I’m in the BA lounge, on the way to South Africa. Tried through the wines, and this was the pick of a rather underwhelming bunch. I’m quite tired: I’ve only…
Arcangeli, an exciting new addition to the South African wine scene
Arcangeli is an exciting new addition to the South African wine scene. The home of this project is a farm on Bot River that used to be called Freiteras Vineyards….
AA Badenhorst Dassiekop Steen, a thrilling South African Chenin
I’ve spoken of my love of Adi Badenhorst’s Dassiekop before: it’s one of my favourite Chenins. I brought a bottle to New Zealand and shared it with friends. It was…
Eben Sadie shows his wines and describes his philosophy (with video)
[Eben Sadie, in a suit, in the glam surroundings of the Lanesborough Hotel in London. Fortunately even these can’t keep him down. He was his usual thoughtful, opinionated self. He…
Lunch at the Short Market Club, Cape Town
Had a brilliant lunch experience today in Cape Town, at the Short Market Club. It’s a newish restaurant that’s an offspring of two of Cape Town’s most celebrated eateries, the…
Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium: Elgin versus the rest of the world, a blind tasting
This was very interesting: as part of the Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium, we did a blind tasting with 21 different wines, pitching Elgin’s finest against some international benchmarks. Michael Fridjhon and…
Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium: tasting 16 Chardonnays from 2016
This weekend is the second instalment of the Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium, and as part of yesterday’s proceedings, we tried 16 different wines from the 2016 vintage. This is a warmer,…
Neil Ellis Op Sy Moer 2016, a distinctive white bottled with fine lees
Warren Ellis, son of Neil, showed me this wine on a recent trip to South Africa. It’s a blend of Palomino from Piekeneerskloof (450 m, Table Mountain sandstone soils), with…
Wild Air Sauvignon Blanc: one of South Africa’s finest
I was really impressed by this South African Sauvignon. Available in the UK from agent Indigo Wines: retail is c £20 and stockists include The Sampler, Highbury Vintners. Vincognito, Handford…