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South Africa

Wine Press

Chardonnay Report: Discovery of the Year – Lelie Van Saron

It is probably a bit late in the game to call Natasha Williams’ brand Lelie Van Saron a ‘discovery’ at this stage in the game (and Christian Eedes addresses that at the bottom in the comments), but for many Lelie Van Saron is still an unknown. Congratulations to Natasha and the present and future are incredibly […]

Australia

Australian Shiraz: Freshness, Definition, and a Sense of Place

Dr. Jamie Goode of Wineanorak recently tasted through a lineup of some top Australian Shiraz from throughout the country via a hosted tasting by Mark Davidson of Wine Australia. The wines spanned warm and cool climates, young vines to old, and really showcased the extremely high quality and diversity that Shiraz/Syrah has in Australia. Luke […]

South Africa

The Wines and Story of the Lily of Saron: Natasha Williams of Lelie van Saron

Tim James of WineMag profiles the inspiring and beautiful story of Natasha’s rise from growing up in a small town in the Swartland without any exposure to alcohol, least of all wine, to becoming the lead winemaker for Bosman Family Vineyards and establishing her own brand. Tim quotes British biologist Richard Dawkins’s autobiography An Appetite […]

South Africa

Palomino: More Than Just a Neutral Variety

Dr. Jamie Goode and Lisse Garnett of Wineanorak went deep into the history and intricacies of Palomino and offered up a very compelling argument for why this overlooked and misunderstood variety should be consumed more often, especially in a non-fortified/oxidized form. In particular, Blackwater’s ‘Pleasure Garden’ was singled out for the commitment to protecting old […]

Australia

Belgian Sommelier Turned Winemaker Nominated for Young Gun of Wine

Koen Janssens took the path less travelled for many European sommeliers seeing his journey go from Belgium to France to Australia. After settling into the natural wine world of Australia he found his own path and now being recognized for his commitment to fresh, fun wines that reflect the more serious northern European personality still […]

Australia

Sommelier Turned Sommelier/Winemaker: Young Gun Louis Schofield of Worlds Apart

Louis took the road of many before…left the floor for another career in wine, winemaking in this case. Unlike many of those that went on this path, Louis never left the floor and in fact devotes a great deal of time to his wine bar, Hellbound in Adelaide. He remains the assistant winemaker at Ochota […]

Australia

The Unlikely Duo: Somos Wines

Ben Caldwell and Mauricio Ruiz Cantú are the brains, faces, brawn, and creativity behind one of Australia’s most successful next-gen wine brands of the past decade. Somos Wines pushes boundaries with the duo’s love of Mediterranean varieties, namely Italian grapes. The colorful packaging is inspired by Aboriginal and Mexican art, both referencing the history of […]

South Africa

Wine Press

South Africa with a Cedilha: Thistle & Weed’s Portuguese Nuance

While not the entirety of the focus of Stephanie Wiid and Etienne Terblanche’s joint venture better known as Thistle & Weed, Portuguese and Iberian grapes as a whole are becoming more important to them. The idea of sustainability is more than the farming and winemaking practices, as making the correct decisions on grape varieties will often […]

South Africa

Trailblazing Natasha Williams of Lelie Van Saron

Malu Lambert sat down with Natasha and was able to get the soft-spoken ‘Lily of Saron’ to open up on her past, present and very bright future. While not overseeing winemaking for two estates for one of the most respected large growers in South Africa (Bosman Family Vineyards), Natasha produces some really stunning wine under […]