Cheers to Durbanville's best

IN RECENT years the Durbanville Hills wine estate has produced some notable wines - particularly Sauvignon Blancs and Merlots that have placed it among the top producers of these genres.

Western Cape's Durbanvillle, which faces the Atlantic and therefore has a cool climate, is a mere 15-minute drive from Cape Town. It is an area renowned for growing Sauvignon Blanc grapes - hence it is home to some of the distinguished producers of Sauvignon Blanc wines, such as Durbanville Hills, Meerendal, Nitida, De Grendel and Hillcrest.

In fact, Durbanville hosts an annual Sauvignon Festival every year to promote the area's signature styles of Sauvignon Blanc.

Prompting this topic about Durbanville and its association with Sauvignon Blancs, is a significant development that has given a whole new dimension to the pitching of the area solely as a Sauvignon Blanc destination.

It was the news that the 2010 Durbanville Hills Rhinofields Chardonnay was named one of the Top 10 Chardonnays at the 19th annual Chardonnay du Monde in France recently.

For good measure this development ought to be celebrated since it proves South Africa's prowess as one of the top wine-making nations, as well as Durbanville - a heavyweight Sauvignon Blanc-producing enclave.

This means Durbanville Hills has produced a Chardonnay that proudly stands - in terms of quality and finesse - shoulder to shoulder with the best from overseas.

Durbanville Hills cellar master Martin Moore says the wine spent a total of 12 months in the barrel.

This treatment gave the Chardonnay "a zesty citrus nose with peach and dried apricots, backed by cedar wood, spice and almonds. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, creamy and elegant with hints of orange."

lMount Grace Country House & Spa, which is nestled in the foothills of the Magaliesburg, will be hosting a series of gourmet dinners in collaboration with some top winemakers from May to November this year.

The programme kicks off on May 26 and 27, with the von Arnim family, owners of Haute Cabrière cellar, showcasing some of their Methode Cap Classique wines.

• A day of wine-filled fun takes place at the annual Franschhoek Oesfees 2012 at the Solms-Delta wine estate in the Cape winelands tomorrow.

• Organic wines: Winners of the Nedbank Green Wine Awards will be presented by leading bio-dynamic producers Johan Reyneke of Reyneke Wines and Francois van Zyl from Laibach Wines at public tastings at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town on March 28 and at the Johannesburg Sandton Sun on March 29.

• The annual Mpumalanga Wine Show takes place at Ingwenyama Conference and Sports Resort in White River on April 21 and 22.