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Great things are being achieved in the Cape with this most famous of Bordeaux varieties, with production techniques and styles evolving fast. Here, Christian Eedes recommends the 40 wines he scored highest when blind-tasting a line-up of 106 wines recently.

Cabernet Sauvignon is South Africa’s most widely planted red grape and third most-planted variety overall – 10,087ha were in the ground by the end of 2019, equivalent to 11% of the national vineyard. It has been around since the late part of the 19th century and traditionally made South Africa’s most prestigious reds. That said, one of the reasons it is so ubiquitous is because of how adaptable it is, retaining a recognisable character even when planted in less suitable locations.

Diemersdal Estate in Durbanville has released a new top-tier range of wines incorporating individually grown and crafted Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage. Called The Journal, the range honours the legacy and history of Diemersdal and the Louw family, the sixth generation of which are now presiding over the estate in the person of owner-winemaker Thys Louw.

The three wines in The Journal series are a Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 and Pinotage 2018 representing the finest offerings from Diemersdal made from site-specific, low-yield dryland vineyards on this well-known Durbanville property.

The name The Journal was chosen by Louw to encapsulate the continuous legacy of Diemersdal’s winemaking tradition and history.

The De Wetshof Finesse Chardonnay 2019, from the vintage celebrating the 30th anniversary of this premium South African Chardonnay, showed that this style of wine is as relevant today as it was when Danie de Wet made the first Finesse in 1989.

The 2019 vintage of De Wetshof's Finesse achieved Top 100 status in the National Wine Challenge, one of South Africa's leading wine shows, with its judges' score presenting the wine with Double Platinum status.

Johann de Wet, CEO of De Wetshof, says, "It is a great honour to receive this award for a vintage celebrating the 30th anniversary of De Wetshof Finesse. This wine was introduced in 1989, the early days of Chardonnay in South Africa, to show consumers the bright freshness this cultivar can show with lesser oaking in older wood.

Ken Forrester Wines, Chenin Blanc superstar, celebrates a trio of awards at the National Wine Challenge/ Top 100 SA Wines recently announced in Cape Town. The Grand Cru award for best in class, a Double Platinum medal and a Double Gold Medal were awarded for the two Icon wines in the Ken Forrester stable, The Gypsy 2015 and the FMC 2019, respectively.

The National Wine Challenge/ Top 100 SA Wines, the premier fine-wine-only competition, aims to produce a list of SA’s top 100 wines. The judging panel is made up of local wine experts, who taste each of the entries over three days.The Top 100 wines are then chosen, and from that list, the highest scorers are re-tasted for Double Gold, Double Platinum and Grand Cru awards.

Harvest 2020 will go down as one during which the vineyards experienced four seasons in one growing and ripening period. From the time the first Chardonnay buds appeared in August 2019 to harvesting of the final red varieties was completed at the beginning of March, the natural elements threw everything at us.

The bud-break and flowering phases of spring were accompanied by cool, mild conditions. Most important was that the temperatures remained consistent, leading to a balanced, even growth cycle. As summer set in, one or two hot days were experienced, but none of the energy-sapping heatwaves that put stress on the vines. The south-easterly wind played its usual role at this time of the year, blowing in cool air from the southern-most tip of Africa some 90km from De Wetshof.

La Motte Wine Estate enjoys international acclaim for its innovative wine tourism offering and with the introduction of a Curated Wine Tasting Experience, guests are now invited to a special wine tasting every day from Monday to Friday. The Curated Wine Tasting Experience encourages guests to explore their passion for wine or to indulge in an exclusive and tailored wine tasting experience.

Varietal Glass-Specific Tasting

A new addition to the estate’s wine tasting line-up comes in the form of a Varietal-specific tasting. Hosted by one of the knowledgeable La Motte Wine Tasting Ambassadors, guest will be seated in a private wine tasting area and guided through an informative tasting, showcasing varietal characteristics at its best.

“The 2020 vintage will go down as one of those years in which we winemakers saw it all,” says Thys. “A magnificent growing season due to the cool, mild conditions during the spring and early summer of 2019. During Christmas Durbanville looked like a winter Cape Cold Front had hit us with cold temperatures, grey skies and rain. And once harvest got under way early in January temperatures climbed, with some unexpected patches of rain. But from mid-January we experienced a true Cape summer: sun, warm weather and a bit of south-easterly wind.”

Despite the vagaries in temperatures and general conditions, Diemersdal’s crop showed even-ripening.

With our rich history of innovation and our eye on wine-drinking trends, Haute Cabrière adds a Rhone-inspired blend of Syrah and Pinot Noir to the range.

This unique blend sees Syrah, a robust, tannic and spicy grape, softened with the delicate and aromatic characteristics of Pinot Noir. The result is a full-bodied soft red wine with beautifully accentuated fruity red berries.

This exciting red blend is yet another step in our pioneering history of classic cultivars and the art of blending them.

The wine is currently available at R145 from our cellar door and online store and will make its way into retail during the rest of March and April.

La Motte Wine Estate in the Franschhoek Valley is celebrating the international acknowledgement of its premium Pierneef Collection, reaffirming the estate’s status as a producer of fine wines and the success of introducing cool climate styles. The limited production Pierneef Collection consists of a Syrah Viognier blend and a Sauvignon Blanc, both for which grapes are obtained from site-specific vineyards grown predominantly in the cooler South Coast region.

Following on the exceptional performance of prior vintages, the 2017 Pierneef Syrah Viognier has not only been listed as one of the Top 100 Wines in South Africa, but has also received 100 points in the SA Wine Index, won Double Platinum as well as the category for Rhône Reds in the National Wine Challenge and has been awarded with Gold medals in the Sommelier Selection, Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge as well as the International Wine Challenge China.