Two very interesting South African wines to report on here. The first is from one of my favourite producers, Reyneke. They are one of just three biodynamic wineries in the…
2018 in review: quite a year (part 1 of 2)
2018 began in New Zealand, where I’d been staying for Christmas. It was to be the first of several joy-filled trips to this wonderful country. This time last year, I’d…
Cape Wine (6) exploring Italian grape varieties in South Africa
What is it with Italy’s grape varieties? They are really interesting in Italy, but seldom travel well. Still, they attract their devotees, and they are planted in a range of…
Cape Wine (1) Some stunning old vine South African whites
Cape Wine began for many of us with a tasting of wines from the Old Vines Project. These wines were all made from vineyards aged 35 or over. It’s worth…
Thorne & Daughters, one of South Africa’s most exciting producers
John Seccombe is the man behind Thorne and Daughters. John has a calm, reassuring presence, and a voice made for radio, and the locals – who can’t pronounce his name…
Harvest at Gabrielskloof: collecting grapes
The producers working in the Gabrielskloof cellar in Botriver – Peter-Allan Finlayson, Marelise Niemann and John Seccombe – all buy grapes from growers spread across the various Cape wine regions….
Some lovely South African whites: Crystallum, Gabrielskloof, Momento, Thorne and Daughters
My first night in South Africa began well. I’m staying here 11 days, working vintage in the cellar at Gabrielskloof, a space shared by four of South Africa’s most interesting…
The fab 2015s and 2016s from Alheit, one of South Africa’s star producers
Chris and Suzaan Alheit’s story is one of discovering great vineyards, and then making wine from them, very simply (see my article from a visit three years ago, when they…
Leeu Passant: exciting new wines from Chris and Andrea Mullineux
One of the most anticipated South African releases of recent years: the Leeu Passant wines from Chris and Andrea Mullineux. After a sneaky preview with Chris at ProWein last week,…