HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? In September 2019 the International Wine & Spirit Competition organisers in the UK announce that the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bartinney of Banghoek in Stellenbosch is one of the South African entries to be scored 97 points – as reported here. A month later – see here – the IWSC announces that at the show’s awards
WHAT ARE the chances! Using grapes gown near Elim, Cape Agulhas, they top-scored in Winemag’s SA Shiraz roundup, and with grapes grown near Ceres they topped the charts first in the publication’s SA Pinot Noir review and then in their Prescient Chardonnay Report in which 65 South African producers participated. All in the same year! Congratulations to cellarmaster Charles
TOP SCORE OVERALL to a Chardonnay from a boutique producer off the beaten track. Only one double gold for Shiraz, one of the most keenly contested categories in which 149 wines were entered! The Veritas Awards are seldom without some surprises or discoveries. As one South Africa’s major wine and spirit competitions – attracting 1491 entries in 2019 – the
FOR THE annual Six Nations Wine Challenge staged in Sydney, Australia, entries are submitted following an invitation to the producers from the wine writer and judge representing each of the participating countries. In 2019 the panel of critics comprised South Africa’s Michael Fridjhon (chair), Australia’s Huon Hooke, New Zealand’s Terry Copeland, the USA’s Patrick Comiskey and Canada’s Christopher Waters. Each
THERE WERE 183 entries from 107 producers in the 2019 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition and/but very few surprises in terms of the results which included three repeat winners – the 2019 vintage of De Grendel Koetshuis, Diemersdal Wild Ferment and Tokara Reserve Collection winning this year after victory with earlier vintages last year. The panel of judges were:
AS IT BECOMES increasingly challenging to find good quality, interesting wines at under R100 a bottle, suggestions by the various panels of experts cannot but go down well with wine lovers looking for quaffers, stocking up for parties, hosting a braai, wanting something for anytime enjoyment. For an update of what’s been recommended on this front during the past year,
IT CAN TAKE a while to get your head around the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards held in South Africa. Platinum medals are presented for wines scored 96+ out of 100, but not if they go on to win a trophy. Trophies are awarded to wines that scored highest in their classes, but they are not awarded in every
WHO WOULD have thought it possible? The Mullineux couple Chris (viticulturist) and Andrea (winemaker), perhaps! But how amazing it was that the only white wine to fetch over R1000 a bottle on average at South Africa’s 2019 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction in Stellenbosch came from grapes grown in Barrydale, Klein Karoo – more than Ataraxia Chardonnay of Hemel-en-Aarde, more
THE TOPS at Spar Wine Show takes place in Menlyn Park, Pretoria, the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction at Spier in Stellenbosch. No, this Stellenbosch Wine Festival takes place at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg. The Old Vine Project Masterclass is hosted by Wine Menu in Kramerville, Johannesburg. The Institute of Cape Wine Masters will present an evening with
WHERE TO EAT on the Franschhoek Wine Route, on a farm, among the vines? And which wines to seek out, what the panels of experts have highly recommended recently? For lunch, your best bets include The Werf and Rhone Homestead at Boschendal, Franschhoek Cellar (also Bellingham cellar door), Pierneef à La Motte, Racine at Chamonix, AND the new venues
AMONG the destinations in and around the winelands of South Africa honoured at the 2019 Wine & Food Tourism Conference outside Stellenbosch for offering outstanding, memorable tourist experiences, three were presented with trophies in recognition of their innovative approach to exciting and delighting their guests. The judges focused on how the innovation helped to solve a problem or address a
LOOKING for a seamless experience from arrival to departure, a sense that the hosts know what you want before you want it and, above all, warm hospitality… Among the destinations in and around the winelands of South Africa honoured at the 2019 Wine & Food Tourism Conference outside Stellenbosch for offering outstanding, memorable tourist experiences, three were presented with trophies
THE STAND OUT WINES in South Africa’s 2019 Sommeliers Selection feature a Glen Carlou Chardonnay and the Grand Plaisir red blend from the slopes of the Simonsberg in Paarl. Both are described as Elegant & Classy among the Listed Wines hailed in various categories that include Economically Savvy, Fresh & Crunchy, Voluptuous & Rich, Luscious & Aromatic. The competition is
THE MOST in-demand South African lots at the first Strauss & Co Fine Wine Auction to be held in Cape Town, organised in collaboration with retailer Wine Cellar and sommelier Higgo Jacobs… Following the inaugural event in Johannesburg three months earlier, the Cape reds, whites and sweets to fetch over R2000 a bottle/750ml at the September sale were as follows:
VICTORY at the 2019 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge went to an eleven-year-old Prestige Cuvée from Boschendal of Franschhoek, the 2008 Jean Le Long Blanc de Blancs – made from Chardonnay, spending five years on the lees (spent yeast) prior to degorgement and another year on the cork prior to release. This bottle-fermented sparkling wine had already earned gold and
THERE ARE some quaint names among South Africa’s 2019 Rosé Rocks competition winners: “The Quintessential Couple” (Bellingham), “Pyjama Bush” (Darling Cellars), “Frankly My Dear” (Esona) and “The Strawberry” (Mooiplaas), for example. Hopefully they’ll be back again next year, and then some; good, long track records are not something that pink, salmon and onion-skin-colour wines are renowned for in South
SOUTH AFRICA’S medal winners in the annual International Wine & Spirit Competition (UK) are announced during September, a month after the judging that takes place in Cape Town. The names of trophy winners from around the world are revealed mid-October, followed by an awards banquet in London end-November when more accolades are presented, including the IWSC trophy for SA
WHERE TO EAT on the Paarl Wine Route, on a farm, among the vines? And which wines to seek out, what the panels of experts have recommended recently? For lunch, your choices include Faber at Avondale, several options at Babylonstoren, the Goatshed at Fairview, Glen Carlou, The Kraal at Joostenberg, The Red Table at Nederburg, Rhebokskloof, the Deck at Ridgeback, Rupert &
WHERE TO EAT along the Wellington Wine Route, on a farm, among the vines? And which wines to seek out, what the panels of experts have recommended recently? For lunch, head to Diemersfontein, where their restaurant was revamped and re-opened earlier this year as Aan Tafel (pictured above), where the signature dishes include boerewors and burgers, bunny chow, curries
TWO WINES among the 2019 Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge winners, two wines among the Top 10 Chenins in the 2019 SA Wine Classification. None of the other top Cape Chenin producers can make this claim. Such is the quality of the Stellenbosch vineyards and of proprietor Kobus Basson’s team of winemakers, even their sub-R100-a-bottle Cellar Selection is included in the
