27 November 2012  by Pongrácz  Pongrácz Rosé has been ranked Top 10 in the world at the 2012 Effervescents du Monde, the international competition held in Dijon, France to find the Best Sparkling Wines in the World including French Champagne.  “To be amongst this illustrious line-up of the […]
It has been a 15-year journey realised for Marilyn Cooper, Cape Wine Master and CEO of the Cape Wine Academy, as Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk officially launched the Wine Advisors – level 1 Cape Sommelierâ„¢ programme.  The National Department of Tourism (NDT) is investing R11-million in the […]
CAPE TOWN – South Africa and the UK have kissed and made up before a verbal tit for tat escalated into a genuine trade war over the vexed issue of SA’s growing bulk wine exports to the UK. “This is a fraught issue and I do understand why this matter […]
Cool weather may have caused some discomfort at the 38th Nederburg wine auction but it was the weak global economy that was blamed for the downturn in sales – R1,6m less than last year.Held from 28 – 29 September in the Paarl estate’s Johann Graue Hall, the venue for the […]
Anthony Hamilton Russell, owner of Hamilton Russell Vineyards in Walker Bay, believes South Africa needs to “sort out its terroir message†in order for it to be taken seriously as a fine wine producing country. Speaking to the drinks business at Cape Wine last month, Hamilton Russell said: “Sorting out […]
Pioneering South African winemaker Eben Sadie is distancing himself from his wine venture in Priorat, which was poisoned by vandals last year. Sadie has made wine in the northern Spanish region since 2004 under the Terroir Al Limit label in collaboration with Dominik A. Huber and Jaume Sabaté. He works […]
Troy Christensen, chief executive of Accolade Wines, believes Africa is going to be the next China in terms of emerging economies to watch. Speaking at the opening seminar at Cape Wine 2012, Christensen told of how all eyes will be on Africa in the coming years. “Africa is going to […]
In case you have not heard, times are tough for all business sectors, notwithstanding the wine industry. The familiar landscapes I enjoy on a weekly basis are changing with the increased number of FOR SALE signs standing alongside vineyards. I have previously written and spoken out in favour of embracing innovation that will advance the wine […]
Champagne has had the worst growing season for several decades and the prospects for the 2012 harvest look increasingly bleak. Even with improved weather in the run-up to harvest, expected to start around 20 September, yields will be significantly down on recent years with frost, hail, protracted and uneven flowering and […]
Wine giant E&J Gallo is to buy the Courtside Cellars business to feed growing demand for wines from California’s Central Coast. The company said the purchase, for an undisclosed sum, would include Courtside’s 12-year-old winery at San Miguel, capable of crushing 60,000 tons of grapes, along with 34 acres of land […]