ULTRA Liquors have some amazing wine promotions during the year. At the moment they are running their Autumn Promotion, some amazing wines at great prices, but some stand out from the crowd. Do yourself a favour and head down to your local ULTRA and get your hands on:
Monday, March 28, 2011
ULTRA Top 10
ULTRA Liquors have some amazing wine promotions during the year. At the moment they are running their Autumn Promotion, some amazing wines at great prices, but some stand out from the crowd. Do yourself a favour and head down to your local ULTRA and get your hands on:
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Dear Mark
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Chenin is King
Chenin is King, long live the King.
Leopard’s Leap 2010 @ R34.99 pb: great value, buy a case. Very elegant. Really surprised me.
Boschendal 2009 @ R45 pb: beautiful balance. Again not what I was expecting.
Kanu 2009 @ R35 pb: Well made, loads of fruit. Kanu has a reputation with Chenin, so no surprises.
Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Bush Vines 2010 @ R33 pb: All those Sauvignon Blanc fans will love this! I am going to start a campaign to get people to switch from fashionable Sauvignon Banc to Chenin. This is the Chenin I would encourage people to start with...
Douglas Green Chenin @ R31.50 pb: Surprised? Douglas Green, Douglas Green (say it in your best Chinese accent)
Of the top end stuff I enjoyed:
Simonsig Avec Chene 2009 @ R127 pb: Pushing the boundary of plush, ripe, big, and bold
Graham Beck Bowed Head 2009 @ R95 pb: Kind of a half way wine, rich but not too rich, plush but not too plush. Good value for the quality.
Perdeberg Rex Equus 2008 @ R180 pb: The winning wine. The most expensive wine of the lot, so keep for the inlaws, the boss and other special occasions. Is it worth R180...I will let you decide.
Most of these wines are available from your local Pick n Pay, Checkers, Ultra, Wine Concepts or directly from the producers.
Cheers and enjoy!
Dionysus
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Spit or Swallow Movember Box Wine Tasting
Monday, October 11, 2010
Value in the Winelands
I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of Wine Magazines Best Value Wine Guide 2011. I have over the years collected this little book with military precision, so to be invited to the launch was great. When my own interest in wine first blossomed and with a limited budget I was forced to try and discover exactly these sorts of gems. Wines that are well made, without acids so harsh that you loose the enamel on your teeth and wines that are "clean". These are good drinking wines, with a hint of complexity, crowd pleasing and won't cost you a weeks wages. I can't tell you just how valuable this little guide is. Lets face it we have all been there, you need a bottle of wine, you go to your local store and you buy what looks best or a brand that you "know"....wrong! This little guide has more than enough winners under R60, do yourself a favour and get your hands on this years addition, its free with the November addition of Wine Magazine.
A juicy, soft, blend that will go well with variety of food. Great dinner table wine. Look out for the Tortoise Hill White a stunning white blend that will really impress for the price.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Stellies Wine Festival 2010
STOP 3: Muratie. For old world charm and atmosphere nothing quite compares. We were warmly welcomed by the beautiful tasting room hostess, maybe it was her charm but the wines certainly didn't disappoint. Ansela van da Caap 2007 the stand out wine.
STOP 8: Annandale, the home of Hempies du Toit. Having tasted the famed reds of Kanonkop, Neil Ellis and Etienne le Riche we were in a position to compare the wines of Annandale with more fancied producers. I can honestly say I was blown away! I want to drink the wines of Annandale on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday....Try the 2001 Cavalier, try the 2003 Shiraz, try them all. We were even fortunate enough to taste a 1970 Alto Rouge. 40 years young, still fresh, clean fruit, tasted blind I would have guessed a sexy teenager in high heels. What a treat, what a rare pleasure, makes drinking so many crap wines over the years all worth it. I guess you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your princess.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Braveheart Winemaker
If wineries were judged on beauty of location...If wineries were judged on how nice the people who run them are...If wineries were judged on how beautiful the drive is to said winery...then Herold Wines would be South Africa's top winery finished and klaar. Herold Wines lies just above George in a most beautiful location, a valley that is straight out of Hansel and Gretel . In order to get to the farm you need to take the Montague Pass over the Outeniqua Mountains, this must surely be in my humble opinion one of the most beautiful drives in South Africa. Even if the wine tasted like vinegar, and it doesn't, the drive alone makes this a special trek.