Meet Ian. And Enzo. Ian loves Border Collies, making wine, and South Africa – the order of which is fuzzy, though I believe I’m correct in putting the dogs first. Ian makes esoteric wines despite the economic implications because he wants to make wines with a sense of PLACE, and thus HIS wines might just…
Its growth potential is better suited to the changing Stellenbosch climate than its Bordeaux-stablemate, Merlot and a few key producers have started cottoning on to its unique expression here. Among them, none other than our historic Stellenbosch family, the Winshaws. Their Malbec offered Greg Sherwood MW a unique moment of insight in a recent tasting, proven true on…
Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards Latest Arrivals… The impressive Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards winery is one of the jewels in the Museum Wines portfolio, situated close to the coastal town of Somerset West on False Bay, a prime viticultural area that not only boasts some of the oldest vineyard soils in the world but also some…
South Africa’s top producers released some of the finest vinous expressions they’ve ever produced… While 2023 remained a challenging year economically for all, it also, as luck would have it, saw South Africa’s top producers release some of the finest vinous expressions they have ever produced, forcing collectors and connoisseurs to dig into their pockets…
Koen Roose is known as the eccentric Belgian who makes wine in Elgin. He’s named three of his wines for notable South African women, including the warrior Queen Manthatisi of the BaThlokwa, who ruled from 1813 to 1824. In her heyday, it is estimated she ruled over 40,000 people and succeeded in keeping her people…
Malbec in France is one of the 5 recognized Bordeaux blend grapes, generally grown in the Cahors region and GENERALLY quite leathery and acidic, with flavours of tart currant, black plum, black pepper, and spice. Best used as a blending component. In ARGENTINA, Malbec is fruit-forward with flavours of blackberry, plum, and black cherry, nuanced…
South Africa is slowly redefining the borders and wards of its winemaking regions. One might argue that the freedom to do so is one of South African wine’s superpowers. Through the redefining and pioneering of new wards and regions, we are capable of producing ever more refined wines, uniquely suited to its terroir and patiently…
Brookdale Estate is situated on the Hawequa Bos Pad in Paarl, just down the road from one of South Africa’s historic wine farms, Nederburg. There, the young Kiara Scott, a Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé, previous assistant winemaker to Duncan Savage, and now Brookdale winemaker, is reimagining what Paarl wine truly means. Or at least, their little slice…
The Winshaw brothers Pierre and JP Winshaw of the Stellenbosch property, Klein Welmoed, make Usana wines and, more recently, their more premium Winshaw Vineyards label. The great-grandsons of Dr. William Charles Winshaw, founder of the Stellenbosch Farmers Winery (later Distell), and grandsons of Bill Winshaw, a key figure in the production of most of SA’s iconic heritage wines, think…
As your fine wine specialist, you can count on Museum Wines to identify and source some of the world’s finest wines. Case in point, this allocation of Lopez de Heredia’s Viña Tondonia Tinto Reserva 2011. The brand is known as the poster child for traditional Rioja winemaking. If you know Rioja and Tempranillo, you know…
“I was his tennis friend.”- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises. With Wimbledon’s Ladies’ Singles Final today, we remembered a lovely afternoon spent with Alex Milner of Natte Valleij on the farm on the slopes of the Simonsberg. They have a tennis court that presented a tennis-themed photo opportunity, though the only serve we were interested…
“It was a tasting conceived of more than a year ago and which took over six months of intricate planning to execute without any hitches. The Museum Wines Benchmark South African Tasting at the South African High Commission 2023 was certainly a memorable event, one which the producers who attended in person, the trade, press,…
Celebrating the Great Right Bank Bordeaux Reds of St Emilion and Pomerol While not quite as significant an event in the global fine wine calendar as it used to be in years gone by due to more and more top chateaux wines being held back and sold later once bottled, the annual En-primeur tastings do,…
Alex Milner of Natte Valleij just completed a 752km bike ride from the Cape to Nieu-Bethesda, where the annual Karoo Stoep Tasting was held this past weekend. * The above is a picture from his time on the road, from the middle of nowhere with Stellenboschvlei to the right. A cyclist with a minor in winemaking,…
“He couldn’t believe it was only Wednesday. And it was made worse when he realized it was actually Tuesday.”― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea. One of the functions of a Specialist Wine Merchant is that no matter the price point, we’ve ensured the wines on offer are a smart and thoughtful addition to your cellar and…
Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 17th edition of An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to…
Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 16th edition of An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to…
Alheit Vineyards is a name mentioned in hushed tones, for no sooner are their vintages released than they are sold out. Therefore better not mention this to everybody. Champions of South African white varieties, which they argue were being planted in the Compagnie Tuine sometime before there was ever any Cabernet Sauvignon growing in the Medoc,…
Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 11th edition of An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to…
“‘The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.’ If that quote could be applied to just one winemaker, it would be André van Rensburg. Never one for mediocracy, he has, over the years, often been accused of being obsessive in the pursuit of his vinous vision, and so the madman image has stuck…
Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 10th edition of An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to find something to suit your…
Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 8th edition of An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to find something to suit your…
Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 8th edition of An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service. Keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day, be it an investment, something eclectic, or a sure thing midweek wine – you’re bound to…
It’s here, February, and thank God. The year that was January is over, and we can finally get stuck into the new year with purpose. Let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 7th edition of An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging, which in these trying times, is a necessary service.…
With February in sight, dry January should be in the rearview mirror by now, and our celebratory sale something to wash away those January blues. If you’re after something specific, however, let our trusty guide Greg Sherwood MW help with this, his 6th edition of An Informed Opinion. You can trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging. Which in…
Our trustworthy guide Greg Sherwood MW helps navigate the complicated world of wine in the fifth instalment of his three-wines-a-week series, An Informed Opinion. Mid-January at Museum Wines being dry, but only insofar as beautifully DRY wines. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging. Which in these trying times seems like a necessary service. We invite you to keep…
“On the cusp of the 2021 Burgundy En-primeur releases, lovers of fine boned Pinot Noir and racy Chardonnay need not be frightened off by the high prices and impossible availability of this year’s impending releases. There are alternatives and South Africa with its old-world structure and new world fruit purity offers a surfeit of stunning…
While chestnuts roast on an open fire, and Jack Frost nips at your nose… We thought you might be in the market for some festive reading in the spirit of good wine and conversation starters around the Christmas table. Our findings should be good for at least half an hour of small talk, though WITH the actual wine, you might be set…
Our trustworthy guide Greg Sherwood MW helps navigate the complicated world of wine in the second instalment of his three-wines-a-week series, An Informed Opinion. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and interesting. Which in these trying times seems like a necessary service. We invite you to keep an eye out and see what appeals on the day,…
Our trustworthy guide Greg Sherwood MW helps navigate the complicated world of wine in the fifth instalment of his three-wines-a-week series, An Informed Opinion. Mid-January at Museum Wines being dry, but only insofar as beautifully DRY wines. Trust him to keep your wine selection relevant, nuanced, and engaging. Which in these trying times seems like a necessary service. We invite you to keep…
WIN a Once-In-A-Lifetime Trip to the South African Winelands Guided by your SA Wine Specialists For every purchase with Museum Wines from the 1st of November 2022 to the 28th February 2023, you’ll receive one entry per transaction and stand the chance to win a trip to one of the most idyllic places on earth.…
“Once you’re here, you don’t want to be anywhere else.”- Jasper Wickens. The Swartland Independent is a group of like-minded winemakers who make wine according to the principles of “Swartlandness”. Meaning a core set of values that THEY believe will help produce the best possible wines from the area. Things like minimal manipulation in both…
“To those out on their own paths, setting little fires.” ― Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere. It was 2013 when the bushfires started for Alex Milner of Natte Valleij. While the Cape is prone to bushfires, I’m not talking about the literal kind, but the light in the darkness kind. Tamlyn Currin of Jancis Robinson…
“I tend to read like I drink: all over the place and rarely the same thing twice.” – José Conde. Stark-Condé is a melting pot of American, Japanese, and South African doctrine in the Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch. Though a Valley such as this, given its own diversity, seems uniquely suited to host such wide-ranging…