Opinion & Analysis

Tim James: The Sadie new releases

By Tim James , 28 July 2025

It felt rather like returning to a more effortful time of wine-tasting. Up while it was still almost dark, taking the dogs for a quick...

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Letter to the editor: Blind tasting reality check

By Christian Eedes , 25 July 2025

The following received via email from Yair Safriel, a physician having trained in neuroradiology. Now based between New York and Florida, he visits South Africa...

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Dr Justus Apffelstaedt: Moderation misunderstood – the case for smarter wine health messaging

By Justus Apffelstaedt , 24 July 2025

Science without connection to real life is a meaningless ivory tower activity. Ideally, science improves real people’s lives. For example, the mortality of breast cancer...

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Michael Fridjhon: Wine’s downturn and our slim chance to save it

By Michael Fridjhon , 23 July 2025

Christian Eedes’s editorial entitled “SA’s wine quality gap widens” published earlier this month highlighted the key elements of what I think is an impending and...

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Tim James: On boring wine writers and being priced out of the market

By Tim James , 22 July 2025

A vicious cold thwarted my plans of getting out at the crack of dawn on Monday to the Sadie new releses trade tasting in order...

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Editorial: The Swartland Revolution – honouring the past, looking ahead

By Christian Eedes , 22 July 2025

Earlier this year, I asked a simple question: Can we still, in good faith, call the Swartland Revolution a revolution? It landed harder than expected....

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Greg Sherwood MW: A fine wine weekend in Belgium

By Christian Eedes , 16 July 2025

Let’s be clear, I like a fun festive wine tastings as much as the next wine lover, but rarely do I jump into my car...

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Tim James: More on the death – and survival – of old vineyards

By Tim James , 14 July 2025

In response to the piece I wrote about the death of the old vineyards that produced Alheit’s Radio Lazarus, a reader named Gareth commented: “I...

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Editorial: SA wine’s quality gap widens

By Christian Eedes , 8 July 2025

At this year’s Trophy Wine Show, 40 of the 650 wines tasted were awarded gold medals. Shiraz led the way with five, the most current-release...

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The Grootbos Cape Winemakers Guild Experience 2025

By Christian Eedes , 7 July 2025

Could the Grootbos Cape Winemakers Guild Experience hosted by Strauss & Co become South Africa’s premier wine event combining benchmarking with sheer pleasure and indulgence?...