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Beat the clock: Eben Sadie, a man on a mission
You only have to turn the clock back a dozen years to date the Sadie Family’s first wine, Columella 2000, yet Eben Sadie has the air of the wise old man of the Swartland. As well he might. In his quest to identify the best terroir and do it full justice, the man works double-time, [...]
Continue reading...January sales heads up: including a couple of my 2011 high fives & rare Madeira
Posted Thursday 12th January 2012
Yesterday Jamie Goode gave the heads up on some rather tasty deals in Noble Green’s January sale. Jamie bought some top Portuguese wines and I snapped up 6 bottles of Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2010 – one of my Top Five Australian Wines of 2011 (click here for my review). It’s reduced from £19.69 to £12.99/bottle. Click here for details [...]
Continue reading...My Top 5 Wines of the Year: South Africa
Posted Saturday 31st December 2011
They say that life’s too short to drink bad wine, less still to write about it too! With the exception of lesser vintages in vertical reports, I rate highly every wine which makes its way onto my website, so it’s no easy task to select my top wines of the year. Here’s my top five [...]
Continue reading...Forget the claret: squeals on great Cabernet deals
Posted Wednesday 21st December 2011
I swung by Majestic in the week and they’ve got some pretty smart Cabernets/Cab blends from Australia and South Africa on deal for around a tenner (as part of the usual case purchase, which can be mixed). These polished, elegant wines seriously over deliver: Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot 2009 (Margaret River, W. Australia) Virginia Willcock puts [...]
Continue reading...As pure as snow: Jordan’s white wines, including 3 divinely different vintages of Riesling from the Cape
Posted Monday 12th December 2011
I’ve visit High Timber, the Thameside restaurant which Gary and Kathy Jordan co-own with Neleen Strauss several times. So it seemed high time that I visited the couple’s Stellenbosch estate on last month’s visit to South Africa (view from their new Cape restaurant pictured). Located at the head of the narrow, winding Stellenboschkloof Valley, green and lush with [...]
Continue reading...Squeals on deals: Cape Point Stonehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2011, £5.99 at The Co-op
Posted Friday 9th December 2011
I missed out on a visit to Cape Point in 2004 and sorely regretted it, so palpable was the excitement of the sommeliers who made it. It’s no exaggeration to say that Cape Point’s spectacular location (below), out on a limb, at the windswept and remote tip of the Cape Peninsula is unique. Or that its winemaker, [...]
Continue reading...The Swartland Revolution in the can
Posted Sunday 27th November 2011
So you’ve seen some pics and read my report of the Mullineux tasting here and here. Now here’s a video which might just persuade you to sign up for next year’s Swartland Revolution! There’s particularly lingering coverage of huge slabs of meat on the braai however, I can reassure fellow veggies that the salads were [...]
Continue reading...Shazam! Kaboom! Moving to Mulderbosch & joining forces with chef Peter Tempelhoff. All change for Cape winemaker Adam Mason
Posted Friday 25th November 2011
I heard this week that Adam Mason, winemaker at Klein Constantia in Constantia, will be assuming the position of winemaker at Mulderbosch, Stellenbosch with effect from next month. It’s been all change this year at both Klein Constantia (recently taken over by Zdenek Bakala and Charles Harman, wealthy Czech and English bankers) and Muldersbosch which, together with [...]
Continue reading...Mullineux magic – Swartland’s granite and schist dream team
Posted Wednesday 23rd November 2011
When I first visited the Swartland in 2004, Eben Sadie was just starting to make his mark with Columella, a Syrah/Mourvedre blend first made in 2000 and Palladius, a Chenin Blanc/Rhone blend. Returning earlier this month, things have changed and how. Once known as the Cape’s bread basket, Swartland has become its seed bed of [...]
Continue reading...V is for victory…and Vergelegen
Posted Friday 18th November 2011
I’ve tasted Vergelegen’s wines numerous times, both at home and in the Cape. Marvellously consistent and beautifully executed they’ve always been a beacon of clarity and quality. So it was great to put a place to the name and visit last week. As I expected, the Cabernet Sauvignon blends were absolutely first rate across a range of [...]
Continue reading...Storming success, The Swartland Revolution
Posted Sunday 13th November 2011
This weekend I’ve been in Swartland, seat of a wine revolution most joyously celebrated in the town of Riebeek Kasteel. For now some pics to give you a feel for it – report to follow. Mullineux magic – schist v granite Syrah And its makers – Chris & Andrea Mullineux Crisp & cutting edge – [...]
Continue reading...South Africa day 2: blue chips, new fodder & fine dining
Posted Thursday 10th November 2011
I visited among the Cape’s bluest chip producers today - Stellenbosch stalwarts Vergelegen (winery pictured above) and Jordan, then Steenberg in Constantia (uber-trendy cellar door/bistro pictured below). All enjoy relatively cool locations within their region which marks out their fresh and structured wines as food friendly. A trait which I had the opportunity to put to the test over lunch at Jordan [...]
Continue reading...Rhone ranging at Fairview plus lunch at Spice Route’s new Paarl cellar door
Posted Wednesday 9th November 2011
Yesterday I arrived in the Cape and, on this my fourth visit, made a long overdue visit to Fairview in Paarl, which is owned by Charles Back. The popular cellar door/restaurant (pictured), which also stocks estate cheeses and olive oil, attracts visitors by the coachload. Its high profile is in no small part down to cheekily monikored Goats du Roam brand, which put Fairview [...]
Continue reading...November Wines of the Month: two top Autumnal Cape wines, each under a tenner
Posted Wednesday 2nd November 2011
They say that dogs reflect their owners. If my ebullient November Wines of the Month, both extreme good value, are anything to go by, I reckon the same is true of wine! Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap White 2010 At last, Marc Kent has succumbed to the virtues of Chenin Blanc, which comprises 19% of this [...]
Continue reading...Superb South African Syrah: Julien Schaal
Posted Wednesday 26th October 2011
In the third post reporting on my highlights of Wines of South Africa’s Cape Wine Europe trade tasting, I’m focusing on Julien Schaal whose winning way with Chardonnay came to my attention last year (click here for details). Alsace-born Schaal was at the tasting so it was great to meet him and discover more strings [...]
Continue reading...Standout Chenin Blanc: The Winery of Good Hope & Land of Hope, South Africa
Posted Monday 24th October 2011
I wrote up highlights from themed tables at Wines of South Africa’s Cape Wine Europe trade tasting here last week. At the Chenin Blanc table, The Winery of Good Hope’s Radford Dale Renaissance Chenin Blanc 2010 was my pick of the bunch. It’s not the only great Chenin The Winery of Good Hope (TWGH) make – I [...]
Continue reading...Wines of South Africa Cape Wine Europe 2011 – themed table highlights
Posted Wednesday 19th October 2011
Last week Wines of South Africa’s trade tasting Cape Wine Europe hit town for two days. A good opportunity for me to gear up for next month’s trip. Below, you’ll find my highlights from a trio of themed tables, focused on Platter 5 star wines, a Cape Winemakers Guild selection and Chenin Blanc. First, a spot of [...]
Continue reading...October Wines of the Month: Reyneke Organic Chenin/Chardonnay/Sauvignon 2010 & Torbreck The Woodcutter’s Shiraz 2009
Posted Tuesday 4th October 2011
September is an intensive month in the London tasting calendar so it’s no easy task to single out my October Wines of the Month, but here they are: Reyneke Organic Chenin/Chardonnay/Sauvignon 2010 (WO Coastal) South Africa’s white Chenin based blends excite me and the Reyneke – in its maiden release – is a worthy addition [...]
Continue reading...Heads up on a couple of South African Decanter World Wine Award winners on deal at Majestic
Posted Sunday 18th September 2011
From now until 31 October Majestic are offering 20% off when you buy any two South African wines. I couldn’t help but notice that their range includes Klein Constantia KC Cabernet Merlot 2008, a gold medal and regional trophy winner at Decanter World Wine Awards (best South African red Bordeaux varietal wine under £10 – see here) [...]
Continue reading...Back to school – a taste intensive week plus highlights from the Dirty Dozen tasting
Posted Friday 9th September 2011
Back to school this week after 2 weeks on hols. A bit like this photo, this week has passed by in a blur with the IWC and DWWA (pictured) awards dinners, plus two really excellent tastings with Liberty Wine (Premium Australia) & the Dirty Dozen. I’ll be reporting on the Liberty Wine tasting over the next [...]
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Posted Thursday 19th January 2012
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