The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2020, one of the premier wines under DGB’s Bellingham brand, cemented its position as one of South Africa’s leading Chenin Blancs by claiming a spot in the Standard Bank Top 10 Chenin Blanc Challenge announced on 16 September. This is the country’s leading competition dedicated to Cape Chenin Blanc and Bellingham’s achievement follows on its showing at the Decanter World Wine Awards in July where the Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc from the 2019 vintage scored 97pts, the highest for any South African white wine on that prestigious show.  

 

Bellingham, one of South Africa’s oldest and most revered wine brands with a history dating back to 1693, remains a force in the modern wine industry, having racked-up no less than eight 90pts-plus ratings in the latest report on South African wine by Tim Atkin MW. This is Atkin’s ninth report on the Cape wine industry, for which he scrutinised over 1 800 wines before writing his summation, which is internationally regarded as a leading guide into the quality of South African wines.

 

As the cold weather arrives, we’re sure your palates are making the seasonal transition from white to red, but there is one wine that seemingly defies all seasons and all styles – Chenin blanc. With South Africa owning two-thirds of the world’s Chenin vines, we’ve no doubt that you’ve come across this grape in some shape or form. With #DrinkChenin Day this month, we explore why Chenin blanc is so prevalent in our country, what makes it so special and why you should pay attention.

 

Bellingham’s The Bernard Series red wines provide the perfect winter comfort against the shivering cold, and even more so when paired with sumptuous gourmet cuisine. These wines were made with food in mind, after all. Bellingham founder Bernard Podlashuk pioneered many firsts in the South African wine industry, but more than that, he understood the magical symbiosis between fine wine and food. This flamboyant man and his wife, Fredagh, perfected the art of entertaining and their dinner parties at the Bellingham homestead were legendary for their opulence. In their honour, we’ve assembled a winter menu to show off the wonderful food-enhancing qualities of The Bernard Series red wines.

 

“Some of the most delicate wines I’ve seen”

Richard Duckitt, Chief Winemaker at Bellingham, is enjoying a moment of reprieve: harvest 2018 is concluded.

 

As the Bellingham 2018 harvest season comes to an end, newly-appointed winemaker, Richard Duckitt gives us some insider info on the stand-out cultivars and what we can expect from the 2018 vintage.

 

Great wine is made in the vineyard. It is a much-used saying, but nevertheless fittingly describes the Bellingham philosophy.

 

Bellingham Wines, pioneers of the first single-varietal Shiraz in South Africa in the late 1950’s and one of the country’s most established wine brands, has received two Gold Medals in the annual MUNDUS VINI International Awards and Spring Tasting.

 

Digital-savvy wine lovers have voted in the annual Vivino Wine Style Awards and reviewers have recognised Bellingham’s The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc as one of the top 10 Chenin Blancs from South Africa.  Vivino is the world’s largest wine application (app), allowing a global wine community to buy, rate and review wines. This popular wine app has more than 20 million wine lovers, worldwide, who use the app to grow, and share, their love for wine.

 

On Friday, 16 February, wine lovers around the world celebrate International Shiraz Day.