Za Wino

Absolutely incredible! Boutique producer situated in the heart of the town of Riebeek Kasteel. Everything under the Mullineux label is fantastic: the white blend (Chenin/Clairette Blanche/Viognier) is fast becoming an icon of the Swartland and the Syrah has to rank as one of the best wines I’ve tasted this year! And then of course, there’s the Straw Wine… Pure ambrosia (in the classical sense). Their second label, Kloof St, also offers more affordable “everyday drinking” wines although after tasting the Mullineux range I couldn’t think of buying anything else.

Very enjoyable tasting and definitely one of the better, commercial farms on the route. Was very interested in tasting here due to their ubiquity as one of the more upmarket South African wines found on the shelves of most Systembolagets. The Touriga stood out for me, although the Cab was certainly enjoyable but should lie down for many years imo. And of course, the port, as others before have said, is a classic.

Mostly mass produced drinking stuff. Indalo range is tasty but slightly overpriced – as is the Idelia.

First time at the Wine Lounge itself having drunk bottles of the Chardonnay over the last couple years. Great to see their new home and the source of wines to come – bring on the Pinot Noir! The Sauv. was good but didn’t blow me away and the Serenity, despite being really interesting and very drinkable, didn’t quite live up to my expectations based on all the Chard I’ve drunk. The Chard though is amazing and may just be my favourite out of the whole country at present.

Came here previously and walked out because of lack of service. This time things were different and I really enjoyed the tasting. Liked several of their wines although it was the The Pinot Noir ’08 and theire cape blend, the Epitome (forget which vintage now), that stood out for me on the day. Whilst I didn’t actually eat at the restaurant I did notice that it offered up some interesting dishes like Frog Legs Caesar Salad (might just have to go back to try some of them).

Nice tasting with 2 lovely wines. Not usually a cool-climate Pinotage fan but their’s certainly hit the mark for me.

Had a very informative tasting with the viticulturist over the Easter weekend. Firstly it was a pleasure to find them open for tasting on Easter unlike many other estates closer to home. Really interested to hear that there are 17(+?) wine growers in the area although they, Bramon, are the first, and still the only, to produce a bottled product. However, you can expect this Wine of Origin region to grow significantly in the coming years and with dreams of becoming the MCC region of South Africa it will be interesting to see what comes out. Sadly the “still” Sauvignon Blanc was sold out but the MCC is certainly worth a try and whilst I don’t think it lives up to the hefty price tag just yet a bottle of it came home with me for novelty sake nonetheless. The lower range Vukani wines, whilst not being from the area, are also alright and the profits from them support a great empowerment initiative to help skill up locals in the industry.

Had a very disappointing tasting here. The wines are drinkable and good value but the tasting assistant whilst a friendly chap was shocking and knew virtually nothing even admitting, “Ja, I don’t really drink wine but ‘dis here is baie lekker”.

Had a great tasting and cellar tour given by the owners daughter. The cellar is state of the art and absolutely beautiful. Being their first vintage the wines were young but still drink, and are priced, very well and should develop nicely over the next couple years. Watch this space as future vintages are sure to get better and better as their vines age.

Small, friendly place with some really good wine and some average but well priced stuff too. The Hope Marguerite definitely stands up as one of the finest Chenin’s in the country. The single varietal Mouvedre is also a treat and definitely one to watch out for; it may just develop beautifully over the next couple years.

Appointment only at this small biodynamic estate. All grapes are grown organically and the wine is made with minimal input from the winemaker; spontaneous fermentation, no settling agents, no added acids, etc. And the results are beautiful! Particularly spectacular is the Reserve White although I ended up taking home a couple of the reds too to see what they do with a year or two’s bottle age.

Appointment only but well worth doing so. Love their wines – the whites in particular! Chardonnay is amazing. Chenin is great. New Viognier is definitely up amongst the best of the vintage that I’ve tasted and the Astra White blows me away every time I try it. Oh and their reds are also worth trying too.

Great tasting, nice location, little pricey – but who cares when their whole range is that good and on offer. Oh, and bonus points for being open on Sunday too.