From the category archives:

South Africa

Raats Cabernet Franc 2007

March 21, 2011
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Cabernet Franc is an under-rated grape variety, in my opinion, and not many wine lovers get a chance to appreciate it in its individual glory as it is primarily used for blending. One of the two parent grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon (Sauvignon Blanc being the other), it is often overshadowed by its sibling and its [...]

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Neethlingshof Malbec 2009

March 14, 2011
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Every cloud has a silver lining. If my local Waitrose had not burned down a few years back I probably would never have got to try this wine and for that I’m grateful. Of course, I am not about to go out and torch every Waitrose so they get rebuilt with better wine sections but [...]

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La Motte Shiraz 2006

March 3, 2011
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Franschhoek literally means French Corner. This beautiful valley in the Western Cape was famously settled by the Huguenots after the Edict of Nantes in 1685 outlawed Protestantism in France and forced the choice between emigration or religious persecution. They spread far and wide – the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, North America and the Cape of [...]

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Meerlust Merlot 2005

January 25, 2011
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Trawling through my regular wine-buying websites the other day to see what bargains there were to be had, I nearly fell off my chair when I saw this wine advertised on special offer with Majestic at £15.99 per bottle. Not only is this a very good price for one of South Africa’s best producers of [...]

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Indaba Merlot 2009

December 10, 2010
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This was actually the first wine I picked up from my new local, The Village Vine, but being my least favourite of the bottles I’ve bought there so far, I thought it impolite to start with it. Not a bad wine, by any means: powerful and robust, with a punchy fruit flavour backing it up, [...]

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Signatures of Doolhof 2008, a Malbec from South Africa

September 9, 2010
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Everyone knows that Pinotage comes from South Africa and Malbec from South America, right? Well, the South Africans have begun to plant Malbec so that could soon be changing. I received a bottle of Signatures of Doolhof Malbec 2008 the other day and was  very curious to try it. I wasn’t sure what to expect [...]

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The Co-operative Frozé

August 19, 2010
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FROZÉ Co-Op 12% Screw Cap £3.99 I thought I would try something completely different to what I normally drink. I’m not a pink girl in any sense of the word. On opening there is a fruity aroma. The label is eye catching with the silver blue cap and snowflake depicting the fact that it needs to [...]

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Sainsbury’s So Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

October 22, 2009
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Some friends came round the other night and brought a bottle that they had been given. ABV: 14% Price: £4.99 Approx Retailer: Sainsburys Closure: Screwtop (Tin lined) Fairtrade Organically Grown Grapes Suitable for Vegetarian Vegan and Coeliacs No Sulphite Preservative Recommend to drink within 6 months of purchase

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Kanonkop Kadette 2006

August 31, 2009
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In my humble opinion, this wine represents the best value-for-money of any South African wine, red or white. If you don’t know a lot about wines from that part of the world and want to give your taste buds something new to try then this is hard to beat. It comes from a wine estate [...]

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Stanford Hills Jacksons Pinotage 2006

August 19, 2009
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Discuss the pinotage grape variety in a room full of wine buffs and you’ll pretty much split the room down the middle. I call it the Marmite grape as the wines it produces you either love or hate – there are no grey areas. Conceived as the love child cross between the Cinsault (or Hermitage [...]

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