Wines of The Week

Clares Wines of The Week

Rose wines for hot and sultry Summer days.

There’s nothing nicer than a light lunch under the oak leaves, or a picnic, washed down with a chilled bottle of Rose. It has to be one of life’s great pleasures.
In fact, in France, where they know about these things, rose wine sales outstrip sales of white wines.
Rose used to be a byword for bubblegum [...]

Vintage elegance at The House of Krone, Tulbagh.

What? SUMMER ELEGANCE AT THE HOUSE OF KRONE,
Where? TWEE JONGE GEZELLEN, TULBAGH
When? Mid day until sunset – SATURDAY, 8 DECEMBER 2012
More please! – Vintage treasures, beautiful dresses, summer elegance …
The Summer Elegance festival is a special day in the South African bubbly calendar.
Sushi & oyster bars, olives by Groote Vallei, cheese [...]

Ultra Liquors 100 Women 100 Wines 2012.

100 South African women gathered at the Table Bay Hotel last Saturday November 10th to sip, swirl and taste their way through 200 wines in order to decide their favourite 100.
It was a fun, informal occasion, and we welcomed a diverse group of women of all creeds, colours, backgrounds and tastes in wine.
They took their [...]

Help at last – the washable keyboard.

We’ve all been there, happily nibbling on a biscuit and downing a mug of your finest Jamacian Blue Mountain, when suddenly…the phone rings, you reach over, hit the mug of coffee and over it goes, all over the keyboard…..
Or the baby vomit projectiles on it, or you spill a glass of wine. That’s what I [...]

Fairview introduce wines by the glass to South Africa.

You don’t need to be a wine snob to enjoy the La Capra Festival new range of wines by the glass sized portion.
This is a packaging and product trend that took off in the UK, and spread to Australia where it also proved a hit.
It’s all about making wine casual and fun, out-doorsey, as [...]

Fancy yourself as a wine judge?

Fancy yourself as a wine judge?
Calling all women who would like to sip, swirl, taste and judge South Africa’s top wines at the Ultra Liquors 100 Women 100 Wines competition.
Become a judge on a wine adventure like no other. You’ll get to vote for your Top 100 favourite South African wines. This glamorous event is [...]

The Chinese get angry over cheap imports….of wine.

The irony, the absolute irony.
Hot off the wires this morning comes the report that Chinese producers of wine have asked their government to investigate cheap imports which, they say, are hurting local producers efforts to develop the market.
Sounds familar?
They claim that imports of wine, especially from Europe, has increased 5 times since 2008 and now [...]

6 Shiraz wines for Winter.

Cape Rock hails from Vredendal on the West Coast. So light you could even enjoy it slightly chilled. Succulent red fruit with an extremely soft finish.
Vins D’Orrance. Made by Christophe Durand. A classic. Elegant and inviting with layers of flavour, this wine is always a winner.
Lam Syrah is from the Lammershoek Farm, and is a [...]

Waterkloof’s Peacock Ridge adds a Chenin and a Shiraz.

Waterkloof have brought out two new wines under the Peacock Ridge range – a Chenin Blanc and a Shiraz.
They cost R59 a bottle each, and are described as “rounder… and more fruit forward”.
Both wines come from old bush vines in the foot of the Paardeberg mountains in the Swartland and from the Helderberg region.
The winemaker, [...]

2011 Haute Cabriere Unwooded Pinot Noir.

Red berry aromas, cherry, cranberry. Unusual but attractive light hue to the wine, could almost be a rose. Drink with pasta, salad, lamb,duck. 12% ABV. R80.

Franschhoek Winter Wines at L’Ormarins.

Celebrate the final days of winter in style and head off to the Franschhoek Motor Museum, L’Ormarins Estate on Saturday, 4 August for Franschhoek Winter Wines. Known as one of SA’s leading wine destinations, more than 20 of the valley’s finest wineries will be showcasing their top winter wines at this exclusive event.
Participating [...]

Wine of the Week – Nitida 2012 Sauvignon Blanc.

The BBC shipping forecast has always had an hypnotic effect on me. All that bloody weather…… nothing like a forecast to evoke images of nature.
“Tyne, Dogger. Northeast 3 or 4. Occasional rain. Moderate or poor.
Rockall, Malin, Hebrides. Southwest gale 8 to storm 10, veering west, severe gale 9 to violent storm 11. Rain, then squally [...]

First Bottelary Hills Wine Route winemakers lunch takes place at Hartenberg Estate on Sunday, August 26th.

The Bottelary Hills Wine Route has organised a series of Winemakers Lunches
The first lunch takes place at the Hartenberg Estate on Sunday, 26 August.
This is your opportunity to experience great food paired with the best wines the area has to offer and also to get up close and personal with the winemakers.
There’s nothing like a [...]

Calling South African travelling winemakers.

A new website is aiming to provide a forum connecting wineries with those looking to work a vintage.
Set up six months ago, TheCellarhand.com was created by George Read, based on his own experience working four consecutive vintages in various countries around the world.
Despite his praise for the experience of seeing the diversity of winemaking approaches in [...]

If Jordan Chenin Blanc were a woman she’d look like this.

Described, by Janice Robinson in this weekend’s FT as “real value under ten pounds”.
She goes on to say;  “Very light and flirtatious…..” (How in the heck can a wine be flirtatious???)…….“More transparent and racy than many South African Chenins. Although there is some light green apple and honey flavour, there is no sweetness. Admirable grip [...]

The Stork – a fighter pilot’s shiraz – for Father’s Day.

Irishman Ken MacKenzie was the type of man to be avoided if angry.
He had a fierce temper.
On October 7th, 1940, during the Battle of Britain, he was piloting his Hurricane Fighter over the London docks, fighting aerial duels with the Luftwaffe.
He must have been pretty annoyed. After running out of ammunition he chased a German [...]

Wine of the Week. The Chocolate Block 2009 from Boekenhoutskloof.

A Franschhoek vineyard.

This is a big expressive wine contained in beautifully designed minimalist packaging.
The simple raised lettering on a large plain white label leaves everything to the imagination.
And with the word ‘Chocolate’ predominating the average mind is left to wonder about all sorts of delights contained within the bottle.
And there are.
What The Chocolate Block hints at, it delivers.
Lots of [...]

Dancing wines from Solms Delta.

Solms Delta have just released the 2011 Cape red and white blends of Vastrap and Langarm.
I think you appreciate a wine more when you’ve been to the winefarm where it was made, seen the vines and gotten a sense of the place.
The farm at Solms Delta is over 300 years old, and is a unique [...]

The wines to drink when wilting in the heat. And get a free organic cotton bottle bag.

Chill out there and sample these 6 taste bud puckering wines which have been personally tried by Shirley ” The Palate” Griffiths of Vino Pronto in Gardens.
In fact, buy all six and you get a free 4 bottle organic cotton wine holder carry bag. What could be nicer?? There’s also room to stick a rolled up magazine in the bag, [...]

Vino Pronto’s Christmas treats.

I’ve never bought a dud bottle from Shirley in Vino Pronto, beside the Caltex garage, on Orange St. Gardens.
She has such a refreshing way of looking at wine, and her one sentence tasting notes are brilliant and to the point.
Here’s a small collection she has recommended for Christmas. Check them out.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR SPILL READERS!! [...]

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