’s education in needy communities of the South African winelands, and to this end the amount raised came to R17.5 million.
Read moreFOR THOSE who’d like to hear from the person behind Top Wine SA… If you want to listen to a little of what the man has to say about the site – or perhaps you’re just curious as to what he sounds like six years after the launch… Wine critic Carrie Adams of the fine wine and spirit merchant Norman
Read moreLOVELY news it was to hear that the historic-but-neglected Lievland Wine Estate in the foothills of the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch is to be returned to its former glory. At least, that’s the aspiration of the new owners who acquired the 300-year-old, 110ha farm from Dr Susan Colley for an undisclosed sum – presumably in excess of R50-million, given the status of esteemed
Read moreACCORDING to Vinpro, an organisation representing thousands of farmers and hundreds of cellars in South Africa, the industry is at a turning point in 2018, faced with the smallest grape crop since 2005 and increasing financial pressure. The national vineyard is in decline – mainly due to farmers uprooting vines and replacing them with more profitable crops, but also because
Read moreBACK IN THE DAY, when the first SA Wine & Cellar Classification was published, the top producers were Classified as Boekenhoutskloof, De Toren, De Trafford, Graham Beck, Jordan, Kanonkop, Kanu, Neil Ellis, Rust en Vrede, Rustenberg, Simonsig, Stellenzicht, Thelema, and Vergelegen. Thirteen years later, most of these cellars continue at the forefront of the South African wine industry as regards
Read moreBASED ON THE BEST track records in over 30 local and international forums for the assessment of wine quality and interest value over the past 10 years, the South African Wine & Cellar Classifications celebrate the country’s leading outfits – those regularly on top form, their product judged top-notch again and again, year after year. To be eligible for the
Read moreWHERE to go for an interesting plate of food, a decent glass of wine and a relaxing ambience come lunchtime in the Elgin basin outside Grabouw. Well, there’s The Pool Room at Oak Valley, and there was Fresh at Paul Cluver… And/but just opened is SALT, taking over from Fresh, with the promise of the best in the district when
Read more“THE 2000 hectares of old vines that South Africa has is important… It’s part of our history, part of our future, but it’s not going to take our industry forward… What about the other 95 000 hectares!” So reasons Bruwer Raats, applauded as top producer in Platter’s SA Wine Guide, champion of the varieties Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, outspoken winemaker
Read moreINCLUDING South Africa’s most highly rated wines as reviewed by top judging panels locally and/or internationally in 2017. See HERE for the panels whose reviews counted, or see HERE for all of the top SA wine ratings during the past two years together with details of the accolades. EXCLUDING wines sold only on auction, wines sold only on export markets, wines sold out long
Read moreBellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel SMV 2014 5 Stars and 97/100 in Platter’s, double gold at Veritas, gold at Decanter Awards, winner in Shiraz SA Challenge R275pb, DGB, Franschhoek Cellar Blend of Shiraz (87%), Mourvèdre (10%) and Viognier, (3%), WO Agter-Paarl Barrel-fermented and matured in French oak barrels for 14 months Alc 14 % | RS 4.5 g/l |
Read moreAS INTERESTING as the news that the Franschhoek Wine Tram service now includes two double-deckers that can carry more passengers and afford better views of the scenery, is that the rail transport connecting the town with the winelands has been extended to three more estates. Sure, you can hop on an open-sided bus and hop off at a number of estates
Read moreOF ALL THE wines to receive very good reviews from one or more of the top panels locally or internationally in 2017, these rank as South Africa’s best value at under R100 a bottle – including some platinum award winners, even some trophy winners. The prices given below are those at the cellar door as supplied by the producers, or approximate retail prices in
Read moreTOP WHITE WINE RATINGS CHARDONNAY Bartinney Chardonnay 2016 Chamonix Chardonnay 2016 Confluence Chardonnay 2016 (Julien Schaal) Crystallum The Agnes Chardonnay 2016 Delaire Graff Banghoek Reserve Chardonnay 2016 DeMorgenzon Reserve Chardonnay 2016 Dorrance Cuvée Anaïs Chardonnay 2016 GlenWood Grand Duc Chardonnay 2015 Groot Constantia Chardonnay 2016 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2016 Hoopenburg Integer Chardonnay 2016 Jordan Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2016 Jordan Nine
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