Welcome to Winestyle, the home of wine and beautiful things. As curator of Winestyle, wine has always excited me: making wine; taking all the opportunities to taste wine; and investing time and money in collecting wine. My oenological history began with loads of encouragement from my family, a father, who had an amazing wine-tasting palate,
About Susan Scholtz Read More »
Situated in the shadows of the majestic Towerkop Mountain in the fertile Dwarsriver Valley of the Klein Karoo, Mymering Wine and Guest Estate is an ideal weekend getaway some 10km outside Ladismith. As a working farm, this is an ideal place to escape and recharge one’s batteries, with stunning views, surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges
Magnificent Mymering Wine and Guest Estate Read More »
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape is nestled between Namibia and Botswana and is some 2 ½ hours’ drive outside Upington. This was my first experience of visiting the Kgalagadi in winter since I was at school and each day presented a beautiful cloudless sky. When we arrived, it was the end of
An offroad adventure – The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Read More »
A long weekend breakaway is always a pleasure, and this escape to the Robertson region was no exception. My main intention for the trip was to experience the newly established and remarkable Silverthorn wine cellar and tasting room, and to visit its creators, John and Karen Loubser whose classic MCC bubbly range and company I’ve
Robertson and McGregor Getaway Weekend Read More »
Set at the top and on the edge of the Van Rhyn’s Pass and just a few kilometres outside Nieuwoudtville, De KrantzHuis is a gem that simply needs to be discovered. Only a four-hour drive from Cape Town, this working rooibos, potato and sheep farm offers accommodation where no costs have been spared when it
A Visit to De KrantzHuis Elandsvoetpad – Nieuwoudtville Read More »
Rust en Vrede has always been one of my favourite stops, not only because of its breathtaking setting and organised and professional wine tastings but also the great attention to detail and magnificent wines it always produces. In fact, one of their wines, which I have returned to many times over the years both to
Relaxing at Rust en Vrede Read More »
‘My only regret in life is that I didn’t drink enough Champagne,’ wrote John Maynard Keynes. I intend to have no such regrets and so started my journey in 2012 when I was privileged to work on a vintage of my own Methode Cap Classique, Scholtz Landing, with renowned Constantia winemaker, David van Niekerk, giving
Drinking Bubbles In South Africa Read More »
Johan du Doit Review: Scholtz Landing 2012 Loads of life left in this one! Fabulous nose on it by the way, showing good primary fruit and both secondary and tertiary development. Really good structure for a Shiraz. It is big, this is a cracker of a wine. I think it is big in style
Scholtz Landing 2012 Wine Review by Johan du Toit Read More »
Churchhaven is situated on a unique lagoon in the West Coast National Park, one hour and 30 minutes out of Cape Town, which makes it a very accessible weekend getaway, with the only proviso being there are no options for late arrival, due to the WCNP gate hours. We hired the Church Cottage from Private
A Weekend Break: Pre-Festive Season Year-End Read More »
Only an 80 minute drive out of Cape Town, Tulbagh remains one of the more underrated weekend getaways available to those living in Cape Town. Sunburst House, which is part of the Bergsicht Country Cottages, is a stand-alone cottage that is located close to the main road that leads to Vrolikheid Farm. With three bedrooms, comfortably
Spring Weekend Break Read More »
Mymering Guest House Mymering Guest House, located some 10 kms outside Ladismith and situated under the majestic Towerkop Mountain in the fertile Dwarsriver Valley, was an ideal location for a weekend winter break with friends and hosts Penny and Andy Hillock. With nine very differently themed guest suites to choose from, walks through the vineyards
Winter Weekends Away and 3 Red Winter Wines 2018 Read More »
A rather cold and rainy day presented itself on our first time visit to the Upper Blaauwklippen Vintners Hop, the yearly event held between Kleinood, De Trafford and Keermont wine cellars. Tickets are pre-purchased at R500, and shuttles are available for the commute between the cellars or one can drive at one’s own discretion and
Upper Blaauwklippen Vintners Hop – Open Day June 2018 Read More »
The summer of 2009 found us exploring the region of St Raphael in the South of France, discovering the wines in the area. Some interesting finds were, Le Rose and Le Blanc (made from the Ugri varietal) from Clos de Roses and one of the best from the area, the Bandol Rose. We then drove
Châteauneuf-du Pape Visit Read More »
Having spent four years on the lease, with zero dosage and zero sulphur, the Scholtz Landing MCC 2013, is fresh, with rich brioche-like flavours, coupled with an underlying minerality. Golden yellow in colour with fine mousse bubbles. A complex, youthful and zesty MCC. The MCC was produced at High Constantia in the Constantia Valley. Grape Variety
2013 Scholtz Landing Methode Cap Classique Launch Read More »
Meeting Angelo Gaja On receiving the email from Wine Cellar, advertising the opportunity to book a space at the Angelo Gaja Experience at the One and Only in March, it took me only a split second to make the decision to reserve my space. What a wonderful decision – Angelo Gaja at 76 years old
Wine Experience Reflections 2016 Read More »
With all the hype around the first South African chef-owned restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star, Jan Hendrik’s venue was a must-try while recently visiting the French Rivera, and it did not disappoint! Situated near the port in Nice, in an up and coming area, the attention to detail in the restaurant is awe-inspiring.
Holidays exploring the wine regions of Europe are both exciting and somewhat frustrating for the novice to the region. Unlike the Western Cape where one can stroll into most of the wine estates, appointments have to be arranged to visit the more sought after wineries of France and Italy. Deciding on the Piedmont region, which
A celebration of books and writers Booking early is essential to ensure that one gets some great accommodation and the appropriate tickets to attend the events at the festival. The classic accommodation that we found, having left it somewhat late, was Elephant Lodge, set on the mountain slopes with some of the most superb views
Franschhoek Literary Festival 2015 Read More »
Great Greek fare and superb wines from Rhodes and Santorini in Skopelos. Contribution by blogger, Johan du Toit We recently joined friends for a quick mid-winter break to Skopelos, the green, southernmost Greek island in the Aegean. Although the stage for Mamma Mia turned out to be more rustic than charming, the food and wine
Johan du Toit comments : Enjoyed a superb wine by my friend Susan Scholtz. This 2009 Shiraz from the Elgin region shows loads of black and red fruit on the nose with a hint of allspices. This carries over very well to the palate. Wood subtle and well integrated, it has long savoury finish that
Scholtz Landing Shiraz 2009 Reviews Read More »
On Sunday, 16 March 2014, we tasted the three barrels of Shiraz which were caringly made under the supervision of garagiste winemaker, William Everson and which will make up Scholtz Landing 2012, when bottled in August this year. Using a ‘wine thief’ the wine was drawn from all three barrels, two of which contained shiraz
Scholtz Landing Shiraz Read More »
Prince Albert, lies on the southern edge of the Great Karoo, nestling under the magnificent Swartberg Mountains. The Swartberg mountain range are a World Heritage site, part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, boasting the greatest number of plant species, particularly fynbos, in the world. A brief stay of two days allowed us to discover the
Places of Interest – Prince Albert Read More »
Visiting different cities in Europe allowed us the opportunities to explore new wines and first off was the city of Barcelona, Spain, where our favourite tapas bar; Casa Guinart served wines by the glass. The Boqueria Market, situated on the La Ramblas, is a gastronomic temple that awakens your sense of colour and smell. It
The Boqueria Market – Barcelona Read More »
The discovery of the Easter Weekend and one of the gems of the Hemel-en-Aarde Current roadworks were somewhat tricky with the first Easter rainfalls, but well worth the journey to the estate. The completed tar road will make for a smoother trip. One approaches the tasting room, based at the slopes of the magnificent towering
Susan Scholtz, under the guidance of William Everson, produced Scholtz Landing 2009. The method used for the handcrafted wine was in the William Everson long-established tradition of the garagiste: small barrel selection, limited quantities and an extra measure of care and attention make these distinctive and uncommon. Their fresh and contemporary style is balanced by
Counting down to uncorking my first Garagiste style Shiraz …. I am known as a garagiste winemaker – no drugs, no guns …. It all started in April 2009 when I embarked on one of my life’s ambitions and that was to make my own wine. Under the skillful and kind guidance, of garagiste winemaker,
It’s Summer Time – Garagiste Shiraz Read More »
But first let me tell you what I did this winter… It all started in April when I embarked on one of my life’s ambitions and that is to make my own wine. Under the skillful and kind guidance, of garagiste winemaker, William Everson, I spent ten days in the Elgin/Grabouw valley fulfilling that dream.
It’s Spring Time – Making Wine with William Everson Read More »
