Three days. Seven judges. 145 South African Chenin Blancs. It was the second year of the new look Standard Bank Top 10 Chenin Blanc Challenge, and I had been invited…
Fun with Ryan and Samantha – Skurfberg, Jamet, Silvervis et al
So Ryan Mostert and Samantha Suddons, of new winery Terra Cura, popped round. They brought with them a couple of boxes of wine, so we sat, tasted and drank. Some…
The Breedekloof Chenin Blanc initiative
Before this tasting Breedekloof was totally off my radar. So it was great to catch up with three Breedekloof guys, Pieter Cronje, De Wet Lategan and Attie Loew to hear…
In South Africa, day 1, two exciting new wines – Patatsfontein and Haarlem to Hope
I’ve been in South Africa for one afternoon and a sleep, and already I have much that I want to report on, but for starters I will talk about two…
Chenin Blanc and Grüner Veltliner
Two nice wines, from two of my favourite white varieties. The first is an own-label from Berry Bros & Rudd. It’s a sort of better class of own label: Nikolaihof…
Three brilliant Swartland wines from Mount Abora
Here we have three brilliant Swartland wines from Mount Abora. They are really compelling, made with low alcohol in a natural way, with lots of interest. They are also living…
Two from the Swartland: Mullineux and Testalonga
Two lovely South African wines recently enjoyed. The first, quite conventional: the 2012 vintage of the fabulous Mullineux Syrah. While I love their Granite and Schist bottlings (I haven’t yet…
Site-specific Chenin Blanc from Mullineux – Quartz and Schist
As you all know, Chenin Blanc is officially one of the two coolest white grape varieties, along with Riesling. Chenin’s attributes are its good acidity, its structure, its ageability, its…
Two lovely whites: Vincent Carême Vouvray Sec 2013 and Ganevat Grusse en Billat 2012
I have just been in the Netherlands, presenting a talk and tasting to wine professionals here over two days, with the same 10 wines both days. I met some really…