My Boozy Kitchen

14/10/2026

07/10/2026

🍷 Tanagra Cabernet Franc Blanc de Noir 2022

There are some w**es that arrive at the table looking all pretty and delicate, and you assume they’re going to be a simple little summer number. Then you take a sip and realise there’s rather more going on underneath that gorgeous pale salmon, onion-skin cloak.

This is one of those w**es.

The Tanagra Cabernet Franc Blanc de Noir 2022 is made from 100% Cabernet Franc.

A red grape made into a white w**e style by gently pressing the grapes to keep colour extraction minimal. And Cabernet Franc is having rather a lovely little moment here.

It’s a single-vineyard w**e, with 50% barrel fermentation, followed by 10 months in oak and three months on the lees. So while the colour whispers pretty summer rosé, the w**emaking is quietly doing considerably more interesting things behind the scenes.

In the glass: pale salmon with that beautiful onion-skin hue.

The nose is wonderfully aromatic, mineral and fresh, with strawberries, raspberries, rose petals and Turkish delight, alongside dried pear and just the faintest suggestion of spice.

Then the palate…

Oh, hello.

Dry, sleek and crisp, with acidity that makes your mouth water almost immediately. There’s crushed red berry fruit, tart pomegranate and citrus, with a playful strawberry, candyfloss quality that sounds sweeter than it actually tastes. It’s firmly dry, but the fruit has this flirtatious, almost confectionery prettiness to it.

And then comes the bit I really enjoyed: that subtle Cab Franc personality creeping through. A hint of eucalyptus and soft herbal savouriness, followed by cinnamon spice and a gentle peppery note on the finish. Not aggressive, not green or stemmy... just enough herbal character to give the fruit a little edge and remind you there’s a red grape hiding beneath all that delicate colour.

The finish is dry, tart and refreshing, with that lovely pomegranate tang lingering alongside the spice and herbs.

This is summer in a glass. 🌸🍓

Chilled, crisp and wonderfully refreshing, but with enough texture, complexity and savoury character to make you stop and pay attention. It’s playful rather than serious, but don’t mistake playful for simple.

07/10/2026

Why Durbanville Chenin Blanc Deserves Your Attention Right Now?

Durbanville may be famous for Sauvignon Blanc, but w**emaker Richard Schroeder is making a rather convincing argument for Chenin Blanc – and the trophies, scores and accolades are starting to pile up. When you think of Durbanville w**e, Sauvignon Blanc probably springs to mind first. It certainly has a strong claim to the region's identity. But according to Groot Phesantekraal…...

Durbanville may be famous for Sauvignon Blanc, but w**emaker Richard Schroeder is making a rather convincing argument for Chenin Blanc – and the trophies, scores and accolades are starting to pile up. When you think of Durbanville w**e, Sauvignon Blanc probably springs to mind first. It certainly ...

07/10/2026

Caroline’s White W**e & Cap Classique Review 2026 | Cape Town

Sixty of South Africa’s leading w**e producers. One w**e from each. White w**es and Cap Classiques. And one very good excuse to spend an evening in Cape Town with a w**e glass in hand. If your idea of a good evening involves discovering exceptional South African w**e while chatting to the people who actually make it, Caroline’s 2026 White W**e & Cap Classique Review…...

Sixty of South Africa’s leading w**e producers. One w**e from each. White w**es and Cap Classiques. And one very good excuse to spend an evening in Cape Town with a w**e glass in hand. If your idea of a good evening involves discovering exceptional South African w**e while chatting to the people w...

07/10/2026

Balducci is back! Discover Caffé Balducci in Sea Point, a new all-day dining destination serving Italian classics, sushi, w**e, cocktails and more.

Thirty years after Balducci first opened its doors, the much-loved Cape Town dining name has returned with a new address, a fresh look and the same appetite for good food, w**e and a little bit of glamour. There are restaurants you visit once, and then there are restaurants that somehow become part....

22/09/2026

When W**e Helps Save Rhinos: Three South African W**es With a Purpose

Discover three South African w**es supporting rhino conservation. Meet Rhino Run’s Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and Rosé, and the story behind each bottle....

Discover three South African w**es supporting rhino conservation. Meet Rhino Run’s Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and Rosé, and the story behind each bottle.

14/09/2026

CONGRATS 🥂 20 FINALISTS, 3 VINTAGES & 50/50 UN/WOODED

From 159 entries by 95 producers, the Top 20 contenders in the 20th FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 competition span three vintages – 11 from 2025, seven from 2026 and two from 2024 – and demonstrate the depth and breadth of South African Sauvignon Blanc.

Congratulations to our 20 finalists, in alphabetical order:
• Carmen Stevens Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape Town
• De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape West Coast
• Diemersdal The Journal Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Durbanville
• Escape Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (wooded) – Walker Bay
• Fryer’s Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Cape Coastal Region
• Goedverwacht Great Expectations Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Robertson Valley
• Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (wooded) – Darling
• Groot Phesantekraal Marizanne 2024 (wooded) – Cape Town
• Groot Phesantekraal Marizanne 2025 (wooded) – Cape Town
• Iona Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Elgin
• Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Cape Coastal Region
• La Motte Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape South Coast
• Le Grand Domaine Grand Vin de Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (unwooded) – Stellenbosch
• Lomond Seven Rows Ben Nevis Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape Agulhas
• Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Breedekloof
• Quoin Rock Nicobar Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Western Cape
• Rietvallei Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Robertson Valley
• Steenberg Black Swan 2025 (unwooded) – Constantia
• Tokara Reserve Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (unwooded) – Elgin
• Wildeberg Terroirs Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (unwooded) – Stellenbosch

Judged by an expert panel convened by oenologist Dr Carien Coetzee, the finalists show just how versatile South African Sauvignon Blanc has become. Significantly, half of the finalists are wooded, ranging from w**es with a meaningful barrel component to predominantly tank-fermented w**es incorporating smaller portions of older oak. The judging panel comprised Dr Winifred Bowman, Cape W**e Master and international judge; Anton Swarts, Cape W**e Master, procurement manager and senior w**emaker at Spier W**e Estate; Morgan Steyn, w**emaker at De Grendel W**e Estate and Sauvignon Blanc SA committee member; Johann Fourie, cellarmaster at Benguela Cove Lagoon W**e Estate; and Cape W**emakers Guild protégés Reneilwe Senosha and Marché Hendricks as guest judges.

“Twenty years of the Top 10 gives us a valuable record of how South African Sauvignon Blanc has evolved," says Chairperson Elunda Basson. “We are proud to celebrate the producers who continue to push the category forward, and grateful to our long-standing Title Partner FNB, Platinum Partner Ever Solutions SA and all our partners, including Vinventions, Hillebrand Gori - a company of DHL, Tonnellerie Sylvaine, Beveratech and MCC Premium Label Solutions, for their continued support.”

TAKE NOTE: Top 10 winners revealed Wednesday 14 Oct 2026 at the FNB Top 10 Awards. The Sauvignon Blanc SA Seminar and AGM follows on Wednesday 11 November, offering producers cultivar-specific insights, two technical tastings and an opportunity to engage with developments in the category.

READ MORE https://sauvignonblanc.com/2026-fnb-top-10-20th-year-20-finalists/

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