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.

We have all watched in horror as Israel crosses red line after red line in Gaza. If you agree please share this post on, help us send this message across social media, then contribute a picture to our powerful visual at bit.ly/3HW2ePI Let’s speak out, in our masses, right now. #RedLineForGaza #Gaza

“Six-week-old Yousef’s lifeless body lay limp on a hospital table in Gaza City, his skin stretched over protruding ribs and a bandage where a drip had been inserted into his tiny arm. Doctors said the cause of death was starvation.”

I finally made a starter pack.... if you want to find some more wine people to follow on here, maybe it will help. go.bsky.app/U3ZkLQr

I’m no expert but I would’ve got a person to do it.

Vintage 2015 is particularly celebrated in South Africa, and it was also the year of the seminal blind tasting in London where the UK wine trade had the first chance to taste the wines of the new cohort of SA wine producers.  https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/first-steenwold-blind-tasting

Interest in field blends stems in part from desire for more complexity, adapting to climate change & availability of new varieties. Eben Sadie’s new pair, white & red are from two blocks each planted to 12 different varieties. Two+ pickings, co-fermented. Look forward to tasting them.

I believe there’s confusion about light red wines. This has 13% alc; it feels light & fresh, but has concentration in its savoury flavours, supple texture & the perfect balance of tannins to age. So, light but not light!

Robert is always worth reading. His new Wine Thinking is interactive, which wasn’t the case at Meininger.

No ultra-heavyweight bottle, no taste of new wood, just the taste if wonderful 15-year-old Barolo & ripe, freshening grape tannins. Made for a very wet, cold Cape Town evening.

If you know nothing about the OV Registry, or even if you do, there are always new ‘old’ vineyards being added & new ideas from the small but active group who run it. Register to learn more; it’s a great initiative!

Sunday morning blind tasting entertainment - Burgundy for the win! There was no doubt it was Burgundy; a pre-mox also gaving a clue.

Fascinating article on how Venetian glass beads likely made it from that city to Alaska, pre-1492 & Columbus. Accepted history always needs careful examination.

A riesling for a warm autumnal evening in CapeTown. Tension containing peachy succulence; beautifully balanced acid/sugar. Delicious.

🤗Who would have imagined that so many witty puns and clever jokes could be sourced from a single sentence? 🦢 #ChainReactionHumour 💞 👇