AFTER assessing 46 wines for Winemag’s 2024 Prescient Pinotage Report, panel chair Christian Eedes remarked on the appealing “new wave” entries led by the 2023 vintages of Black Elephant Vintners’ Rumble in the Jungle and illimis, compared to the “more traditional” examples that impressed with “depth of fruit and all-round power” such as Flagstone’s 2021 Writer’s Block, a 95-pointer at
Read moreWith Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Youth Day all happening in May and June, family relationships are top of mind. As a result, it was difficult to miss the kinship between two recent vintage releases at La Motte: 2024 Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon. 2024 La Motte Sauvignon Blanc The vineyards on La Motte that contribute 40% of
Read moreCHARDONNAYS from Lothian Vineyards of Elgin and Whalehaven of Hermanus were South Africa’s top-scoring gold medallists at the 2024 International Wine Challenge in London. The 2022 vintage from Lothian and the 2023 Seascape Reserve (WO Upper Hemel-en-Aarde) from Whalehaven achieved 96/100 – just above 13 other gold medal winners from the Cape, the majority of them also Chardonnays. One of
Read moreAT LAST COUNT, the number of visitors to Groot Constantia stood at around 450 000 a year. It’s been the most popular wine farm in South Africa’s Cape winelands for some time, which is not to be confused with wine sales – gone are the days when ‘Joe Soap’ and ‘the man in the street’ would queue up at the
Read moreCHOICES CHOICES CHOICES… Tickets for ‘Wine on the Water’ in St Francis Bay are very hard to come by and those to the Stellenbosch Street Soirees are selling out fast. Interesting that the cellars exhibiting at Cape Town Fresh are mostly from outside CTN, with various districts all over the winelands represented. The Wellington festival will have somewhat of a
Read more“EXQUISITE” is how the top wines were described by judges at the inaugural Global Cabernet Franc Masters hosted by The Drinks Business publication in the UK, where South African producers excelled. The variety is thought to have originated in Spain, with the leading examples traditionally hailing from the Loire and Bordeaux regions of France. Yet in this, the first international
Read moreTHESE ARE the red blends from South Africa’s winelands that most impressed the top panels internationally in 2023 to date, with by far the majority of them – those highlighted in red – included in the SA Wine Classification showcasing good track records over the past 10 years. Many of these producers have been pulling it off virtually vintage after
Read moreWHO CAN BLAME the trophy winners at London’s International Wine & Spirit Competition for having mixed feelings about their success… Who would have thought it possible that the wines judged to be the best gold medallists on show would be given scores lower than those of some of the other gold medallists that didn’t go on to earn a trophy,
Read moreOverlooking the Franschhoek Valley, La Petite Ferme – the name translates simply as ‘the small farm’ – is situated alongside the Oliphants Pass on the slopes of the Middagkrans Mountain Range. Over the decades, it has evolved into a memorable winelands destination that includes a boutique hotel, an award-winning restaurant which serves country cuisine with a fresh contemporary touch, and
Read more59 WINES from 49 producers were reviewed for Winemag’s 2023 Report on Cape Bordeaux Red Blends, i.e. combinations of two or more of the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Delaire Graff’s Botmaskop of Stellenbosch came top in the tasting, although it was scored the same as Allée Bleue of Franschhoek and Constantia Glen – the
Read moreTHE TOP South African wine events taking place from July through August 2023 begin with a focus on Portuguese varieties and styles in Stellenbosch and wind up to the Cape Winemakers Guild Showcase tastings at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town and the Nedbank Atrium in Johannesburg. Event highlights in July include Caroline’s Red Wine Review at the V&A
Read moreIONA Chardonnay 2021 of the Elgin Highlands and the 2020 Reserve Cab from Le Riche in the Helderberg vineyards of Stellenbosch were the panels’ favourite South African wines at the 2023 Decanter Awards in London. A record-breaking 18 250 entries were received from 57 countries, assessed by 236 judges including 53 Masters of Wine and 16 Master Sommeliers. After weeks of
Read moreAS THE 2023 Chenin Safari was winding down, with the final leg of the six-week challenge just around the bend, who would be strutting their stuff at the festival in Franschhoek come Saturday 10 June, one wondered. Some of South Africa’s top Chenin producers put their hands up, including a couple whose wines have such good track records as to
Read moreTHE WINE is “herbaceous” and a whole lot more according to the judges who liked it so much that a trophy was awarded to the producers Villiera for best wooded Sauvignon Blanc on show – the international Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2023, a competition based in Brussels, with the tasting panels gathered in Franschhoek (the first time outside Europe in
Read moreGO BELLINGHAM! After panel-tastings of over 7500 wines by 242 wine experts from 46 countries over six days in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, the 32nd edition of the Mundus Vini international wine awards culminated in the presentation of 70 grand gold medals, one of them going to a red from the Cape winelands. The 2019 Bush
Read moreNOPE! The La Motte Estate in Franschhoek is not closed. Although operations at the Pierneef restaurant and various other visitor attractions were suspended for renovations expected to be underway until sometime in 2024, an Artisanal Bakery and Garden Café now operate from Wednesday to Sunday at the farm’s Jonkershuis. Dating back to 1752, the Cape Dutch building has been extended
Read moreJUST DAYS after the 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards panel chair Abigail Donnelly announced their choice of the top-rated tables in South Africa, fellow food writer Jenny Handley went public with her panel’s preferences in the 2023 JHP Gourmet Guide. The Eat Out awards will be presented on 20 November, but we’ve been told the names of 42 restaurants
Read moreAS THE 2022 WINNER of the only competition in South Africa exclusively for Rosé wines, Groote Post is one of the country’s ‘pink’ wines of the year: • Aaldering Pinotage Rosé 2022 at R225pb ex-cellar, Devon Valley-Stellenbosch: trophy at the Michelangelo Awards (SA) • Allée Bleue Shiraz Rosé 2022 at R90pb ex-cellar, Franschhoek: top of its class at the Shiraz
Read moreFOR DECADES the top white wine in DGB’s premium Bellingham range was labelled The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc: WO Coastal Region, with grapes from Bottelary in Stellenbosch playing the leading role. Come 2020, a single-vineyard version was released, 2018 being the maiden vintage, the fruit from Durbanville plantings dating back to 1983 and with the front label proclaiming
Read moreTHIRD TIME LUCKY? Chamonix of Franschhoek had earned gold medals at previous editions of the Cab Franc Challenge with their 2015 and 2016 vintages in 2018 and 2020 respectively. Then, come 2022, they won the overall title with their 2020 vintage. But the Challenge judges haven’t been the only ones in the know giving this wine the thumbs up –
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