IMAGINE: a good red wine selling for R30 a bottle that comes recommended by one of the best judging panels in the country. We’re talking about the blend from a winery off the beaten track between Worcester and Villiersdorp that won silver and a score of 81 out of 100 at this year’s Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. Be warned
Read moreTHE SUCCESS of KWV at the 2012 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show didn’t surprise those who’ve been tracking the quality and character of The Mentors range launched by this Paarl producer a few years ago. Australian cellarmaster Richard Rowe, local winemaker Johann Fourie and their team at the winery have been turning heads with The Mentors since day one. However,
Read moreNOW IN ITS second year, Top 100 SA Wines has a few things going for it as an authoritative competition, e.g. the sommelier, several Masters of Wine and some leading winemakers involved in managing the tasting procedures and judging processes, contributing to credible results. However, although there are a number of top cellars among the entrants there are too many
Read moreSo now we know the names of all the trophy winners… The Overall Winners in the 2012 Classic Wine Trophy competition include a red from Stellenbosch (using grapes from Sutherland), a white from Walker Bay (near Hermanus), a bubbly from a cellar on the Franschhoek perimeter and a sweet wine from Voor Paardeberg on the outskirts of Paarl. BEST RED
Read moreWhat rubbish it is when people spout off about how the best wine is the one in your glass, about how everybody’s taste is different and wine judges’ palates are unreliable, or about how wines can’t be properly assessed without being served with food. Enjoying wine is about more than just the alcohol strength and for sure, life is too short
Read moreNo doubt one or two wineries on the Pinotage Association’s recently-published list of the 10 best Pinotage producers would have come as a surprise to some, but for followers of the Absa Top 10 competition that has been running since 1997 it all made sense. The following cellars, given in alphabetical order, have excelled consistently over the years with quality track
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