Tag Archives: chardonnay

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 →

less wine brand launched, focuses on sustainability, less bottle, less paper …. and more!

 

Last week I met with Marlene Truter, owner of the new wine brand less, with Chardonnay 2021 and Pinotage 2020 cultivars. Its focus is more on sustainability, being sustainably grown, containing less alcohol, and uses the lightest glass bottles available.

The sustainability also pertains to the employee ethics, and so Marlene had a difficult task to find a wine producer who met her sustainability criteria, and would make the wine available in a smaller quantity, as she is starting off from scratch. Viljoensdrift in Robertson was chosen as a partnership that created an excellent fit, given her less brand values. Continue reading →

Platter’s by Diner’s Club South African Wine Guide announces 2022 Five Star wine List!

 

The 2022 edition of the Platters by Diners Club South African Wine Guide has announced the 234 wines that have achieved its prestigious five star rating.

Red Blends (46) and White Blends (27) achieved the largest number of 5 star ratings, followed by  Chenin Blanc with 27, Chardonnay with 19, and Cabernet Sauvignon with 15 wines. Last year 212 wines received 5 stars. A total of 13 judges evaluated the wines eligible for the 5 star rating. Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Homespun by Matt at The Andros – Excellent Food but its story not told!

 

On Friday last week we wanted to spoil Chef Pavel Dimitrov of Zest Restaurant on his birthday, and took him on a surprise trip to Homespun by Matt at The Andros Boutique Hotel in Claremont.  Both Zest and Homespun at The Andros opened in June, a few days apart.

I have experienced two amazing meals at Homespun by Matt in Blouberg, the restaurant which Chef Matt opened seven years ago. I was invited to the Soft Opening of Homespun at The Andros, so I was excited to see the Homespun restaurant settled in and operating smoothly. Continue reading →