Top 10 Wineries in South Africa - AND MORE!

[Kazimiera]

Kazimiera


Can you recommend a full-bodied red wine for around $20-$25 per bottle that is exported around the world?

With great sadness I have to inform you that I don't drink wine so my personal experiences are thin.

What I do know, however, is that if you want full-bodied, go for cabarnet sauvignon. It's heavy and it goes very well with meat and game dishes. I don't know about prices though.

[Rugevit]

With great sadness I have to inform you that I don't drink wine so my personal experiences are thin.

What I do know, however, is that if you want full-bodied, go for cabarnet sauvignon. It's heavy and it goes very well with meat and game dishes. I don't know about prices though.

I am have a glass of red cabernet sauvignon beside me right now. It's Parker estate from Coonawarra region - the famous region in South Australia known for its cabernet sauvingon wines. I'd drink Shiraz (Syrah) too or blends in Bordeaux style.

[Rugevit]

I've tried different new world wines from Australia, NZ, Chile even Argentina. But not from South Africa.

[Kazimiera]

I've tried different new world wines from Australia, NZ, Chile even Argentina. But not from South Africa.

Then it is high time that you start.

You can give Pinotage a try. It is a South African grape variety - a hybrid between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. Cinsaut used to be known as "Hermitage" which is why the name is Pinotage. It is farmed now in various parts of the world but it is South Africa's signature variety.

[Rugevit]

Then it is high time that you start.

You can give Pinotage a try. It is a South African grape variety - a hybrid between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. Cinsaut used to be known as "Hermitage" which is why the name is Pinotage. It is farmed now in various parts of the world but it is South Africa's signature variety.

I know abut Pinot Noir wines. It is suited for cooler regions such as Burgundy, Oregon, NZ producing a medium bodied wine with interesting notes. Pinot noir from Burgundy is also one of the most expensive wines in the world. I will make a note of South African Pinotage. Let's hope this particular wine is available in local stores.

[Rugevit]

Okay, I found 15 bottles of pinotage in our largest liqueur store. Only 2 bottles available in our local stores which are Kanonkop Pinotage and Durbanville Hills Pinotage. They are affordable too.

[Kazimiera]

Okay, I found 15 bottles of pinotage in our largest liqueur store. Only 2 bottles available in our local stores which are Kanonkop Pinotage and Durbanville Hills Pinotage. They are affordable too.

Go for Kanonkop which is one of the top 10 wineries. Durbanville Hills is good too. They are both excellent wineries.

[Rugevit]

Go for Kanonkop which is one of the top 10 wineries. Durbanville Hills is good too.

It also has excellent reviews and pricier of the two with $28USD for a bottle for 2011 vintage.

[Kazimiera]

It also has excellent reviews and pricier of the two with $28USD for a bottle for 2011 vintage.

Enjoy!!

[Kazimiera]

Okay, I found 15 bottles of pinotage in our largest liqueur store. Only 2 bottles available in our local stores which are Kanonkop Pinotage and Durbanville Hills Pinotage. They are affordable too.

Durbanville Hills





The unique location of Durbanville Hills’ cellar a mere 20 minutes from Cape Town’s city centre, offers not only a spectacular view of Table Mountain and Table Bay, but also an extraordinary terroir that stabilises temperatures and eliminates extremes of heat and cold. Although the Durbanville area is renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc that excels under the cool conditions where it is grown mostly on the cool south facing slopes, the range of red wines also benefit from the warmer valley outskirts and opposing northern slopes.

The hills of Durbanville rise above the flat surrounding landscape which is virtually at sea level. In the early morning they are often shrouded in mist. Together these hills and valleys provide an almost endless variety of slopes, soil types and micro climates that make it possible to grow a range of classic cultivars with equal success. The Durbanville area is among the coolest wine-growing areas in the Cape Winelands and has the benefit of receiving little rain in summer. This cool character has not so much to do with the height of the vineyards above sea level as with the southeaster wind which, during the summer months and then mostly in the late afternoon, blows off False Bay over the Cape Flats. It is surprisingly cold as it comes sweeping over the contours of the hills, drenching the vineyards in cool, moist air even on the hottest day. And when the southeaster is not blowing, a westerly wind comes off the cold Atlantic to do the same.

In the winter months, the prevailing northwester blows off the Atlantic Ocean from exactly the opposite direction as the reigning summer wind. Rainfall is relatively low, around 400 mm per year, but the deep, favourably structured soils are able to absorb and efficiently retain water, thereby ensuring an adequate water supply to the vines during the dry summer months. The trellised vineyards are mostly dryland but can be given ancillary irrigation when the water table drops too low and the vines become stressed. We know exactly what to expect from each block and we are able to develop a unique style that is a true reflection of the area, a style that combines the elegance of the Old World with the outspoken fruitiness of the New.