SCHENKFONTEIN! Where’s that? Stofjas! What’s that? Thor Semillon nothing to do with the Marvel fantasy! Port Capital comes second? Best value gold medallist a Shiraz at just R115 a bottle… Some discoveries, some surprises, as well as endorsements for numerous cellars with established credentials. The 2024 edition of The Trophy Wine Show ‘Brought to you by Investec’ provided recommendations aplenty.
Read moreTHE HIGH Road cellar in Stellenbosch, the Overhex winery in Worcester and the Zevenwacht estate in Kuils River. THE standout participants at South Africa’s 2023 Trophy Wine Show, convened by veteran wine critic Michael Fridjhon and sponsored by Investec Private Banking. The High Road Director’s Reserve 2019 and Overhex’s 2022 Survivor Cellar Master Series Chardonnay (made using grapes from the
Read moreELGIN’S Paul Cluver, whose 2020 Estate Chardonnay was the top-scoring white at the 2022 Trophy Wine Show, has a distinguished track record for producing some of South Africa’s finest Chardonnays (and Pinot Noirs). Whereas Glen Carlou on the Simonsberg side of Paarl, whose 2019 Collection Red Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc was the top-scoring red wine at
Read moreOld Road Grand-mère Semillon 2017 • Gold Medal, Best in Class at Trophy Wine Show (SA) • Gold Medal at International Wine Challenge (UK) Old Road 12 Mile Syrah 2018 • Gold Medal at International Wine & Spirit Competition (UK) AND THESE ARE just the stars of the range in 2021, two from several tiers of wines offered by the
Read more97/100 was the top score awarded at the 2020 edition of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. The wine: Shiraz, from grapes harvested near Elim, Cape Agulhas, a 2018 Reserve from Kommetjie resident Trizanne Barnard who rents cellar space in Noordhoek. Other ‘super’ trophies went to Mulderbosch’s Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (top-scoring white wine) and Steen op Hout Chenin Blanc 2019
Read moreTHE CONTENTIOUS issue of wine ratings and awards continues to flare up from time to time, with outspoken wine lovers, wine scribes, critics and judges at odds with each other to the point of disbelief, even outrage. The problem? Firstly, there’s not enough consensus regarding which scoring system to use – star ratings aside, there are different versions of the
Read moreBEST GRAPES in Stellenbosch, matured in small oak barrels, focus on detail. That’s the short story about this “handcrafted masterpiece” in a heavyweight bottle from Stellenview of Devon Valley, Stellenbosch: Kruger Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, the judges’ favourite red at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. A longer version of how it came about tells of a
Read moreNO DOUBT many a wine lover reacted with shock and disbelief on hearing that Painted Wolf of Paarl had won the title of Most Successful Producer Overall at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. That was until they heard how Jeremy & Emma Borg and ‘the pack’ pulled it off – with champion white and red wines made using the
Read moreBONNIEVALE WINES have upped their game in recent years and the title of Discovery of the Show at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show for Best Value Gold Medallist is a sign that their intent goes deeper than face value. Yet “unpretentious” is stated on the label, and R97 a bottle from the cellar is “welcoming and soothing”
Read moreA MULDERBOSCH single-vineyard Chenin and a reserve Cabernet from Stellenview were the top-scoring white and red wines at the 2019 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. However, the trophy for most successful producer overall went to Painted Wolf Wines of Paarl and that for ‘Discovery of the Show’ to Bonnievale Wines for a Cab of gold medal standard that sells for
Read moreSO CONSISTENT! None of South Africa’s other great white blends have been as highly rated for as long. With their Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc Semillon combo, Vergelegen hasn’t missed a beat, so to speak. Anglo American’s flagship white wine from their estate on the slopes of the Helderberg in Somerset West has been a hit since the maiden vintage 2001 right
Read moreNAMED AFTER the coach house that De Grendel founder Sir David Graaff built in 1898 to shelter his horses, wagons and carriages, the Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc used to be made from grapes harvested partly from a vineyard near the old coach house and partly from vines located in Darling. For the 2017 vintage, the grapes came from Darling and Lutzville, none from the
Read moreWINE LOVERS around the world have a soft spot for it! The Pinotage market is booming! At 24 million litres a year and counting, it’s one of the South African wine industry’s fairy-tale success stories and the good times seem unlikely to end any time soon. Of the Top 10 most-planted wine grape varieties in the country, Pinotage is the only
Read moreCLEARLY the biggest winners at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2018 are Warwick, Leeuwenkuil and Spier: Warwick the Most Successful Producer with trophies for their 2015 Cab Franc and Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend, Professor Black 2017; Leeuwenkuil for their 2015 Heritage Syrah, judged best red overall; and Spier for their 21 Gables Chenin 2016, the top-scoring white wine overall. These
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 moreTHE TITLE of top producer at South Africa’s Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show has gone to some pretty distinguished cellars over the years: De Trafford and Vergelegen were joint winners in 2002, Vergelegen won again in 2003 and 2004, Diemersfontein triumphed in 2005 before Vergelegen regained the title in 2006, and then followed Cape Point Vineyards (2007), Nederburg twice (2008 and 2009),
Read moreCHAMPIONS at the 2015 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show include both industry stalwarts and newcomers – as well as a Bordeaux-style red blend scored 92 out of 100, priced at under R30 a bottle and made at a cellar that the retailer chooses not to disclose! Rustenberg was the Most Successful Producer Overall, with two gold medallists going on to win trophies, three
Read moreREFLECTING on the past year as regards Wine SA, there is a case to be made for Paarl being home to the champion producer in 2014 after KWV triumphed as the most successful entrant overall at the most prestigious competitions on the South African wine calendar – first at the Trophy Wine Show (for the second time) and then at the Veritas
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
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