Latest on wine

South Africa wins at Decanter World Wine Awards

SA has claimed two International Trophies at the annual Decanter World Wine Awards.

Heading heavenward

Emma Odendaal discovers that world-class wines and a wide range of restaurants complement the sweeping vistas of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.

Most popular

Are you a diner from hell? Read this to check

Are South Africans agreeable diners or do we have unrealistic expectations? Kim Maxwell opens the floor to local restaurateurs.

SA's most romantic restaurants

Forget the wilted roses and cheesy card. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and few are the women who won’t go weak at the knees for an intimate dinner. Leigh Robertson and Andrea

Beneath the Andes

In pursuit of the perfect Malbec, Dan Nicholl explores the heart of Argentina’s winemaking industry, but discovers that there’s more to Mendoza than just one varietal.

New 'Blonde' restaurant opens in Cape Town

The company behind Blonde, Caviar, that's also responsible for bringing us Sevruga and Beluga, has broken away from its typical menu style in creating the offering at Blonde.

Boekenhoutskloof

First conceived in 2002, Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block has grown its red blend market share every year since.
 
 

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Digizine

Read the latest issue of WINE online for a fraction of the price. Click here...
 
 
 
 

Global Trader Shiraz Challenge 2010

When it comes to Shiraz, two broad styles can be discerned, the first the overtly aromatic, mediumbodied but densely-structured wines typical of France’s Rhône, and the second being the darkly coloured, full-fruited wines made according to South Australia’s Barossa Valley template.
Published on: 02 Aug 10
 
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Buying guide: Muscadel

Muscat de Frontignan is the name by which Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains, the finest of many Muscat wine varieties, is known in South Africa. It is a white grape variety but a red mutation also occurs. The epithet of Muscadel applies to fortified wines - grape juice that has been fortified with grape spirit.
Published on: 02 Jul 10
 
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Buying guide: sweet wines

Though Natural Sweet, Noble Late Harvest and Vin de Paille (Straw Wine) are all styles of sweet wine, their respective methods of production differ significantly.
Published on: 02 Jul 10
 
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Buying guide: Pinotage

In SA, Pinotage is the eighth most widely planted variety, making up 6% of the total area under vineyard at the end of 2008.
Published on: 04 Jun 10
 
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Buying guide: Pinot Noir

Though a notoriously difficult grape to work with on account of how fragile it is, Pinot Noir is capable of making red wines of great refinement and elegance.
Published on: 19 Apr 10
 
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Buying guide: Cabernet Sauvignon

The traditional home of Cabernet Sauvignon is Bordeaux, particularly the so-called Left Bank vineyards situated west of the Gironde river and incorporating such famous appellations as Margaux, Pauillac, St-Estèphe, St-Julien and, further south, Graves.
Published on: 26 Mar 10
 
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Buying guide: Merlot

Merlot is the most widely planted variety in Bordeaux, especially celebrated for the role it plays in the great wines of St-Émilion and Pomerol.
Published on: 22 Feb 10
 
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Buying guide: Guala Closures Chenin Blanc Challenge

Chenin Blanc is probably the world’s most versatile grape variety, capable of producing wines in all manner of styles and at all levels of the market.
Published on: 01 Jan 10
 
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Buying guide: Red Blends

Blending involves the combination of varieties with different but complementary characteristics to achieve greater complexity.
Published on: 23 Dec 09
 
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Buying guide: Nedbank Green Wine Awards

For the inaugural Nedbank Green Wine Awards, producers were asked to submit wine from organically grown grapes, a condition of entry being that submissions be accompanied by valid certification, such as that issued by the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS).
Published on: 16 Nov 09
 
 

Win A One-Night Stay For Two Sharing At Kurland Luxury Hotel

Enjoy a luxurious stay-over at Kurland Hotel, near the picturesque beach resorts of Plettenberg Bay and Nature's Valley, in the heart of the Garden Route in South Africa. For more. [click here]
 
 

Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2010

Everything you need to know about this year's Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. For more. [click here]
 
 

Panel chairman's choice: September 2010

This month Christian Eedes looks at wines from Hermanuspietersfontein; Durbanville Hills; Capaia and Rupert & Rothschild. For more. [click here]
 
 

The Meat Co

Moyo has always had prime position on Melrose Square and been the unofficial, but undeniable, pulse point of the development, but very hot on its heels is The Meat Co, which opened a year ago in M'Arch's only remaining original building. For more. [click here]
 
 
 
 
 
Cellar Door Shoot-Out in Cyprus
I wanted to write an ode to Cyprus. But instead I discovered that I had to discard everything I believed about the island. I went searching for romance and found wine. I went looking for a tasting experience, and had to settle for wine poured into shooter glasses. If I had to write a tasting room review it would’ve gone something like this…
 
Bordeaux-style blends
Why the blend is beautiful.