Description

This is my twelfth and longest South Africa Special Report yet. At 332 pages and more than 110,000 words, it’s by far my most comprehensive overview of the world’s seventh-largest producer.

To compile the report, I tasted 2,259 wines from 427 different producers, spending over a month in the Cape in March, June and July this year.

The bulk of the report consists of tasting notes for the 1,570 brands that scored over 90 points. But there’s also plenty of in-depth analysis of the current South African wine scene, a list of the best restaurants, my controversial annual classification of the best 350 producers and my wines, winemakers, cellar door, viticulturist and legend of the year.

All in all, 217 wines scored more than 95 points – my equivalent of a gold medal. There is one perfect, 100-point wine this year (the sixth to enjoy such an accolade in the Cape) and three 99-point wines. The excellent scores support my belief that South Africa is making the best wines in its history, especially in vintages like 2017 and 2021. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the 2023 whites.

The strongest performers were again Chenin Blanc and Syrah, but there are dozens of different styles among my top wines. The Cape’s diversity is one of its trump cards.

My 2024 South Africa Special Report is available to download from my site. Unlike food and energy prices, the cost of my report remains the same at £20. If you’re planning a trip to the Cape – or just want to buy some of South Africa’s best wines – it’s an indispensable guide to one of the most exciting wine scenes on the planet.

You can buy the report for £20 here.