I’m in South Africa, again. No great hardship: I love this country. I arrived on Saturday, and as usual, I’ve found little time to write blog posts, so this will…
Three interesting whites: LAM, Gramona Ovum and Montinore Borealis
We tasted quite a few wines at the Tampere Wine Symposium, and one of the highlights was this flight of three whites. These aren’t expensive wines, but they’re really compelling…
Four nice SA reds: Restless River, Pofadder, La Motte Syrah Viognier, Spioenkop Pinotage
A few interesting South African reds tasted together. I’d heard a lot about the Restless River, and didn’t quite know what to make of it: Hemel-en-Aarde is cool climate for…
A new South African great: Savage Follow The Line 2014
This is sensational. It’s a new red wine from Duncan Savage, and it’s a blend of 58% Cinsault, 21% Grenache and 21% Syrah. We were served it blind and I…
Video: the Franschhoek wine valley, South Africa
Today I began a report on a visit to Franschhoek. It’s a wine region that is often misunderstood: the narrative is, that as the leading gastronomic destination in the Cape,…
The new releases from Delaire Graff, a leading South African winery
On my recent trip to South Africa, I had dinner at the lovely, super-luxurious Delaire Graff, preceded by a tasting with winemaker Morne Vrey and marketing manager Katherine Harris. Morne’s…
Top new world fizz from Graham Beck and Josef Chromy
Super-impressed by these two sparkling wines from the ‘new world’ – specifically South Africa and Australia. They’re both available from UK retailer Marks & Spencer (I strongly suspect that the…
Some lovely reds from Boschkloof
I was so impressed by these three wines, presented to me by Reenen Borman (above), who’s been winemaker here since 2010. Boschkloof is based in the Polkadraai area of Stellenbosch,…
The Goose wines from SA golfer Retief Goosen
New to the UK, through Daniel Lambert Wines, are these wines from South African golfer Retief Goosen. He has an estate in the Upper Langkloof, a ward in the Klein…