Whales, mountains and wines with personality will feature on the November wine tour when it is is spring in South Africa, so it is a colourful, flourishing landscape that greets us. We meet in Cape Town and continue on to Hermanus on the south coast where we will taste Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from […]
Tag Archives | South Africa
Oldenburg in Stellenbosch putting on a show with a celebrity TV chef
I discovered by chance some time ago that Oldenburg Vineyards had made a video about us. Oldenburg Vineyards is a wine producer in Stellenbosch in South Africa. They have their winery and vineyards in an incredible place, spectacularly at the end of a dirt road, surrounded by tall mountain peaks. We had a cellar visits, […]
South Africa behind the scenes through detective novels and thrillers
Visiting wineries can sometimes take longer than expected. Usually, that is a good thing. But this time it was a big frustration. For me, but not for anyone else. In fact, we had some excellent tastings and discussions with the winemakers at the chateaux we were visiting when I was touring the wine regions of […]
South Africa in November! Fantastic food, wines, whale watching and much more | wine tour
An exciting and important part of our tours in South Africa is the food. It can be a braai with all kinds of meat and sausages on the grill, or a gastronomic highlight in a star restaurant. South Africa has several famous chefs and one of them is Bertus Basson. He has a well-known restaurant […]
South Africa, November 9-19, 2018
Wine Tour to South Africa: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and more! Meet the ambitious and talented winemakers with us — In the last twenty years South African wine country has gone through a revolution. Today South Africa is a major producer of quality wines. The new generation winemakers have increased the quality dramatically. There is a lot […]
South Africa, Februrary 16-24, 2019
Wine Tour to South Africa: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and more! Meet the ambitious and talented winemakers with us — In the last twenty years South African wine country has gone through a revolution. Today South Africa is a major producer of quality wines. The new generation winemakers have increased the quality dramatically. There is a lot […]
South Africa in November! Fantastic white wines (and red!), whale watching and much more | wine tour
For a long time, the white grapes dominated in South Africa’s vineyards. Much of these white wines were distilled into brandy. Now it’s different. South Africa is now a very exciting wine country for white wines. Chenin Blanc (formerly called Steen) is a classic “South African” grape and although its surface has decreased since the […]
South Africa’s wonderful wines, food, and nature, a wine tour experience of a life-time
On the wine tour to South Africa the wine is only one part of the experience (but an important one). The food, nature and just being there is also a big part of the experience. South Africa is a country with a long wine history (longer than Medoc in Bordeaux!), although it is considered a […]
“A total success, what more could one wish for?”, said those who travelled on a wine tour in South Africa with BKWine
Few wine countries have such a dramatic contemporary history as South Africa. And few countries have seen such a steep rise in wine quality. Looking at the statistics, South Africa is still dominated by dependable volume wines (which sells well on export), but taking a closer look you will find a wine country bubbling with […]
South Africa’s magnificent sparkling wine, Methode Cap Classique, as interpreted by Graham Beck
If Champagne has a sibling, it may be méthode cap classique. Specific to South Africa, cap classique employs the same “traditional method” used to make champagne, whereby the second fermentation occurs in bottle. And if South Africa’s méthode cap classique sparkling wine has a ‘godfather’, it’s Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira, cellarmaster at Graham Beck Wines in […]
Talking to Bruwer Raats, chenin blanc and cabernet franc specialist in South Africa
“Considered the driving force behind South Africa’s recognition for producing world-class chenin blanc, the burly South African wine maker Bruwer Raats specialize in high quality chenin blanc and cabernet franc sourced from a variety of South Africa’s wine regions and microclimates. Each wine expressive of it’s unique terroir, or ‘sense of place.’ Raats also enjoys […]
South Africa Wine Tour
Wine Tour to South Africa: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and more! Meet the ambitious and talented winemakers with us — In the last twenty years South African wine country has gone through a revolution. Today South Africa is a major producer of quality wines. The new generation winemakers have increased the quality dramatically. There is a lot […]
Cool climate wines from South Africa? Yes Sir! From Crystallum
It’s quite possible to make exciting, interesting and characterful wines from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in South Africa! Everything depends on the temperature – and the winemaker of course (as well as a whole lot else). The proximity to a cold ocean and southern winds means that although southwestern South Africa (Western Cape) can get […]
A south African pioneer relaunches, Ntsiki Biyela’s Aslina
It is not that much of an exaggeration to say that Ntsiki Biyela is a South African winemaking legend. She was the first female black winemaker and has been featured for example on CNN and on Forbes (and on BKWine Magazine previously). After many years as winemaker at Stellekaya in Stellenbosch Ntsiki Biyela has now […]
Glenwood Vineyards is hidden in a Franschhoek side valley; do try and find it!
Franschhoek can almost be too quaint, too pretty as a wine region. The wineries are dotted along the main road – the only road – along the valley like pearls on a string. They are surrounded by beautiful real estate developments where the villas have stunning views over the mountains. The village of Franschhoek itself […]
South Africa, wine and food in combination | a world class wine tour
South Africa has about 100,000 hectares (240,000 acres) of vineyards. This figure has been stable for a long time. What has changed is how the grapes are used. During apartheid, over 50% of the grapes went to distillation for brandy production. Now most grapes are used to make wine. During our tour in the South […]
Dare leave the main road in Franschhoek and discover Glenwood Vineyards
Glenwood Vineyards is hidden away in a small valley a few kilometres away from the busy town of Franschhoek. It is tucked away in the Robertsvlei Valley, with a micro climate all of its own. Cooler than down in the main Franschhoek Valley and not so dry. Actually, in winter it is one of the […]
South Africa, amazing wines with quality and ambition | wine tour
In the mid-1990s the export market opened up for South Africa. And since then we have not stopped drinking their wines. South African wine has changed a lot during these 20 years. Some associate South Africa with simple, well-made wines. These wines, often shipped in bulk to different countries, make up quite a big part […]
Enjoy a world-class BKWine wine tour this autumn or winter
We have prepared a fabulous selection of wine tours for you to enjoy either in the autumn or in winter. Why not escape from the dreary cold and darkness for a few days or a bit more to a lovely wine country on a trip filled with excellent wines and delicious food. You can choose […]
New South Africa: five exciting producers | Britt on Forbes
“There is a wine revolution quietly going on in South Africa. Or more correctly, a second revolution. The first one was when apartheid ended and the KVW iron grip on the wine sector also came to an end. That led to the birth of the modern wine industry in South Africa, where today you can […]
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