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De Wetshof’s Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2018 has been adjudged one of the top 15 wines in this year’s Chardonnay du Monde, the world’s leading competition for wines made from the noble white grape of Burgundy.

Some 696 wines from 36 countries were judged by a panel of international experts at Château des Ravatys, the wine estate of the Pasteur Institute at Saint Lager in the Burgundy wine region of France, with only 54 Gold medals awarded. De Wetshof’s Bon Vallon 2018, an unwooded wine, is one of only two South Africa wines to make the list of Top 15

Brand owners often see strong brands in their category as the unobtainable goal and unbeatable competition, but the small brand can not only learn from strong brands, strong brands can also provide a very good slipstream.

The strong brand is very important to its industry. Having a category leader that invests in research, product development and marketing, actually gives an unfair advantage to those who can learn from it – and that without paying the tuition.

Ken Forrester invites friends of wine to their 25-Year Celebratory Tasting Series, a calendar of four themed wine tastings, hosted by Ken himself at their old barrel cellar / tasting lounge in Stellenbosch. 

The 25-Year Celebratory Tasting Series will feature rare wines from both Ken Forrester Wines’ captivating range, and from Ken’s personal private cellar. Four themed tastings, inspired by his journey, will provide an opportunity to taste a range of wines from the past two decades.

Simonsig Wine Estate, in the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation, has been producing Cabernet Sauvignon since 1976. The measure for the future of this noble variety was its taking of the General Smuts Trophy at the National Wine Show as the Champion Wine of the Year. The vineyards have of course been replanted with owner and viticulturist Francois Malan finding more suitable soils and improved clones. 

In the most recent Mundus Vini Spring Tasting, De Grendel’s signature red wine, Rubaiyat, scooped yet another prestigious gold medal to add to its long list of accolades. The award-winning 2015 vintage already bagged one platinum, 3 golds, 1 double gold as well as the Trophy for the South African Wine of the Year from China Wine & Spirits Awards.

As long as I can remember, trading up has been the number one challenge for South African wine. More than green pepper Sauvignon Blanc and burnt rubber Pinotage, being recognised for our quality, rather than being cheap and cheerful has been a constant struggle. But there might be light at the end of the tunnel – and that from quite an unexpected source!

Barely six weeks after beginning its 2019 harvest, Diemersdal Estate from Durbanville bottled its first Sauvignon, the estate’s signature grape variety. According to Thys Louw, proprietor and cellar master of Diemersdal, the last of the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards have been picked and prospects for the vintage are excellent, both in terms of quality and yield.

La Motte Wine Estate has been appointed as the 2019 Drinks International Wine Tourism Awards Winner for Best Food and Wine Matching Experience for an unprecedented fifth time!

The historic estate in the Franschhoek Wine Valley, acclaimed as South Africa’s culinary hotspot, has also received this exceptional recognition in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

“If you ran your household finances like government runs the country’s money, your bank would shut your accounts faster than you could say ‘Bosasa'”, says Bruce Whitfield on Business Insider following Tito Mboweni’s budget speech. But what are the takeaways? What can your business learn from the SA economy and this week’s budget speech?