Cape South Coast Region
Newly demarcated and approved region 10th of November 2010, bringing the number to 5 now, the other 4 being Breede River Valley, Klein Karoo, Coastal Region and Olifants River.
Cape South Coast have now 5 district namely Cape Agulhas,Overberg, Plettenberg Bay, Swellendam and Walker Bay.
2 new wards have been added making the total to now to 14 and the 2 new wards are Herbertsdale and Stillbaai East.
The following wards remain unchanged
Elim (Cape Agulhas)
Elgin,Greyton,Klein River,Theewater (Overberg)
Buffeljags, Stormsvlei (Swellendam)
Bot River,Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley,Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge,Hemel-en-Aarde Valley,Sunday's Glen (Walker Bay)
Another affirmation of the right direction SAWIS is taking in mapping the various unique terroir of South Africa, when will they cancelled Wine of Western Cape origin or Coastal Region Origin? It can only be positive, beneficial as well as a unique selling point to South Africa.
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Friday, December 24, 2010
Laborie Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon Western Cape Blend 2008 72 points
Laborie Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon Western Cape Blend 2008 72 points
Clear, bright cherry red with brown rim! high Pyrazine and peppery! faint hints of red fruits, herbaceous, lean structure with thin palate!, now until 2013
Clear, bright cherry red with brown rim! high Pyrazine and peppery! faint hints of red fruits, herbaceous, lean structure with thin palate!, now until 2013
Solms Astor Langarm Western Cape red Blends 2007 - 76 Points
Solms Astor Langarm Western Cape red Blends 2007 - 76 Points
n Western Cape Blend 2007 Clear, bright cherry red with tea leaf note, crunchy earthy fruit, disjointed acidity, probably acidified, fruit fading, high alcohol on aftertaste, now until 2013.
Blend of Pinotage, Touriga Nacionale, Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache & Primitivo/Zinfandel.
n Western Cape Blend 2007 Clear, bright cherry red with tea leaf note, crunchy earthy fruit, disjointed acidity, probably acidified, fruit fading, high alcohol on aftertaste, now until 2013.
Blend of Pinotage, Touriga Nacionale, Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache & Primitivo/Zinfandel.
Mont du Toit Les Coteaux Paarl 2004 74+ Points
Mont du Toit Les Coteaux Paarl 2004 74+ Points
Reductive, with peppery tea leaf note, earthy complexity, elegant mouthfeels, juicy fruit, however slight bitterness on aftertaste distract, now until 2014
Reductive, with peppery tea leaf note, earthy complexity, elegant mouthfeels, juicy fruit, however slight bitterness on aftertaste distract, now until 2014
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Mont du Toit Paarl 2003 78+ Points
Mont du Toit Paarl 2003 78+ Points
Clear, russet brown hue, showing age, high alcohol, earthy and ripe, saturated ripe fruit, has texture and stuffing,now until 2015
Clear, russet brown hue, showing age, high alcohol, earthy and ripe, saturated ripe fruit, has texture and stuffing,now until 2015
Meerendal Estate Durbanville Shiraz 2005 85+ Points
Meerendal Estate Durbanville Shiraz 2005 85+ Points
Medium clear, bright, russet/mahogany red with slight brown rim, indicating age, high concentration, high viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity, dark mulberry, currant, hints of cassis, earthy loamy soil, smoky paprika, spicy cloves, cinnamon and dusted black pepper.
With aeration reveals complex Darjeeling tea leaf and violets note. Fragrant oak mostly American.
Dry, medium plus acidity, medium plus tannin, high alcohol, flavours follows through, with new flavours of leather and sour cherries, medium plus lenght, medium plus complexity, crunchy style, more Syrah than Shiraz, savoury black olives note & game follows through the aftertaste.
Knowing the track record of Meerendal Estate Shiraz, this 2005 vintage have the structure to last until 2018+, though drinking well now at 14 degrees celsius with a beef steak Cantonese style with onions, fresh chilli in soya sauce and steam jasmine rice
Medium clear, bright, russet/mahogany red with slight brown rim, indicating age, high concentration, high viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity, dark mulberry, currant, hints of cassis, earthy loamy soil, smoky paprika, spicy cloves, cinnamon and dusted black pepper.
With aeration reveals complex Darjeeling tea leaf and violets note. Fragrant oak mostly American.
Dry, medium plus acidity, medium plus tannin, high alcohol, flavours follows through, with new flavours of leather and sour cherries, medium plus lenght, medium plus complexity, crunchy style, more Syrah than Shiraz, savoury black olives note & game follows through the aftertaste.
Knowing the track record of Meerendal Estate Shiraz, this 2005 vintage have the structure to last until 2018+, though drinking well now at 14 degrees celsius with a beef steak Cantonese style with onions, fresh chilli in soya sauce and steam jasmine rice
A personal thank you and compliments of the seasons to all the followers of my blog
A personal thank you and compliments of the season to all the followers of my blog.
Miguel Chan Wine Journal today averages 1500+ hits a month with good regularity and feedback received from all over have been re-assuring and encouraging, wish I have more time to post more article and newly tasted release wines, perhaps one day!
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year 2011
Miguel Chan
Certified Sommelier
Miguel Chan Wine Journal today averages 1500+ hits a month with good regularity and feedback received from all over have been re-assuring and encouraging, wish I have more time to post more article and newly tasted release wines, perhaps one day!
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year 2011
Miguel Chan
Certified Sommelier
A personal thank and Compliments of the seasons to my Twitter Followers
All a personal thank to my Twitter followers who now have reached 849 and growing daily, you can looked forward to more relevant and updates wine tweet n 2011, keep spreading the word for @capewinereview
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011
Klein Constantia Wine Estate Blog
Klein Constantia Wine Estate in Constantia, one of the legendary and top notch Cape producer, now have a blog and it's very cool, invite anyone to browse through, cheers
Pinotage Article update in Latest Decanter Magazine
A must read very good article on Pinotage written by Christian Eedes in the latest Decanter Magazine, November edition
Why South African Chenin Blanc are World Class wednesday 26 January 2011
Why South African Chenin Blanc are World Class an evening of fun and discovery of Chenin Blanc, Gamay Noir and Verdelho paired with a 4 course dinner by Executive Chef Jade Sullaphen at Quills Restaurant Intercontinental OR Tambo Airport on wednesday 26 January 2011.
Tasting and wine pairings will be presented by Miguel Chan
R 250PP
Bookings on 0119615400 or quills@icairport.com
Tasting and wine pairings will be presented by Miguel Chan
R 250PP
Bookings on 0119615400 or quills@icairport.com
why South African Chenin Blanc are World class 28 January 2011
Why South African Chenin Blanc are World class an evening of fun and discovery of Chenin Blanc, Gamay Noir & Verdelho paired with a 4 course dinner by Chef Amina Lebelo at Atrium Restaurant Intercontinental Sandton Towers on Friday 28 January 2011.
R 250pp
Tasting and wine pairing dinner will be presented by Miguel Chan
Bookings 0117805642 or atrium@icsandtontowers.com
R 250pp
Tasting and wine pairing dinner will be presented by Miguel Chan
Bookings 0117805642 or atrium@icsandtontowers.com
Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 tasting at Sandton Sun
WINE Magazine Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 Public Tasting Wednesday 19 January 2011 @ 1830 Sandton Sun Hotel, Johannesburg.
The line up will include:
5 Stars & Double Gold Veritas
Anura Coastal Region Blend Unfiltered Reserve 2010
4 and half stars
Cederberg 2010 (Silver Veritas 2010)
De Grendel Durbanville Koetshuis 2010 (Double Gold Veritas 2010)
First Sighting Elim 2009
Grahan Beck Coastal Region Blend Pheasants Run 2009 (Gold Veritas 2009 & 2010)
Grahan Beck Coastal Region Blend Pheasants Run 2010 (Gold Veritas 2010)
Sauvignon.com Coastal Region Blend 2010 (Double Gold Veritas 2010)
Strandveld Elim 2010
4 Stars
Darling Bush Vines 2010
Groote Post Darling Reserve 2009
Bookings through 0860100203 or subs@ramsaymedia.co.za
The line up will include:
5 Stars & Double Gold Veritas
Anura Coastal Region Blend Unfiltered Reserve 2010
4 and half stars
Cederberg 2010 (Silver Veritas 2010)
De Grendel Durbanville Koetshuis 2010 (Double Gold Veritas 2010)
First Sighting Elim 2009
Grahan Beck Coastal Region Blend Pheasants Run 2009 (Gold Veritas 2009 & 2010)
Grahan Beck Coastal Region Blend Pheasants Run 2010 (Gold Veritas 2010)
Sauvignon.com Coastal Region Blend 2010 (Double Gold Veritas 2010)
Strandveld Elim 2010
4 Stars
Darling Bush Vines 2010
Groote Post Darling Reserve 2009
Bookings through 0860100203 or subs@ramsaymedia.co.za
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Cathedral Cellar Triptych Coastal Region Red Blend 2007 77 Points
Cathedral Cellar Triptych Coastal Region Red Blend 2007 77 Points
Ripe oaky style, slight varnishy note, rubber character evident, grainy graphite note on soft and elegant tannin structure, savoury, but oak not integrated after 3 years! Oaky aftertaste follows through, now until 2015.
Ripe oaky style, slight varnishy note, rubber character evident, grainy graphite note on soft and elegant tannin structure, savoury, but oak not integrated after 3 years! Oaky aftertaste follows through, now until 2015.
Strandveld Elim Pinot Noir 2009 - Release July 2011
Strandveld Elim Pinot Noir 2009 - Release July 2011
Any serious Pinot Noir fundi should not missed and must looked out to the first "reserve" range of Strandveld Elim Pinot Noir 2009 vintage!
More to follow in July 2011
Any serious Pinot Noir fundi should not missed and must looked out to the first "reserve" range of Strandveld Elim Pinot Noir 2009 vintage!
More to follow in July 2011
Welmoed Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2010 86 Points
Welmoed Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2010 86 Points
Clear, bright pale straw with slight green reflection, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas (common occurrence in young Cape Sauvignon Blanc to boost mouth feels) or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity, ripe note of “Washington red apples”, bright lemon, guava, white peach and just ripe Asian pears, layers of complexity with subtle but delicately persistent note of farm style honey, creamy vanilla, lightly wooded, probably French oak with a soupcon of botrytis.
Dry with intense note of pears and just ripe guava as new flavours, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, medium plus complexity, medium plus length, viscous, creamy and rather concentrated mouth feels, very good example of a great value Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc crammed with personality.
Served now at 9 degrees Celsius with steam Cantonese inspired pork, Shittake & dried cuttlefish dumplings, ‘Niuk Yen” style or can be cellared until 2015 under the right cellaring conditions.
Welmoed Chenin Blanc is widely available at around R 30 a bottle and is a style between the Kleine Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc and Simonsig Chenin Blanc
Clear, bright pale straw with slight green reflection, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas (common occurrence in young Cape Sauvignon Blanc to boost mouth feels) or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity, ripe note of “Washington red apples”, bright lemon, guava, white peach and just ripe Asian pears, layers of complexity with subtle but delicately persistent note of farm style honey, creamy vanilla, lightly wooded, probably French oak with a soupcon of botrytis.
Dry with intense note of pears and just ripe guava as new flavours, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, medium plus complexity, medium plus length, viscous, creamy and rather concentrated mouth feels, very good example of a great value Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc crammed with personality.
Served now at 9 degrees Celsius with steam Cantonese inspired pork, Shittake & dried cuttlefish dumplings, ‘Niuk Yen” style or can be cellared until 2015 under the right cellaring conditions.
Welmoed Chenin Blanc is widely available at around R 30 a bottle and is a style between the Kleine Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc and Simonsig Chenin Blanc
Vina Temprana Old Vines Tempranillo Joven* Campo de Borja Denominacione de Origen 2009 85 points
Vina Temprana Old Vines Tempranillo Joven* Campo de Borja Denominacione de Origen 2009 85 points
Made by Bodegas Aragonesas SA Fuendejalon from over 40 years old Tempranillo vines and available at Checkers Hyper Sandton City at an unbelievable price of R 24.99 per bottle!
Clear, bright, ruby red with purple rim, medium plus concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity of ripe plums, dark cherries, fragrant dried strawberry petal and almonds, complex earthy note, delicately wooded, most probably large old barrels.
Dry, medium acidity, low plus tannin, medium alcohol (13.5 ABV) with concentrated and juicy new flavours of bright plum fruit and just ripe cherries and lingering fresh cherry pip note, touch sappy might suggest some whole bunch included in the fermentation.
This is a fantastic value Old Vines Tempranillo, true to it’s origin and certainly over delivers on price, cause wait a second, if Spain can send a perfectly made wine at R 24.99 retail, South African producers better watch out, especially with the last 2 years tendency to increase price, with no apparent justification.
It is seal with crews cap, could you believe it, even Spain going the screw cap way!
*Joven = Spanish for young
About Campo de Borja
Promising wine area surrounding the town of Borja in the Aragon region, one of Spain 17 autonomous region, North East of Spain, known for producing full bodied red wines, sharing the Ebro river with it’s illustrious neighbour in the North West, Rioja.
Modern winemaking, technology and huge investment since late 90’s, have revolutionized the style.
Bravo to Checkers Hyper Sandton City, to have brought this wine into the country.
Served at 14 degrees Celsius with toast and French style Saucisson / Salami from Feinschmecker finest quality Charcuterie, without a doubt South Africa finest cold meats specialist
Made by Bodegas Aragonesas SA Fuendejalon from over 40 years old Tempranillo vines and available at Checkers Hyper Sandton City at an unbelievable price of R 24.99 per bottle!
Clear, bright, ruby red with purple rim, medium plus concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity of ripe plums, dark cherries, fragrant dried strawberry petal and almonds, complex earthy note, delicately wooded, most probably large old barrels.
Dry, medium acidity, low plus tannin, medium alcohol (13.5 ABV) with concentrated and juicy new flavours of bright plum fruit and just ripe cherries and lingering fresh cherry pip note, touch sappy might suggest some whole bunch included in the fermentation.
This is a fantastic value Old Vines Tempranillo, true to it’s origin and certainly over delivers on price, cause wait a second, if Spain can send a perfectly made wine at R 24.99 retail, South African producers better watch out, especially with the last 2 years tendency to increase price, with no apparent justification.
It is seal with crews cap, could you believe it, even Spain going the screw cap way!
*Joven = Spanish for young
About Campo de Borja
Promising wine area surrounding the town of Borja in the Aragon region, one of Spain 17 autonomous region, North East of Spain, known for producing full bodied red wines, sharing the Ebro river with it’s illustrious neighbour in the North West, Rioja.
Modern winemaking, technology and huge investment since late 90’s, have revolutionized the style.
Bravo to Checkers Hyper Sandton City, to have brought this wine into the country.
Served at 14 degrees Celsius with toast and French style Saucisson / Salami from Feinschmecker finest quality Charcuterie, without a doubt South Africa finest cold meats specialist
Miguel Chan Note on his tasting and rating procedures
Miguel Chan Note on his tasting and rating procedures
I do not verify any other rating prior to reviewing a wine sample, should mine be higher or lower than any good and well respected South African or International judge(s), wine writer, I leave it up to my growing (daily) loyal followers who read my buzz, blog, tweet or Face Book page to arrive at their own conclusion of either they agree with me or not, as I will always respect my peers, as there is no right or wrong in wine tasting, the only plausible answer to their review will be either a lack of experience in international benchmark, or over zealous confidence that cannot be substantiated.
Hence the need to constantly taste wines of the world and monitor their evolution if any!
I am convinced in today’s modern society of information freedom and overload, the New South Africa, have it’s place for honesty and integrity!
Wine enjoyment is about sharing of accurate information as truthfully as it gets, and there is no personal interest whatsoever and most important of all no time for politics or personal vendetta!, towards wine writers or producers, life is too short to waste unproductively!
The more South Africans drinking better quality wines as well as better value label not inflated by Marketing nonsense or brands appeal (Branding in wines is irrelevant and best left for Coco Cola, at least they can get the consistency right! Year on year!), especially the emerging African market*, who is extremely adventurous and certainly represent the future of South African wine drinker, the better it will be in establishing a sound domestic wine culture and will make the life of a good Sommelier easier on the floor!
*The emerging African wine market/clientele as it is seen in Johannesburg today is certainly the future of the South African wine industry, they are adventurous and are not as difficult as the majority of conservative South Africans from other major metropolitan cities, demanding yes but within reasonable request, willing to spend on the right recommendations, they are clear in their needs and are willing to experiment and learn, and they frequent and support the restaurant & bar business with far more regularity and consistency than any international visitors visiting South Africa for the last 16 / 17 years and I urge wine producers to engage, like very few have done so far instead of wasting their time in Asia, America or Europe as after all African population in South Africa is over 40 million, potential new customers!! Able to drink up the lake of unsold wine which is roughly under 200 million litres surplus as of now! And keep the economy going!
I do not verify any other rating prior to reviewing a wine sample, should mine be higher or lower than any good and well respected South African or International judge(s), wine writer, I leave it up to my growing (daily) loyal followers who read my buzz, blog, tweet or Face Book page to arrive at their own conclusion of either they agree with me or not, as I will always respect my peers, as there is no right or wrong in wine tasting, the only plausible answer to their review will be either a lack of experience in international benchmark, or over zealous confidence that cannot be substantiated.
Hence the need to constantly taste wines of the world and monitor their evolution if any!
I am convinced in today’s modern society of information freedom and overload, the New South Africa, have it’s place for honesty and integrity!
Wine enjoyment is about sharing of accurate information as truthfully as it gets, and there is no personal interest whatsoever and most important of all no time for politics or personal vendetta!, towards wine writers or producers, life is too short to waste unproductively!
The more South Africans drinking better quality wines as well as better value label not inflated by Marketing nonsense or brands appeal (Branding in wines is irrelevant and best left for Coco Cola, at least they can get the consistency right! Year on year!), especially the emerging African market*, who is extremely adventurous and certainly represent the future of South African wine drinker, the better it will be in establishing a sound domestic wine culture and will make the life of a good Sommelier easier on the floor!
*The emerging African wine market/clientele as it is seen in Johannesburg today is certainly the future of the South African wine industry, they are adventurous and are not as difficult as the majority of conservative South Africans from other major metropolitan cities, demanding yes but within reasonable request, willing to spend on the right recommendations, they are clear in their needs and are willing to experiment and learn, and they frequent and support the restaurant & bar business with far more regularity and consistency than any international visitors visiting South Africa for the last 16 / 17 years and I urge wine producers to engage, like very few have done so far instead of wasting their time in Asia, America or Europe as after all African population in South Africa is over 40 million, potential new customers!! Able to drink up the lake of unsold wine which is roughly under 200 million litres surplus as of now! And keep the economy going!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Riebeek Cellars Swartland Collection Shiraz 2009 86 Points
Riebeek Cellars Swartland Collection Shiraz 2009 86 points
Medium clear, bright cherry plum red with slight blueberry hue rim, medium concentration,medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity notes of dark ripe plums, dried cranberries, preserved maraschino cherries in kirsch, spicy & smoky, multilayered and complex with floral jasmine & rosemary, could there be a soupcon of Viognier in??
Dry with medium plus alcohol (more perceptible on palate than nose) medium plus acidity (possibly acidified) and medium plus finish, new flavours of sour cherries and savoury calamata black olives and medley of Mediterrannean herb such as Oregano, Marjoram and some Rosemary, medium lenght and complexity, crunchy fresh elegant style more Syrah than Shiraz.
Served at 14 degrees Celsius with a mild topside beef cut & potato chunks curry, steamed Basmati rice and crunchy cabbage,carrots & lettuce salad on the side, now until 2016
Medium clear, bright cherry plum red with slight blueberry hue rim, medium concentration,medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity notes of dark ripe plums, dried cranberries, preserved maraschino cherries in kirsch, spicy & smoky, multilayered and complex with floral jasmine & rosemary, could there be a soupcon of Viognier in??
Dry with medium plus alcohol (more perceptible on palate than nose) medium plus acidity (possibly acidified) and medium plus finish, new flavours of sour cherries and savoury calamata black olives and medley of Mediterrannean herb such as Oregano, Marjoram and some Rosemary, medium lenght and complexity, crunchy fresh elegant style more Syrah than Shiraz.
Served at 14 degrees Celsius with a mild topside beef cut & potato chunks curry, steamed Basmati rice and crunchy cabbage,carrots & lettuce salad on the side, now until 2016
Nederburg The Winemaster's Reserve Baronne 2009 80+ Points
Nederburg The Winemaster's Reserve Baronne 2009 80+ Points
Clear, bright, ruby cherry red with slight watery rim, medium plus concentration, medium plus viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity, dark red cherries, cassis and hints of tinned plum tomatoes, peppery with dark earthy notes, very oaky style, possibly a combination of French / American / Eastern European oak, barrel and oak chips as it is quite dusty cedary in appearance, spicy smoky note, dark cocoa.
Dry to off dry (+/- 3 gram Residual Sugar),medium plus alcohol, low tannin, medium plus acidity (possibly acidified), medium lenght and medium complexity with new flavours of juicy plum / prunes.
Served at 14 degrees celsius with BBQ beef and speck sausages, now until 2014.
Western Cape blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, no proportion given, very much a South Australian generic blend in profile.
Bottle tasted was purchased at Checkers Hyper Fourways ar R 29.99
Clear, bright, ruby cherry red with slight watery rim, medium plus concentration, medium plus viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean with medium plus intensity, dark red cherries, cassis and hints of tinned plum tomatoes, peppery with dark earthy notes, very oaky style, possibly a combination of French / American / Eastern European oak, barrel and oak chips as it is quite dusty cedary in appearance, spicy smoky note, dark cocoa.
Dry to off dry (+/- 3 gram Residual Sugar),medium plus alcohol, low tannin, medium plus acidity (possibly acidified), medium lenght and medium complexity with new flavours of juicy plum / prunes.
Served at 14 degrees celsius with BBQ beef and speck sausages, now until 2014.
Western Cape blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz, no proportion given, very much a South Australian generic blend in profile.
Bottle tasted was purchased at Checkers Hyper Fourways ar R 29.99
Friday, December 17, 2010
Ataraxia Western Cape Chardonnay 2007 - Revisited
Ataraxia Western Cape Chardonnay 2007 - Revisited
Ataraxia Chardonnay 2007 was a 5 stars in 2009 Platter Wine Guide and was pleased to discover a few bottles hidden in the depth of the Sandton Sun cellar, mixed with Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc 2008!
A minimalist non-interventionist Chardonnay handcrafted from fruit sourced by Kevin Grant from extreme, radical and individual parcels scattered throughout the Cape wine lands, 10 months upbringing in French oak of which 30 % was new, completed it’s journey to the bottle
Since the maiden release of the 2005 vintage, Ataraxia Chardonnay have captivated fans all over the world and have graced some of the finest fine dining destination.
Ataraxia is a smartly made moderate climate Chardonnay (South Africa is not a cool climate viticulture! No debate here!) bridging opulent New World aromatic with a palate weight, elegance as well as soupcon of minerality akind to a cross of Premier Cru Chablis and Puligny Montrachet profile.
Ataraxia wines are wines to be supported and have it’s rightful place on any well respected wine lists, however my only constructive criticism is it needs to get a sense of place, as at present all vintages have been Wine of Origin Western Cape, which makes it hard to explain to customers who know very little about Cape wines, but are demanding on the provenance as well as terroir where the vines are grown, hopefully as Kevin Grant vines mature on his Hemel en Aarde plot we should see some more site specific wines.
The 2007 is an age worthy Western Cape blend Chardonnay that will peak around 2013.
All vintages have an average rating of between 89 – 91+
Ataraxia Chardonnay 2007 was a 5 stars in 2009 Platter Wine Guide and was pleased to discover a few bottles hidden in the depth of the Sandton Sun cellar, mixed with Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc 2008!
A minimalist non-interventionist Chardonnay handcrafted from fruit sourced by Kevin Grant from extreme, radical and individual parcels scattered throughout the Cape wine lands, 10 months upbringing in French oak of which 30 % was new, completed it’s journey to the bottle
Since the maiden release of the 2005 vintage, Ataraxia Chardonnay have captivated fans all over the world and have graced some of the finest fine dining destination.
Ataraxia is a smartly made moderate climate Chardonnay (South Africa is not a cool climate viticulture! No debate here!) bridging opulent New World aromatic with a palate weight, elegance as well as soupcon of minerality akind to a cross of Premier Cru Chablis and Puligny Montrachet profile.
Ataraxia wines are wines to be supported and have it’s rightful place on any well respected wine lists, however my only constructive criticism is it needs to get a sense of place, as at present all vintages have been Wine of Origin Western Cape, which makes it hard to explain to customers who know very little about Cape wines, but are demanding on the provenance as well as terroir where the vines are grown, hopefully as Kevin Grant vines mature on his Hemel en Aarde plot we should see some more site specific wines.
The 2007 is an age worthy Western Cape blend Chardonnay that will peak around 2013.
All vintages have an average rating of between 89 – 91+
Pongratz Methode Cap Classique Chardonnay / Pinot Noir NV 83 Points
Pongratz Methode Cap Classique Chardonnay / Pinot Noir NV 83 Points
Clear, bright, pale straw, low plus concentration, low plus viscosity, evidence of gas with rather coarse bubbles, no sediment.
Clean, low plus intensity with notes of green pears, white peach and faint hints of yellow lemon skin, no minerality, with slight brush of oak / older wood, very little autolysis character.
Dry to off dry, low plus acidity, low plus alcohol with flavours of green pears and lime follows through, new notes of nutty flavour, medium length and medium complexity.
Served at 8 degrees Celsius, now until 2014, perfect with home made breakfast or sunday lunch light fares.
About Pongratz from a wine lists perspectives
Pongratz carries a strong branding and as a sparkling wine falls in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods.
Technically it is perfect as a bottle fermented sparkling wine, clinically clean and will make any informal, casual and home enjoyment special, however, it does not have it’s p[laced on a well respected hotel wine lists as the wine is too bland, lacking of depth, personality as well as sense of place missing, as it is a Western Cape blend by origin, though made in Stellenbosch.
Sense of place and terroir is so important when selling / pairing wine in a restaurant environment, furthermore the acidity is on the low side which will make pairings with fine food tricky.
This reviewed bottle was tasted blind alonside 2 other MCC Brut and was purchased at Checkers Hyper Fourways this December 2010 at R 68.99.
Clear, bright, pale straw, low plus concentration, low plus viscosity, evidence of gas with rather coarse bubbles, no sediment.
Clean, low plus intensity with notes of green pears, white peach and faint hints of yellow lemon skin, no minerality, with slight brush of oak / older wood, very little autolysis character.
Dry to off dry, low plus acidity, low plus alcohol with flavours of green pears and lime follows through, new notes of nutty flavour, medium length and medium complexity.
Served at 8 degrees Celsius, now until 2014, perfect with home made breakfast or sunday lunch light fares.
About Pongratz from a wine lists perspectives
Pongratz carries a strong branding and as a sparkling wine falls in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods.
Technically it is perfect as a bottle fermented sparkling wine, clinically clean and will make any informal, casual and home enjoyment special, however, it does not have it’s p[laced on a well respected hotel wine lists as the wine is too bland, lacking of depth, personality as well as sense of place missing, as it is a Western Cape blend by origin, though made in Stellenbosch.
Sense of place and terroir is so important when selling / pairing wine in a restaurant environment, furthermore the acidity is on the low side which will make pairings with fine food tricky.
This reviewed bottle was tasted blind alonside 2 other MCC Brut and was purchased at Checkers Hyper Fourways this December 2010 at R 68.99.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Buitenverwachting Husseys Vlei Constantia Chardonnay 2005 revisited 95 Points
Buitenverwachting Husseys Vlei Constantia Chardonnay 2005 revisited 95 Points
Had a bottle recently, my last one! and it is impressive to note the wine have not only get better but it seems to have stop it's ageing track and confidently idling!...............wandering what's next! still so full of energy, has taken just a slight nutty complexity with the so elusive match stick complexity, so Burgundian half way Puligny have way Beaune with soupcon of Montrachet charm....!Multilayered, striking with focus acidity along with a fine mineral thread,lends ultra charm and captivating complexity, WOW this Single vineyard offering, is certainly a testament of one of the finest South African Chardonnay ever made, well done Hermann Kirschbaum & Brad Paton.
Another testament of South African wines greatness, the world have yet to see the full potential of this amazing wine country, we only scratching the surface!
Had a bottle recently, my last one! and it is impressive to note the wine have not only get better but it seems to have stop it's ageing track and confidently idling!...............wandering what's next! still so full of energy, has taken just a slight nutty complexity with the so elusive match stick complexity, so Burgundian half way Puligny have way Beaune with soupcon of Montrachet charm....!Multilayered, striking with focus acidity along with a fine mineral thread,lends ultra charm and captivating complexity, WOW this Single vineyard offering, is certainly a testament of one of the finest South African Chardonnay ever made, well done Hermann Kirschbaum & Brad Paton.
Another testament of South African wines greatness, the world have yet to see the full potential of this amazing wine country, we only scratching the surface!
KWV Roodeberg Western Cape Red Blend 2007 69+ Points
KWV Roodeberg Western Cape Red Blend 2007 69+ Points
Mahogany hue, with russet brown edge, herbaceous with prominent tomato leaf note, dusty tea leaf complexity, chocolate dust and rusty iron note, acidity not integrated, possibly acidified, drying tannin, lean fruit structure, now until 2013
Mahogany hue, with russet brown edge, herbaceous with prominent tomato leaf note, dusty tea leaf complexity, chocolate dust and rusty iron note, acidity not integrated, possibly acidified, drying tannin, lean fruit structure, now until 2013
Solms Wijn de Caab Hiervandaan Western Cape blend 2006 73 Points
Solms Wijn de Caab Hiervandaan Western Cape blend 2006 73 Points
Ripe, fragrant dusty oak, prominent Shiraz fruit and seductive Viognier note, floral farewell, somewhat lean in structure, thinness rather than elegant!
Blend of Shiraz, Carignan, Mourvedre, Grenache Noir and Viognier. Now until 2013
Ripe, fragrant dusty oak, prominent Shiraz fruit and seductive Viognier note, floral farewell, somewhat lean in structure, thinness rather than elegant!
Blend of Shiraz, Carignan, Mourvedre, Grenache Noir and Viognier. Now until 2013
Saturday, December 11, 2010
2005 Avontuur Baccarat Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc blend 74+ points
2005 Avontuur Baccarat Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Cabernet Franc blend 74+ points
Clear, bright, russet hue, clean, medium plus intensity with complex note of cassis, currant and fragrant new French oak, high alcohol not integrated, drying tannins, over extracted, rather hard on finish, now until 2014
Clear, bright, russet hue, clean, medium plus intensity with complex note of cassis, currant and fragrant new French oak, high alcohol not integrated, drying tannins, over extracted, rather hard on finish, now until 2014
2005 Bayede Classique Stellenbosch Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon 68+ points
2005 Bayede Classique Stellenbosch Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon 68+ points
Ripe, stewed prunes, earthy, oak not too clean, certainly old barrel, drying tannin, acidity out of tune, VA perceptible, lean and austere, now until 2013
Ripe, stewed prunes, earthy, oak not too clean, certainly old barrel, drying tannin, acidity out of tune, VA perceptible, lean and austere, now until 2013
2006 Uva Mira Stellenbosch Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon 71 points
2006 Uva Mira Stellenbosch Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon 71 points
Ripe, marmite note chocolatey, high extract with hard tannin not integrated, hollow mid palate, even with aeration did not improve much, now until 2013
Ripe, marmite note chocolatey, high extract with hard tannin not integrated, hollow mid palate, even with aeration did not improve much, now until 2013
2007 Wildekrans Walker Bay Cabernet Franc Merlot 66 points
2007 Wildekrans Walker Bay Cabernet Franc Merlot 66 points
Reductive with rubbery note, sea shells note, rather atypical Bordeaux style blend, bitter texture due to overextraction, short aftertaste, now until 2013
Reductive with rubbery note, sea shells note, rather atypical Bordeaux style blend, bitter texture due to overextraction, short aftertaste, now until 2013
Friday, December 10, 2010
Abingdon Estate Single Vineyard Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands Viognier 80 points
Abingdon Estate Single Vineyard Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands Viognier 80 points
Clear, bright, pale straw hue, low concentration low plus viscosity, some gas evident.
Clean, medium plus intensity with notes of canned yellow peach, white peaches, lychee, delicate jasmine and hints of lime, Italian style aromatic, brush of oak?
Dry, low plus acidity, medium alcohol, some Viognier tannin evident on back palate, elegant with juicy stone fruit, texture far more interesting than nose suggest, well made with palate weight with broad mouth feels, honeyed? Aftertaste, now until 2013.
Served at 11 degrees Celsius with grilled peach, seasonal crunchy greens leaves, Mange tout and lightly tea smoked quail salad
Clear, bright, pale straw hue, low concentration low plus viscosity, some gas evident.
Clean, medium plus intensity with notes of canned yellow peach, white peaches, lychee, delicate jasmine and hints of lime, Italian style aromatic, brush of oak?
Dry, low plus acidity, medium alcohol, some Viognier tannin evident on back palate, elegant with juicy stone fruit, texture far more interesting than nose suggest, well made with palate weight with broad mouth feels, honeyed? Aftertaste, now until 2013.
Served at 11 degrees Celsius with grilled peach, seasonal crunchy greens leaves, Mange tout and lightly tea smoked quail salad
Abingdon Wine Estate Kwazulu Natal Midlands Single Vineyards Syrah 2008 77 Points
Abingdon Estate Single Vineyard Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands Syrah 2008 77 Point
Clear day bright, cherry red with slight mahogany rim, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas, but there is some tartaric crystal as deposit.
Clean, austere, faint hints of dark red fruits such as blackcurrants, currants and cedar wood, tobacco and cedary texture, oak not fully integrated, too much.
Dry, low plus acidity, low plus tannin, medium alcohol, fresh and light bodied (better served chilled), Vin de Pays style, no evident Syrah character, low plus finish, now until 2013
Served chilled at 10 degrees Celsius with country pork saucisson sec and crusty baguette
Clear day bright, cherry red with slight mahogany rim, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas, but there is some tartaric crystal as deposit.
Clean, austere, faint hints of dark red fruits such as blackcurrants, currants and cedar wood, tobacco and cedary texture, oak not fully integrated, too much.
Dry, low plus acidity, low plus tannin, medium alcohol, fresh and light bodied (better served chilled), Vin de Pays style, no evident Syrah character, low plus finish, now until 2013
Served chilled at 10 degrees Celsius with country pork saucisson sec and crusty baguette
Abingdon Wine Estate Kwazulu Natal Midlands Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 80 Points
Abingdon Estate Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands first Estate winery
Abingdon Estate, may claim the unofficial status of the highest vineyard in South Africa at approximately 1100 metres above sea level (Cederberg is the highest vineyard at 1069 metres in the Western Cape)
Owned by Ian and Jane Smorthwaite, the wine estate is situated in the picturesque Midlands area of Kwa Zulu Natal, one of South Africa’s newest Geographical Wine Units (The other one being the Eastern Cape GU, that’s for another day discussion!)
Abingdon is certified as an Estate producer using only Kwa Zulu Natal grown grapes.
From their just over 2 ha of vineyards, they produce quite a broad range from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier to Chardonnay.
To sum it up, Abingdon Wine Estate indeed shows potential for good quality clean wine, UN showy in style with fine attributes to be paired with food and as the vines ages, there should be more complex drops being made, Ian & Jane should be applauded for their effort and be daring enough to grow grape in a summer rainfall area.
Hereunder my initial impression of the previous vintage, the wines was tasted blind alongside Western Cape wines, group in the same category.
Abingdon Estate Kwazulu Natal Midlands Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 80 Points
Clear, day bright, cherry hue, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, low plus intensity, Cabernet austerity evident, with aeration reveals notes of cherry, just ripe plum, hints of tobacco and earthy note.
Dry, fresh with medium acid, medium plus tannin, medium alcohol, Old World restraint, balance but touch over extracted, results of young fruits macerated for too long! Delicate savoury black olives and dried lavender notes, good depth, medium finish, fine restraint, now until 2014
Served at 14 degrees Celsius with a grilled beef flank, lightly season with a rocket salad in light balsamic dressing
Abingdon Estate, may claim the unofficial status of the highest vineyard in South Africa at approximately 1100 metres above sea level (Cederberg is the highest vineyard at 1069 metres in the Western Cape)
Owned by Ian and Jane Smorthwaite, the wine estate is situated in the picturesque Midlands area of Kwa Zulu Natal, one of South Africa’s newest Geographical Wine Units (The other one being the Eastern Cape GU, that’s for another day discussion!)
Abingdon is certified as an Estate producer using only Kwa Zulu Natal grown grapes.
From their just over 2 ha of vineyards, they produce quite a broad range from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier to Chardonnay.
To sum it up, Abingdon Wine Estate indeed shows potential for good quality clean wine, UN showy in style with fine attributes to be paired with food and as the vines ages, there should be more complex drops being made, Ian & Jane should be applauded for their effort and be daring enough to grow grape in a summer rainfall area.
Hereunder my initial impression of the previous vintage, the wines was tasted blind alongside Western Cape wines, group in the same category.
Abingdon Estate Kwazulu Natal Midlands Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 80 Points
Clear, day bright, cherry hue, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, low plus intensity, Cabernet austerity evident, with aeration reveals notes of cherry, just ripe plum, hints of tobacco and earthy note.
Dry, fresh with medium acid, medium plus tannin, medium alcohol, Old World restraint, balance but touch over extracted, results of young fruits macerated for too long! Delicate savoury black olives and dried lavender notes, good depth, medium finish, fine restraint, now until 2014
Served at 14 degrees Celsius with a grilled beef flank, lightly season with a rocket salad in light balsamic dressing
Thursday, December 9, 2010
SEVEN SPRINGS VINEYARD FROM THE BEGINNING
SEVEN SPRINGS VINEYARD FROM THE BEGINNING
The Hemel en Aarde Ridge ward is indeed a very exciting new wine area, producing (so far)elegant minerally driven moderate climate style white and red, one has to taste with Jean Claude Martin at Creation to understand the passion and drive to make some of the very best wines not only in the valley but in South Africa, with international benchmark or at Mount Babylon's with Johan Holtzhauzen and try his Methode Cap Classique Shiraz Rose, these are food friendly wines.
Seven Springs is one of the latest to join that very special area, I will review their maiden vintage 2010 Sauvignon Blanc within the next 2 weeks and will report on my findings!
In the meantime learn more from the words of Seven Springs owner Tim Pearson.
“We are situated 3kms down the road from Creation (just past the Tolbos apple farm) on the same side as Creation.
We are just out of the Hemel en Aarde Ridge ward and just out of the Walker Bay area. This does not bother me as it does not matter where we are, as long as our wines are of a high quality.
Please have a look at our Flickr photos below, http://www.flickr.com/photos/sevenspringsvineyard/ it will give you an idea of the layout of our vineyard on north and south facing slopes.
Our wines will be made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
We hope to build a winery and tasting room in 2011
Passionate about wine, I had long dreamt about owning my own vineyard, this is story of my dream becoming a reality.
For a number of years our family holidays had been taken in Europe and South Africa where my enthusiasm for great wine and knowledge of complexities of production grew. In 1993 I had the opportunity to visit the London International Wine & Spirits Fair and I was truly hooked.
In 1994 I worked for six months in South Africa and although back in the UK was lucky enough to make contact with two of South Africa’s leading winemakers, Beyers Truter from Beyerskloof in Stellenbosch and Danie de Wet from De Wetshof Estate in Robertson.
In 2005, during a return visit to South Africa to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife, Vaughan, and I explored the possibility of buying a small wine farm or some land which could be brought into production as vineyard.
During the trip we looked at land near Stellenbosch with a local agent but due to the cost of the land felt my dream would stay just that, a dream. However during our visit we travelled through much of the Cape wine lands and drove on to Hermanus where we visited Hamilton Russell Vineyards and Bouchard Finlayson in the picturesque Hemel en Aarde (Heaven on Earth) Valley.
It was at this point that Vaughan said “if we are going to buy anywhere, this area would be the perfect place”. The challenge was now to find suitable land in this truly beautiful valley, where top class wines were being produced, but land would be extremely hard to come by.
Returning to the UK and my job as Managing Director of my cleaning company, Goldcrest Cleaning Ltd, I set about using the internet to search for any suitable land in the area. To my absolute amazement, in December 2005, I discovered some land for sale 10 minutes drive down the valley from the Sumaridge Winery.
After contacting the sellers, father and son farmers, Brian and James Davison, and receiving several reports on the suitability of the soil for wine grape production, Vaughan and I decided to travel back to the Cape in January 2006.
During the visit we made the decision to buy a portion of the land available (called Vrede which in Afrikaans means Peace) and purchased 12 hectares of north and south facing land, suitable for the production of red and white grape varieties.
Much viticultural advice was sought regarding the choice of planting and eventually we settled on Pinot Noir and Syrah for the red varieties and Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for the whites.
July 2007 saw our first 2 hectares of Syrah planted on north facing slopes and 1.87 hectares of Chardonnay on the south facing slopes.
Later in that year 1.9 hectares of mature Blue Gum (Eucalyptus) trees on the edge of the land were grubbed up to make way for planting Sauvignon Blanc grapes, although time is required for the soil to recover and improved for optimum vine growing.
During July and early August of 2008 we planted 3.41 hectares of Pinot Noir on north facing slopes (the reason for not planting Pinot Noir in 2007 was that KWV, our rootstock supplier, did not have suitable clones of the variety in stock.
These had to be ordered and then grafted onto the correct rootstock for planting in 2008).
The very best virus free rootstock has been used in all plantings.
2008 also saw the planting of 200 Frantoio olive trees, from the Morgenster olive farm, around the perimeter of the vineyard area to allow future production of a single variety olive oil.
2009 saw the planted vines mature with a view to a test harvest in 2010. The final parcel of land will be planted with Sauvignon Blanc in 2010 and our first true harvest will be in February and March of 2011 with launch into the market likely later that year.
Over time our vineyard will produce in the region of 50-60,000 bottles and bringing it to market will no doubt be our biggest challenge.
It was in the latter part of this year that we established our branding with Marcel de Quervain (www.curv8.com).
Marcel was responsible for creating the branding for the iconic Innocent range of products in the UK.
January of 2010 saw the appointment of Riana van der Merwe as our winemaker. 25 year old Riana comes highly recommended to us by our friend Guillaume Nell, winemaker at Backsberg.
Our first harvest started on Thursday the 11th of February with the picking of our Chardonnay grapes, the quality looks excellent.
Our Sauvignon Blanc (from grapes grown by Peter, our vineyard manager, on his family vineyard next to ours, will be picked in the last week of February and our Syrah 2 weeks later.
We will produce approximately 9,000 bottles from our first harvest as we are limiting grape quantity and concentrating on quality fruit.
This will also allow our young vines to develop fully. Riana will make Seven Springs first vintage at the award winning Iona Vineyards in Elgin.
Our website (www.7springs.co.za) was launched on the 16th February 2010 as was the Seven Springs Vineyard Facebook site and the 7SpringsWine Twitter.
Our first grapes, Sauvignon Blanc, were hand picked on the 22nd of February 2010 followed by the Chardonnay a week later and our Syrah in early March.
All of our vines were harvested at optimum fruit ripeness and the grapes were then fermented in stainless steel tanks.
Our Sauvignon Blanc remained in the tank whilst our Chardonnay and Syrah were transferred to French oak barrels.
We have used second and third fill barriques to gently ‘marry’ with our wine, allowing our fruit to express itself with the oak providing a supporting role.
The style we are looking for with our Chardonnay and Syrah is ultimately one of delicate balance between fruit and oak.
Sauvignon Blanc has now been planted in a 1 hectare site on the highest, and coolest, point of our south facing slopes.
The vines were planted in June 2010 below the watchful eye and slopes of Shaws Mountain
Our Sauvignon Blanc from the 2010 vintage was bottled on the 6th of August (4,400 bottles) and then labelled on the 11th of October. The wine will be sold in South Africa and the UK.
Our Chardonnay and Syrah are snug in their French oak barrels with the Chardonnay being bottled early 2011 and the Syrah later in the year.
Our winemaker Riana is spending the 2010 harvest (September to the end of November) in Oregon, USA, at Adelsheim Vineyard.
This will give Riana great exposure to some of the best Pinot Noirs produced in the USA, helping her to understand the complexities of this variety.
Our first small production of Pinot Noir could now be as early as 2011 as our young vines seem to be of an excellent quality.
November 2010 saw our wines going on sale in South Africa at Cybercellar (www.cybercellar.co.za) and the Wine Village in Hermanus (www.wine-village.co.za) and our first restaurant listing in South Africa with 24 bottles going to the acclaimed 96 Winery Road restaurant in the Cape winelands near Somerset West.
2,400 bottles also landed at Tilbury docks, London, on Monday the 8th, ready to launch into the UK market.
We have also had superb feedback on the quality of our wine from wine writers in South Africa.
Everyone in South Africa who has tasted our wine so far has given it a big thumbs up. I am so proud of Riana our young winemaker."
Tim Pearson
The Hemel en Aarde Ridge ward is indeed a very exciting new wine area, producing (so far)elegant minerally driven moderate climate style white and red, one has to taste with Jean Claude Martin at Creation to understand the passion and drive to make some of the very best wines not only in the valley but in South Africa, with international benchmark or at Mount Babylon's with Johan Holtzhauzen and try his Methode Cap Classique Shiraz Rose, these are food friendly wines.
Seven Springs is one of the latest to join that very special area, I will review their maiden vintage 2010 Sauvignon Blanc within the next 2 weeks and will report on my findings!
In the meantime learn more from the words of Seven Springs owner Tim Pearson.
“We are situated 3kms down the road from Creation (just past the Tolbos apple farm) on the same side as Creation.
We are just out of the Hemel en Aarde Ridge ward and just out of the Walker Bay area. This does not bother me as it does not matter where we are, as long as our wines are of a high quality.
Please have a look at our Flickr photos below, http://www.flickr.com/photos/sevenspringsvineyard/ it will give you an idea of the layout of our vineyard on north and south facing slopes.
Our wines will be made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
We hope to build a winery and tasting room in 2011
Passionate about wine, I had long dreamt about owning my own vineyard, this is story of my dream becoming a reality.
For a number of years our family holidays had been taken in Europe and South Africa where my enthusiasm for great wine and knowledge of complexities of production grew. In 1993 I had the opportunity to visit the London International Wine & Spirits Fair and I was truly hooked.
In 1994 I worked for six months in South Africa and although back in the UK was lucky enough to make contact with two of South Africa’s leading winemakers, Beyers Truter from Beyerskloof in Stellenbosch and Danie de Wet from De Wetshof Estate in Robertson.
In 2005, during a return visit to South Africa to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife, Vaughan, and I explored the possibility of buying a small wine farm or some land which could be brought into production as vineyard.
During the trip we looked at land near Stellenbosch with a local agent but due to the cost of the land felt my dream would stay just that, a dream. However during our visit we travelled through much of the Cape wine lands and drove on to Hermanus where we visited Hamilton Russell Vineyards and Bouchard Finlayson in the picturesque Hemel en Aarde (Heaven on Earth) Valley.
It was at this point that Vaughan said “if we are going to buy anywhere, this area would be the perfect place”. The challenge was now to find suitable land in this truly beautiful valley, where top class wines were being produced, but land would be extremely hard to come by.
Returning to the UK and my job as Managing Director of my cleaning company, Goldcrest Cleaning Ltd, I set about using the internet to search for any suitable land in the area. To my absolute amazement, in December 2005, I discovered some land for sale 10 minutes drive down the valley from the Sumaridge Winery.
After contacting the sellers, father and son farmers, Brian and James Davison, and receiving several reports on the suitability of the soil for wine grape production, Vaughan and I decided to travel back to the Cape in January 2006.
During the visit we made the decision to buy a portion of the land available (called Vrede which in Afrikaans means Peace) and purchased 12 hectares of north and south facing land, suitable for the production of red and white grape varieties.
Much viticultural advice was sought regarding the choice of planting and eventually we settled on Pinot Noir and Syrah for the red varieties and Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for the whites.
July 2007 saw our first 2 hectares of Syrah planted on north facing slopes and 1.87 hectares of Chardonnay on the south facing slopes.
Later in that year 1.9 hectares of mature Blue Gum (Eucalyptus) trees on the edge of the land were grubbed up to make way for planting Sauvignon Blanc grapes, although time is required for the soil to recover and improved for optimum vine growing.
During July and early August of 2008 we planted 3.41 hectares of Pinot Noir on north facing slopes (the reason for not planting Pinot Noir in 2007 was that KWV, our rootstock supplier, did not have suitable clones of the variety in stock.
These had to be ordered and then grafted onto the correct rootstock for planting in 2008).
The very best virus free rootstock has been used in all plantings.
2008 also saw the planting of 200 Frantoio olive trees, from the Morgenster olive farm, around the perimeter of the vineyard area to allow future production of a single variety olive oil.
2009 saw the planted vines mature with a view to a test harvest in 2010. The final parcel of land will be planted with Sauvignon Blanc in 2010 and our first true harvest will be in February and March of 2011 with launch into the market likely later that year.
Over time our vineyard will produce in the region of 50-60,000 bottles and bringing it to market will no doubt be our biggest challenge.
It was in the latter part of this year that we established our branding with Marcel de Quervain (www.curv8.com).
Marcel was responsible for creating the branding for the iconic Innocent range of products in the UK.
January of 2010 saw the appointment of Riana van der Merwe as our winemaker. 25 year old Riana comes highly recommended to us by our friend Guillaume Nell, winemaker at Backsberg.
Our first harvest started on Thursday the 11th of February with the picking of our Chardonnay grapes, the quality looks excellent.
Our Sauvignon Blanc (from grapes grown by Peter, our vineyard manager, on his family vineyard next to ours, will be picked in the last week of February and our Syrah 2 weeks later.
We will produce approximately 9,000 bottles from our first harvest as we are limiting grape quantity and concentrating on quality fruit.
This will also allow our young vines to develop fully. Riana will make Seven Springs first vintage at the award winning Iona Vineyards in Elgin.
Our website (www.7springs.co.za) was launched on the 16th February 2010 as was the Seven Springs Vineyard Facebook site and the 7SpringsWine Twitter.
Our first grapes, Sauvignon Blanc, were hand picked on the 22nd of February 2010 followed by the Chardonnay a week later and our Syrah in early March.
All of our vines were harvested at optimum fruit ripeness and the grapes were then fermented in stainless steel tanks.
Our Sauvignon Blanc remained in the tank whilst our Chardonnay and Syrah were transferred to French oak barrels.
We have used second and third fill barriques to gently ‘marry’ with our wine, allowing our fruit to express itself with the oak providing a supporting role.
The style we are looking for with our Chardonnay and Syrah is ultimately one of delicate balance between fruit and oak.
Sauvignon Blanc has now been planted in a 1 hectare site on the highest, and coolest, point of our south facing slopes.
The vines were planted in June 2010 below the watchful eye and slopes of Shaws Mountain
Our Sauvignon Blanc from the 2010 vintage was bottled on the 6th of August (4,400 bottles) and then labelled on the 11th of October. The wine will be sold in South Africa and the UK.
Our Chardonnay and Syrah are snug in their French oak barrels with the Chardonnay being bottled early 2011 and the Syrah later in the year.
Our winemaker Riana is spending the 2010 harvest (September to the end of November) in Oregon, USA, at Adelsheim Vineyard.
This will give Riana great exposure to some of the best Pinot Noirs produced in the USA, helping her to understand the complexities of this variety.
Our first small production of Pinot Noir could now be as early as 2011 as our young vines seem to be of an excellent quality.
November 2010 saw our wines going on sale in South Africa at Cybercellar (www.cybercellar.co.za) and the Wine Village in Hermanus (www.wine-village.co.za) and our first restaurant listing in South Africa with 24 bottles going to the acclaimed 96 Winery Road restaurant in the Cape winelands near Somerset West.
2,400 bottles also landed at Tilbury docks, London, on Monday the 8th, ready to launch into the UK market.
We have also had superb feedback on the quality of our wine from wine writers in South Africa.
Everyone in South Africa who has tasted our wine so far has given it a big thumbs up. I am so proud of Riana our young winemaker."
Tim Pearson
The fruit-bomb resistance
The fruit-bomb resistance
Thread created by Geoff Kruth of the Guild of Sommeliers www.guildsomm.com
A good article from Jordan. I thought this little table was interesting:
Hopefully this may start inspiring South African viticulturist and winemakers alike to start getting out of their stigma of long hang time and their quest to optimal physiological ripeness, as over 90 %still do not get it high alcohol, low acid acid wine is challenging to pair with foods!
Alcohol percentages for the past six vintages of Kutch’s pinot noir:
2005: 16.3%
2006: 15.3%
2007: 14.1%
2008: 13.9%
2009: 13.2%
2010: 12.8%
http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/the-fruit-bomb-resistance
Thread created by Geoff Kruth of the Guild of Sommeliers www.guildsomm.com
A good article from Jordan. I thought this little table was interesting:
Hopefully this may start inspiring South African viticulturist and winemakers alike to start getting out of their stigma of long hang time and their quest to optimal physiological ripeness, as over 90 %still do not get it high alcohol, low acid acid wine is challenging to pair with foods!
Alcohol percentages for the past six vintages of Kutch’s pinot noir:
2005: 16.3%
2006: 15.3%
2007: 14.1%
2008: 13.9%
2009: 13.2%
2010: 12.8%
http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/the-fruit-bomb-resistance
Platter South African Wine Guide 2011, 5 Star Award - Rijk's Shiraz 2005
Platter South African Wine Guide 2011, 5 Star Award - Rijk's Shiraz 2005
Winemaker Pierre Wahl was most pleased at receiving 5 stars
for his Rijk's Shiraz 2005 vintage.
Platter's Wine Guide is regarded as the most respected and most authoritative guide to South African wine.
In an interview Pierre commented “Our 2004 vintage received 4.5 stars, and now our latest release 2005 vintage was awarded 5 stars".
It was also the oldest vintage - 2005 – wine to receive
5 stars.
This confirms that the elegance, finesse, concentration of fruit and consistency in our older vintage wines are much appreciated by wine enthusiasts locally and internationally.
The wine was described as “a world class benchmark Shiraz”, and “an ambassador for South African Shiraz”.
All Rijk's Private Cellar current vintages received 4, 4½ or 5 Stars
Shiraz 2005
Pinotage touch of oak 2009
Pinotage 2006
Pinotage Reserve 2007
Bravado 2003
Chardonnay Reserve 2007
Chenin Blanc touch of oak 2009
Chenin Blanc 2008
Chenin Blanc Reserve 2007
Fascination 2008
Winemaker Pierre Wahl was most pleased at receiving 5 stars
for his Rijk's Shiraz 2005 vintage.
Platter's Wine Guide is regarded as the most respected and most authoritative guide to South African wine.
In an interview Pierre commented “Our 2004 vintage received 4.5 stars, and now our latest release 2005 vintage was awarded 5 stars".
It was also the oldest vintage - 2005 – wine to receive
5 stars.
This confirms that the elegance, finesse, concentration of fruit and consistency in our older vintage wines are much appreciated by wine enthusiasts locally and internationally.
The wine was described as “a world class benchmark Shiraz”, and “an ambassador for South African Shiraz”.
All Rijk's Private Cellar current vintages received 4, 4½ or 5 Stars
Shiraz 2005
Pinotage touch of oak 2009
Pinotage 2006
Pinotage Reserve 2007
Bravado 2003
Chardonnay Reserve 2007
Chenin Blanc touch of oak 2009
Chenin Blanc 2008
Chenin Blanc Reserve 2007
Fascination 2008
ALLESVERLOREN WINS YET ANOTHER SWEDISH AWARD
ALLESVERLOREN WINS YET ANOTHER SWEDISH AWARD
The 2009 vintage of Allesverloren Shiraz has been awarded gold and voted best bottled red wine of 2010 by 35 Swedish wine writers at the annual Alt Om Vin wine awards in Sweden.
This follows last month’s (November) news that Allesverloren earned Sweden’s highest wine honour with Danie Malan, fifth-generation Swartland winemaker and owner of Allesverloren, chosen as International Producer of the Year in an annual competition held under the auspices of Alt Om Mat, one of Sweden’s foremost lifestyle magazines.
Intense ruby red in colour and showing an abundance of ripe berry and cigar box aromas with a background of oak spice, Allesverloren Shiraz 2009 is a rich and full-bodied wine with a good tannic structure and ripe fruit flavours.
DATE DECEMBER 8, 2010
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATION)
FOR CAPE LEGENDS
QUERIES DANIE MALAN, ALLESVERLOREN WINEMAKER, (022) 461 2320 or 082 573 9220
LIZE-MARIE GRADWELL, MARKETING MANAGER, CAPE LEGENDS (021) 809 7000
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690
Kind regards
Marlise Potgieter
De Kock Communications (DKC)
Tel: +27 21 422 2690
Fax/Faks: +27 86 610 5388
Cell/Sel: +27 72 562 5307
E-mail/E-pos: marlise@dkc.co.za
The 2009 vintage of Allesverloren Shiraz has been awarded gold and voted best bottled red wine of 2010 by 35 Swedish wine writers at the annual Alt Om Vin wine awards in Sweden.
This follows last month’s (November) news that Allesverloren earned Sweden’s highest wine honour with Danie Malan, fifth-generation Swartland winemaker and owner of Allesverloren, chosen as International Producer of the Year in an annual competition held under the auspices of Alt Om Mat, one of Sweden’s foremost lifestyle magazines.
Intense ruby red in colour and showing an abundance of ripe berry and cigar box aromas with a background of oak spice, Allesverloren Shiraz 2009 is a rich and full-bodied wine with a good tannic structure and ripe fruit flavours.
DATE DECEMBER 8, 2010
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATION)
FOR CAPE LEGENDS
QUERIES DANIE MALAN, ALLESVERLOREN WINEMAKER, (022) 461 2320 or 082 573 9220
LIZE-MARIE GRADWELL, MARKETING MANAGER, CAPE LEGENDS (021) 809 7000
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690
Kind regards
Marlise Potgieter
De Kock Communications (DKC)
Tel: +27 21 422 2690
Fax/Faks: +27 86 610 5388
Cell/Sel: +27 72 562 5307
E-mail/E-pos: marlise@dkc.co.za
Novel whites and roses for spring
I now write the wine articles for Status Quo Estate Living Magazine, a high profile quarterly publications, looked out for my first article "Novel whites and roses for spring".
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
2009 Paul Cluver Estate Elgin Riesling 90 Points
2009 Paul Cluver Estate Elgin Riesling 90 Points
Clear, day bright, pale straw with medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, medium intensity with notes of lime, melon, pineapple and hay straw.
Dry to off dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, new flavours of zesty green lime, medium bodied, fresh and elegant with some minerality note, now until 2018.
Arguably South Africa finest Riesling.
Served at 10 degrees celsius with a grilled yellowfin tuna loin served rare with raw juliennes of shredded roots vegetables, sesame oil & honey dressing.
PS: 2010 just release
Clear, day bright, pale straw with medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, medium intensity with notes of lime, melon, pineapple and hay straw.
Dry to off dry, medium acidity, medium alcohol, new flavours of zesty green lime, medium bodied, fresh and elegant with some minerality note, now until 2018.
Arguably South Africa finest Riesling.
Served at 10 degrees celsius with a grilled yellowfin tuna loin served rare with raw juliennes of shredded roots vegetables, sesame oil & honey dressing.
PS: 2010 just release
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Breaking up with Pinot Noir
Though sharing this with you, "breaking up with Pinot Noir" published on the Guild of Sommeliers Website discussion forum, simply hilarious and so much sense!
The letter was written by W. Blake Gray and appeared in his blog The Gray Market. Pinot Noir responds...
mark.posterous.com/dear-blake-love-spat-pinot-noir-replies-to-br
Dear Pinot Noir:
I'm writing to tell you that I'm breaking up with you.
I still love you, and I'll probably always love you. But you've changed since we met, and I can't ignore it anymore.
It's not only because you've gained weight, although I won't deny that's a big factor. It's not just you who you hurt by hanging out in the vineyard way longer than you should, getting bloated with sugar and alcohol. You're also hurting me. If you respected me, you would work harder to keep your lean, sexy shape. But you don't respect me. You think I'll be there for you no matter how ripe you get. Well, I won't.
But that's not the only reason.
You're sleeping with Syrah. Don't try to deny it. I smell it on your breath and taste it in your kiss. You're lying down with Syrah, sharing your fluids, and then you come to my table and expect me to adore you anyway. Like I said, you don't respect me anymore.
Even if I could forgive you for sleeping around, you're not the same grape I fell in love with. I'll never forget the nights we shared, the laughter, the sensuous wet kisses. Sometimes you frustrated me with your mercurial nature, but I think that just made me love you more.
If I'm honest, I think travel ruined you. I know I'm a hypocrite because I love to travel and I was happy to have you with me. But I don't like what travel has done to you. I know it's selfish of me to expect you to always be the perky little grape with a French accent who loved food as much as I do. Oh, how I thrilled to discover how you brightened up with steak tartare, and the way you dug into lightly grilled salmon.
I admit I encouraged you to come to California and spend more time with me. And New Zealand. And Tasmania. And Hungary. And Italy.
Somewhere along the way, though, I think you lost touch with who you are. I think what went wrong is that you met Cabernet -- maybe in Yarra Valley, maybe in Carneros, and you wanted to be just like him. But that's not you, my dear. At least, it shouldn't be.
I'm not going to go all Mel Gibson here. As I said, I'll always love you. If you feel the same way, maybe we can work out a friends-with-benefits arrangement. But I'm afraid I have to ask you to move most of your things out of my cellar.
In case you're wondering, I'm not leaving you for somebody else. Sure, I'm seeing a lot of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc these days. But it's not the kind of relationship you and I shared. It's summer, and we're in the same restaurants together. It's just a coincidence.
It's not about them; it's about you.
Take care of yourself. And please, try to get back into shape.
Sadly but with love always,
The letter was written by W. Blake Gray and appeared in his blog The Gray Market. Pinot Noir responds...
mark.posterous.com/dear-blake-love-spat-pinot-noir-replies-to-br
Dear Pinot Noir:
I'm writing to tell you that I'm breaking up with you.
I still love you, and I'll probably always love you. But you've changed since we met, and I can't ignore it anymore.
It's not only because you've gained weight, although I won't deny that's a big factor. It's not just you who you hurt by hanging out in the vineyard way longer than you should, getting bloated with sugar and alcohol. You're also hurting me. If you respected me, you would work harder to keep your lean, sexy shape. But you don't respect me. You think I'll be there for you no matter how ripe you get. Well, I won't.
But that's not the only reason.
You're sleeping with Syrah. Don't try to deny it. I smell it on your breath and taste it in your kiss. You're lying down with Syrah, sharing your fluids, and then you come to my table and expect me to adore you anyway. Like I said, you don't respect me anymore.
Even if I could forgive you for sleeping around, you're not the same grape I fell in love with. I'll never forget the nights we shared, the laughter, the sensuous wet kisses. Sometimes you frustrated me with your mercurial nature, but I think that just made me love you more.
If I'm honest, I think travel ruined you. I know I'm a hypocrite because I love to travel and I was happy to have you with me. But I don't like what travel has done to you. I know it's selfish of me to expect you to always be the perky little grape with a French accent who loved food as much as I do. Oh, how I thrilled to discover how you brightened up with steak tartare, and the way you dug into lightly grilled salmon.
I admit I encouraged you to come to California and spend more time with me. And New Zealand. And Tasmania. And Hungary. And Italy.
Somewhere along the way, though, I think you lost touch with who you are. I think what went wrong is that you met Cabernet -- maybe in Yarra Valley, maybe in Carneros, and you wanted to be just like him. But that's not you, my dear. At least, it shouldn't be.
I'm not going to go all Mel Gibson here. As I said, I'll always love you. If you feel the same way, maybe we can work out a friends-with-benefits arrangement. But I'm afraid I have to ask you to move most of your things out of my cellar.
In case you're wondering, I'm not leaving you for somebody else. Sure, I'm seeing a lot of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc these days. But it's not the kind of relationship you and I shared. It's summer, and we're in the same restaurants together. It's just a coincidence.
It's not about them; it's about you.
Take care of yourself. And please, try to get back into shape.
Sadly but with love always,
South Africa's Top 10 restaurant of 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
EAT OUT TOP 10 2010
It was a night of anxious anticipation and unexpected surprises at the2010 Eat Out Awards when the judges named the country's Top 10 restaurants from the list of 20 nominees.
Announced by Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly in the order of their ranking, the Top 10 restaurants of 2010 are:
1. Rust en Vrede Restaurant
2. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français
3. Jordan Restaurant
4. Bosman's
5. DW Eleven-13
6. Terroir
7. Aubergine
8. Roots
9. Overture
10. Hartford House
The most significant shift on the podium is David Higgs's Rust en Vrede Restaurant, which went from last year's third place to being named Eat Out's Restaurant of the year.
Other noticeable moves are The Tasting Room, which moved from last year's joint 10th place to 2nd place, andOverture, which got bumped up to 9th on the list.
Surprising comebacks include Aubergine, which received the Top 10 accolade in 2007, Bosman's, last featured on 2005's list, and Hartford House, lauded with a place in 2008.
Brand-new restaurants to make the grade are George Jardine's Jordan Restaurant and Marthinus Ferreira's Johannesburg restaurant DW Eleven-13.
EAT OUT TOP 10 2010
It was a night of anxious anticipation and unexpected surprises at the2010 Eat Out Awards when the judges named the country's Top 10 restaurants from the list of 20 nominees.
Announced by Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly in the order of their ranking, the Top 10 restaurants of 2010 are:
1. Rust en Vrede Restaurant
2. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français
3. Jordan Restaurant
4. Bosman's
5. DW Eleven-13
6. Terroir
7. Aubergine
8. Roots
9. Overture
10. Hartford House
The most significant shift on the podium is David Higgs's Rust en Vrede Restaurant, which went from last year's third place to being named Eat Out's Restaurant of the year.
Other noticeable moves are The Tasting Room, which moved from last year's joint 10th place to 2nd place, andOverture, which got bumped up to 9th on the list.
Surprising comebacks include Aubergine, which received the Top 10 accolade in 2007, Bosman's, last featured on 2005's list, and Hartford House, lauded with a place in 2008.
Brand-new restaurants to make the grade are George Jardine's Jordan Restaurant and Marthinus Ferreira's Johannesburg restaurant DW Eleven-13.
Platter 5-stars for two Cape Winemakers Guild Auction wines
Platter 5-stars for two Cape Winemakers Guild Auction wines
30 November 2010 by Cape Winemakers Guild
Two rare wines crafted exclusively for the 2010 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction, have been given the "high five" by the 2011 Platter's South African Wine Guide.
This year's Guild Platter 5-star wines, Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2007 and the acclaimed white blend, Steenberg Vineyards The Magus 2009, are amongst the 19 Platter 5-star wines crafted by members of the Cape Winemakers Guild listed in the 2011 guide.
Etienne le Riche, legendary Cabernet Sauvignon specialist and founder member of the Cape Winemakers Guild, hand chosen the grapes personally from one of his prime vineyard sites for his 5-star wine which spent 24 months in new French Oak barrels. He describes the wine as vibrant with fresh, ripe cherry fruitiness and well integrated classic spiciness. The "classy" palate is full and rich, supported by a firm yet fine tannin structure ending in a long finish. This wine fetched on average R3 500 a case of six at the Guild auction.
John Loubser's renowned white blend of Sauvignon blanc and Semillon was fermented separately in old French oak barrels to capture maximum fruit whilst lees contact for eight weeks enhanced the mouth-feel. Wild and herbaceous with piercing mineral notes, this wine is a true reflection of cool terroir and will age wonderfully with careful cellaring. Its full, vibrant palate with hints of passion fruit and tangerine is elegantly balanced by subtle smokiness. Steenberg Vineyards The Magus 2009 went under the hammer at an average price of R1 400 a case of six at the Guild Auction.
30 November 2010 by Cape Winemakers Guild
Two rare wines crafted exclusively for the 2010 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction, have been given the "high five" by the 2011 Platter's South African Wine Guide.
This year's Guild Platter 5-star wines, Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2007 and the acclaimed white blend, Steenberg Vineyards The Magus 2009, are amongst the 19 Platter 5-star wines crafted by members of the Cape Winemakers Guild listed in the 2011 guide.
Etienne le Riche, legendary Cabernet Sauvignon specialist and founder member of the Cape Winemakers Guild, hand chosen the grapes personally from one of his prime vineyard sites for his 5-star wine which spent 24 months in new French Oak barrels. He describes the wine as vibrant with fresh, ripe cherry fruitiness and well integrated classic spiciness. The "classy" palate is full and rich, supported by a firm yet fine tannin structure ending in a long finish. This wine fetched on average R3 500 a case of six at the Guild auction.
John Loubser's renowned white blend of Sauvignon blanc and Semillon was fermented separately in old French oak barrels to capture maximum fruit whilst lees contact for eight weeks enhanced the mouth-feel. Wild and herbaceous with piercing mineral notes, this wine is a true reflection of cool terroir and will age wonderfully with careful cellaring. Its full, vibrant palate with hints of passion fruit and tangerine is elegantly balanced by subtle smokiness. Steenberg Vineyards The Magus 2009 went under the hammer at an average price of R1 400 a case of six at the Guild Auction.
Kaapzicht Estate Shines as a South African Star
Kaapzicht Estate Shines as a South African Star
26 November 2010 by Kaapzicht Estate
Hot of the press: In the December 2010 issue of the international Decanter magazine the Kaapzicht Steytler Pinotage 2007 is rated as the top Pinotage.
The same wine was also one of this year's Absa Top 10 Pinotage winners (Kaapzicht's fifth Top 10 winner), received 4½ stars in the 2011 Platter's Wine Guide that was launched last week and was chosen as Best Pinotage from the Stellenbosch district at the 2010 SA Terroir Wine Awards.
Kaapzicht Estate in the Bottelary ward near Stellenbosch in 2010 really stood out as one of South Africa's and the orld's top producers of the highest quality red wines, due to top ranking by various panels locally and internationally.
Another highly praised wine this year was the Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2006 with the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show award for the Best Pinotage Blend as well as the International Trophy for Best Non-Bordeaux blend at Tri-Nations, where the top wines of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were compared with each other.
In addition, the Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2007 received a Gold Medal at the Veritas Awards and at Mundus Vini in Germany, while it was also chosen as the national Top Red Blend at the SA Terroir Wine Awards. The Kaapzicht Merlot 2007 also impressed various panels with a Double Gold Veritas award, rated as the Top Merlot by both the Wine-of- the-Month-Club and WINE magazine, as well as the national Top Merlot at the SA Terroir Wine Awards.
The 2007 vintage obviously produced fine wines at Kaapzicht Estate's prime terroir on the Bottelary Hills, which is fully utilized by the father and son team Danie Steytler SR. and Danie Steytler JR.
Their new baby, the Bordeaux blend Steytler Pentagon was launched last year and the first vintage of this red blend, the Steytler Pentagon 2006, received 4 Stars in WINE Magazine as well as 4½ Stars in the Platter?s Wine Guide, while the newly released 2007 vintage was awarded a Veritas Gold Medal and also received 4½ stars in the Platter?s Wine Guide.
In the 2011 Platter's Wine Guide five of Kaapzicht's red wines received 4½ stars and five received 4 stars, in other words ten wines received four stars or more.
"Bottelary Hills is a prime winegrowing terroir for red wine. The northwestern slopes have the perfect combination of direct sunlight and cool prevailing sea breezes from False Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The hills on our estate are situated only 20 km from the coast of False Bay. The medium potential weathered granite soils and dry land vineyards produce low yields of 4 to 8 tons per hectare, thus creating small berries with concentrated flavours," says Danie Steytler, cellar master and co-owner of this family wine estate.
About Kaapzicht Wine Estate
Since the first vintage was bottled in 1984, Kaapzicht has become highly respected for their good value for money, quality range of wines, having earned a multitude of local and international awards. For 3 generations the Steytler Family has been running their 190 hectare large estate hands-on: Brothers Danie and George being the winemaker and viticulturist and their wives being in charge of marketing and finances, as well hiring out a venue and a self-catering cottage.
This beautiful estate in the Bottelary Hills celebrated its 60th anniversary as a family farm in 2006. In this film you will meet Danie Steytler - winemaker at Kaapzicht and member of the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild.
Kaapzicht Wine Estate
+27 21 906-1620
+27 21 906-1622
26 November 2010 by Kaapzicht Estate
Hot of the press: In the December 2010 issue of the international Decanter magazine the Kaapzicht Steytler Pinotage 2007 is rated as the top Pinotage.
The same wine was also one of this year's Absa Top 10 Pinotage winners (Kaapzicht's fifth Top 10 winner), received 4½ stars in the 2011 Platter's Wine Guide that was launched last week and was chosen as Best Pinotage from the Stellenbosch district at the 2010 SA Terroir Wine Awards.
Kaapzicht Estate in the Bottelary ward near Stellenbosch in 2010 really stood out as one of South Africa's and the orld's top producers of the highest quality red wines, due to top ranking by various panels locally and internationally.
Another highly praised wine this year was the Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2006 with the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show award for the Best Pinotage Blend as well as the International Trophy for Best Non-Bordeaux blend at Tri-Nations, where the top wines of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were compared with each other.
In addition, the Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2007 received a Gold Medal at the Veritas Awards and at Mundus Vini in Germany, while it was also chosen as the national Top Red Blend at the SA Terroir Wine Awards. The Kaapzicht Merlot 2007 also impressed various panels with a Double Gold Veritas award, rated as the Top Merlot by both the Wine-of- the-Month-Club and WINE magazine, as well as the national Top Merlot at the SA Terroir Wine Awards.
The 2007 vintage obviously produced fine wines at Kaapzicht Estate's prime terroir on the Bottelary Hills, which is fully utilized by the father and son team Danie Steytler SR. and Danie Steytler JR.
Their new baby, the Bordeaux blend Steytler Pentagon was launched last year and the first vintage of this red blend, the Steytler Pentagon 2006, received 4 Stars in WINE Magazine as well as 4½ Stars in the Platter?s Wine Guide, while the newly released 2007 vintage was awarded a Veritas Gold Medal and also received 4½ stars in the Platter?s Wine Guide.
In the 2011 Platter's Wine Guide five of Kaapzicht's red wines received 4½ stars and five received 4 stars, in other words ten wines received four stars or more.
"Bottelary Hills is a prime winegrowing terroir for red wine. The northwestern slopes have the perfect combination of direct sunlight and cool prevailing sea breezes from False Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The hills on our estate are situated only 20 km from the coast of False Bay. The medium potential weathered granite soils and dry land vineyards produce low yields of 4 to 8 tons per hectare, thus creating small berries with concentrated flavours," says Danie Steytler, cellar master and co-owner of this family wine estate.
About Kaapzicht Wine Estate
Since the first vintage was bottled in 1984, Kaapzicht has become highly respected for their good value for money, quality range of wines, having earned a multitude of local and international awards. For 3 generations the Steytler Family has been running their 190 hectare large estate hands-on: Brothers Danie and George being the winemaker and viticulturist and their wives being in charge of marketing and finances, as well hiring out a venue and a self-catering cottage.
This beautiful estate in the Bottelary Hills celebrated its 60th anniversary as a family farm in 2006. In this film you will meet Danie Steytler - winemaker at Kaapzicht and member of the prestigious Cape Winemakers Guild.
Kaapzicht Wine Estate
+27 21 906-1620
+27 21 906-1622
Van Ryn's claims its sixth top international brandy title
Van Ryn's claims its sixth top international brandy title
26 November 2010 by Van Ryn's Distillery
Van Ryn's distillery close to Stellenbosch has just earned its third consecutive Best Brandy trophy at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge in London. This time, the honours for producing the world's best brandy went to the 15 Year Old Fine Cask Reserve.
Said Neil Mathieson, competition category chairman for cognac, armagnac and brandy entries: "Awarding the Best Brandy Trophy was a very hard choice this year, given the excellence of the products submitted and the very high marks they achieved. In the end the decision to award the trophy to Van Ryns 15 Year Old was made in recognition of its great length, subtlety and depth of flavour."
Mathieson, who is a world authority on international brandies and other grape-based spirits, and the founder and managing director of Eaux de Vie, a specialist spirits importer, based in the UK, believes South African brandies are becoming the standard-bearer for quality aged brandied produced outside the AOC regions of France.
In 2008 and 2009, it was the Van Ryn's 12 Year Old Distillers Reserve that was voted the best by the panel of ISC spirits specialists.
Van Ryn's has also brought home the Worldwide Best Brandy trophy from the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) three times, making it a total of six times that the distillery has been judged to produce the best.
Adele Ankiewicz, global marketing manager for Van Ryn's said: "These results demonstrate a remarkable consistency of performance and are a reflection of South African brandy excellence. The Van Ryn's Brandy Collection is an international quality leader, setting the benchmark for the finest brandies in the world. It deftly combines exuberant, generous fruitiness with elegance and finesse and offers an exciting taste profile for spirits connoisseurs."
This year's ISC Best Brandy winner was voted the best in its class at the IWSC and won a gold medal.
26 November 2010 by Van Ryn's Distillery
Van Ryn's distillery close to Stellenbosch has just earned its third consecutive Best Brandy trophy at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge in London. This time, the honours for producing the world's best brandy went to the 15 Year Old Fine Cask Reserve.
Said Neil Mathieson, competition category chairman for cognac, armagnac and brandy entries: "Awarding the Best Brandy Trophy was a very hard choice this year, given the excellence of the products submitted and the very high marks they achieved. In the end the decision to award the trophy to Van Ryns 15 Year Old was made in recognition of its great length, subtlety and depth of flavour."
Mathieson, who is a world authority on international brandies and other grape-based spirits, and the founder and managing director of Eaux de Vie, a specialist spirits importer, based in the UK, believes South African brandies are becoming the standard-bearer for quality aged brandied produced outside the AOC regions of France.
In 2008 and 2009, it was the Van Ryn's 12 Year Old Distillers Reserve that was voted the best by the panel of ISC spirits specialists.
Van Ryn's has also brought home the Worldwide Best Brandy trophy from the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) three times, making it a total of six times that the distillery has been judged to produce the best.
Adele Ankiewicz, global marketing manager for Van Ryn's said: "These results demonstrate a remarkable consistency of performance and are a reflection of South African brandy excellence. The Van Ryn's Brandy Collection is an international quality leader, setting the benchmark for the finest brandies in the world. It deftly combines exuberant, generous fruitiness with elegance and finesse and offers an exciting taste profile for spirits connoisseurs."
This year's ISC Best Brandy winner was voted the best in its class at the IWSC and won a gold medal.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Five stars for Frans
Five stars for Frans
26 November 2010 by Spier Wine Estate
Spier's flagship wine named after Cellar Master Frans K. Smit get a 5-star rating.
We are proud to announce that Spier's Frans K. Smit 2006 vintage has been awarded 5 stars by the prestigious John Platter Wine Guide 2011. Spier's Cape Winemakers Guild Merlot 2008 and its Private Collection Chenin Blanc both received 4½ stars.
The John Platter Wine Guide is internationally recognised as South Africa's leading consumer wine handbook. It is an authoritative reference guide that covers all aspects of wine in the country, giving ratings and tasting notes for thousands of local wines. Of the 58 5-star rated wines, 30 were white and 28 were red.
The previous vintage of Frans K. Smit(2005) was also rated 5 stars in last year's Platter guide, and this wine is still available for sale. Frans will only release the 2006 vintage to the market when he feels it is ready.
"The 2006 growing season proved to be the coolest of the three vintages so far," says Frans. "This led to the production of a blend with very fresh natural acidity. The deep purple-red colour of the wine is testament to this, as are the strong tannins - both of which indicate that this particular vintage will age incredibly well."
True to his belief in the role of consistency, Frans looked to the same vineyards he had used in previous years. The chosen grape varieties were aged in French oak barriques for 16 months before the first tasting and re-tasting took place, and then another 27 months to gauge the aging potential of the wine.
The final blend shows more diversity than the preceding year, largely due to the cooler ripening phase. At 29%, Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch and Darling still sits at the heart of the blend, while Paarl's exceptional Shiraz makes up a further 21%. The remaining 50% is made up of equal parts of Cabernet franc, Pinotage, Malbec and Merlot.
26 November 2010 by Spier Wine Estate
Spier's flagship wine named after Cellar Master Frans K. Smit get a 5-star rating.
We are proud to announce that Spier's Frans K. Smit 2006 vintage has been awarded 5 stars by the prestigious John Platter Wine Guide 2011. Spier's Cape Winemakers Guild Merlot 2008 and its Private Collection Chenin Blanc both received 4½ stars.
The John Platter Wine Guide is internationally recognised as South Africa's leading consumer wine handbook. It is an authoritative reference guide that covers all aspects of wine in the country, giving ratings and tasting notes for thousands of local wines. Of the 58 5-star rated wines, 30 were white and 28 were red.
The previous vintage of Frans K. Smit(2005) was also rated 5 stars in last year's Platter guide, and this wine is still available for sale. Frans will only release the 2006 vintage to the market when he feels it is ready.
"The 2006 growing season proved to be the coolest of the three vintages so far," says Frans. "This led to the production of a blend with very fresh natural acidity. The deep purple-red colour of the wine is testament to this, as are the strong tannins - both of which indicate that this particular vintage will age incredibly well."
True to his belief in the role of consistency, Frans looked to the same vineyards he had used in previous years. The chosen grape varieties were aged in French oak barriques for 16 months before the first tasting and re-tasting took place, and then another 27 months to gauge the aging potential of the wine.
The final blend shows more diversity than the preceding year, largely due to the cooler ripening phase. At 29%, Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch and Darling still sits at the heart of the blend, while Paarl's exceptional Shiraz makes up a further 21%. The remaining 50% is made up of equal parts of Cabernet franc, Pinotage, Malbec and Merlot.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Remhoogte Estate Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2010 84 Points
Remhoogte Estate Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2010 84 Points
Clear, bright, pale straw, water rim, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, medium plus intensity with notes of golden delicious apple, fleshy guava, citrus medley, layered and fragrant, fair complexity with hints of old oak barrel, imparting a slight oxidative note (positive) touch of white stone minerality (20 year old vines)
Dry to off dry, flavors follow through with new flavors of Asian pears, crunchy profile with pin point creaminess.
Medium acidity, medium plus alcohol, medium complexity, medium plus length, persistent and juicy.
Fine Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc profile, fairly rich / concentrated in style could be the results of Old vines fruit richness.
Served at 12 degrees Celsius with gruyere gratinated patty pans & grilled prawns.
Now until 2016
Integrity & sustainability Certified
Clear, bright, pale straw, water rim, medium concentration, medium viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, medium plus intensity with notes of golden delicious apple, fleshy guava, citrus medley, layered and fragrant, fair complexity with hints of old oak barrel, imparting a slight oxidative note (positive) touch of white stone minerality (20 year old vines)
Dry to off dry, flavors follow through with new flavors of Asian pears, crunchy profile with pin point creaminess.
Medium acidity, medium plus alcohol, medium complexity, medium plus length, persistent and juicy.
Fine Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc profile, fairly rich / concentrated in style could be the results of Old vines fruit richness.
Served at 12 degrees Celsius with gruyere gratinated patty pans & grilled prawns.
Now until 2016
Integrity & sustainability Certified
Rustenberg Wines at Punchinello's Restaurant - Southern Sun Montecasino - Chefs of Distinction
Punchinello's Restaurant, Southern Sun Montecasino presents
Chefs of Distinction with Rustenberg Wines
Chef Gerard Vinderling and his brigade take pride in inviting South Africa's most distinguished chefs to share their talents and present their own special menu. Come and share the occasion.
30th March 2011
Dinner starts at 7pm
A four course menu accompanied by specially paired Rustenberg wines
R275 per person. For Restaurant Reservations call
011 367 4367. Limited seats available
Chefs Trevor & Dilene Boyd
Owners of Salon de Culinaire
Members of South African Culinary Team
Chef Gerard Vingerling
Executive Chef Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel
Winemaker Randolph Christians
Rustenberg Wines
Chefs of Distinction with Rustenberg Wines
Chef Gerard Vinderling and his brigade take pride in inviting South Africa's most distinguished chefs to share their talents and present their own special menu. Come and share the occasion.
30th March 2011
Dinner starts at 7pm
A four course menu accompanied by specially paired Rustenberg wines
R275 per person. For Restaurant Reservations call
011 367 4367. Limited seats available
Chefs Trevor & Dilene Boyd
Owners of Salon de Culinaire
Members of South African Culinary Team
Chef Gerard Vingerling
Executive Chef Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel
Winemaker Randolph Christians
Rustenberg Wines
Punchinello's Southern Sun Montecasino - Chefs of Distinction dinner with Veritas Award Wines 2010
Punchinello's Restaurant, Southern Sun Montecasino presents
Chefs of Distinction with Veritas Awards Wines
Chef Gerard Vinderling and his brigade take pride in inviting South Africa's most distinguished chefs to share their talents and present their own special menu. Come and share the occasion.
22nd February 2011
Dinner starts at 7pm
A four course menu accompanied by specially paired 2010 Veritas Awarded wines
R275 per person. For Restaurant Reservations call
011 367 4367. Limited seats available
Chefs Nicholas Froneman
Executive Chef of Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, Durban
Chef Gerard Vingerling
Executive Chef Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel
Veritas Award wines from Kleine Zalze, Spier Private Collection, Boland Kelder Reserve No1, Lomond & Meerendal Estate
Chefs of Distinction with Veritas Awards Wines
Chef Gerard Vinderling and his brigade take pride in inviting South Africa's most distinguished chefs to share their talents and present their own special menu. Come and share the occasion.
22nd February 2011
Dinner starts at 7pm
A four course menu accompanied by specially paired 2010 Veritas Awarded wines
R275 per person. For Restaurant Reservations call
011 367 4367. Limited seats available
Chefs Nicholas Froneman
Executive Chef of Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, Durban
Chef Gerard Vingerling
Executive Chef Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel
Veritas Award wines from Kleine Zalze, Spier Private Collection, Boland Kelder Reserve No1, Lomond & Meerendal Estate
Constantia Valley comes up trumps with Platter Five Stars - Seven Times
Constantia Valley comes up trumps with Platter Five Stars - Seven Times
25 November 2010 by Constantia Valley Wine Route
The Constantia Valley Wine Route has come up trumps after seven of the wines produced here in Cape Town's very own vineyard, received the coveted '5-star rating' in the 2011 Platter South African Wine Guide.
Chosen from over 6000 wines, these seven top Constantia Valley wines account for 12.5% of a total of 58 wines rated '5-stars' this year. Grown in this fertile pocket with its unique terroir that stretches across only 0.45% of South Africa's total wine hectares, it is a particular honour to have received what could be considered "the most sought after recognition in the South African wine industry".
Top scores were awarded across both red and white varietals grown and produced here in this fertile valley, including Napoleon's favourite dessert wine, Klein Constantia's Vin de Constance.
Family owned and run, Klein Constantia has a rich and colourful history, boasting a terroir that is ideal for producing grapes with ample fruit flavours. The legendary Vin de Constance has seen its renaissance here since 1986, where it has been crafted as a unique dessert wine made in the style of the old Constantia from vineyards which produced it in the 18th and 19th centuries, a century after its disappearance due to fungal disease and phylloxera, which caused devastation throughout Europe and the Cape. Klein Constantia took top honours on the Constantia Valley Wine Route with a total of three 2011 Platter 5 stars, for the Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2006, the Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, and the Klein Constantia Perdeblokke 2009.
Following hot on its heels was Steenberg Vineyards, which has just won a major international award as Global Winner Wine Tourism Services in the Great Wine Capitals' Best of Wine Tourism Awards for 2011. Steenberg received two 5-star ratings for its signature Bordeaux style white blends, John Loubser's CWG entry for 2010, the Steenberg Magus 2009, and Steenberg Magna Carta 2009, which will be released in the first quarter of 2011. Another wine to be watched in this stable is the Steenberg 1682 Pinot Noir Brut, which achieved 4½ stars this year, completing the full range of wines produced here from fruit harvested in the cool maritime climate of Constantia - from bubbles through to dessert!
Since the establishment of Groot Constantia by Simon van der Stel in 1685, this iconic farm has continued an age old tradition of quality wine production over the past 325 years. Recognised as one of the world's oldest trademarks, Groot Constantia received the Platter nod too, scoring 5-stars with the Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Chardonnay 2009, a wine that has been its top performer in SA and abroad in the last decade, showing good balance of ripe fruit and citrus with rich butter and hints of oak.
Eagles' Nest, one of the new stars in the Constantia Valley, walked away proudly with 5-stars awarded to its Eagles' Nest Shiraz 2008. It is said that wines from Eagles' Nest are purely terroir driven: elegant, refined and poised. A remarkable year for this Shiraz, the wine also won the Red Wine Trophy in both the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show and the Winemakers' Choice Awards in 2010, with its wonderful spiciness complemented by vibrant dark berry-fruit notes, and a palate of perfectly integrated tannins, with a complex, lingering finish.
Commenting on the excellent performance by members of the Constantia Valley Wine Route, Chairman Jean Naudé, also the CEO of Groot Constantia Estate, says: "When Simon van der Stel had the opportunity to choose land for his farm, the whole of the Western Cape was available. After sending people out on horseback to collect soil samples, in 1685 he decided on the area that is currently known as Constantia. Judging from the recent Platter ratings, he was a man with vision and an excellent ability to identify winemaking potential!"
"To have five stars awarded for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, White Bordeaux blends and Muscat de Frontignan, shows the diversity of the area and puts Constantia firmly on a pedestal as a showpiece for South African wine in general. The fact that there are operational wine farms in the heart of the Mother City speaks of a conservation miracle. It is of the utmost importance to preserve this magnificent piece of heritage of the South African Wine Industry, to further enhance the image thereof," he concluded.
The eight Constantia Valley wine producers are: Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Steenberg Vineyards, Eagles' Nest, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig, Constantia Glen and High Constantia.
For more information about the Constantia Valley Wine Route, visit www.constantiavalley.com.
25 November 2010 by Constantia Valley Wine Route
The Constantia Valley Wine Route has come up trumps after seven of the wines produced here in Cape Town's very own vineyard, received the coveted '5-star rating' in the 2011 Platter South African Wine Guide.
Chosen from over 6000 wines, these seven top Constantia Valley wines account for 12.5% of a total of 58 wines rated '5-stars' this year. Grown in this fertile pocket with its unique terroir that stretches across only 0.45% of South Africa's total wine hectares, it is a particular honour to have received what could be considered "the most sought after recognition in the South African wine industry".
Top scores were awarded across both red and white varietals grown and produced here in this fertile valley, including Napoleon's favourite dessert wine, Klein Constantia's Vin de Constance.
Family owned and run, Klein Constantia has a rich and colourful history, boasting a terroir that is ideal for producing grapes with ample fruit flavours. The legendary Vin de Constance has seen its renaissance here since 1986, where it has been crafted as a unique dessert wine made in the style of the old Constantia from vineyards which produced it in the 18th and 19th centuries, a century after its disappearance due to fungal disease and phylloxera, which caused devastation throughout Europe and the Cape. Klein Constantia took top honours on the Constantia Valley Wine Route with a total of three 2011 Platter 5 stars, for the Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2006, the Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, and the Klein Constantia Perdeblokke 2009.
Following hot on its heels was Steenberg Vineyards, which has just won a major international award as Global Winner Wine Tourism Services in the Great Wine Capitals' Best of Wine Tourism Awards for 2011. Steenberg received two 5-star ratings for its signature Bordeaux style white blends, John Loubser's CWG entry for 2010, the Steenberg Magus 2009, and Steenberg Magna Carta 2009, which will be released in the first quarter of 2011. Another wine to be watched in this stable is the Steenberg 1682 Pinot Noir Brut, which achieved 4½ stars this year, completing the full range of wines produced here from fruit harvested in the cool maritime climate of Constantia - from bubbles through to dessert!
Since the establishment of Groot Constantia by Simon van der Stel in 1685, this iconic farm has continued an age old tradition of quality wine production over the past 325 years. Recognised as one of the world's oldest trademarks, Groot Constantia received the Platter nod too, scoring 5-stars with the Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Chardonnay 2009, a wine that has been its top performer in SA and abroad in the last decade, showing good balance of ripe fruit and citrus with rich butter and hints of oak.
Eagles' Nest, one of the new stars in the Constantia Valley, walked away proudly with 5-stars awarded to its Eagles' Nest Shiraz 2008. It is said that wines from Eagles' Nest are purely terroir driven: elegant, refined and poised. A remarkable year for this Shiraz, the wine also won the Red Wine Trophy in both the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show and the Winemakers' Choice Awards in 2010, with its wonderful spiciness complemented by vibrant dark berry-fruit notes, and a palate of perfectly integrated tannins, with a complex, lingering finish.
Commenting on the excellent performance by members of the Constantia Valley Wine Route, Chairman Jean Naudé, also the CEO of Groot Constantia Estate, says: "When Simon van der Stel had the opportunity to choose land for his farm, the whole of the Western Cape was available. After sending people out on horseback to collect soil samples, in 1685 he decided on the area that is currently known as Constantia. Judging from the recent Platter ratings, he was a man with vision and an excellent ability to identify winemaking potential!"
"To have five stars awarded for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, White Bordeaux blends and Muscat de Frontignan, shows the diversity of the area and puts Constantia firmly on a pedestal as a showpiece for South African wine in general. The fact that there are operational wine farms in the heart of the Mother City speaks of a conservation miracle. It is of the utmost importance to preserve this magnificent piece of heritage of the South African Wine Industry, to further enhance the image thereof," he concluded.
The eight Constantia Valley wine producers are: Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Steenberg Vineyards, Eagles' Nest, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig, Constantia Glen and High Constantia.
For more information about the Constantia Valley Wine Route, visit www.constantiavalley.com.
Five Platter 5-stars in a row for Boplaas
Five 5-stars in a row for Boplaas
25 November 2010 by Boplaas Family Vineyards
Boplaas Family Vineyards in Calitzdorp got the 5th 5 star for a Vintage Port in 5 years in the Platter Wine Guide.
Boplaas Family Vineyards in Calitzdorp got the 5th 5 star for a Vintage Port in 5 years in the Platter Wine Guide. The Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 all got 5 stars in Platter. In addition the 1980, 1997 and Vintner's Reserve and Non-Vintage Cape Tawny Ports all got 5 stars in the last 6 years.
The 2005 Reserve also received several other accolades like a Double Gold from Veritas and Michelangelo and the 2006 Reserve a Double Gold Veritas and 5 star in Wine Magazine.
The Boplaas Cape Tawny received the trophy for Port of the Year from S.A.A. in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010.
Boplaas use traditional Portuguese cultivars like Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barocca for making world class ports.
25 November 2010 by Boplaas Family Vineyards
Boplaas Family Vineyards in Calitzdorp got the 5th 5 star for a Vintage Port in 5 years in the Platter Wine Guide.
Boplaas Family Vineyards in Calitzdorp got the 5th 5 star for a Vintage Port in 5 years in the Platter Wine Guide. The Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 all got 5 stars in Platter. In addition the 1980, 1997 and Vintner's Reserve and Non-Vintage Cape Tawny Ports all got 5 stars in the last 6 years.
The 2005 Reserve also received several other accolades like a Double Gold from Veritas and Michelangelo and the 2006 Reserve a Double Gold Veritas and 5 star in Wine Magazine.
The Boplaas Cape Tawny received the trophy for Port of the Year from S.A.A. in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010.
Boplaas use traditional Portuguese cultivars like Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barocca for making world class ports.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Eagles Nest Wines at Punchinellos Southern Sun Montecasino 7th December
Punchinello’s Restaurant Southern Sun Montecasino presents
Simplicity with Flavour
Chef Gerard Vinderling and his brigade take pride in inviting South Africa’s most distinguished chefs to share their talents and present their own special menu. Come and share the occasion.
7th December 2010
Dinner starts at 7pm
A four course menu accompanied by specially paired Eagles Nest wines
R250 per person. For Restaurant Reservations call
011 367 4367. Limited seats available
Chefs
Arnold Tanzer
Continental Director for Africa and Middle East
World Association of Chefs Societies
Vice President South African Chefs Association
Chef Patron Tanzer Foods
Chef Gerard Vingerling
Executive Chef Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel
Winemaker Stuart Botha – Eagles Nest Constantia
Starter
Supreme of Cape Line Fish
Pan-fried with caramilised Pineapple and accompanied with Vegetable Atchar and crispy Pork Lardons
2009 Eagles’ Nest Viognier
**********************
Entrée
Plum Tomato Consommé
with Parma Ham shavings and sweet Basil Leaves served with Bruschetta
2008 Eagles’ Nest Verreaux Red Blend
**********************
Main
Gently Braised Beef Short Ribs
with Horseradish, Spinach ‘hutspot’ and
pickled Onion
2008 Eagles’ Nest Shiraz
**********************
Dessert
White Chocolate Pave
with Salted Caramel and Apple petals
Nuy Red Muscadel
**********************
Strawberry Macaroons
Coffee
Jameson Gold Reserve ‘nightcap‘
Winemaker, Stuart Botha, Eagles Nest Constantia
Eagles Nest
Eagles’ Nest was originally a section of Groote Constantia, the wine supplier to European nobility, established by Simon van der Stel in the late 1600’s. Whilst the Constantia Valley is most famous for its whites, it was felt that Eagles’ Nest, with its unique terroir within the valley, would be more suited to reds. With its East, West and North facing slopes it is the steepest commercially farmed land in the Cape region, if not in all of South Africa. The land is located 10.5km from the warm False Bay coast line and in the direct path of the summer trade winds. The farm’s objective is to produce, consistently, wines that are quality driven every step of the way and that are a true reflection of our unique terrior. Our current vintages are 2009 Viognier, 2006 Merlot, 2008 Shiraz, 2008 Verreaux (premium red blend), 2010 Sauvignon Blanc the 2008 The Little Eagle (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot). Proceeds from the sale of The Little Eagle 2008 go towards funding the Western Cape Raptor Research Programme, and specifically the protection of the last pair of Verreaux’s Eagles (formally called the Black Eagle) on Table Mountain Nature Reserve. Our viticulturist and farm manager is Kobus Jordaan and winemaker is Stuart Botha under the guidance of Martin Meinert of Meinert Wines.
Stuart Botha – Wine maker
Originally from Durban, but schooled at Wynberg Boys’ High School and Elsenberg, Stuart is the quintessential modern winemaker: obsessive about quality at every stage of the winemaking process, hugely knowledgeable about winemaking techniques in various international wine regions and driven to ensure that our wines are a true reflection of their terroir. After graduating, Stuart worked at our neighbouring farm Constantia Glen before heading off to work in St Emillion in Bordeaux. Since joining Eagles’ Nest before the 2008 harvest, Stuart oversees all aspects of the winemaking process. What, in Stuart’s view, makes a great wine? It is a wine that is true to its origin, is unique in its flavour profile and is the embodiment of finesse, complexity and elegance
Simplicity with Flavour
Chef Gerard Vinderling and his brigade take pride in inviting South Africa’s most distinguished chefs to share their talents and present their own special menu. Come and share the occasion.
7th December 2010
Dinner starts at 7pm
A four course menu accompanied by specially paired Eagles Nest wines
R250 per person. For Restaurant Reservations call
011 367 4367. Limited seats available
Chefs
Arnold Tanzer
Continental Director for Africa and Middle East
World Association of Chefs Societies
Vice President South African Chefs Association
Chef Patron Tanzer Foods
Chef Gerard Vingerling
Executive Chef Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel
Winemaker Stuart Botha – Eagles Nest Constantia
Starter
Supreme of Cape Line Fish
Pan-fried with caramilised Pineapple and accompanied with Vegetable Atchar and crispy Pork Lardons
2009 Eagles’ Nest Viognier
**********************
Entrée
Plum Tomato Consommé
with Parma Ham shavings and sweet Basil Leaves served with Bruschetta
2008 Eagles’ Nest Verreaux Red Blend
**********************
Main
Gently Braised Beef Short Ribs
with Horseradish, Spinach ‘hutspot’ and
pickled Onion
2008 Eagles’ Nest Shiraz
**********************
Dessert
White Chocolate Pave
with Salted Caramel and Apple petals
Nuy Red Muscadel
**********************
Strawberry Macaroons
Coffee
Jameson Gold Reserve ‘nightcap‘
Winemaker, Stuart Botha, Eagles Nest Constantia
Eagles Nest
Eagles’ Nest was originally a section of Groote Constantia, the wine supplier to European nobility, established by Simon van der Stel in the late 1600’s. Whilst the Constantia Valley is most famous for its whites, it was felt that Eagles’ Nest, with its unique terroir within the valley, would be more suited to reds. With its East, West and North facing slopes it is the steepest commercially farmed land in the Cape region, if not in all of South Africa. The land is located 10.5km from the warm False Bay coast line and in the direct path of the summer trade winds. The farm’s objective is to produce, consistently, wines that are quality driven every step of the way and that are a true reflection of our unique terrior. Our current vintages are 2009 Viognier, 2006 Merlot, 2008 Shiraz, 2008 Verreaux (premium red blend), 2010 Sauvignon Blanc the 2008 The Little Eagle (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot). Proceeds from the sale of The Little Eagle 2008 go towards funding the Western Cape Raptor Research Programme, and specifically the protection of the last pair of Verreaux’s Eagles (formally called the Black Eagle) on Table Mountain Nature Reserve. Our viticulturist and farm manager is Kobus Jordaan and winemaker is Stuart Botha under the guidance of Martin Meinert of Meinert Wines.
Stuart Botha – Wine maker
Originally from Durban, but schooled at Wynberg Boys’ High School and Elsenberg, Stuart is the quintessential modern winemaker: obsessive about quality at every stage of the winemaking process, hugely knowledgeable about winemaking techniques in various international wine regions and driven to ensure that our wines are a true reflection of their terroir. After graduating, Stuart worked at our neighbouring farm Constantia Glen before heading off to work in St Emillion in Bordeaux. Since joining Eagles’ Nest before the 2008 harvest, Stuart oversees all aspects of the winemaking process. What, in Stuart’s view, makes a great wine? It is a wine that is true to its origin, is unique in its flavour profile and is the embodiment of finesse, complexity and elegance
Buitenverwachting in the limelight
Buitenverwachting in the limelight
24 November 2010 by Buitenverwachting
Lars Maack of Buitenverwachting was awarded Diner's Club Winzer des Jahres at a Gala Dinner in Munich last week, in translation, Wine Producer of the Year.
The award is a well deserved acknowledgement to this hard working wine producer from the Constantia Valley. Buitenverwachting came into being when Arend Brink bought the farm in 1796 built a manor house and started planting vines. During the past two centuries Buitenverwachting has had no less than 16 owners with huge fluctuations in fortune.
A change in fortune and stability came to Buitenverwachting when German businessman Richard Mueller and his wife bought the farm in 1981. Under the leadership of son Lars this magnificent farm has truly flourished, producing outstanding wines and including an excellent restaurant. Lars says with a smile "I didn't know what I was letting myself in for."
Lars is delighted to have received this prestigious award and said "I was surprised to be in the line up with personalities such as Marchese Piero Antinori, Fritz Keller and Willi Bruendlmeyer all of whom represent amazing properties. Buitenverwachting in comparison is a newcomer to the international wine scene, and I immensely appreciate that our hard work and dedication receives such great recognition".
24 November 2010 by Buitenverwachting
Lars Maack of Buitenverwachting was awarded Diner's Club Winzer des Jahres at a Gala Dinner in Munich last week, in translation, Wine Producer of the Year.
The award is a well deserved acknowledgement to this hard working wine producer from the Constantia Valley. Buitenverwachting came into being when Arend Brink bought the farm in 1796 built a manor house and started planting vines. During the past two centuries Buitenverwachting has had no less than 16 owners with huge fluctuations in fortune.
A change in fortune and stability came to Buitenverwachting when German businessman Richard Mueller and his wife bought the farm in 1981. Under the leadership of son Lars this magnificent farm has truly flourished, producing outstanding wines and including an excellent restaurant. Lars says with a smile "I didn't know what I was letting myself in for."
Lars is delighted to have received this prestigious award and said "I was surprised to be in the line up with personalities such as Marchese Piero Antinori, Fritz Keller and Willi Bruendlmeyer all of whom represent amazing properties. Buitenverwachting in comparison is a newcomer to the international wine scene, and I immensely appreciate that our hard work and dedication receives such great recognition".
Klein Constantia's versatility shines in Platter hat trick
Klein Constantia's versatility shines in Platter hat trick
24 November 2010 by Klein Constantia Wines
Three very different wine styles from Klein Constantia Estate were awarded much-coveted 5-star ratings in the recently launched Platter's Wine Guide 2011, demonstrating the potential and versatility of this historic site. These were Klein Constantia Perdeblokke Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 and the Vin de Constance 2006.
Managing Director, Lowell Jooste believes that this trio of awards is the single most significant recognition ever bestowed on the property since production was resumed in 1986. "This emphasises the ability of the vineyards of Klein Constantia to produce top-end white, red and sweet wine." All grapes for the Estate range are grown on the property.
The major shift in focus of the past decade has been from the winery to the vineyards, with an ambitiously extensive and costly replanting programme now bearing fruit. Winemaker Adam Mason and viticulturist Stiaan Cloete are hugely gratified to see the results of this finally emerging in the wines, particularly the Cabernet, where consistent effort is required in the vineyards to keep leaf roll at bay.
"We are ecstatic and hugely encouraged by these results, as we firmly believe this property still has so much unlocked potential," says Mason. "The next few years will be crucial as we continue to navigate the path we set to achieve our goal of underpinning Klein Constantia's reputation as one of the Cape's great vineyards."
24 November 2010 by Klein Constantia Wines
Three very different wine styles from Klein Constantia Estate were awarded much-coveted 5-star ratings in the recently launched Platter's Wine Guide 2011, demonstrating the potential and versatility of this historic site. These were Klein Constantia Perdeblokke Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 and the Vin de Constance 2006.
Managing Director, Lowell Jooste believes that this trio of awards is the single most significant recognition ever bestowed on the property since production was resumed in 1986. "This emphasises the ability of the vineyards of Klein Constantia to produce top-end white, red and sweet wine." All grapes for the Estate range are grown on the property.
The major shift in focus of the past decade has been from the winery to the vineyards, with an ambitiously extensive and costly replanting programme now bearing fruit. Winemaker Adam Mason and viticulturist Stiaan Cloete are hugely gratified to see the results of this finally emerging in the wines, particularly the Cabernet, where consistent effort is required in the vineyards to keep leaf roll at bay.
"We are ecstatic and hugely encouraged by these results, as we firmly believe this property still has so much unlocked potential," says Mason. "The next few years will be crucial as we continue to navigate the path we set to achieve our goal of underpinning Klein Constantia's reputation as one of the Cape's great vineyards."
Platter 5-star glory for Hartenberg's The Mackenzie
Platter 5-star glory for Hartenberg's The Mackenzie
24 November 2010 by Hartenberg Estate
Hartenberg's classically crafted Bordeaux-style blend, The Mackenzie 2007, named after the family who have been the custodians of this Stellenbosch wine estate since 1986, has joined the exclusive Platter 5-star club.
Listed as a 5-star wine in the 2011 Platter's South African Wine Guide, the wine is described as follows: "Sultry, tight knit bramble fruits under a veil of fine-grained tannins, but dazzling fruit purity suggests immense please in time."
The Mackenzie 2007 is a richly structured blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) with Merlot (7%) and Malbec (7%). The wine shows strong blackcurrant notes with delightful scents of violets and rich aromas of dark chocolate. The palate reveals a mélange of vanillin oak flavours imparted during 22 months in French Oak barrels intertwined with black and red fruit.
Winemaker Carl Schultz, known for making wines that can go the distance, recommends that you squirrel this wine away for eight to 12 years to allow it to reach its full potential.
With an impressive maturation cellar, South Africa's largest privately owned underground cellar with a capacity to hold around 150 000 bottles, Hartenberg is in the privileged position to hold back their red wines, allowing them to mature under ideal conditions prior to release.
Hartenberg Estate is situated on the Bottelary Road off the R304 to Stellenbosch. Open for tastings, picnic lunches and wetland walks from Mondays to Saturdays, but 7 days a week from December. Cellar tours are by appointment only.
Contact Tel: (021) 865-2541, email: info@hartenbergestate.com or visit www.hartenbergestate.com
24 November 2010 by Hartenberg Estate
Hartenberg's classically crafted Bordeaux-style blend, The Mackenzie 2007, named after the family who have been the custodians of this Stellenbosch wine estate since 1986, has joined the exclusive Platter 5-star club.
Listed as a 5-star wine in the 2011 Platter's South African Wine Guide, the wine is described as follows: "Sultry, tight knit bramble fruits under a veil of fine-grained tannins, but dazzling fruit purity suggests immense please in time."
The Mackenzie 2007 is a richly structured blend of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) with Merlot (7%) and Malbec (7%). The wine shows strong blackcurrant notes with delightful scents of violets and rich aromas of dark chocolate. The palate reveals a mélange of vanillin oak flavours imparted during 22 months in French Oak barrels intertwined with black and red fruit.
Winemaker Carl Schultz, known for making wines that can go the distance, recommends that you squirrel this wine away for eight to 12 years to allow it to reach its full potential.
With an impressive maturation cellar, South Africa's largest privately owned underground cellar with a capacity to hold around 150 000 bottles, Hartenberg is in the privileged position to hold back their red wines, allowing them to mature under ideal conditions prior to release.
Hartenberg Estate is situated on the Bottelary Road off the R304 to Stellenbosch. Open for tastings, picnic lunches and wetland walks from Mondays to Saturdays, but 7 days a week from December. Cellar tours are by appointment only.
Contact Tel: (021) 865-2541, email: info@hartenbergestate.com or visit www.hartenbergestate.com
Welbedacht Wine Estate Wellington Pinotage 2008 86+ Points
Welbedacht Wine Estate Wellington Pinotage 2008 86+ Points
Medium clear, bright, ruby red with purple rim, high concentration, high viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, high plus intensity, very ripe plums, sultanas, Christmas fruitcake, dark stone fruit in eau de vie, rich and complex, earthy dark rocks minerals, generously wooded, spicy cloves, nutmeg, perhaps a combination of American & French oak?
Some hints of vegetative greenness appears after 36 hours of aeration, high alcohol, 14 ABV on label, could it be higher> 14.3?
Dry, confirms fruit, medium acidity (possibly acidified), medium plus tannins, high alcohol, confirms fruits, with plum compote and tamarind paste as new flavours, rich style, pure fruit, oak showy but well managed, unobtrusive, fine expression of a Wellington Ward Pinotage, without a doubt amongst the finest.
Served at 14 degrees Celsius, with a grilled medium rare aged beef rump nature, speckle of Maldon salts, mangetout, baby carrots in butter and roasted beetroot, clear jus, extra virgin olive Oil from Wellington.
Now until 2018+
Medium clear, bright, ruby red with purple rim, high concentration, high viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, high plus intensity, very ripe plums, sultanas, Christmas fruitcake, dark stone fruit in eau de vie, rich and complex, earthy dark rocks minerals, generously wooded, spicy cloves, nutmeg, perhaps a combination of American & French oak?
Some hints of vegetative greenness appears after 36 hours of aeration, high alcohol, 14 ABV on label, could it be higher> 14.3?
Dry, confirms fruit, medium acidity (possibly acidified), medium plus tannins, high alcohol, confirms fruits, with plum compote and tamarind paste as new flavours, rich style, pure fruit, oak showy but well managed, unobtrusive, fine expression of a Wellington Ward Pinotage, without a doubt amongst the finest.
Served at 14 degrees Celsius, with a grilled medium rare aged beef rump nature, speckle of Maldon salts, mangetout, baby carrots in butter and roasted beetroot, clear jus, extra virgin olive Oil from Wellington.
Now until 2018+
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 Rated #1 Champagne by FINE Champagne Magazine's "100 Best Champagnes for 2011"
Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 Rated #1 Champagne by FINE Champagne Magazine's "100 Best Champagnes for 2011"
FINE Champagne Magazine, the only international publication devoted to champagne and a renowned industry authority, announces its list of the “100 Best Champagnes for 2011."
During the year 2010, the magazine’s editorial team assessed over 1000 champagnes that are now available on the markets. After the semifinal, three-day blind-tasting of the top 200 champagnes, the panel selected 30 champagnes that were blind-tasted again in the finals in Reims, Champagne. In the tasting, the most important criteria were the quality of the wine and the champagne’s accessibility today. When the results were tabulated, the top ten included many familiar names but the unanimous first place winner was Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002.
“Rare was convincingly the winner of both our semi-final and finals. We have been impressed with the development in the quality of Piper-Heidsieck wines over the recent years and Rare’s performance was in line with that. Rare from the superb 2002 vintage is a phenomenal champagne; firm, vibrant, pure yet charming and layered. A prestige cuvée that would deserve to be much better known.” FINE Champagne Magazine editor Essi Avellan MW comments.
“Since 1976, the House has only released 8 vintages of Rare: 1976, 1979,1985, 1988, 1990, 1998 en Magnum, 1999 and 2002,” says Régis Camus, chef de caves and chief winemaker at Maison Piper-Heidsieck. “Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 is a glorious wine and I am honoured that it has been selected as the number one champagne in the world by FINE Champagne Magazine.”
This has been an extraordinary year for Piper-Heidsieck indeed. In September, London’s International Wine Challenge named Régis Camus “Sparkling Winemaker of the Year” for the fifth time. After joining the House in 1994, Camus became chef de caves in 2002. Only two years later, he was awarded this prestigious title for the first time in 2004 but went on to win again in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Under his direction, the champagnes of Maison Piper-Heidsieck have risen to a new level of excellence.
Régis Camus' Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995 and Charles Heidsieck Brut Vintage 2000 were also praised, earning the #3 and #4 spots respectively on FINE Champagne Magazine's prestigious list.
The full 100 Best Champagnes ranking can be read in the FINE Champagne Magazine coming out on November 26th. From January onwards the 100 Best Champagnes for 2011 will be available as an iPhone application.
TOP 10 Champagnes for 2011
1. Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002
2. Dom Pérignon Rosé 2000
3. Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995
4. Charles Heidsieck Vintage 2000
5. Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2002
6. Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996
7. Dom Pérignon 2002
8. De Saint Gall Grand Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs NV
9. Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2002
10. Chartogne-Taillet Fiacre NV
More information:
Click here and read the full article of The Best 100-Champagnes 2011.
Essi Avellan MW, editor, FINE Champagne Magazine
Tel: +358 (0)40 7197197
E-mail: essi.avellan@fine-magazines.com
Pekka Nuikki, editor-in-chief, FINE Champagne Magazine
Tel: +358 (0)400 503 784
E-mail: pekka.nuikki@fine-magazines.com
www.fine-magazines.com.
FINE Champagne Magazine, the only international publication devoted to champagne and a renowned industry authority, announces its list of the “100 Best Champagnes for 2011."
During the year 2010, the magazine’s editorial team assessed over 1000 champagnes that are now available on the markets. After the semifinal, three-day blind-tasting of the top 200 champagnes, the panel selected 30 champagnes that were blind-tasted again in the finals in Reims, Champagne. In the tasting, the most important criteria were the quality of the wine and the champagne’s accessibility today. When the results were tabulated, the top ten included many familiar names but the unanimous first place winner was Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002.
“Rare was convincingly the winner of both our semi-final and finals. We have been impressed with the development in the quality of Piper-Heidsieck wines over the recent years and Rare’s performance was in line with that. Rare from the superb 2002 vintage is a phenomenal champagne; firm, vibrant, pure yet charming and layered. A prestige cuvée that would deserve to be much better known.” FINE Champagne Magazine editor Essi Avellan MW comments.
“Since 1976, the House has only released 8 vintages of Rare: 1976, 1979,1985, 1988, 1990, 1998 en Magnum, 1999 and 2002,” says Régis Camus, chef de caves and chief winemaker at Maison Piper-Heidsieck. “Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 is a glorious wine and I am honoured that it has been selected as the number one champagne in the world by FINE Champagne Magazine.”
This has been an extraordinary year for Piper-Heidsieck indeed. In September, London’s International Wine Challenge named Régis Camus “Sparkling Winemaker of the Year” for the fifth time. After joining the House in 1994, Camus became chef de caves in 2002. Only two years later, he was awarded this prestigious title for the first time in 2004 but went on to win again in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Under his direction, the champagnes of Maison Piper-Heidsieck have risen to a new level of excellence.
Régis Camus' Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995 and Charles Heidsieck Brut Vintage 2000 were also praised, earning the #3 and #4 spots respectively on FINE Champagne Magazine's prestigious list.
The full 100 Best Champagnes ranking can be read in the FINE Champagne Magazine coming out on November 26th. From January onwards the 100 Best Champagnes for 2011 will be available as an iPhone application.
TOP 10 Champagnes for 2011
1. Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002
2. Dom Pérignon Rosé 2000
3. Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires 1995
4. Charles Heidsieck Vintage 2000
5. Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2002
6. Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 1996
7. Dom Pérignon 2002
8. De Saint Gall Grand Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs NV
9. Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2002
10. Chartogne-Taillet Fiacre NV
More information:
Click here and read the full article of The Best 100-Champagnes 2011.
Essi Avellan MW, editor, FINE Champagne Magazine
Tel: +358 (0)40 7197197
E-mail: essi.avellan@fine-magazines.com
Pekka Nuikki, editor-in-chief, FINE Champagne Magazine
Tel: +358 (0)400 503 784
E-mail: pekka.nuikki@fine-magazines.com
www.fine-magazines.com.
Wine Tasting for UNISA Alumni - Nelspruit
UNISA ONLINE
Mpumalanga
Nelspruit Wine tasting
The Emnotweni Sun Hotel was the ideal backdrop for the alumni wine tasting that took place on Saturday 15 May 2010 in Nelspruit.
The event kicked off with the tasting of a Raka rosé wine out on the terrace overlooking the beautiful hotel gardens.
Deputy Director, Mr Frankie Mojapelo from the Unisa Foundation and Alumni Relations offices welcomed the guests followed by a few words from Professor Mosoma who set the prefect atmosphere for the festivities to continue.
The wine tasting was conducted by Miguel Chan, the group sommelier for the Southern Sun group and the 6 wines tasted was enjoyed by everyone.
Each wine was accompanied by a tasty bite to complement and followed by dinner and of course, more wine.
Mpumalanga
Nelspruit Wine tasting
The Emnotweni Sun Hotel was the ideal backdrop for the alumni wine tasting that took place on Saturday 15 May 2010 in Nelspruit.
The event kicked off with the tasting of a Raka rosé wine out on the terrace overlooking the beautiful hotel gardens.
Deputy Director, Mr Frankie Mojapelo from the Unisa Foundation and Alumni Relations offices welcomed the guests followed by a few words from Professor Mosoma who set the prefect atmosphere for the festivities to continue.
The wine tasting was conducted by Miguel Chan, the group sommelier for the Southern Sun group and the 6 wines tasted was enjoyed by everyone.
Each wine was accompanied by a tasty bite to complement and followed by dinner and of course, more wine.
The Goose Espression Upper Langkloof 2007 81 points
The Goose Espression Upper Langkloof 2007 81 points
Medium clear, bright, ruby dark cherry red, some evolution on the rim, high concentration, high viscosity, no evidence of gas, but slight traces of sediment (there is also traces of tannins deposit coating inside the bottle, might suggest a light filtration or unfined / unfiltered)
Clean aromatics, high intensity, ripe to overripe plums with tawny port note, very high alcohol, not integrated after 3 and half years, hints of raisins, leather, dried currants, with dry port character emerging with aeration.
Earthy dark fruit, almost “Volcanic soil” character, kind of Californian block busters, oaky style.
Dry, medium plus acidity (possibly acidified) high alcohol, medium plus tannins, but massaged, confirms fruit perceived with new flavors of preserved kumquat, prunes in Kirsch, the high alcohol creates a smooth texture expression, medium length, medium plus complexity.
Over The Top style, if only the grapes were picked earlier, less oak used, this would have been a wonderful food friendly wine.
Served at 13 degrees Celsius, with a spicy beef rump and Chorizo rougaille and braised cabbage.
Now until 2018 ( There is enough saturated fruit for the long haul……)
Medium clear, bright, ruby dark cherry red, some evolution on the rim, high concentration, high viscosity, no evidence of gas, but slight traces of sediment (there is also traces of tannins deposit coating inside the bottle, might suggest a light filtration or unfined / unfiltered)
Clean aromatics, high intensity, ripe to overripe plums with tawny port note, very high alcohol, not integrated after 3 and half years, hints of raisins, leather, dried currants, with dry port character emerging with aeration.
Earthy dark fruit, almost “Volcanic soil” character, kind of Californian block busters, oaky style.
Dry, medium plus acidity (possibly acidified) high alcohol, medium plus tannins, but massaged, confirms fruit perceived with new flavors of preserved kumquat, prunes in Kirsch, the high alcohol creates a smooth texture expression, medium length, medium plus complexity.
Over The Top style, if only the grapes were picked earlier, less oak used, this would have been a wonderful food friendly wine.
Served at 13 degrees Celsius, with a spicy beef rump and Chorizo rougaille and braised cabbage.
Now until 2018 ( There is enough saturated fruit for the long haul……)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Two 5-star Platter rating for De Krans Ports
Two 5-star Platter rating for De Krans
22 November 2010 by De Krans Wine Cellar
It has certainly been a bumper year of achievements for De Krans Wine Cellar who was awarded two five-star ratings in the latest edition of the authoritative and internationally recognized 2011 Platters South African Wine Guide. These were awarded to its Cape Tawny Port NV and Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2008.
The De Krans Cape Tawny Port NV, in particular, has been a top achiever this year, earning a double gold at the 2010 Veritas Awards, a five-star rating from Wine Magazine as well as being crowned overall winner at the SAPPA Peter Port Schulz Challenge 2010. Coppery gold in colour, hence the name Tawny, the De Krans Cape Tawny Port is smooth on the palate with a coffee-toffee and nutty character. A perfect partner to brown onion soup, coffee and chocolates, the port is available nationwide and retails for approximately R95 per bottle.
Not to be outdone, the De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2008 also brought home the accolades scooping a gold medal at this year's Michelangelo International Wine Awards, as well as being crowned as the Overall Champion Wine at the 2010 Southern Cape Bottled Wine Show. Regarded as their flagship port, it is a vibrant plum colour, with dense aromas of prune, spice and tobacco, and has the potential to mature for a further 20 to 25 years. A fleshy, chewy mouthful of flavours, showing tannic grip, concentrated red fruit nuances, and a firm structure ensuring considerable longevity. Retailing for approximately R150 respectively, per bottle, savour this premium port on its own, or serve with stronger cheeses.
"We are extremely proud of this latest rating, as it is once again proves that De Krans continues to produce wines of excellent quality," says winemaker Boets Nel.
For more information on these or any other ports and wines in the De Krans range, feel free to visit their website at www.dekrans.co.za, or contact Helet Viljoen or Bessie Barnardo at the farm on (044) 213-3314.
22 November 2010 by De Krans Wine Cellar
It has certainly been a bumper year of achievements for De Krans Wine Cellar who was awarded two five-star ratings in the latest edition of the authoritative and internationally recognized 2011 Platters South African Wine Guide. These were awarded to its Cape Tawny Port NV and Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2008.
The De Krans Cape Tawny Port NV, in particular, has been a top achiever this year, earning a double gold at the 2010 Veritas Awards, a five-star rating from Wine Magazine as well as being crowned overall winner at the SAPPA Peter Port Schulz Challenge 2010. Coppery gold in colour, hence the name Tawny, the De Krans Cape Tawny Port is smooth on the palate with a coffee-toffee and nutty character. A perfect partner to brown onion soup, coffee and chocolates, the port is available nationwide and retails for approximately R95 per bottle.
Not to be outdone, the De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2008 also brought home the accolades scooping a gold medal at this year's Michelangelo International Wine Awards, as well as being crowned as the Overall Champion Wine at the 2010 Southern Cape Bottled Wine Show. Regarded as their flagship port, it is a vibrant plum colour, with dense aromas of prune, spice and tobacco, and has the potential to mature for a further 20 to 25 years. A fleshy, chewy mouthful of flavours, showing tannic grip, concentrated red fruit nuances, and a firm structure ensuring considerable longevity. Retailing for approximately R150 respectively, per bottle, savour this premium port on its own, or serve with stronger cheeses.
"We are extremely proud of this latest rating, as it is once again proves that De Krans continues to produce wines of excellent quality," says winemaker Boets Nel.
For more information on these or any other ports and wines in the De Krans range, feel free to visit their website at www.dekrans.co.za, or contact Helet Viljoen or Bessie Barnardo at the farm on (044) 213-3314.
Fleur du Cap is SA Producer of the Year at London IWSC
Fleur du Cap is SA Producer of the Year at London IWSC
Submitted by Wendy Bonthuys on 2010/11/19 11:05 AM
Fleur du Cap has been named South African Producer of the year at London’s 2010 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) after winning two Best in Class Gold medals for the highly acclaimed Noble Late Harvest 2008 and 2009 vintages.
In another remarkable feat for this glorious botrytis dessert wine, the 2009 vintage has just been named White Wine of the Year in Platter’s South African Wines 2011, the country’s definitive wine guide.
In fact all four consecutive vintages, the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 vintages are Platter 5-star stunners.
The Fleur du Cap winemaking team certainly appear to have the Midas touch, striking gold with their Noble Late Harvest in practically every competition it entered in 2010.
Both these vintages helped bring home the 2010 White Winemaker of the Year Trophy from London’s highly contested International Wine Challenge where Fleur du Cap triumphed as the South African cellar with the most gold medals.
On home ground, these two vintages both raked in Veritas Double Gold medals, the Oscars of South African wine competitions.
Aptly referred to as liquid gold by the winemaking team at Die Bergkelder in Stellenbosch headed by, Andrea Freeborough, who is assisted on the white wines by winemaker Pieter Badenhorst, Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest has earned its place as one of South Africa’s top dessert wines.
The IWSC aims to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs. All the wines were tasted blind in groups divided by variety, region and vintage.
For more information, visit www.fleurducap.co.za.
Issued by: GC Communications
Contact: Gudrun Clark
Tel: 021 462 0520
Email:gudrun@gc-com.co.za
On behalf of: Distell
Contact: Deidre Samson
Submitted by Wendy Bonthuys on 2010/11/19 11:05 AM
Fleur du Cap has been named South African Producer of the year at London’s 2010 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) after winning two Best in Class Gold medals for the highly acclaimed Noble Late Harvest 2008 and 2009 vintages.
In another remarkable feat for this glorious botrytis dessert wine, the 2009 vintage has just been named White Wine of the Year in Platter’s South African Wines 2011, the country’s definitive wine guide.
In fact all four consecutive vintages, the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 vintages are Platter 5-star stunners.
The Fleur du Cap winemaking team certainly appear to have the Midas touch, striking gold with their Noble Late Harvest in practically every competition it entered in 2010.
Both these vintages helped bring home the 2010 White Winemaker of the Year Trophy from London’s highly contested International Wine Challenge where Fleur du Cap triumphed as the South African cellar with the most gold medals.
On home ground, these two vintages both raked in Veritas Double Gold medals, the Oscars of South African wine competitions.
Aptly referred to as liquid gold by the winemaking team at Die Bergkelder in Stellenbosch headed by, Andrea Freeborough, who is assisted on the white wines by winemaker Pieter Badenhorst, Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest has earned its place as one of South Africa’s top dessert wines.
The IWSC aims to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs. All the wines were tasted blind in groups divided by variety, region and vintage.
For more information, visit www.fleurducap.co.za.
Issued by: GC Communications
Contact: Gudrun Clark
Tel: 021 462 0520
Email:gudrun@gc-com.co.za
On behalf of: Distell
Contact: Deidre Samson
Friday, November 19, 2010
Beyerskloof Faith 2007 84+ Points
Beyerskloof Faith 2007 84+ Points
Medium clear, bright russet red with slight garnet rim, medium plus concentration, medium plus viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, medium plus intensity with notes of ripe strawberries, dark cherries and just ripe plum, wet earth note, peppery subtle oaking lending a spicy profile.
Dry, confirms fruit, juicy with leathery note, fleshy kind of crisp plums note, medium tannin, medium plus alcohol and medium acidity.
Overall medium complexity, massaged tannins, fresh with a delicate and elegant aftertaste, if only could have more X factor would have received higher rating.
For now until 2016, served at 13 degrees Celsius with a grilled ostrich in creamy green Madagascar peppercorn sauce
Blend of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Merlot (30%), Shiraz & Pinotage
Medium clear, bright russet red with slight garnet rim, medium plus concentration, medium plus viscosity, no evidence of gas or sediment.
Clean, medium plus intensity with notes of ripe strawberries, dark cherries and just ripe plum, wet earth note, peppery subtle oaking lending a spicy profile.
Dry, confirms fruit, juicy with leathery note, fleshy kind of crisp plums note, medium tannin, medium plus alcohol and medium acidity.
Overall medium complexity, massaged tannins, fresh with a delicate and elegant aftertaste, if only could have more X factor would have received higher rating.
For now until 2016, served at 13 degrees Celsius with a grilled ostrich in creamy green Madagascar peppercorn sauce
Blend of Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Merlot (30%), Shiraz & Pinotage
Thursday, November 18, 2010
NEDBANK GREEN WINE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
NEDBANK GREEN WINE AWARD 2010 WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Reyneke, South Africa’s first biodynamic vineyard and winery, and Graham Beck Wines were the big winners at the Nedbank Green Wine Awards held in Cape Town today.
The awards – held in association with Wine magazine - promote environmentally friendly wines and are given in two categories – for the Best Organic Wine as well as the Best Environmental Practice Award.
Following international trends, more South African consumers are trying organic wines for both health reasons and because it makes sense to support wineries that farm sustainably for the benefit of future generations and vineyard productivity.
The Reyneke Woolworths Chenin Blanc 2009 was voted the Best Organic Wine. It also won in the best white wine category, while the Reyneke Reserve Red 2007 was tops in the best red wine category. The best natural sweet award went to the Stellar Heaven on Earth Natural Sweet.
The Best Environmental Practice Award went to Graham Beck Wines, while the runner up was Paul Cluver.
The Reyneke label was created in 1998 when Johan Reyneke took over the farming activities from his mother and produced the first wines on the family farm, Uitzicht near Stellenbosch. Reyneke has gone one step beyond organic, and farms and produces his wines in accordance with biodynamic principles: “The intention is to interfere as little as possible, to allow nature to be the real maker of the wine and to truly produce terroir specific wines of the highest quality,” he says.
Stellar Winery, South Africa's largest producer of fine organic wines, processes just over 4 500 tons of organic grapes for the South African and export markets. It was the first organic winemaking operation in the world to gain the coveted Fairtrade certification and the first cellar in Africa to produce commercially viable no-sulphur-added wines. Stellar has subsequently become the largest producer of these wines in the world and is the number one organic wine brand in the UK.
Graham Beck Wines has been acknowledged for restoring and preserving large areas of all three major vegetation types found in the Cape Floral Kingdom - fynbos, renosterveld and succulent karoo on its Robertson estate. Their conservation management plan has earned them Champion status with the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative. Today 4.4 ha of land is allocated to conservation for every1ha farmed. Although their Franschhoek property faces different challenges, a complete environmental plan is already underway to produce wine with a minimum impact on the environment.
Paul Cluver Wines is a founder of the world’s first Wine and Biodiversity Route, situated around the Groenland Mountain. This 2 000+ hectare estate forms part of the UNESCO world heritage site, the Kogelberg Biosphere. Half of the estate has been set aside for conservation in perpetuity. It is also the initiator and mentor of Thandi Wines - SA's first black economic empowerment wine brand and the world's first Fairtrade wine brand.
Organic viticulture can be defined as grape growing that shuns man-made pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or fertilisers. Winners for the Best Organic Wine were made from 2010 or earlier vintages, or blends of various vintages. Wines were accompanied by a valid certification, such as that issued by the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), an internationally recognised organic accreditation body.
Judges for the best organic wines were Christian Eedes (chair), Miguel Chan (Southern Sun sommelier), Allan Mullins (Cape Wine Master), Ginette De Fleuriot (Cape Wine Master) and Rianie Strydom (Haskell Vineyards winemaker).
The Nedbank Green Wine Awards Best Environmental Practice Award was open to all farms with the minimum requirement for entry being a 70 percent rating from the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW), the voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established in 1998. Organic certification is also accepted for entry into this category, but must be accompanied by several government authorisation documents such as water use authorisations and plough permits.
The judges for the Best Environmental Practice Award were Inge Kotze (project coordinator of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative), Lourens van Schoor (head of Enviroscientific, auditing body for the IPW), Tom McLaughlin (good business journey Specialist at Woolworths) and Johan Reyneke (Reyneke bio-dynamic wines in Stellenbosch).
Nedbank’s sponsorship of the Green Wine Awards further supports its aim to be the leading “green” bank. Nedbank has a long history of involvement in the wine industry including its 14 year sponsorship of the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) and its involvement in the CWG Development Trust helping families of farm workers. The Nedbank Green Trust has been pivotal since 2004 in establishing the Biodiversity Wine Initiative, which is aimed at encouraging responsible land usage and farming within the wine industry.
“By sponsoring these pioneering awards we aim to increase awareness of organic, environmentally responsible options for consumers so that they can make more informed wine choices. These awards also recognise winemakers who are making a difference and encourage environmentally sustainable farming,” says Greg Garden, Group Brand Executive for Nedbank.
"The green initiative is about attaining balance in the natural world. With good quality wines the quest is also one of finding balance, and with ‘green’ wines in particular we strive to achieve more by doing less, or at least disrupting less," explained Wine's publishing editor, Cathryn Henderson.
More information about the Nedbank Green Wine Awards and interviews with the winning winemakers can be found in December’s issue of Wine magazine on sale now.
ENDS
Issued by On behalf of
Total Exposure The Nedbank Green Wine Awards
T: 011 788 8725
F: 011 8801205
Janine Walker
083 600 9753
janine.w@mweb.co.za
NOTES TO EDITORS
South Africa has a unique wine heritage with the oldest viticultural soils in the world. It is also the most biodiverse place on earth with more than 9 600 plants. Currently 90 percent of exporting producers representing 95 percent of grapes harvested have joined the scheme, demonstrating to consumers worldwide that the country is serious when it comes to sound environmental practices.
Biodynamic Agriculture is an approach to sustainable agriculture that is based on the philosophy of Rudolph Steiner. Steiner built up his knowledge from keen observation of plant and animal forms, of traditional peasant practice, and from scientific study and deep spiritual research.
Biodynamic farmers use a range of specially formulated herbal, mineral and organic preparations to enhance the soil, boost plant and animal life and increase fertility. They develop farms into unique and distinct individualities that use the minimum of external inputs to produce high quality food, fibre and timber with no negative impact on the environment. The farmers work with natural and cosmic cycles, rhythms and forces that regulate all life on earth to create a harmonious whole.
Biodynamic agriculture shares the organic view, and holds the assumption that farmers can further enhance the resistance of their crops by reinforcing their built in defences against pests as well as improve quality of produce through a holistic farming method.
The differences between these approaches can be illustrated by the way in which they deal with one of the most basic challenges farmers face: weeds.
In a conventional vineyard weeds are seen as competition for nutrients and moisture that the vines desperately need. They are controlled in the quickest and most cost effective way: herbicides.
The organic grower still sees weeds as competition for the vines, but prefers to remove them in a mechanical way or if it needs be with “soft” organically certifiable herbicides.
In the biodynamic vineyard weeds have a purpose and a sense of place. They are indicative of the farming practice that has taken place in that specific area.
Reyneke, South Africa’s first biodynamic vineyard and winery, and Graham Beck Wines were the big winners at the Nedbank Green Wine Awards held in Cape Town today.
The awards – held in association with Wine magazine - promote environmentally friendly wines and are given in two categories – for the Best Organic Wine as well as the Best Environmental Practice Award.
Following international trends, more South African consumers are trying organic wines for both health reasons and because it makes sense to support wineries that farm sustainably for the benefit of future generations and vineyard productivity.
The Reyneke Woolworths Chenin Blanc 2009 was voted the Best Organic Wine. It also won in the best white wine category, while the Reyneke Reserve Red 2007 was tops in the best red wine category. The best natural sweet award went to the Stellar Heaven on Earth Natural Sweet.
The Best Environmental Practice Award went to Graham Beck Wines, while the runner up was Paul Cluver.
The Reyneke label was created in 1998 when Johan Reyneke took over the farming activities from his mother and produced the first wines on the family farm, Uitzicht near Stellenbosch. Reyneke has gone one step beyond organic, and farms and produces his wines in accordance with biodynamic principles: “The intention is to interfere as little as possible, to allow nature to be the real maker of the wine and to truly produce terroir specific wines of the highest quality,” he says.
Stellar Winery, South Africa's largest producer of fine organic wines, processes just over 4 500 tons of organic grapes for the South African and export markets. It was the first organic winemaking operation in the world to gain the coveted Fairtrade certification and the first cellar in Africa to produce commercially viable no-sulphur-added wines. Stellar has subsequently become the largest producer of these wines in the world and is the number one organic wine brand in the UK.
Graham Beck Wines has been acknowledged for restoring and preserving large areas of all three major vegetation types found in the Cape Floral Kingdom - fynbos, renosterveld and succulent karoo on its Robertson estate. Their conservation management plan has earned them Champion status with the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative. Today 4.4 ha of land is allocated to conservation for every1ha farmed. Although their Franschhoek property faces different challenges, a complete environmental plan is already underway to produce wine with a minimum impact on the environment.
Paul Cluver Wines is a founder of the world’s first Wine and Biodiversity Route, situated around the Groenland Mountain. This 2 000+ hectare estate forms part of the UNESCO world heritage site, the Kogelberg Biosphere. Half of the estate has been set aside for conservation in perpetuity. It is also the initiator and mentor of Thandi Wines - SA's first black economic empowerment wine brand and the world's first Fairtrade wine brand.
Organic viticulture can be defined as grape growing that shuns man-made pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or fertilisers. Winners for the Best Organic Wine were made from 2010 or earlier vintages, or blends of various vintages. Wines were accompanied by a valid certification, such as that issued by the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), an internationally recognised organic accreditation body.
Judges for the best organic wines were Christian Eedes (chair), Miguel Chan (Southern Sun sommelier), Allan Mullins (Cape Wine Master), Ginette De Fleuriot (Cape Wine Master) and Rianie Strydom (Haskell Vineyards winemaker).
The Nedbank Green Wine Awards Best Environmental Practice Award was open to all farms with the minimum requirement for entry being a 70 percent rating from the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW), the voluntary environmental sustainability scheme established in 1998. Organic certification is also accepted for entry into this category, but must be accompanied by several government authorisation documents such as water use authorisations and plough permits.
The judges for the Best Environmental Practice Award were Inge Kotze (project coordinator of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative), Lourens van Schoor (head of Enviroscientific, auditing body for the IPW), Tom McLaughlin (good business journey Specialist at Woolworths) and Johan Reyneke (Reyneke bio-dynamic wines in Stellenbosch).
Nedbank’s sponsorship of the Green Wine Awards further supports its aim to be the leading “green” bank. Nedbank has a long history of involvement in the wine industry including its 14 year sponsorship of the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) and its involvement in the CWG Development Trust helping families of farm workers. The Nedbank Green Trust has been pivotal since 2004 in establishing the Biodiversity Wine Initiative, which is aimed at encouraging responsible land usage and farming within the wine industry.
“By sponsoring these pioneering awards we aim to increase awareness of organic, environmentally responsible options for consumers so that they can make more informed wine choices. These awards also recognise winemakers who are making a difference and encourage environmentally sustainable farming,” says Greg Garden, Group Brand Executive for Nedbank.
"The green initiative is about attaining balance in the natural world. With good quality wines the quest is also one of finding balance, and with ‘green’ wines in particular we strive to achieve more by doing less, or at least disrupting less," explained Wine's publishing editor, Cathryn Henderson.
More information about the Nedbank Green Wine Awards and interviews with the winning winemakers can be found in December’s issue of Wine magazine on sale now.
ENDS
Issued by On behalf of
Total Exposure The Nedbank Green Wine Awards
T: 011 788 8725
F: 011 8801205
Janine Walker
083 600 9753
janine.w@mweb.co.za
NOTES TO EDITORS
South Africa has a unique wine heritage with the oldest viticultural soils in the world. It is also the most biodiverse place on earth with more than 9 600 plants. Currently 90 percent of exporting producers representing 95 percent of grapes harvested have joined the scheme, demonstrating to consumers worldwide that the country is serious when it comes to sound environmental practices.
Biodynamic Agriculture is an approach to sustainable agriculture that is based on the philosophy of Rudolph Steiner. Steiner built up his knowledge from keen observation of plant and animal forms, of traditional peasant practice, and from scientific study and deep spiritual research.
Biodynamic farmers use a range of specially formulated herbal, mineral and organic preparations to enhance the soil, boost plant and animal life and increase fertility. They develop farms into unique and distinct individualities that use the minimum of external inputs to produce high quality food, fibre and timber with no negative impact on the environment. The farmers work with natural and cosmic cycles, rhythms and forces that regulate all life on earth to create a harmonious whole.
Biodynamic agriculture shares the organic view, and holds the assumption that farmers can further enhance the resistance of their crops by reinforcing their built in defences against pests as well as improve quality of produce through a holistic farming method.
The differences between these approaches can be illustrated by the way in which they deal with one of the most basic challenges farmers face: weeds.
In a conventional vineyard weeds are seen as competition for nutrients and moisture that the vines desperately need. They are controlled in the quickest and most cost effective way: herbicides.
The organic grower still sees weeds as competition for the vines, but prefers to remove them in a mechanical way or if it needs be with “soft” organically certifiable herbicides.
In the biodynamic vineyard weeds have a purpose and a sense of place. They are indicative of the farming practice that has taken place in that specific area.
Platter’s South African Wines 2011 Guide – 5 Stars wines
Platter’s South African Wines 2011 Guide – 5 Stars wines
South Africa’s favourite wine adviser, returns with info packed, Sustainability-themed, where more than 800 producers and brands were reviewed, including 58 newcomers and well over 6000 locally grown wines
The 2011 edition shows a record 58 wines being awarded five-star, including 10 by established producers with no previous five star awards, namely Delaire Graff Estate, Hermanuspietersfontein, Julien Schaal, Lammershoek Winery, Reyneke Wines, Shannon Vineyards, Stellenrust, Strandveld Wines, Topiary Wines and Zewenwacht and one newcomer to the guide, Botanica Wines.
Of the five-star awarded wines, the red and white which receives the most votes from the judging panel are named Platter’s Wines of the year.
2011 Red Wine of The Year is De Trafford Shiraz 2008, described as “pure hedonism” and promising outstanding development over the next decade whilst the White Wine of The Year is Fleur du Cap Bergkelder Selection Noble Late Harvest 2009, made from mainly Chenin Blanc and notes as “arresting”, with astounding balance of ripe fruit and crisp acidity.
In an ongoing focus on highlighting value for money, Platter’s tasters identify a number of entry level wines which are exceptionally drinkable and well priced and the Superquaffer of the year is Nederburg Lyric 2010, an off dry blend of Chenin, Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Nederburg Wines - 2011 Platter South African Wine Guide Winery of the Year
1 - Red Wine of The Year is De Trafford Stellenbosch Shiraz 2008
2 - White Wine of The Year is Fleur du Cap Bergkelder Selection Coastal
Region blend Noble Late Harvest 2009
Superquaffer of the year is Nederburg Western Cape blend Lyric 2010
The Five-Star for 2011 are:
Cabernet Sauvignon
3 - Boekenhoutskloof Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
4 - Delaire Graff Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2008
5 - Kanonkop Estate Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
6 - Klein Constantia Estate Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
7 - Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
8 - Le Riche CWG Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2007
Grenache Noir
9 - Neil Ellis Vineyard Selections Piekenierskloof Grenache 2008
Pinot Noir
10 - Meerlust Estate Stellenbosch Pinot Noir 2008
11 - Newton Johnson Domaine Upper Hemel en Aarde Valley Pinot Noir 2009
Pinotage
12 - Beyerskloof Stellenbosch Diesel Pinotage 2008
Shiraz
13 - Boschendal Cecil John Reserve Coastal Region Blend Shiraz 2008
14 - Eagle’s Nest Constantia Shiraz 2008
15 - Haskell Pillars Stellenbosch Shiraz 2008
16 - Rijk’s Private Cellar Tulbagh Shiraz 2005
17 - Saxenburg Select Limited Release Stellenbosch Shiraz 2006
Merlot
18 - Shannon Vineyards Mount Bullet Elgin Merlot 2008
Red Blends
19 - Ernie Els Signature Stellenbosch 2007
20 - Graham Beck Ad Honorem Robertson 2007
21 - Hartenberg Estate The Mackenzie Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2007
22 - Nederburg Ingenuity Red Western Cape Blend 2007
23 - Reyneke Reserve Red Stellenbosch (Biodynamic) 2008
24 - Spier Frans K.Smit Stellenbosch 2006
25 - Vergelegen Red Stellenbosch 2005
Chardonnay
26 - Groot Constantia Estate Gouverneurs Reserve Constantia Chardonnay 2009
27 - Julien Schaal Elgin Chardonnay 2009
28 - Mulderbosch Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2008
29 - Rustenberg Five Soldiers Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2008
Chenin Blanc
30 - Botanica Coastal Region Blend Chenin Blanc 2009
31 - Stellenrust “45” Barrel Fermented Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2009
Grenache Blanc
32 - The Foundry Coastal Region Blend Grenache Blanc 2009
Sauvignon Blanc
33 - Graham Beck Pheasant’s Run Coastal Region Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2010
34 - Klein Constantia Estate Perdeblokke Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2009
35 - Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Coastal Region Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2009
36 - The Berrio Elim Sauvignon Blanc 2009
37- Zewenwacht 360 degrees Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2009
White Blends
38 - Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh Cape Point 2009
39 - Hermanuspietersfontein Die Bartho Walker Bay 2009
40 - Lammershoek Roulette Blanc Swartland 2009
41 - Nederburg Ingenuity White Western Cape Blend 2009
42 - Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc-Chardonnay Western Cape Blend Private Bin D253
43 - Rall White Coastal Region Blend 2009
44 - Sadie Family Palladius Swartland 2009
45 - Steenberg Vineyards Magna Carta Constantia 2009
46 - Steenberg Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve Constantia The Magus 2009
47 - Strandveld Adamastor Elim 2009
48 - Tokara Director’s Reserve White Stellenbosch 2009
Methode Cap Classique Sparkling Wine
49 - Topiary Blanc de Blancs Brut Franschhoek 2008
50 - Villiera Monro Brut Stellenbosch 2005
Dessert Wine, Unfortified
51 - Fairview La Beryl Blanc Paarl 2009
52 - Klein Constantia Estate Vin de Constance Constantia 2006
53 - Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest Western Cape Blend 2009
54 - Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur Paarl 2009
Port
55 - Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Calitzdorp 2008
56 - De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve Calitzdorp 2008
57 - De Krans Cape Tawny Calitzdorp NV
58 - JP Bredell Cape Vintage Reserve Stellenbosch 2007
Tasters for 2011 Platter South African Wine Guide Edition:
Michael Fridjhon, Angela Lloyd, Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl, Cape Wine Masters Winnie Bowman, Greg de Bruyn, Tim James, Christine Rudman, Meryl Weaver & David Biggs, Miguel Chan, Christian Eedes, Higgo Jacobs, Fiona McDonald, Ingrid Motteux, Khuselo Mputa, Jorg Pfutzner, James Pietersen & Dave Swingler.
South Africa’s favourite wine adviser, returns with info packed, Sustainability-themed, where more than 800 producers and brands were reviewed, including 58 newcomers and well over 6000 locally grown wines
The 2011 edition shows a record 58 wines being awarded five-star, including 10 by established producers with no previous five star awards, namely Delaire Graff Estate, Hermanuspietersfontein, Julien Schaal, Lammershoek Winery, Reyneke Wines, Shannon Vineyards, Stellenrust, Strandveld Wines, Topiary Wines and Zewenwacht and one newcomer to the guide, Botanica Wines.
Of the five-star awarded wines, the red and white which receives the most votes from the judging panel are named Platter’s Wines of the year.
2011 Red Wine of The Year is De Trafford Shiraz 2008, described as “pure hedonism” and promising outstanding development over the next decade whilst the White Wine of The Year is Fleur du Cap Bergkelder Selection Noble Late Harvest 2009, made from mainly Chenin Blanc and notes as “arresting”, with astounding balance of ripe fruit and crisp acidity.
In an ongoing focus on highlighting value for money, Platter’s tasters identify a number of entry level wines which are exceptionally drinkable and well priced and the Superquaffer of the year is Nederburg Lyric 2010, an off dry blend of Chenin, Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Nederburg Wines - 2011 Platter South African Wine Guide Winery of the Year
1 - Red Wine of The Year is De Trafford Stellenbosch Shiraz 2008
2 - White Wine of The Year is Fleur du Cap Bergkelder Selection Coastal
Region blend Noble Late Harvest 2009
Superquaffer of the year is Nederburg Western Cape blend Lyric 2010
The Five-Star for 2011 are:
Cabernet Sauvignon
3 - Boekenhoutskloof Franschhoek Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
4 - Delaire Graff Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2008
5 - Kanonkop Estate Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
6 - Klein Constantia Estate Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
7 - Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
8 - Le Riche CWG Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2007
Grenache Noir
9 - Neil Ellis Vineyard Selections Piekenierskloof Grenache 2008
Pinot Noir
10 - Meerlust Estate Stellenbosch Pinot Noir 2008
11 - Newton Johnson Domaine Upper Hemel en Aarde Valley Pinot Noir 2009
Pinotage
12 - Beyerskloof Stellenbosch Diesel Pinotage 2008
Shiraz
13 - Boschendal Cecil John Reserve Coastal Region Blend Shiraz 2008
14 - Eagle’s Nest Constantia Shiraz 2008
15 - Haskell Pillars Stellenbosch Shiraz 2008
16 - Rijk’s Private Cellar Tulbagh Shiraz 2005
17 - Saxenburg Select Limited Release Stellenbosch Shiraz 2006
Merlot
18 - Shannon Vineyards Mount Bullet Elgin Merlot 2008
Red Blends
19 - Ernie Els Signature Stellenbosch 2007
20 - Graham Beck Ad Honorem Robertson 2007
21 - Hartenberg Estate The Mackenzie Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2007
22 - Nederburg Ingenuity Red Western Cape Blend 2007
23 - Reyneke Reserve Red Stellenbosch (Biodynamic) 2008
24 - Spier Frans K.Smit Stellenbosch 2006
25 - Vergelegen Red Stellenbosch 2005
Chardonnay
26 - Groot Constantia Estate Gouverneurs Reserve Constantia Chardonnay 2009
27 - Julien Schaal Elgin Chardonnay 2009
28 - Mulderbosch Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2008
29 - Rustenberg Five Soldiers Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2008
Chenin Blanc
30 - Botanica Coastal Region Blend Chenin Blanc 2009
31 - Stellenrust “45” Barrel Fermented Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2009
Grenache Blanc
32 - The Foundry Coastal Region Blend Grenache Blanc 2009
Sauvignon Blanc
33 - Graham Beck Pheasant’s Run Coastal Region Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2010
34 - Klein Constantia Estate Perdeblokke Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2009
35 - Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Coastal Region Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2009
36 - The Berrio Elim Sauvignon Blanc 2009
37- Zewenwacht 360 degrees Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2009
White Blends
38 - Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh Cape Point 2009
39 - Hermanuspietersfontein Die Bartho Walker Bay 2009
40 - Lammershoek Roulette Blanc Swartland 2009
41 - Nederburg Ingenuity White Western Cape Blend 2009
42 - Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc-Chardonnay Western Cape Blend Private Bin D253
43 - Rall White Coastal Region Blend 2009
44 - Sadie Family Palladius Swartland 2009
45 - Steenberg Vineyards Magna Carta Constantia 2009
46 - Steenberg Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve Constantia The Magus 2009
47 - Strandveld Adamastor Elim 2009
48 - Tokara Director’s Reserve White Stellenbosch 2009
Methode Cap Classique Sparkling Wine
49 - Topiary Blanc de Blancs Brut Franschhoek 2008
50 - Villiera Monro Brut Stellenbosch 2005
Dessert Wine, Unfortified
51 - Fairview La Beryl Blanc Paarl 2009
52 - Klein Constantia Estate Vin de Constance Constantia 2006
53 - Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest Western Cape Blend 2009
54 - Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur Paarl 2009
Port
55 - Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Calitzdorp 2008
56 - De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve Calitzdorp 2008
57 - De Krans Cape Tawny Calitzdorp NV
58 - JP Bredell Cape Vintage Reserve Stellenbosch 2007
Tasters for 2011 Platter South African Wine Guide Edition:
Michael Fridjhon, Angela Lloyd, Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl, Cape Wine Masters Winnie Bowman, Greg de Bruyn, Tim James, Christine Rudman, Meryl Weaver & David Biggs, Miguel Chan, Christian Eedes, Higgo Jacobs, Fiona McDonald, Ingrid Motteux, Khuselo Mputa, Jorg Pfutzner, James Pietersen & Dave Swingler.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
VAN RYN’S CLAIMS ITS SIXTH TOP INTERNATIONAL BRANDY TITLE
VAN RYN’S CLAIMS ITS SIXTH TOP INTERNATIONAL BRANDY TITLE
Van Ryn’s distillery close to Stellenbosch has just earned its third consecutive Best Brandy trophy at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge in London. This time, the honours for producing the world’s best brandy went to the 15 Year Old Fine Cask Reserve.
Said Neil Mathieson, competition category chairman for cognac, armagnac and brandy entries: “Awarding the Best Brandy Trophy was a very hard choice this year, given the excellence of the products submitted and the very high marks they achieved. In the end the decision to award the trophy to Van Ryn's 15 Year Old was made in recognition of its great length, subtlety and depth of flavour.”
Mathieson, who is a world authority on international brandies and other grape-based spirits, and the founder and managing director of Eaux de Vie, a specialist spirits importer, based in the UK, believes South African brandies are becoming the standard-bearer for quality aged brandied produced outside the AOC regions of France.
In 2008 and 2009, it was the Van Ryn's 12 Year Old Distillers Reserve that was voted the best by the panel of ISC spirits specialists.
Van Ryn’s has also brought home the Worldwide Best Brandy trophy from the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) three times, making it a total of six times that the distillery has been judged to produce the best.
Adele Ankiewicz, global marketing manager for Van Ryn’s said: “These results demonstrate a remarkable consistency of performance and are a reflection of South African brandy excellence.
The Van Ryn’s Brandy Collection is an international quality leader, setting the benchmark for the finest brandies in the world. It deftly combines exuberant, generous fruitiness with elegance and finesse and offers an exciting taste profile for spirits connoisseurs.”
This year’s ISC Best Brandy winner was voted the best in its class at the IWSC and won a gold medal.
DATE NOVEMBER 16, 2010
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS)
FOR VAN RYN’S COLLECTION RESERVE
QUERIES ADELE ANKIEWICZ, GLOBAL MARKETING MANAGER, VAN RYN’S (021) 809 7000
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690
Kind regards
Marlise Potgieter
De Kock Communications (DKC)
Tel: +27 21 422 2690
Fax/Faks: +27 86 610 5388
Cell/Sel: +27 72 562 5307
E-mail/E-pos: marlise@dkc.co.za
Van Ryn’s distillery close to Stellenbosch has just earned its third consecutive Best Brandy trophy at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge in London. This time, the honours for producing the world’s best brandy went to the 15 Year Old Fine Cask Reserve.
Said Neil Mathieson, competition category chairman for cognac, armagnac and brandy entries: “Awarding the Best Brandy Trophy was a very hard choice this year, given the excellence of the products submitted and the very high marks they achieved. In the end the decision to award the trophy to Van Ryn's 15 Year Old was made in recognition of its great length, subtlety and depth of flavour.”
Mathieson, who is a world authority on international brandies and other grape-based spirits, and the founder and managing director of Eaux de Vie, a specialist spirits importer, based in the UK, believes South African brandies are becoming the standard-bearer for quality aged brandied produced outside the AOC regions of France.
In 2008 and 2009, it was the Van Ryn's 12 Year Old Distillers Reserve that was voted the best by the panel of ISC spirits specialists.
Van Ryn’s has also brought home the Worldwide Best Brandy trophy from the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) three times, making it a total of six times that the distillery has been judged to produce the best.
Adele Ankiewicz, global marketing manager for Van Ryn’s said: “These results demonstrate a remarkable consistency of performance and are a reflection of South African brandy excellence.
The Van Ryn’s Brandy Collection is an international quality leader, setting the benchmark for the finest brandies in the world. It deftly combines exuberant, generous fruitiness with elegance and finesse and offers an exciting taste profile for spirits connoisseurs.”
This year’s ISC Best Brandy winner was voted the best in its class at the IWSC and won a gold medal.
DATE NOVEMBER 16, 2010
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS)
FOR VAN RYN’S COLLECTION RESERVE
QUERIES ADELE ANKIEWICZ, GLOBAL MARKETING MANAGER, VAN RYN’S (021) 809 7000
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690
Kind regards
Marlise Potgieter
De Kock Communications (DKC)
Tel: +27 21 422 2690
Fax/Faks: +27 86 610 5388
Cell/Sel: +27 72 562 5307
E-mail/E-pos: marlise@dkc.co.za
ALLESVERLOREN GAINS SWEDEN’S HIGHEST WINE AWARD
ALLESVERLOREN GAINS SWEDEN’S HIGHEST WINE AWARD
Allerverloren has earned Sweden’s highest wine honour with fifth-generation Swartland winemaker Danie Malan chosen as International Producer of the Year in an annual competition held under the auspices of Alt Om Mat, one of Sweden’s foremost lifestyle magazines.
Although Sweden is one of South Africa’s major export markets, this is the first time in the 53-year history of the award that it has gone to a South African winemaker.
Allesverloren was selected by a team of five top Swedish wine writers, achieving the highest scores in an evaluation that began with all 4 200 wines available in the country offered through the retail monopoly Systembolaget. All wines were tasted blind.
Malan, who was up against finalists from Italy and Germany, flew to Stockholm to receive his award, the Golden Glass, which he accepted on Friday, November 12. The goblet is a symbol of the highest level of achievement in Sweden and is also given to Nobel Prize winners.
He was praised by the panel for the excellence of Allesverloren wines in general but also his pioneering of the use of traditional port varietals to make classically styled natural red table wines.
Sweden is Allesverloren’s biggest export market. Four of the five wines produced on this estate on the slopes of the Kasteelberg in the Swartland – three reds and a port – are sold in Sweden where they have fast grown in popularity. Of the three reds, two – the Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barocca - are made from what are primarily port cultivars. Allesverloren is one of the very few domestic producers using these to make natural table wines.
These wines are also highly rated in South Africa, with the Touriga Nacional recently winning gold at Veritas.
The Swartland is currently regarded as one of the Cape’s highest-potential wine-growing regions by many observers and was recently highlighted in the internationally distributed US weekly, TIME magazine.
DATE NOVEMBER 16, 2010
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATION)
FOR CAPE LEGENDS
QUERIES DANIE MALAN, ALLESVERLOREN WINEMAKER, (022) 461 2320 or 082 573 9220
LIZE-MARIE GRADWELL, MARKETING MANAGER, CAPE LEGENDS (021) 809 7000
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690
Kind regards
Marlise Potgieter
De Kock Communications (DKC)
Tel: +27 21 422 2690
Fax/Faks: +27 86 610 5388
Cell/Sel: +27 72 562 5307
E-mail/E-pos: marlise@dkc.co.za
Allerverloren has earned Sweden’s highest wine honour with fifth-generation Swartland winemaker Danie Malan chosen as International Producer of the Year in an annual competition held under the auspices of Alt Om Mat, one of Sweden’s foremost lifestyle magazines.
Although Sweden is one of South Africa’s major export markets, this is the first time in the 53-year history of the award that it has gone to a South African winemaker.
Allesverloren was selected by a team of five top Swedish wine writers, achieving the highest scores in an evaluation that began with all 4 200 wines available in the country offered through the retail monopoly Systembolaget. All wines were tasted blind.
Malan, who was up against finalists from Italy and Germany, flew to Stockholm to receive his award, the Golden Glass, which he accepted on Friday, November 12. The goblet is a symbol of the highest level of achievement in Sweden and is also given to Nobel Prize winners.
He was praised by the panel for the excellence of Allesverloren wines in general but also his pioneering of the use of traditional port varietals to make classically styled natural red table wines.
Sweden is Allesverloren’s biggest export market. Four of the five wines produced on this estate on the slopes of the Kasteelberg in the Swartland – three reds and a port – are sold in Sweden where they have fast grown in popularity. Of the three reds, two – the Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barocca - are made from what are primarily port cultivars. Allesverloren is one of the very few domestic producers using these to make natural table wines.
These wines are also highly rated in South Africa, with the Touriga Nacional recently winning gold at Veritas.
The Swartland is currently regarded as one of the Cape’s highest-potential wine-growing regions by many observers and was recently highlighted in the internationally distributed US weekly, TIME magazine.
DATE NOVEMBER 16, 2010
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATION)
FOR CAPE LEGENDS
QUERIES DANIE MALAN, ALLESVERLOREN WINEMAKER, (022) 461 2320 or 082 573 9220
LIZE-MARIE GRADWELL, MARKETING MANAGER, CAPE LEGENDS (021) 809 7000
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690
Kind regards
Marlise Potgieter
De Kock Communications (DKC)
Tel: +27 21 422 2690
Fax/Faks: +27 86 610 5388
Cell/Sel: +27 72 562 5307
E-mail/E-pos: marlise@dkc.co.za
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