THE RESULTS of the 2023 Shiraz SA Challenge provided plenty of talking points. For example: Flagstone of the Strand/Somerset West grabbed two awards, one for a ‘Dark Horse’ with one of the best track records in the category and the other for a ‘Velvet’ blend that costs what you might think with a name like that. The achievement by De
MANY WOULD wager that GREAT reviews for wines at under R100 a bottle are a thing of the past. Not so according to the judges assessing what was entered for various top panel tastings in 2022 including the Chenin Blanc Challenge, the Michelangelo International Wine Awards and the Top 10 Pinotage Competition – to name just the most recent shows.
SURE THERE ARE other delightful reds and whites in their range, but it’s Shiraz that they specialise in at Saronsberg. Surely the leading wine outfit in the district of Tulbagh, their Shiraz and Shiraz-based blend ‘Full Circle’ easily clear the bar for inclusion among their respective Top 10s in the South African Wine Classification – shoo-ins for the Top Wine SA
70 YEARS AGO, who would have imagined what Roodeberg was to become… Dr Charles Niehaus was appointed as KWV’s chief wine scientist in 1941, during World War II, and he remained a central figure at South Africa’s leading co-operative winery until his retirement in 1971. To think that the KWV’s dry red wine portfolio back in the day comprised just
NO OTHER SHIRAZ from South Africa has been as successful on the world stage in 2021 as the 2018 vintage from the team at the Cederberg cellar of David Nieuwoudt: Highly Recommended in Platter’s SA Wine Guide; one of the Top 10 gold medallists at Syrah du Monde in France; one of 12 champions in the Shiraz SA Challenge;
THE ONLINE award presentation was a rather dumbed-down affair, not without technical hiccups, but the panel of judges for the 2021 Challenge convened by the industry association Shiraz SA was strong on experience. Among the selectors were Cape Wine Masters Andy Roediger (chair for the ninth year) and Paul Benadé, cellarmasters Frans Smit (Spier) and Richard Kershaw MW, as well
“A WILD RED wine” is how they describe it on the label. The maiden vintage of the Wildeberg Shiraz Cab Franc combo is hardly 12 months old and comes from vines that have only yielded a few vintages to date. There are only 10 hectares planted to vine on the small farm at the bottom of steep slopes in the
DUE TO lockdown restrictions imposed on local drinks industry players in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, announcing the 2020 Shiraz SA Challenge results was a sombre occasion conducted online without the winners in attendance. A virtually dry celebration! The judging, held over four days at Nederburg in Paarl, was chaired by Cape Wine Master Andy Roediger, with the panellists
BIG INVESTMENT, considered approach, dogged determination… These don’t always guarantee success in the wine business but the owner and manager of Quoin Rock Estate, Ukrainian businessman Vitaly Gaiduk and his son Denis, who lives in South Africa, have set the stage, while of the performers, the Quoin Rock and Namysto collections have been praised around the globe. Most applauded has
ALBERTUS VILJOEN was the founder of Worcester farm Alvi’s Drift back in 1928: charismatic, athlete, Springbok rugby player of note. Bismarck was Alvi’s Great Dane: superior in stature, commanding respect, providing a friendly welcome to visitors. And the red blend named in honour of the man and his hound is among the ‘ultra premium’ offerings from Alvi’s Drift: multiple award
THERE were 207 entries in the 2019 Shiraz SA Challenge, including 36 Shiraz-driven blends. The judges were Cape Wine Masters Andy Roediger (panel chair) and Elsie Pells, cellarmasters Charles Hopkins (De Grendel) and Edmund Terblanche (La Motte), wine writer/brand manager Samarie Smith (Benguela Cove), international judge Claus Fischer of Germany (Mundus Vini), wine consultant Jeanne-Mari de Villiers (VinJeanne) and Cape
THE WINELANDS of Tulbagh are best known for Cap Classique, Pinotage and Shiraz. Or vice versa, you could say. And when it comes to Shiraz from this district in the Upper Breede River Valley, Saronsberg is second to none. From one of the Top 20 cellars in the country, both the Rhône-style blend Full Circle and the single-varietal Shiraz are among
THE CREATIVE Block range of wines from Spier in Stellenbosch is one that explores the art of blending, which in the case of No. 3 is about balancing the components of a Rhône-style combination, with Shiraz playing the leading role. The figure has to do with the number of varieties in the blend. And like its predecessors, the 2015 is rather
OF THE laureates at the Shiraz SA Challenge 2018, Saronsberg Full Circle stands out as one of South Africa’s finest red blends having Shiraz in the driver’s seat, with Spier’s Creative Block 3 fast establishing a record over the years that promises to be as impressive. However, while there were 36 blends submitted for review, there were 156 wines presented
THE CEDERBERG Private Cellar, KWV and Fairview of Paarl, Eagles’ Nest of Constantia and Saronsberg of Tulbagh have the best track records at the Shiraz SA Challenge since its inception in 2013. At the 2017 edition, all triumphed once again, with Rustenberg of Stellenbosch also sharing the limelight as one of three cellars to earn a couple of trophies on the day.
THE WINNERS at the 2016 Shiraz SA Challenge include four of the wines with the best track records over the past 10 years in terms of the Top Wine SA Shiraz Classification: Cederberg, Eagles’ Nest (Constantia), Fairview Eenzaamheid (Paarl) and Saronsberg (Tulbagh). Moreover, many among the top dozen vintages on this occasion had already received high praise during the previous 12 months: Alto 2013
WOW! There will be Syrahs from nearly 80 cellars to experience at the Shiraz Showcase on 18 June – 18:00 to 21:00 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Expect well over 100 beauties available for tasting – including most of the 2015 Shiraz SA Challenge winners. For more info about the Showcase and for tickets to the event, click here. The participating producers
THERE WERE 202 entries in the latest Challenge staged by Shiraz SA – 162 single-varietal wines and 40 Shiraz-based blends. TOP 12 SINGLE-VARIETAL WINES IN SHIRAZ SA CHALLENGE 2015 Bellingham The Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah 2013 – Franschhoek Cederberg Shiraz 2013 Christina van Loveren Shiraz 2013 – Robertson Driehoek Shiraz 2012 – Cederberg Eagles’ Nest Shiraz 2012 – Constantia Fairview
FIRST THERE WAS Ernie Els, then there was Retief Goosen aka The Goose, and now there’s Louis Oosthuizen – three of South Africa’s most successful golf pro’s who have their names on the labels of some of the country’s best wines. We last reflected on the sporting wine route a couple of years ago as the Black Knight wines of Gary Player
