capeofgoodwine, Lothian Vineyards, Rockview Dam Rd, Elgin (2026)

05/08/2026

What a treat to attend the Caroline’s Red Wine Review last Thursday. With so many excellent SA reds, I needed a game plan. You’ll be happy to know that my tannin training worked…and found a personal chaperone with excellent tasting skills - aka darling friend - who guided me through most of the Bordeaux grapes.

Standouts for me were the Kershaw GPS H&A, Oak Valley Tabula Rasa and Saurwein Om Pinot Noirs + Vilafonté Series C, + Holden Manz Reserve Cab Franc + Lanzerac Pinotage.

Best new finds were the Bellevue Reserve Pinotage and the Winshaw Charles Winshaw BDX blend. I cannot wait to pick these up and spend more time with them.

Wine of night was the Keermont Topside Syrah - always soooo good with its lavender vibes.

Aside from sipping wine in the empty stadium seats with lovely friends, my favourite moment was seeing Noni who is now at Hartenberg! Love this lady…such a talent!

29/07/2026

Elena Walch Lagrein 2019

If you could only see beyond the confines of this square right now. Scribbled notes, reference print outs, tech sheets, multiple pens coz I keep losing them…multiple corkscrews coz I keep losing them…multiple glasses coz I’m deep into a tasting!

Speaking of deep…the depth of colour to Lagrein! Profound aromas of savoury oriental spices, soy sauce and dried shiitake mushrooms, tomato leaf, blackberries, black cherries, sweet star anise...this wine is decidedly savoury/sweet spice forward.

Full bodied with moreish high acidity, medium smooth ripe tannins, medium alcohol, and a long finish. Slinky salinity, blueberries, black plums, some meaty iron notes, and bitter cacao on the finish. One liner: big and rich dark plums poached in star anise laced with soy sauce...but also blueberry and earthy...and the acid goes a long way towards refreshing this. The bitter cacao is the only thing that takes you away from the wine initially...but you don’t notice it by the 3rd sip.

Tasting the Pinot Nero a few years ago is still one of my proudest blind tasting moments. Calling Pinot Noir at an Italian tasting in Cape Town…what were the chances!

Also…you may have noticed I’m on a red roll…very unusual for me. Why? Because I’ll be at the Caroline’s Red Wine Review on Thursday thanks to my beautiful friend My Boozy Kitchen . And I really need to build up my tannin tolerance 🤣. But seriously, if you’re in Cape Town, I hope I’ll see you there.

22/07/2026

Neil Ellis The Left Bank 2021 [gifted]

49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and a dash of Cabernet Franc and Malbec exude the most beautifully dense colour, enticingly rich with aromas of blackberries and cassis, damson plums, pencil shavings and dry cedar, star anise, and a touch of menthol eucalyptus.

Fuller bodied with moreish acidity and big ripe velvety tannins. Spiced red plums, raspberries and earthy pomegranate accompany the concentration of damson plums and spices; lingering for a generous lengthy finish.

Many thanks to the team for this well timed quintessentially Bordeaux style red blend that was much appreciated on a chilly evening. And huge congratulations on your brilliant 97 point score at the 2026 Investec Trophy Wine Show!

15/07/2026

BlankBottle Pat Bird 2021

Tell me this doesn’t look like a white wine bottle and label? It’s Petit Verdot. Surprise! And it’s one of the last bottles in my BB stash. Boo!

A brooding purpley ruby pour wafting perfumed violets and fresh potpourri, blackberry, blueberry, mulberry, dark plums, kirsch, prickly pear fruit, blueberry ice cream, vanilla, baking spices and dry crackling cigar leaves.

A bigger body backs up the berries and blooms. Bodacious powdery drying tannins had me shaking in my boots. Somewhat soothed by the moreish acidity and bursts of red plums and dark cherries. Brawny, bold and vibrant…but not nearly as pronounced or lingering as the nose. One liner: the gym bro who skips leg day (not that I have any right to comment on fitness!). Second liner: concentration without concentration (on which I am an expert!).

Isn’t PV a funny grape? All the dark intensity…so much structure…yet we never really anticipate having to call it in a blind…we just sort of tack it on to a BDX blend when the colour seems right but we’re not feeling plummy Malbec. This may not be my favourite favourite BlankBottle but, as always, tasting and thinking and trying to figure out the variety (coz BB doesn’t name the grape on the label, and I can never remember what I purchase) was the best fun! I landed on a super extracted Syrah. So wrong, but so fun!

08/07/2026

Stark Conde Pines Syrah 2018

The deepest ruby hue delivers exactly what you’d hope for from that depth of colour: a canvas of blueberries, blackberries, black plums interlaced with threads of lifted tart red plums, boozy kirsch, light vanilla, star anise, herbal olive leaf and fynbos, fresh violets and lavender; embellished with subtle charcuterie, smoke and black pepper (rotundone is still going, baby!).

A seam of cheerful medium+ acidity and wonderfully integrated big velvety tannins that hem the full body…neatly finished with the longest finish. It’s an appliqué of bright and fresh red plums, dark plums, dark cherries and woodsy cedar woven against a tapestry of big, full, rich velvet opulence.

Stark-Condé has a beautiful tasting room hovering over a scenic little dam…with so many of the biggest fish (I’m easily amused and distracted). I’ve long been a little obsessed with Rüdger, the winemaker. But our wine host was one of the most impressive I’ve experienced: able to sway between friendly light-hearted chit chat, while fielding technical questions with a deep wine knowledge beyond only Stark-Condé and Stellenbosch. And for that reason, this winery is one of my favourite recommendations…well worth a visit (for the hospitality, wines, location…erm, and the fish)!

27/05/2026

Rudolf Fürst Klingenberger Spätburgunder 2014

This post isn’t so much about this lovely aged Spätburgunder. It’s about an interview with the man who gifted it to me. has just hit 20k followers 🤗, and I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of following.

As an ode to our mutual WSET Diploma adventures, here’s a throwback to Diploma days: Medium garnet with an enticing medium (+) intensity nose of leather, damp earth, wet leaves, mulch, liquorice, oyster sauce, dried fruits like prunes and raisins, black plums, kirsch and gentle baking spices.

Dry, medium+ acidity, medium bodied, medium alcohol, smooth medium tannins, and a medium + finish. Medium (+) intensity tart fresh red fruits like cherries and red plums, tertiary dried cedar, mulch and leather, and finishing with dried fruits that leave a lovely lasting impression.

There is balance between the fresh acidity, alcohol, integrated smooth tannins and concentration of aromas and flavours; a complex potpourri of primary fruits, secondary new oak spices, and tertiary dried wood, earth and leather linger pleasantly to produce a very good quality wine. Drink now, will not improve with further ageing but will hold for 3-5 more years.

More interesting non WSET notes: empty glass sniff YUM, paired well with a black cherry flavoured sucker/popsicle, what a treat to taste an older German Pinot...yum!

I started double tapping Nick’s posts in May 2019...shortly after he reached 5k. And even back then I noticed his hashtag. After years of wine inspo, swopping bottles through travelling friends (my first Hunter Valley Sem 🙏🏾❤️) and our recent AlternativeApril fun, Nick graciously agreed to an interview. If you’re (also) curious about why he chose his username and why that doesn’t contradict , the link to the interview is in the bio.

20/05/2026

Perdeberg The Dryland Collection Tenacious Syrah 2024 [gifted]

This arrived yesterday...and I couldn’t resist opening the bottle almost immediately. Partly because I’ve been craving a bigger red (shhh, don’t tell anyone). But mostly because I’d recently tasted their 94 pointer Grenache at the Prescient/WineMag Autumn Series event. And also coz I think they’re cool.

Think inviting deep wine red velvet couch: dark, broody, and viscous with late night suggestive glances. A subtle cologne of ripe juicy black mulberries, raspberries, red plums, dried cedar, freshly tanned leather, herbal olive leaves (guava leaves after tasting the wine). And now hold onto to your britches folks...I smell pepper! Rotundone is back, baby!

The first kiss is where it comes alive. Dry, luxuriously fuller bodied, great acidity, tannins like caressing thick velour, and a long satisfying finish. Mulberries, sweet plump damson plums, guavas, persimmons, and a little powdery bitterness that’s made me think of earthy pomegranates. Some might call it think earthy blueberries...but I think it’s more interesting than bluebs. I believe the oneliner is: a seductive ‘acquaintance inviting you to ‘catch up’ on a far too comfortable couch.

It’s always a treat to be gifted these Perdeberg wines as they’ve become a staple on my shelf ever since being (re)introduced to their full range of wines. Many thanks to the team...I’ll share a couch with you any day!

06/05/2026

Magna Carta Red

Webster’s dictionary defines blind-tasting as the masochistic act of humbling one’s narcissistic wine snob tendencies. I kid...I’ve never opened a Merriam-Webster dictionary in my life 🤣. But when the winemaker is harvesting and the label says ‘red’ and you can’t bring yourself to bug them yet again:

Hazy pale ruby with a garnet rim. Pronounced aromas already show noticeably tertiary notes of dried cedar and pencil shavings, dried mushrooms and leather...but they’re integrated with fresh red plums and cherries, tomato stew, beefstock, star anise, and the pleasant floral perfume of VA (I said pleasant!).

Dry, bright chewy acidity, medium bodied, fine barely-there tannins, and a good finish. It’s vibrant and, if I didn’t know it was local, I’d head to natural Italy because of the tart red fruits, tomato and balsamic profile.

Eish...so I don’t know what these grapes are. Mphumi didn’t tell me. My guess is Pinot Noir for colour development and tannins, could be cool Pinotage, maybe young Shiraz and Mourvèdre for meatiness. But Cab Franc also fits the profile because there’s a touch of green at the very end.

And that’s the thing. Does labelling the grapes in a blend even matter to the vast majority if you’re enjoying the wine? In conclusion: Webster’s Dictionary defines the wine student as one who desperately tries to justify failing blind tasting exams. 🤣

01/04/2026

Dom Bliskowice Johanniter Ultra 2020

When you break an empty bottle you had every intention of saving forever...because the perfectly painterly calligraphic J in the perfect shade of yellow is one my favourite wine label designs (possibly hand painted 😳❤️🙌🏾 coz it looks slightly different in pics I’ve found online?)!

Polish, small batch, low intervention orange wine made from the Johanniter grape: normal in Poland, novel to me = counts as alternative to me.

The brown bottle imbues beautiful hazy early sunset hues subsumed (yeah, I’m done) with acacia and honeysuckle blossoms, ripe oranges, apricots, peach tea, crushed limestone, honeyed mead and beeswax, hay and dried herbs. Fleshed out by yellow apples, quince, and zesty grapefruit. Lovely acidity, surprisingly structured with black tea tannins, a richness to the mouthfeel, and a generous finish.

Look, there was much excitement in the form of kisses, hugs, hugs, kisses, introductions to besties, exploding bubbly corks, fooood, introduction to kids, hugs, kisses, and just staring adoringly at G & K...I barely remember what they told me about the winemaker. Uncertified organic/biodynamic + minimal intervention + on Michelin restaurant wine lists + cool AF is what I’ve since discovered. Also...not sure if I can recycle this broken bottle because I think it’s bloody perfect!

Ps. I recently watched Konstantin Baum declare that he’s not a fan of the V***e yellow: I disagree 😈 because, much like this wine, I think it’s the perfect shade of pumpkin yellow. So I put it to him that it’s not the yellow, but the meh common dark green bottle colour that is actually the problem...and put forward this classy brown Hock bottle. Unless he also hates yellow daffodils, sunrises, bowls filled with lemons, and the Angostura Bitters’ cap ...happy to proven wrong. 💛

capeofgoodwine

05/08/2026

29/07/2026

22/07/2026

15/07/2026

08/07/2026

27/05/2026

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01/04/2026

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