Wine & Wineries

Head to Lanzerac for a tour of the majestic Estate

29 March, 2013 by WotzUpSouthAfrica Leave a Comment

For those interested in our wine heritage, and history, be sure to make your way to the Lanzerac - currently offering a tour around the Estate - but only until the end of March. With a glass of Rosé to get you going, your tour guide will provide you with a brief overview of what to expect during the tour. Highlights will include a tasting of the "Mrs English", a reserve Chardonnay. This wine is a tribute to Mrs English who purchased the farm in 1914, changing its name from Schoongezicht to Lanzerac. This will be followed by an introduction, and a tasting of the Estate's Pinotage. From an historical point of view, the world’s first commercially produced Pinotage - a 1959 vintage came from this Estate. (It was

Tagged With: Historic Tour of Lanzerac Estate, history of wine, mrs english, pinotage, professor perold, SOUTH AFRICA, stellenbosch, wine tours

The Cape Coral Mourvèdre

25 February, 2013 by WotzUpSouthAfrica Leave a Comment

Waterkloof Estate has released the 2012 vintage of its dry rosé – the Cape Coral Mourvèdre. The hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed Mourvèdre grapes used for this rosé, originate from the Stellenbosch region, characterised by mild winters and long hot summers, with the vines planted in cool, deep red soils which provide adequate water for this late ripening variety. Waterkloof follows time-honoured traditional winemaking techniques in its state-of-the-art gravitational cellar and in their pursuit of more individually styled wines, the team relied on natural, wild yeast fermentation which took five months to complete. The wine was left on the primary lees for another five months to add further complexity before

Tagged With: cape coral mourverde, helderberg, rose, Waterkloof, wine estate

Neethlingshof launches its first wooded white wine

4 February, 2013 by WotzUpSouthAfrica Leave a Comment

De-Wet-Viljoen-Neethlingshof-winemaker-LR-266x400

The Neethlingshof estate outside Stellenbosch has launched its first wooded white wine, a blend of the six white cultivars that grow on the farm. Called The Six Flowers, it forms part of the estate’s exclusive Short Story Collection range which includes two reds – The Owl Post Pinotage and The Caracal Bordeaux blend – in addition to The Maria, its much awarded noble late harvest wine. The Maria was named for Maria Marais, the feisty widow of Charles Marais who dominated life on Neethlingshof for close on 50 years in the early 1800s. She is indirectly also responsible for the name of the new wine. She and her husband bought the property in 1788. He died 25 years later, in 1813, leaving her the farm and the care of their

Tagged With: Chenin blanc and Chardonnay, De Wet Viljoen, Gewürztraminer and Weisser Riesling, neethlingshof, Sauvignon blanc (20%) and Viognier (10%), The Caracal Bordeaux blend, The Owl Post Pinotage, The Six Flowers, wooded white wine

Bi-Anne du Toit is breaking the ice in Sutherland

1 January, 2013 by WotzUpSouthAfrica Leave a Comment

To most of us Sutherland is the land of infinite landscapes, bossie-veld that stretches till the eye meets the horizon, and by night... star studded skies take your breathe away. Naturally this is home to Karoo lamb and B&B’s are plentiful as Capetonians flock there to gaze at the magnificent starry skies and see white blankets of snow in winter. But would you have guessed that a boutique winery could survive there… Winemaker Bi-Anne du Toit was born and raised in the Swartland and comes from a family of determined farmers. Having completed her studies in oenology and viticulture at Elsenburg in 2003, she then headed to France to work on a wine estate and this would be the start to her amazing journey in winemaking…

Tagged With: Anti-Freeze, Bi-Anne Du Toit, Boutique, Coldest Winery in South Africa, Snow, Stars, sutherland, The Maiden 2011, The Palms Market, wine, Winery, ZAHarmonie

Platter’s 2013

13 December, 2012 by WotzUpSouthAfrica Leave a Comment

As synonymous with South African wine as the Western Cape itself, so too is the Platter’s Wine Guide. The 2013 edition is packed with information, happenings, trends and ratings of the South African wine industry. A new concept, ‘backstories’, aims to ‘‘put the romance back into wine”, by bringing to the foreground again the stories behind South Africa’s cellars, people and brands. This is further enhanced with the inclusion of the full-colour photo gallery, re-imagined by up-and-coming photographer, Teddy Sambu. Now in its 33rd edition, this is the trusted and definitive guide for both the connoisseur and plebian alike. It features over 900 South African wine producers, merchants and brands, including 54 new

Tagged With: Melck’s Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Muratie Estate, Platter's Wine Guide 2013, Superquaffer, Teddy Sambu, wine, Wineries, ‘backstories’, ‘‘put the romance back into wine”

Du Toitskloof takes 1st prize at the Spit or Swallow Box Wine Awards

10 December, 2012 by WotzUpSouthAfrica Leave a Comment

Du Toitskloof’s Chenin Blanc has been named the best boxed white wine at the third annual Spit or Swallow Box Wine Awards held at Mercury Live in Cape Town on November 29. The cellar’s Pinotage Merlot Ruby Cabernet took the Best Red Box Wine award in 2010. The panel of Freddy Mercury look-a-like judges included everyday wine drinkers to wine connoisseurs who set out to choose the best red and white wines from the 33 box wines tasted. The selection process included a blind tasting where participants tweeted their scores out of ten. The three liter Du Toitskloof Chenin Blanc has become a firm favourite amongst wine enthusiasts due to the wine being exactly the same as that in the 750ml bottle. The wine is well balanced and

Tagged With: best boxed white wine, du Toitskloofs Chenin Blanc, The Spit or Swallow Box Wine Awards

Muratie’s Iconic Wines

7 December, 2012 by WotzUpSouthAfrica Leave a Comment

The array of prestigious local and international awards won this year by Muratie Wine Estate underlines the significance of their recent rejuvenation. This included improved viticultural practices and the refashioning of the cellar, both to enhance the quality of their wines, yet at the same time adhering to the Melck family’s deep respect for the Estate’s rich heritage. Muratie is indeed steeped in history, reaching as far back as the 17th century, as one of the oldest wineries in the Cape Winelands. The Melck family has recently honoured the Estate’s fascinating history by naming Muratie’s Iconic Wines after extraordinary iconic characters from Muratie’s colourful past, each with its own enchanting story

Tagged With: 0218652330, melck, muratie, muratie wine estate, ronnie melck

Wine Concepts’ Seductive Sauvignon Festival

10 September, 2012 by Wassup Leave a Comment

There are few things as satisfying as a glass of good wine. This Thursday, 13 September, you will able to experience this feeling of pleasure several times over as Wine Concepts hosts the 10th Annual Seductive Sauvignon Festival at the Protea Hotel Fire and Ice, Melrose Arch. At the festival, you are invited to taste and compare over 80 Sauvignon Blancs from the 2012 harvest- and also a select few older vintages- as well as the newest Cabernet Sauvignons. Not only will you be able to gargle, spit, swallow and schmooze to your heart’s content; you will also be able take some of the headlining acts home with you at special prices on the night. With the best wine available to sample and purchase, tasty snacks, great company and

Tagged With: events, johannesburg, melrose arch, protea hotel fire and ice, seductive sauvignon festival, webtickets, wine concepts, wine tasting

Graça’s Help for the Lobster Handed

8 August, 2012 by Wassup Leave a Comment

We all know the lobster-handed person. This is the individual whose ability with a hand-intensive task can be compared to a left-footed juggling exercise, post-amputation. Luckily, for the lobster-handed wine lover, Graça Wines has saved the day by making their bottles much, much easier to open. After almost 30 years, Graça has replaced the corks in its bottles with screwcaps. True to its hallmark originality, the popular wine brand has found a fun way of introducing wine lovers to the convenient change: an online cartoon campaign that covers the adventures of The Man With the Lobster Hands. With his seafood appendages, this creature struggles to perform everyday tasks, but can get the screwcap off a bottle of

Tagged With: Distell, Graca, The Man With the Lobster Hands, wine

Two Oceans Selling Coast to Coast Worldwide as Sales Rise

20 July, 2012 by Wassup Leave a Comment

If you are under the impression that Two Oceans is the name of the next Pirates of the Caribbean Movie, a horse that didn’t run in the Durban July or the plural of a large body of water, you are horribly mistaken. Two Oceans is, of course, one of the world’s favourite brands of wine. Two Oceans is sold and enjoyed in almost 100 countries. Although the brand is currently most popular in South Africa, Canada and Sweden, its popularity is growing fast, with Finland set to join this elite club of international wine lovers. The brand is also making good headway in a number of other developed and emergent markets across the planet, where the excellence of the products, backed by critical affirmation, has lead to its

Tagged With: International Wine and Spirit Competition, SOUTH AFRICA, Two Oceans Wines