Category Archives: Brandy

Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide 2023 Awards 5 stars to 196 wines!

 

The 43rd edition of Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide has announced its 2023 list of 196 wines in 28 categories that were awarded 5 stars this year. A total of 8000 wines by 900 producers was evaluated this year.

Red and White Blends as well as Chenin Blanc are the biggest 5 star classes, with 28, 27 and 28 individual labels, respectively. The Chardonnay, Shiraz/Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wine categories also performed well, with 22, 16, and 12 brands, respectively.

The Top Performing Winery of the Year goes to the winery that achieves the most five-star ratings after the annual final tasting round, it being Mullineux this year, with 8 five-star wines. It is the Swartland- Continue reading →

Platter’s announces 2022 award-winning wineries, and cultivar winners!

 

At an event in Stellenbosch on Friday, the new 2022 black-and-gold cover design and a refreshed corporate logo for the Platter’s by Diner’s Club 2022 South African Wine Guide  was presented, the three Award-winning wineries announced, and the Wines of the Year Awards in 28 categories were presented.

This 42nd edition of  the Wine Guide features more than 900 wine producers, merchants, and brands, including 36 new ones, more than 8000 locally produced wines, as well as brandies, husk spirits, and sherry-style wines.

For the first time in eight years the Platter’s Awards were not presented by its Publisher JP Rossouw, who left the publication earlier this year.

Continue reading →

Mynhardt’s Restaurant brings Charity Christmas cheer with Festive Fruitcakes!

 

For the second year running I have been lucky to have received a delivery of a Festive Parcel from Chef Mynhardt Joubert’s Mynhardt Restaurant in Paarl. The aim of the delivery is to help publicise the good work Chef Mynhardt is doing in baking and selling the Christmas Fruitcakes, proceeds of which will go to support two charities: Butterfly House and Helpende Handjies.

In addition to sending a fully baked Christmas fruit cake, the festive parcel contained a host of ingredients as well as a recipe, so that recipients can bake one too. In addition, a Christmas wreath decorated the parcel delivered to my home, serving me well as an Advent wreath. A warm message from Chef Mynhardt accompanied the gift box. Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 18 of Level1, 18 October 2021

 

Monday 18 October 2021, Day 18 of Level 1 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#grateful for a lovely 18C sunny day, despite it being a windy evening; for an amazing close to 9 hour sleep last night, with no interruption; for having Henry back at work again, after he took last week off for exam and study leave, the cats being happy to see him too; for a day of EbbTide victory, getting approval for a balustrade extension on my side of the building after a 2 year battle, getting three Yes votes 🙏; for a midday walk to Bakoven and a late afternoon one to the Tidal Pool; for a Camps Bay Continue reading →

Musgrave Copper infused pot-still brandy wins Michelangelo Most Innovative Product Award!

 

Musgrave Spirits has done very well at the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, winning a Trophy as well as a Gold Award for its two Musgrave Copper infused pot-still brandies.

I attended a relaunch of Musgrave Copper two years ago, and loved its taste, both neat as well as in the cocktails we were given to try at the relaunch event. Continue reading →

Musgrave Spirits launches Musgrave Copper flavour-infused Vanilla and Black Honey Brandy, the ‘Bourbon’ of Brandy!

 

Last week I attended a small intimate Media Event at Musgrave Spirits in Salt River, with only ten guests, to introduce its Musgrave Copper flavour-infused Pot Still Brandy. Musgrave Spirits is well-known for its Gin, and its Pink Gin in particular. We were introduced to the Brandy on ice, with mixers, as Savoury drinks, and ended off the evening with delicious Don Pedros. Continue reading →

Platter’s Wine Guide 2021 bizarre announcement of 5-star wines, Kleine Zalze Wines named Winery of the Year!

 

On Wednesday Platters Wine Guide announced its 2021 5-star Wines List, unusually quietly, not revealing the individual winners names on Instagram or on other Social Media platforms, nor at a function traditionally held at the Table Bay Hotel. It appears that its emphasis is on its App, and selling its information by subscription.

Kleine Zalze Wines was named Top Performing Winery of the Year 2021, having seven five-star wines on the 2021 List, achieving this accolade for the first time in the more than 40 year history of the Platter Wine Guide. The Winery celebrated its achievement with a star-studded cake. Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 53 of Level 1, 12 November 2020

 

Thursday 12 November 2020, Day 53 of Level 1, Day 231 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a beautiful hot day, at 27C or more, Camps Bay jam-packed, even at 20h00 when I drove back home; for having written today’s blogpost yesterday, so I could walk to Clifton before it got too hot; for having an afternoon free when a meeting was postponed to tomorrow, which meant that I could work on other stories; for buying a bottle of brandy at Ultra, combining it with a trip I needed to do anyway, I being the only client at Ultra, which may now close at its regular time of 19h00, after the President’s Speech last night; for an invitation to a launch party in Bantry Bay; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Wellington Wine Walk far more than about wine, about olives, gin and Buchu too – Day 1

 

Last week my school friend Jenny Stephens and I spent two days on the Wellington Wine Walk, a guiding service offered by school friend Elaine Wegelin and her colleagues Katrin Steytler, and Carol-Ann Jeffrey.

Jenny, Elaine, and I grew up in Wellington, and sat on the same school benches at three Wellington schools. Having left Wellington after Matric 50 years ago, it was not just an eating and drinking adventure, but it was a catch-up of how our hometown has grown and developed in this time. Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 48 of Level 1, 7 November 2020.

 

Saturday 7 November 2020, Day 48 of Level 1, Day 226 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for starting our day with the first sign of the sun in two days, and the luck of being able to do our walking sections throughout the day without any rain; for a lovely breakfast at Dunstone Restaurant; for being shuttled to VillaMar at the other end of Wellington, for an informative coffee tasting; for a winetasting at Doolhof Wines, at the end of Bovlei; for a sunny walk alongside the Kromme River to Welvanpas Family Vineyards for lunch and a winetasting; for a walk to close to Bosman Family Vineyards, a wine producer, and the largest producer of ‘stokkies’ (new vines created by grafting onto Rootstock) in Africa; for being shuttled back to our car at Diemersfontein, picking up our purchases made at our different stops in the past two days; for safely returning to Cape Town; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →