Vineyard Area per Capita Worldwide (2023): Moldova is the distant #1

Misleading? At first glance, this appears to be another Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. However, this Kiwi-style wine is not from New Zealand’s “South Island,” but from South Africa. Producers all over the world like to associate their Sauvignon Blanc with the success of New Zealand’s wines.

Compared to 2024, South Africa’s wine exports increased by US$21.6 million (3.3%) in 2025. The strongest growth was recorded in the Netherlands (US$6.89 million) and Zimbabwe (US$5.40 million). In contrast, exports to Namibia (–US$10.96 million) and the U.S. (–US$7.41 million) declined significantly

Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.

Latest for Wine Mag in South Africa winemag.co.za/wine/opinion...

Minneapolis has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize by The Nation magazine, a magazine with.connections to Nobel laureates, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

New from me for @timatkinmw.bsky.social: with Elton John climbing aboard the NoLo bandwagon with his new alcohol-free wine this #DryJanuary, I hazard a tentative opinion: it’s a load of tedious rubbish in the service of neo-prohibitionism and has nothing to do with #wine timatkin.com/the-curse-of...

Anyone want flights to South Africa from london 31st Jan to 15th Feb? Cost of transfer of name only.

Alsace riesling + a classy pinot gris for our monthly tasting group. Schaal easier to get as they make wine here; the RG’s brought back from Alsace made for interesting comparison in levels of sweetness & texture. No duds; all round pleasure.

Gewürztraminer is a marmite wine (you love it or hate it); this is delightful, understated spice, rose petals & Turkish delight, richness with freshness & best, those flavours memorably long. An enjoyable summer sundowner Not every producer is a Trimbach, but gewurz is underrated.

Every year I review 10-year-old wines kept in my air-con cellar since release. In some years there are many; this year, there’s just one 2016. For why & how it’s doing, here’s the link. outofthepress.wordpress.com/2026/01/07/v...

As we ease into 2026 (Happy New Year!), thoughts turn to travel. If you could visit any wine-producing country for the first time & return to one already visited, where would they be? For me, a first time to Georgia & yet another exploration of fascinating Italy.

Happy & peaceful Christmas to all. May 2926 bring positivity, reward & hope. 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Our motley monthly tasting group, winemakers & others involved in wine, blind tasted this lot (always international wines, no saffas); told one region, different areas. Eventually got there; for now non-plussed 2020 rated best since sliced bread. Buying 2nd bottle of reds to try in 5years.

Annual reminder to water your Christmas tree poems …

Some reflections on my forty years as a contributor to South Africa’s leading wine guide, Platter’s outofthepress.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/f...

“A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.” — Bertrand Russell

Technical & artistic brilliance.

Just arrived; looking forward to reading & discovering how much being sustainable sometimes follows a twisted path. Thanks for tackling a very important subject @hernehillandy.bsky.social

I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong & I was about this wine. Peter-Allan Finlayson⁩ was, understandably not so happy. All it needed was time to harmonise & evolve to its complex layers of pinot’s pure, dark fruit with the freshness to focus & let them linger. How much I’m enjoying this!

Congratulations:The Golden Vines Slate Aviation World’s Best Rising Star Award – Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, South Africa and The Golden Vines Amorim Cork Innovation Award – Rosa Kruger, The Old Vine Project, South Africa harpers.co.uk/news/fullsto...

South African wine in the 1970s was highly regulated, quantity was valued more than quality. Red Tape is the story of Tim Hamilton Russell who wanted to produce world class wines, but vines were illegal where he wanted to plant. outofthepress.wordpress.com/2025/11/04/a...

The Swartland, home to golden wheat in rolling fields, to green, eager vines climbing the mountain sides. Taken today in the lush of spring, much wheat yet to be harvested, the vines starting to flower. It’s an inspirational region of the Cape.

New book on the shelves, a memoir of Tim Hamilton-Russell by his daughter, Brigid. She has unearthed much otherwise unknown information about this advertising executive/wine-farmer pioneer in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. He was also an Incubator of many of today’s winemaker stars in the valley.

New from me in Club Oenoloqique: facing up to #wine’s biggest challenge, sustainability cluboenologique.com/story/rooted...

In part 1 of 2 in-depth reports on #CapeWine2025 @thebuyer11.bsky.social analyses the opportunites South Africa has to take its wines to another level & challenges it still faces to get buyers to pay the more premium prices it expects & wants for its wines www.the-buyer.net/insight/cape...

In September 2023, a storm devastated the Hemel-en-Aarde valley; the river separating north from south-facing slopes cascaded, sweeping away every bridge. The road through the valley is still under repair, the scarred mountain slopes will never be. Fortunately, few vineyards were severely damaged.

This shouldn’t be divisive, but probably will, pinotage can be refined, as this is. Sleek & silky with pure raspberry/strawberry flavours, freshness & neat tannin trim. The next few days are peak pinotage with its centenary art celebrations as a pinot x cinsaut cross

This shouldn’t be divisive, but probably will, pinotage can be refined, as this is. Sleek & silky with pure raspberry/strawberry flavours, freshness & neat tannin trim. The next few days are peak pinotage with its centenary art celebrations as a pinot x cinsaut cross

Do you like old vineyards, and the wines made from them? Do you have opinions about old vines that you'd be willing to share? The Old Vine Conference is doing a survey at the moment. Please consider participating: mailchi.mp/oldvines....

Lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

What a terrible legacy

Amen! And, with respect, whatever @davidroundmw.bsky.social might say about other forms of sustainability, inc adapting for climate change, there are still many who practise that, yet use unnecessarily heavy bottles.

Or as Andrew Jefford has said, “This fascinating, limpidly written and admirably researched book shines a light on the price we’re all evading: #wine’s strangely tentacular environmental footprint. Read it to understand – and to help.” Order from academieduvinlibrary.com/products/roo...

Ridiculous number of ultra-weight bottles in South Africa too. Lighten up! Lighten up & stop fooling yourselves the wine is better in a heavier bottle.

Ain't nothin better than tasting Chenin Blanc all day. Here are my tasting notes and thoughts from the Hella Chenin wine festival held earlier this year. www.vinography.com/2... #winethreads

#muzak 48yrs ago

Okay, so tennis, cricket & rugby are my things; who to follow. Go!

Excellent piece on the upcoming Old Vine Conference in California. Call all old vine aficionados. It's gonna be awesome! -

Nothing is more likely to turn me into a frothing-at-the-mouth bomber than the sheer arrogance about the way Vance cheerfully imposes this massive bullshit on a village, with no consideration for the locals, for his holiday. Honestly, fuck off back to America, you enormous selfish arsehole.

I asked a retired Oxford historian about the most catastrophic historical event in his lifetime; he said Munich. He then added that the election of Donald Trump in 2024 will be even worse.

What’s the first duty of pinot - simply to be good, there’s nothing worse or undrinkable than poor pinot. This is very, very good. South African, made by one our star American lady winemakers.

Palestinian children have been killed at a rate of more than one child per hour during Israel's war in Gaza. “A whole classroom of children killed every day for nearly two years,” UNICEF’s executive director said. Here are some of their stories: wapo.st/3UCiAjn

How anyone can think that this represents a genuine effort to help the Palestinian people is beyond me.

The Swartland is all about wheat, canola & fine wines. A perfect winter’s day to visit Eben Sadie & family for a tasting of the latest releases.

"This is the grim choice every Palestinian medical worker faces: serve and be targeted, or flee and abandon your patients to die." Dr. Thaer Ahmad on Zeteo. Unimaginable choice. It's heartbreaking to read all of this.