News

ABOUT THE WINEMAG.CO.ZA TASTING PROGRAMME 2023

Winemag.co.za is set to produce a series of category reports over the course of the year with multinational financial services company Prescient as sponsor. Each report will be based on the outcome of a blind tasting of wines entered within a specific category.

A report includes key findings, tasting notes for the top wines, buyer's guide and scores on the 100-point quality score for all wines entered. Upon release, producers can purchase both Top 10 and regular rating stickers - consumers are encouraged to look out for these in the retail environment.

Chardonnay, you’re golden!

Even though there’s a nip in the air, and most people are reaching for voluptuous reds, there’s something wonderfully cockle-warming about enjoying a glass or two of chardonnay beside a fire on a blustery winter’s evening. And with International Chardonnay Day on 25 May, we’ve taken the opportunity to shout about this proudly South African varietal.

Wine lovers from all over the world can look forward to excellent wines from a much cooler and smaller 2023 wine grape season in South Africa. Thís according to the annual South African Wine Harvest Report 2023.

The 2023 wine grape harvest is estimated at 1 180 093 tonnes, according to the latest harvest estimate by industry body SAWIS (South African Wine Industry Information and Systems) on 12 May 2023. This is 14.2% smaller than the 2022 harvest.

“Compared to other seasons, the 2023 harvest is very similar to previous cooler seasons, such as 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021,” says Conrad Schutte, consultation services manager of the wine industry body Vinpro. “It particularly resembles the combination of cold and wet conditions of 2014 and 2019. In terms of volume, 2023 may be one of the smallest harvests in more than a decade.”

Anthonij Rupert Wyne is excited to announce the highly anticipated return of the Shiraz & Charcuterie Festival after a 3-year hiatus.

Scheduled for Saturday, 27 May (11h00 to 16h00), the event promises to be a social calendar highlight, bringing together some of the country’s finest Shiraz wines paired with Charcuterie from Artisanal Producers.

Visitors will have the opportunity to savour and enjoy Anthonij Rupert Wyne's range of distinguished Shiraz wines, including the Anthonij Rupert Syrah, the site-specific Cape of Good Hope Riebeeksrivier Syrah, and Protea Shiraz.

Alongside Anthonij Rupert Wyne, some of the country's most notable Shiraz-producing Estates, including Hartenberg Estate, Waterford Estate, Keermont Vineyards, La Motte, and Kleinood, among others, will be showcasing their finest Shiraz wines.

May is more than Mother’s Day. At La Motte, May is filled with moments, inviting you to enjoy all that is moreish about its slow introduction to winter.

The charm of autumn leaves and the warmth of sunny afternoons beg us outdoors. Hearty flavours and winter wines lure us inside. At La Motte Wine Estate, we promise you a marvelous May – whether you bring your mom, family and friends or join us all on your own.

Make the most of May and pay 10% less when you buy any 6 bottles from our Pierneef Collection – 2022 Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc and 2018 Pierneef Syrah Viognier. Available from the La Motte tasting room or online.

Wholesomeness is an underrated concept when it comes to bread.

Celebrated Stellenbosch wine estate Simonsig has unveiled the latest vintage of its award-winning barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc.

The 2022 vintage of this wine has ushered in a new era for Chenin Blanc at Simonsig as their first wine to gain official Old Vine status.

Formerly known as Simonsig Chenin Avec Chêne, this single vineyard Chenin Blanc has been renamed Langbult Steen and given a refreshed look to commemorate this historic milestone in the wine’s evolution. Staying true to terroir, it takes its name from the vineyard site tended to by three generations of the Malan family.

“Langbult translates to ‘long hill’ and literally describes the vineyard’s layout,” says Michael Malan, Simonsig cellarmaster and third-generation winemaker. “The vines grow there in ancient, weathered shale soils and are robust and resilient. Time has made it one with the elements, and all of this is gloriously expressed through the fruit.”

Find out about the recent harvest and the exclusive wine club at Anthonij Rupert Wyne.

Celebrating the fruits of our harvest

As we reflect on our most recent harvest, we are delighted to share that our Anthonij Rupert Wyne team has delivered exceptional-quality grapes.

Our viticulturist, Deborah Isaacs, expertly navigated unpredictable weather conditions that resulted in an earlier harvest and a compressed ripening period. Winemaker, Dawie Botha, and his team are very excited about the quality of the grapes yielded this season and we look forward to sharing the superb quality of our wines and our passion for winemaking.

We invite you to raise a glass with us to another successful harvest season.

Anthonij Rupert Wine Club

With summer ending abruptly, and with the harvest complete, we have a chance to reflect on the first four months of the year. Here are the reflections of our winemaker, Danielle le Roux on the vintage of 2023.

“It was a very dry season – winter and spring had well below average rainfall, with 100mm less than the previous year. Cold units were made up for in late winter and early spring with a cold snap. Warmer spring temperatures led to slightly earlier budding, which was very even, followed by good flowering, with moderate and consistent weather.

December brought a lot of rain, lowering temperatures and mitigating further irrigation during the growing period. The rainfall gave the vines a boost, and the vineyard team worked hard to manage the canopy with extra suckering, tipping, topping, and side shoot removal.

The 2023 harvest on Diemersdal Estate will go down as one of two vintages: Before rain, and after the rains.

Torrential rain fell over the Cape winelands in the first and third weeks of March, which resulted in a challenging, yet interesting harvesting.

For Sauvignon Blanc, our primary cultivar, all the grapes were picked before the March rains. It was also one of the cooler and more temperate Sauvignon Blanc seasons in the Durbanville Wine Valley’s recent history. At Diemersdal we had a magnificent growing season due to the cool, mild conditions during spring and early summer of 2022. And then came some some brilliant rain in December to freshen the vines and build-up water reserves.