Seeking to find the best examples of Shiraz between the R60 and R120 price points, the wines were tasted blind by our three judges: Joanne Gibson, Ndaba Dube and Trizanne Barnard with scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
Shiraz is something of a chameleon grape, capable of producing wines ranging from fairly light and fresh (even austere) to rich and ripe (even jammy). Producers often claim that their use of the name ‘Syrah’ indicates wines made in the more elegant ‘Rhone’ style rather than the blockbuster ‘Aussie’ style, but this is definitely not always the case. Generally speaking, though, South African Shiraz does sit somewhere in between the two extremes.
From Darling to Devon Valley, Tulbagh to Worcester, the Cape winelands were well represented, and it came as no surprise to discover that our top wine was from the Swartland, home to over a fifth of South Africa’s Shiraz vineyards.
The top five #BestValue wines, at this price point, are as follows:
Lammershoek The Innocent Syrah 2017
Stellenrust Shiraz 2017
Bruce Jack Shiraz 2018
Guardian Peak Shiraz 2018
Robertson Winery Shiraz 2018
more on winemag.co.za