South African politics are always interesting to say the least. For those who thought JZ a fate worse than death, the options are a bit limited – a chilled glass of that ever so slightly wooded Withington Chardonnay will perk up the morale no end. The moral of the story for Mr Mbeki …. if [...]

A meal to remember …. Despite the wine industry being in tough times, and with prophets of doom and gloom abounding, there are a couple of factors that would deter me from changing my profession for anything else … what other industry I ask, manages to make an occasion out of any meal. And then [...]

Darling is home town for me, and although I have not lived here for very long – having spent most of my life in the winelands around Stellenbosch – it has not taken long for Darling to endear itself. This little town was, and hopefully will always remain, a little farming village. It is very [...]

I was very fortunate last week to have a visit from John Avery MW (Master of Wine), one of the most senior of the UK Masters of Wine, and also head panellist on the South African Airways annual wine tasting. John is held in extremely high regard worldwide for his encyclopaedic knowledge of wine, and [...]