Monday, 11 December, 2023

A whimsical top ten wine tastings of 2023

Varietal tastings ruled the waves this year, with leading wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc contesting for the spotlight alongside alternate varieties and vessels.
Graham Howe

Monday, 18 September, 2023

The wrongs and rights of rebel Riesling

Will the real Riesling stand up? Riding the Riesling rollercoaster, Graham Howe looks at the evolution of Cape Riesling and Rhine Riesling into modern styles.
Graham Howe

Monday, 17 July, 2023

High altitude wines: A taste of Tarrango

Tasting high altitude wines in-flight at 12 500 metres above sea-level, Graham Howe discovers new varieties like Tarrango.
Graham Howe

Tuesday, 27 June, 2023

Strange birds: Tourism on the road to recovery

Graham Howe reports on the post-pandemic tourism trends highlighted at ATE23 which he attended on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, in early May.
Graham Howe

Monday, 3 April, 2023

Savvy showcase for Sauvignon starship

The Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2023 showcased the signature white grape of Constantia and Durbanville to local and international media, buyers and critics.
Graham Howe

Friday, 25 November, 2022

My super 7 wine tastings of the year

In 2022, local wine producers hosted major tastings for the first time in three years since the pandemic.
Graham Howe

Thursday, 22 September, 2022

Safeguarding natural heritage: WWF Conservation Champions

To mark Heritage Day, Graham Howe looks at 3 of the Cape’s oldest wine farms recognised as WWF-SA Conservation Champions.
Graham Howe

Monday, 8 August, 2022

The queen of cool climate wine

Graham Howe takes a master lesson in cool climate wines from the Elgin “apple-ation”.
Graham Howe

Wednesday, 15 June, 2022

Big red blends: The holy grail

The pursuit of the great red blend is a holy grail for many Cape winemakers.
Graham Howe

Monday, 25 April, 2022

The big BiB revolution out the box

The surge in bag-in-box (BiB) sales in South Africa reveals a fascinating evolution of consumer and marketing trends.
Graham Howe

Thursday, 9 December, 2021

Trend spotting at top ten tastings of 2021

Graham Howe picks his top ten wine tastings of 2021. Get the lowdown here!
Graham Howe

Wednesday, 17 November, 2021

Dizzy fizzy flights: In search of the sweet spot

Graham Howe experiences world-first flights of Cap Classique created by Pieter “Bubbles” Ferreira, cellarmaster at Graham Beck.
Graham Howe

Monday, 27 September, 2021

The limestone cowboys ride high in the valley

The magnificent seven MCC producers known as the Robertson Collective launched an exciting new Cap Classique route in September 2021. Graham Howe was there.
Graham Howe

Wednesday, 25 August, 2021

The long and wining road with wine.co.za

Wine and food writer Graham Howe celebrates twenty-five years of contributing almost five hundred columns to wine.co.za, one of the longest running online wine columns in the world.
Graham Howe

Monday, 5 July, 2021

Beam me back to the past Boets: The brave new world of Covid tastings

The Covid19 pandemic has rewritten the protocols of wine tastings. Smart wine producers are launching new products by using digital and personalised platforms to reach media and markets.
Graham Howe

Monday, 17 May, 2021

Investing In The Brand Of Big Wine Blends

The launch of Taaibosch, a major new foreign-owned winery, represents a vote of confidence in the future of the South African wine industry.
Graham Howe

Monday, 19 April, 2021

WINEFORGOOD: Old vines, liquid history

Conserving old vines keeps alive the history and cultural landscape of South African wine.
Graham Howe

Monday, 15 March, 2021

Constantia After Covid

The Constantia Wine Valley is slowly returning to normal, supported by loyal locals – and hoping for a bumper tourism season over 2021/2022.
Graham Howe

Thursday, 11 February, 2021

Smuggling Chardonnay – The rebel grape

In the spirit of lockdown, Graham Howe revisits Chardonnay, the rebel grape first smuggled into South Africa forty years ago by winemakers defying government restrictions. Those were the days.
Graham Howe

Monday, 14 December, 2020

Virtual wine trends in 2020: The learning curve of COVID-19

Looking back on one of the toughest challenges for the South African wine industry since phylloxera, Graham Howe reflects on the long-term impact of Covid-19 – and the digital learning curve of 2020.
Graham Howe