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97/100.
Here are our 11 most highly rated wines of last month:
Porseleinberg 2018 – 97/100 (read the original review here)
Reyneke Reserve Red 2017 – 97/100 (read the original review here)
Sadie Family Wines Skurfberg 2019 – 96/100 (read the original review here)
Sadie Family Wines Soldaat 2019 – 96/100 (read the original review here)
Sadie Family Wines Kokerboom 2019 – 95/100 (read the original review here)
Sadie Family Wines Mev. Kirsten 2019 – 95/100 (read the original review here)
Sadie Family Wines Pofadder 2019 – 94/100 (read the original review here)
Sadie Family Wines Skerpioen 2019 – 94/100 (read the original review here)
Cape of Good Hope Van Lill & Visser Chenin Blanc 2019 – 94/100 (read the original review here)
Diemersdal The Journal Sauvignon Blanc 2020 – 94/100 (read the original review here)
Vondeling Babiana 2019 – 94/100 (read the original review here)
Lift is a new domestic airline that launched in December last year, the key players being Kulula.com founder Gidon Novick, former head of operations for Uber in Sub Saharan Africa Jonathan Ayache, and Global Aviation, a lessor of aircraft to local and international airlines for decades.
Lift eschews the outdated supply-driven‚ high-debt airline model and aims to be more demand-driven business model, leveraging off record low input costs while being both more agile and flexible than traditional airlines.
Also of interest is how Lift approaches the aspects of its business not directly linked to aviation, partnering with “the best in the business” across operations. For example, Superbalist have been chosen to kit out our ground and cabin crew, while Vida e Caffe & Grumpy Snacks provide inflight-refreshments. DGB, meanwhile, is the official wine partner meaning that the likes of Boschendal and The Old Road Wine Co. are served onboard. Travelers on evening flights will even be treated to wine tastings.
Vuurberg White, as made by Donovan Rall, is always full-bodied, rich and ripe but the 2018 is particularly so. Consisting of 40% Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch, Swartland), 21% Semillon (Franschhoek, Swartland), 11% Viognier (Stellenbosch), 10% Grenache Blanc, 10% Verdelho and 8% Roussanne (all from the Voor Paardeberg), the nose shows honeysuckle, yellow peach, orange, some leesy character plus a little spice. The palate is relatively thick textured but lively acidity prevents if from being overblown and the finish is deeply savoury. Price: R220 a bottle.
CE’s rating: 91/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
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Meerlust in Stellenbosch will not be releasing the 2019 vintage of its famous Cape Bordeaux Red Blend called Rubicon on account of it not meeting self-imposed quality standards: cooler conditions plus rain during harvest meant grapes did not reach full maturity while the preceding drought years finally took their toll. In its stead, the Red 2019, this downgrade only previously occurring in the case of the the ’85, ‘90, ’02 and the 2011 vintages.
With the decision also taken not to bottle the property’s single-variety Merlot from 2019, the Red from this vintage is a blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, the wine matured for 17 months in French oak, 46% new – this compared to the current release Rubicon 2017 which is more Cab dominated (68%) and saw 60% new oak. The price, in turn, is lower at R230 compared to R440 for Rubicon 2017.
The nose shows red fruit, violets, subtle notes of vanilla and spice plus a hint of reduction. The palate is opulent and open, or at least as much so as any Meerlust wine ever gets. To be hyper-critical, it might be said that it is lacking in mid-palate, but there’s a nice freshness and the tannins are quite soft making it instantly likable. You suspect the property won’t have any cash flow problems in the foreseeable future.
CE’s rating: 90/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
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The Oddo family, who also have wine ventures in Sancerre, Provence, and Sicily, acquired what used to be Cordoba on the Helderberg in 2017 and installed Schalk-Willem Joubert, previously CEO of Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons, to head up operations.
The first release is the Crescendo 2018, a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, matured in a combination of 225-litre oak barrels, 9 000-liter foudre, and 4 500-liter cement tanks. Engaging aromatics of red berries, some leafiness, and pencil shavings precede a palate that is medium-bodied (alcohol is 13.5%) with good freshness and fine, chalky tannins. It combines clarity of fruit with a pleasing tension and comes across as both elegant and understated, very much recalling the Crescendo that Chris Keet made in the late 1990s. Price: R300 a bottle.
CE’s rating: 92/100.
Check out our South African wine ratings database.
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Wine as luxury good or wine of the highest quality, price pegged to their global equivalents? Using R1 500 as the minimum threshold, here are South Africa’s most expensive wines currently available (or at least launched in the last 12 months):
| Name of wine | Price per 750ml bottle |
| 4G Venetia’s Heart 2015 | R7 249 |
| The. Cabernet Franc 2015 | R5 000 |
| Tokara Telos 2015 | R4 200 |
| Delaire Graff Laurence Graff Reserve 2015 | R4 000 |
| De Toren The Black Lion Shiraz 2019 | R3 245 |
| De Toren Book XVII 2018 | R2 750 |
| Eden High Density Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2018 R2 200 | R2 200 |
| Longridge The Misterie Merlot 2015 | R2 000 |
| Waterford The Jem 2015 | R1 950 |
| Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage 2018 | R1 900 |
| Alheit Lost & Found Straw Wine 2019 | R945 per 375ml bottle (equivalent to R1 890) |
| Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2017 | R1 250 per 500ml bottle (equivalent to R1 875) |
| 4G Echo of G. 2012 | R11 000 per six-bottle case (equivalent to R1 833) |
| Avondale Navitas 2009 | R1 800 |
| Boekenhoutskloof The Journeyman 2017 | R1 800 |
| Delaire Graff The Banghoek 2017 | R1 800 |
| Vilafonté Series C 2018 | R1 650 |
| Le Lude Vintage Cuvée Agrafé 2013 | R1 600 |
| Simonsig The Garland Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 | R1 550 |
| Mullineux Olerasay 2º | R765 per 375ml bottle (equivalent to R1 530) |
| De Grendel Sir David Graaff 2014 | R1 500 |
| Jordan Sophia 2015 | R1 500 |
| MR de Compostella 2017 | R1 500 |
| Neil Ellis Webb Ellis 2012 | R1 500 |
| Rust en Vrede 1694 Classification 2016 | R1 500 |
| Shannon Black Merlot 2016 R1 500 | R1 500 |
Read more about wine pricing.
“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting…” and, boy oh boy, have we all been tested by the waiting shenanigans of lockdown regulations. This week’s Covid-19 update in the UK seemed to surprisingly contrast with the unfortunately negative prognosis for South Africa. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson predicted we could all be drinking outside pubs by early May, with the entire 60 million population vaccinated by early July, the KPMG extrapolators in Johannesburg were speculating about a potential return to level 5 lockdown regulations for South Africa if the third Covid-19 wave arrived as winter starts setting in. My first reaction to these pronouncements were… Hey!, February was way too early to be pontificating about another winter lockdown! For heaven’s sake, February and March are prime harvest months in the Cape Winelands which also deliver some of the most enchanting and ethereal late summer evenings imaginable. Evenings that are enriched and made even more memorable and magical when delicious mature fine wines are pulled from the cellar and consumed with obliging guests.
Early last year during the onset of lockdown 1.0, I think I might have written, in a modestly animated fashion, about how one of my millionaire London private clients had confided in me sombrely that for all his wealth, the private chauffeurs, the private jets and the private yachts at his disposal, they had all been rendered utterly useless (as well as extremely costly) due to the pandemic. The only redeeming assets he could instantly recall were the luxury of his large, beautifully manicured gardens behind his sizable London family home together with his supremely well-stocked fine wine cellar, much of which I had supplied to him over the years.
What brought this story to mind once again was my past weekend’s spring-cleaning endeavors in my own very dusty wine cellar. With another hot UK summer predicted, and a surprisingly early hint of spring in the air, it seemed an opportune moment to squeeze into the 600-bottle upstairs cellar off my kitchen and clean the aircon unit’s filters, something I had not done in far too long. Only one snag. The wall of wine outside the cellar door and the corresponding wall of wine boxes inside the cellar door, making entry completely impossible. At this point of the story, high-rise flat dwellers and townhouse renters will be forgiven for wanting to drift off and go and pour themselves a nice large chilled glass of old vine Chenin Blanc or perhaps a spritzy glass of effervescent Cap Classique from the fridge as I fully appreciate that not only in South Africa but all over the world, having a well-stocked wine cellar is definitely considered something of a luxury.
Wine cellars, despite the obvious pleasures they can bring to even the most modest of households, still seem to somehow remain the preserve of either the super-wealthy or the super-obsessed. But before the slightly more precious readers start clicking their tongues at the idea of an average household possessing a fairly well-stocked cellar in South Africa (or London for that matter), I would comment that the only encumbrance or limitation is the lack of desire or inclination, rather than any forbiddingly preventative conditions. Of course, cramped accommodation is a limiting factor for developing a wine cellar immediately at hand, however, that is where super companies likes Great Domaines in Johannesburg or Wine Cellar in Cape Town come into play, facilitating optimal storage for whatever quantity of wine you care to aspire to possess. Easily purchased, stored and equally straightforwardly extracted, this simply is an endeavor that is open to all… an accessible luxury, kind of like fine wine itself!
Never has so much heavy lifting of dusty wine cases been enjoyed so much, and of course the prize for the ultimate obsessive wine collector – finding that forgotten bottle or that case of buried wine that you have no recollection of buying all those years ago. In my case, this included some truly astonishing finds that even I am mildly embarrassed to admit that I had no idea I possessed… the first of which was a full six pack of 2012 Eben Sadie OVS Pofadder Cinsault, the second, another full six pack of Eben Sadie OVS ‘T Voetpad 2013, and then a few rarefied treasures including a rogue bottle of Coche-Dury Meursault 2008 (£550pb) and a single bottle of Rene Engel Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2003 Burgundy, that to my astonishment, now sells for between £1,500 to £1,800 per bottle retail (the equivalent of R31,000 to R37,000). While the temptation to drink these vinous treasures looms large in one’s mind, the accomplishment of selling a pristine bottle that was purchased for a mere £45 pounds fifteen years ago or more, for over £1,000 pounds, is a temptation no sound-minded wine collector could ignore. There are always new vintage treasure waiting to be bought in return.
Through-out my 22-plus years working in the fine wine business in London, it never ceases to amaze me how buying certain thoroughly affordable wines on release, and then forgetting about them in your cellar for 10 to 15 years can suddenly yield a genuinely sizable windfall. I suppose its no different to buying premium real estate. As my father always tells me, “They aren’t making any more land, it’s a finite commodity”… so a well-judged purchase is unlikely to ever decline over the long term. It seems fine wine certainly falls into this category of luxury. But in the event of a market crash, or heaven forbid, a global viral pandemic, well, you can always pull the cork on a rare bottle of wine.
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What is the maximum price you will pay per bottle for everyday drinking wine? According to a recent poll that winemag.co.za conducted on Twitter, 27.3% of the 695 respondents replied “Up to R70” and 34.8% “Up to R100”.
Just under 20 years ago, in the September 2001 edition of Wine magazine, the 1998 vintage of Kanonkop Paul Sauer was rated Five Stars and sold for precisely R100 a bottle. The current-release 2017, which rated 95 on the 100-point quality scale last year, costs R700!
How wine prices come about is a perennial question and the first observation to make is that it hasn’t got that much do with grapes. One tonne of grapes produces approximately 80 twelve-bottle cases. Or 960 bottles.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume our boutique producer is paying R10 000/tonne, well above average. The input cost of grapes therefore equates to R10.42 per bottle.
Of course, if a wine retails for R100, it does not mean that the producer gets that. There are various links in the supply chain, with the wholesaler and retailer each taking their cut, while excise duties and VAT are also part of the equation.
Secondly, some sort of figure must be attached to capital investment and labour. The farm must be bought, planted, cultivated and if the cost of labour is relatively cheap, it cannot remain so. Many of the inputs are internationally sourced (barrels, corks, capsules and sometimes bottles) and producers are consequently exposed to the vagaries of the exchange rate. Maintenance costs of buildings and equipment as well as fuel are two other significant factors that have relevance in the final price of a bottle of wine. And then, of course, there is marketing, which as we all know is part science, part black magic…
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Even so, viewed purely in terms of production costs, it’s difficult to see how a bottle of premium wine could possibly sell for more than R100. So how else to explain price tags of R500 a bottle and over?
There is undoubtedly an element of prestige pricing and producers that deny this are being disingenuous. Product categories exist where the ultimate selling price is greatly in excess of production costs. Think luxury cars, think designer fashion, think fine art. Essentially, the producer is charging the most the market will bear.
It is each producer’s call to price as he wishes, as he knows what has gone into the bottle but there does seem to be a growing disassociation between what the local wine enthusiast is able and willing to pay and what are best wines are increasingly selling for.
In a sense, local consumers have had it too good for too long. Many of South Africa’s best wines are available at around half to three-quarters of what they go for internationally (the 2016 vintage of Kanonkop Paul Sauer is currently available at Hanford Wines in London for £65, the equivalent of R1340 at the current exchange rate) and the difference is not freight alone. The price differential cannot continue forever – the market will not allow players, whether public or private, to buy up stock here for greatly less than it sells for overseas as this means margins are unnecessarily forfeited. The practice is already in evidence of producers eking out tiny quantities of their best wines across several international markets to nudge prices ever higher. As long as the rand remains weak against the currencies of those destination countries, domestic wine prices will continue to rise.
Clearly, there are many factors that go towards determining what a wine sells for but you hope that it is quality that will ultimately be definitive. Only by consistently delivering a certain level of quality will the the price of a particular wine be sustained. And how do you recognise that quality? That, at least in part, is where third-party endorsement comes in and hence the wine media, in all its various manifestations…
I know the COVID-19 second wave statistics are currently flowing downwards but when in a restaurant, I still want significant space between me and everyone else. More space than the parameters set out in the government guidelines. Which is why lunch is my preferred meal at the moment. The majority of diners eat out at night and, while Johannesburg restaurants are generally complying with the law, most eateries are unable to accommodate my (probably overblown) anxieties in the evening.
All of the above explains why my date and I found ourselves in Marble restaurant at midday. Chef David Higgs’s 250-seater epicurean icon offers a reassuringly broad space with high ceilings, soothing turquoise tiles and impressive artwork. All of which allowed me to relax and enjoy an exquisite artichoke, mushroom and lemon crème fraiche risotto (R205). Risotto is one of those seemingly simple recipes that requires great skill and is almost always disappointing. So often restaurants bring out an unpleasant stodgy mush masquerading as risotto. Not so at Marble where my lovely lunch demonstrated the required soft, rippling ‘wave effect’ – all’onda – slightly runny texture and superb savoury flavours.
All risotto is rich and I wondered as I ordered if the addition of both artichokes and lemon crème fraiche might not be too much of a good thing but the bright boost of zest and citrus oils acted as a perfumed spritz with just enough acidity to balance the edible opulence. The sprinkle of mushroom dust added excellent, umami intensity.
My partner’s salmon did all the right things. It had a crisp, crackly skin and tender, moist, flavourful flesh that melted across the tongue like butter. The accompanying roasted, slightly caramelized cauliflower was nothing short of transcendent. Its sweet generosity did all the right compare and contrast things with the salty olive tapenade. At R295 it was at the upper end of average for such stuff but then so was the skill in the kitchen and the taste on the plate. And yet, if ordering well in a restaurant is a competitive sport (and for me it so often is) I definitely won. The salmon was good but my risotto was better. I am already dreaming of ordering it again.
I am no good at daytime drinking but for those with the constitution to booze over lunch or the courage to eat out at night, the wine list is almost overwhelmingly impressive with an extremely broad selection of local and imported wines with every imaginable varietal, style and vintage. I know from previous visits that the well-trained staff are super-knowledgeable and enthusiastic in their pairing advice.
I do however have a word of warning for those dining out during the day. Risotto really ought only to be ordered in the evening when it is possible to fully act upon the ensuing carb-coma. I had drunk only water and yet it still took two, deliciously strong espressos before I was in a fit state to drive home.
Marble Restaurant: 010 594 5550; Keyes Art Mile, Cnr Keyes and Jellicoe Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg; Marble.restaurant
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