12 wines you have to taste at RMB WineX

RMB WineX turns 20 this year, taking place from Wednesday 30 October to Friday 1 November at the Sandton Convention Centre. There are approximately 150 wine producers exhibiting which makes for A LOT of wine to get through. Here, we recommend 12 you shouldn’t miss:

Cederberg Shiraz 2017
Rating: 93 points and Top 10 in this year’s Shiraz Report. Grapes from slate soils at high altitude, this is an opulent expression of the variety that’s very well executed.

Creation Reserve Chardonnay 2018
Rating: 93 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Chardonnay Report. The wines from this Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge property are regular high scorers with the winemag.co.za panel, this the most recent to perform well.

Delaire Graff Estate Banghoek Reserve Chardonnay 2018
Rating: 94 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Chardonnay Report. Winemaker Morné Vrey at this Banghoek cellar is making a wide array of stylish and sophisticated wines but none more so than this Chardonnay.

Highlands Road Chardonnay 2017
Rating: 94 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Chardonnay Report. The Sauv-Sem blend known as Sine Cera is arguably what this Elgin property’s is best known for but this Chardonnay also makes a big impression on account of being rich and sweet-fruited.

Journey’s End Chardonnay 2018
Rating: 94 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Chardonnay Report. This wine has a subtle and quite pleasing herbal note and winemaker Mike Dawson reveals that the Somerset West property is surrounded by eucalyptus trees!

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Rating: 93 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report. Made in significant volumes from fruit sourced from greater Stellenbosch, this wine from the powerhouse cellar that is Kleine Zalze totally over-delivers.

Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Rating: 93 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Cabernet Sauvignon Report. Is there any name more closely associated with Cabernet Sauvignon than Le Riche? Son Christo is gradually taking over from famous father Etienne and continues to produce the goods.

Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay 2017
Rating: 94 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Chardonnay Report. Elgin is becoming synonymous with high-quality Chardonnay and Paul Cluver Estate has been there from the beginning. This is benchmark stuff in terms of what the district is capable of.

Plaisir de Merle Grand Plaisir 2014
Rating: 94 points and Top 12 in this year’s Signature Red Blend. This prestige Simonsberg-Paarl owned by producer-wholesaler Distell is arguably better known for its single-variety Cabernet Sauvignon, but the winemag.co.za panel was impressed by this ultra-premium blend consisting of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Petit Verdot and 17% Shiraz.

Richard Kershaw Clonal Selection Elgin Chardonnay 2017
Rating: 93 points and Top 10 in this year’s Prescient Chardonnay Report. British-born Master of Wine Richard Kershaw has been active as a winemaker in South Africa for some 20 years, establishing his own label in 2012, the focus for the most part on Elgin on account of its cool climate. Kershaw is nothing if not academically minded and his approach to winemaking is fastidious as he seeks to understand how site and clone combine to best effect.

Rust en Vrede Estate 2016
Rating: 94 points and Top 12 in this year’s Signature Red Blend. Approaching icon status, this wine has a track record dating back to 1988 – this label was originally made its 1986 debut as a Cabernet-Merlot but then winemaker Kevin Arnold (now of Waterford) saw fit to deviate from the Bordeaux model by adding Syrah into the mix two years later and that blend was to become standard. The 2016 consists of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Syrah and 9% Merlot.

Simonsig Mr Borio’s Shiraz 2017
Rating: 94 points and Top 10 in this year’s Shiraz Report. Stellenbosch property Simonsig make an ambitious top-end Syrah called Merindol but it was the more humble Mr Borio’s 2017 that impressed the winemag.co.za panel when the category was judged earlier this year. 67% of the blend spent 10 months in older oak, 90% French and 10% American oak and 33% matured with French oak staves, this offers fantastic bang for your buck.

Bookings for Tickets for Thursday and Friday nights: Via Computicket.com. Strictly no under 18s.

Early Bird tickets are available until 20 October. Thursday R180, Friday R200. Thereafter and at the door: Thursday R220, Friday R240.

Stand the chance to win tickets here.