News

Spring has broken in Burgundy, the cool air scented not by blossom or sun but by broken earth which is the very scent of life itself. From Gevrey-Chambertin, south through the vineyards of Musigny, Nuits-Saint-George, all the way down to Puligny-Montrachet, here soil is being broken between the vines. Magnificent gargantuan cart-horses walk sagely between the vineyards’ narrow rows drawing a plough that makes calm scraping sounds as the instrument’s single human driver follows behind.

I open the window on my side of the car, and the smell of wet, rich, ancient, live-giving soils of clay and marl and limestone is overwhelming. It smells of iron and stone, of cool and wet. Of goodness, and of peace. This extraordinary land, the most famous wine land in the world, is quiet. It is only the horses. And two, three individuals seated on benches among the vines, tending and caring and loving these magical mystical plants that, in six months’ time will give birth to the greatest of wines.

From harvest to the ProWein trade fair, catch up with the latest news from De Wetshof Estate.

Harvest 2023

Vintage 2023 will go down as one of the most memorable – and challenging – in the history of modern Cape wine, mostly as a result of the torrential rain experienced over most the winelands.

What began as a refreshingly brisk downpour in December extended into two deluges in March which bucketed down two weeks apart. Slap-bang in the middle of harvest for some wineries, this unseasonable precipitation had winemakers and vineyard teams frenetically trying to get their grapes into the cellar before the next rains came. As at the time or writing, some vineyards are still unpicked as the correct ripening levels are yet to be reached.

Ken Forrester recently announced the sale of the Ken Forrester Vineyards brand to French company Advini.

Their succession plan involves winemaker Shawn Matthyse, whom Ken has been mentoring for the past nine years.

With the recent release of the FMC 2022, their premium flagship Chenin from the 2.3ha old vineyard planted in 1974, Shawn continues to prove the success of Ken's mentorship method (the immersion method) and promises to secure the brand's future.

I don't know if they planned it like that, but when I walked into Ken Forrester's tasting room the day before Easter, I walked right into him distributing Easter eggs to the team. Winemaker, Shawn Matthyse, was busy helping out in the tasting room.

Make the the most of April at La Motte Estate.

April is the perfect autumn month. Not only does a plethora of public holidays invite you to slow down and prepare for winter, but in a country of extremes, April temperatures are also magnificently mellow.

Days are just warm enough to spend outside, enjoying the splendour of vineyard and oak leaves changing from their summer attire to charming yellows, oranges and browns. Cooler evenings tempt you to light a fire and open a wine that is a little fuller than your summer sippers. Do try the recently released 2022 La Motte Chardonnay. It is such a versatile partner to food and with its beautifully rounded notes, it is exactly what you would like to swirl in your glass right now.

Vintage 2023 will go down as one of the most memorable - and challenging – in the history of modern Cape wine, mostly as a result of the torrential rain experienced over most the winelands. What began as a refreshingly brisk downpour in December extended into two deluges in March which bucketed down two weeks apart. Slap-bang in the middle of harvest for some wineries, this unseasonable precipitation had winemakers and vineyard teams frenetically trying to get their grapes into the cellar before the next rains came. As at the time or writing, some vineyards are still unpicked as the correct ripening levels are yet to be reached.

As the harvest season at Warwick Wine Estate comes to its final stretch, we take a moment to catch our breath.

As the harvest season at Warwick Wine Estate comes to its final stretch, we take a moment to catch our breath and to show gratitude to all who’ve had a very busy last month spent among the vines. With the grapes showing great potential, our winemaking team is quietly smiling, knowing that another vintage of exceptional wines are on their way.

Meet our man with the plan: JD Pretorius

Ever wondered what it takes to create the perfect vintage? Join Warwick’s cellarmaster, JD Pretorius, as he spills the beans on everything ‘2023’!

A toast to the end of wine harvest 2023 at Cederberg Cellar. With each sip, we savour the hard work, dedication, and passion that goes into every bottle.

As we reflect back on harvest 2023 at Cederberg Cellar, we celebrate the undeniable hard work and dedication that our vineyard and cellar teams contributed to this splendid vintage, proving to be yet another magnificent season and one that we can definitely celebrate for years to come.

From David Nieuwoudt’s perspective, 2023 was an excellent white wine vintage overall. The vintage was initially delayed by two weeks; however, a hot spell in January sped things up, and the harvest was ready by the middle of February.

In the 2023 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon competition, Diemersdal Estate won one of only 26 gold medals that went to South African producers.

The Concours gold medal went to the Diemersdal Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2022, a wine that last year drew spectacular accolades, winning an FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 spot, as well as double gold at the Veritas Wine Competition.

For this year’s Concours Mondial du Sauvignon, some 50 international wine experts travelled to South Africa to judge at this esteemed international wine show which took place in the Cape early in March this year. More than 1 210 wines from 20 countries were entered into the competition, the results for the 14th Concours Mondial du Sauvignon having been announced at the ProWein wine fair in Düsseldorf, Germany this week.

In a world obsessed with youthfulness, at De Grendel we’re celebrating maturity and the age-worthiness of our wines, demonstrated by excellent results in the winemag.co.za 10-Year-Old Wine Report for four years in a row.

The latest well-matured achiever is the 10-year-old De Grendel Shiraz 2013, which scored 93 points in the 2023 report. This follows a Top 10 place, with 92 points, for our flagship De Grendel Rubaiyat 2012 in 2022.

De Grendel is building a track record of success across in the respected wine magazine’s 10-Year-Old Wine report, with De Grendel Winifred 2011 achieving a Top 10 place with a score of 93 in 2021, and De Grendel Merlot 2010 earning 90 points in the previous year’s report.