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South Africa
“Steenwold! South Africa: Ten Years On”
Can South African wines age? That is the central question asked during the Steenwold tasting in May 2025, inspired by the UK’s famous Southwold Bordeaux event. Its debut brought together 78 top South African whites and reds, including those from Craven, Thorne & Daughters, and Patatsfontein, from the standout 2015 vintage, served blind and grouped […]
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South Africa
‘The Promise of South Africa’ featuring Thorne & Daughters
For Wine Spectator, Alison Napjus underscores the promise of South African wine. “It remains puzzling that South African wine has been slow to gain momentum and recognition in the United States. By any measure, Cape vintners are turning out both reds and whites that should entice any wine fan,” she writes. After tasting over 200 […]
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South Africa
‘How does South African Chardonnay stack up? Pretty damn well’
Alder Yarrow recently published a piece for Vinography called “Putting South African Chardonnay in a Global Context,” in which he positioned South Africa against some of the world’s great Chardonnay regions (Chablis, Sonoma, etc.). Among those reviewed was the 2020 Van Loggerenberg “Break a Leg” Chardonnay, which Yarrow calls “bright and delicious.” Read more here.
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South Africa
‘You can’t really go wrong with Thorne & Daughters whites’
Tim James, one of South Africa’s most lauded wine writers, details a few older-vintage wines he recently opened. Thorne & Daughters was in the line-up; of the 2017 Rocking Horse Cape White Blend, he writes that it “didn’t seem “older” at all; it’s developing nicely, with a good few years to go. Always one of […]
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South Africa
‘Tim James: The new-wave South Coasters step forward’
Tim James, one of South Africa’s most prominent wine critics, recounts why “there’s clearly plenty going for the new-wave Cape South Coast.” We’re seeing an exciting movement here akin to the Swartland Revolution a few years back. Among the winemakers mentioned are Natasha Williams of Lelie van Saron and Mark Stephens of Deep Rooted Wines […]
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South Africa
Jancis Robinson on “reigniting interest in South African wine”
Jancis Robinson ponders the question of why more Americans don’t drink more South African wine. “I’m such a fan of South African wine, I’d like everyone to appreciate it as much as me. And producers and growers there really do need every bit of financial encouragement to keep vines, many of them venerable, in the […]
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South Africa
Announcing: “Unknown Pleasure: Honest South African Wine. A Joyful Tasting of the Cape’s New Order”
We’ve got two very special trade tastings coming up in New York City (5.31.22 at Terroir) and Houston (6.8.22 at CDV713) featuring a slew of our South African producers who are leading the charge of honest and exciting winemaking in their home country. In attendance, pouring their wines will be the esteemed: Francois […]
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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 […]
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South Africa
Orange Wines Have a New Fanbase: Intellego Wines
Orange Wine is here to stay…that is factual. What seemed like a blip on the wine world radar a decade ago has reinvented itself and found a whole new world of thirsty and curious consumers. Jurgen Gouws of Intellego wines is at the forefront of these skin contact beauties from South Africa and makes some […]
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