I met Peter Finlayson (pictured above) last December when several winemakers from several producers from the Hermanus Wine Route in South Africa got together and created a tasting of their wines. All of the wines were excellent – extreme high quality, balanced, and for the post part rather old world in style (you can [...]

So excited to read that Anthony Hamilton Russell, from Hamilton Russell Vineyards in South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, won the International Wine Challenge’s (IWC) South African Chardonnay trophy for its 2010 vintage, which Hamilton Russell describes as having an “unusually classic styling for the New World.” I first heard of Hamilton Russell from my local wine [...]

  Curious to discover S. African wine? Though imports are high in the UK, it’s often difficult to find wine from S. Africa in the United States, even in a large city like New York. Recently I emarked on a four day trip (four days meeting with producers to discover the styles of wine they [...]

  “Dazzling!” This is the only possible word that can describe the Waterkloof winery in Cape Town, an area which is leading the competition for the world’s most tourist-friendly, destination-specific wine region in the world. At Waterkloof, the excitement begins as soon as you see this modern, gorgeously high-tech winery from the roadside and drive [...]

Downes Family Vineyards Sanctuary Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2011 “This looks like an 18th century English cottage!” I remark, sipping a cup of tea while waiting to meet James Downes, who owns Shannon Vineyards in the cool climate region of Elgin (whose wines are sold under the name Downes Family Vineyards in the USA). As an [...]

  If you’ve been reading headlines in glossy food, wine, and travel magazines around the world, you’ve heard that South Africa is now the coolest wine tourism spot in the world. Why? Beyond the high-quality of the wine which is only now beginning to be widely exported – and the passion of the winemakers – [...]

Johann Krige and Abrie Beeslaar in the Tasting Room Kanonkop … I had never quite understood the name until I visited this winery in South Africa and saw the giant cannon near the entrance. It turns out that in the 17th century (yes, “new world” wines can be that old!) the cannon would be fired [...]

  Entering Warwick Estate is like entering a reception for an elegant garden party. Before a guest even tastes the wine in the gorgeously designed tasting room, or in one of the many outdoor venues for a picnic, the stage is set for an afternoon experience. A bit early for our appointment with winemaker Nic [...]

 Arco Laamar & Harry Haddon (checked shirt) “Two wineries being neighborly!” Glen Carlou and Backsberg are neighboring wineries in Paarl who kindly hosted me for a tasting of both wines, then lunch at Backsberg’s lovely al fresco restaurant. Let’s call that the spirit of South Africa, yet it is wonderful to see wineries working together [...]

  Answer quick: is South Africa a “new world” or an “old world” region in terms of wine? Technically, it is ‘new world’ yet when you look at the picture above, taken from the Groot Constantia Manor house built around 1685, it seems very old world indeed. And if such an era seems remote, consider [...]

 ”So here i am, at Ken Forrester’s 96 Winery Road restaurant in South Africa!” I first met Ken Forrester in New York at a trade event in New York City  focusing on wines from South Africa. During a panel section on Chenin Blanc, I remember how he made a clear point between Chenin Blanc and [...]

  “So what’s the story with these gorgeous horses?” I ask Charles Hopkins, cellar master at De Grendel wines in Cape Town. It is a gorgeous day, and I am sitting in the bright white tasting room with Charles and Richard Theron, Sales & Marketing Manager looking out at sleek Arab horses, meandering sheep, and [...]

  “Welcome!” says Gus C.G. Allen, an owner of Constantia Glen winery in Constantia, South Africa. It is one of the first warm days of the South African summer and Mr. Allen is looking tall and rather like the star of some TV Western against the rugged backdrop of Table Mountain, where his vineyards look [...]

"So how does it feel to be a winemaker … and given special attention because of your sex? Or because of color …" I  asked Ntsiki Biyela: South Africa Woman Winemaker of the Year. As I tasted through her wines, very impressed at the complexity of flavor and well balanced structure, I couldn’t help but [...]

  Kanonkop Abrie Beeslaar One of the advantages of living in the new millennium – for wine students, at any rate, is the opportunity to compare tasting notes on the Internet and even connect with winemakers. Recently I tasted 2007 Kanonkop Pinotage with an eye on how I would know it was a 2007 South [...]