Drink

THIS job has some great perks, among them getting to try new products and services as they arrive on the market. When they are delivered to my door, even better. Last week, South Africa's first craft gin club was launched. The Gin Box (also literally) brings us gin lovers a beautifully packaged…
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THE 2017 World Whisky Masters held by the Spirits Business Magazine in the UK proved that beyond the traditional whisky producing countries, an exciting range of styles and expressions awaits. Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, South Africa’s first single grain whisky, was awarded gold by the…
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IT makes me terribly anxious when the cellar master says only 525 bottles of a rather spectacular MCC were filled, and they then proceed to pour several of those for tasting, and hand out several more as media gifts. Not that it stopped me from accepting my own glorious bottle of Lourensford…
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ALMOST a year ago to the day of the launch of the previous vintage of De Wetshof Limestone Hill unwooded Chardonnay, we were invited to celebrate the 2017 vintage. The venue was La Tête, over which foodies have been in a froth since it opened late last year, raving about the food. Apparently the…
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EXCEPTIONAL brands strive to constantly evolve, and so the time has come for Striped Horse beer to launch its bespoke new "giraffe bottle". But first, let’s tell the story of how the zebra and the giraffe became friends. There used to be many zebras and giraffes roaming the African plains, but…
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BOUCHARD FINLAYSON has been ranked as a top red wine producer in South Africa at the 2017 South African Wine Index (SAWi) awards. Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir scored a full 100 as the No 1 Pinot Noir in South Africa and was placed the 11th highest ranked wine overall in South Africa.…
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A FIRE which broke out in the early hours of May 28 caused immeasurable damage to the iconic Lanzerac Hotel, but it has not affected the operations of its winery division. Although the estate has been closed to the public since the incident, the tasting room has reopened its doors. “Lanzerac is…
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JUST weeks after its release, the Uitkyk Chenin Blanc 2015 received one of the very few gold medals awarded at this year’s highly rated Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. Remarkably, the wine is made from vineyards that are 37 years old and it is only the second time the Stellenbosch wine estate has…
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GET up close and personal with some of South Africa’s top winemakers and unlock a treasure trove of individually crafted wines of great diversity at the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcase in August. A preamble to the annual Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction, the showcase of the…
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CREATED as a tribute to South Africa’s oldest Sauvignon Blanc bush vines, Spice Route Wines launched its Amos Block Perpetual Reserve this month. The first hand-bottling of this sherry-style dry fortified wine was created from three vintages - 2014, 2015 and 2016 - and filled just one barrel.…
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